Oral History Interview with Roger Ashenbrenner, October 29, 2014 transcript

Oral History Interview with Roger Ashenbrenner, October 29, 2014

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Roger A. Ashenbrenner. Ashenbrenner was born 7 June 1922 in Washington D.C. He enlisted in the Navy 15 August 1942. He went to boot camp in Newport, Rhode Island. After brief periods as an armed guard at the Naval War College, amphibious training at Little Creek, Virginia, and a trip to Brooklyn, New York to man a new destroyer, he was finally sent to the merchant ship Mormac Swan as a member of the Navy Armed Guard. Their duty was to man the 3" gun mounted on the bow of the ship. After one trip across the Atlantic, Ashenbrenner was assigned to the Henry A. Wiley (DM-29). In November 1944, the Wiley escorted the battleships Missouri (BB-63), Texas (BB-35), and Arkansas (BB-33), and two escort carriers from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Arriving at Pearl Harbor, she then escorted the New York (BB-34) to join the covering force for the invasion of Iwo Jima. While there, Ashenbrenner witnessed both the original flag raising on Mt. Suribachi and the second raising immortalized by Joe Rosenthal. Once Iwo Jima was secured, the Wiley went to Okinawa to sweep mines. Subsequently …
Date: October 29, 2014
Creator: Ashenbrenner, Roger A.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Roger Ashenbrenner, October 29, 2014 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Roger Ashenbrenner, October 29, 2014

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Roger A. Ashenbrenner. Ashenbrenner was born 7 June 1922 in Washington D.C. He enlisted in the Navy 15 August 1942. He went to boot camp in Newport, Rhode Island. After brief periods as an armed guard at the Naval War College, amphibious training at Little Creek, Virginia, and a trip to Brooklyn, New York to man a new destroyer, he was finally sent to the merchant ship Mormac Swan as a member of the Navy Armed Guard. Their duty was to man the 3" gun mounted on the bow of the ship. After one trip across the Atlantic, Ashenbrenner was assigned to the Henry A. Wiley (DM-29). In November 1944, the Wiley escorted the battleships Missouri (BB-63), Texas (BB-35), and Arkansas (BB-33), and two escort carriers from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Arriving at Pearl Harbor, she then escorted the New York (BB-34) to join the covering force for the invasion of Iwo Jima. While there, Ashenbrenner witnessed both the original flag raising on Mt. Suribachi and the second raising immortalized by Joe Rosenthal. Once Iwo Jima was secured, the Wiley went to Okinawa to sweep mines. Subsequently …
Date: October 29, 2014
Creator: Ashenbrenner, Roger A.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History