The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harold Priddy. Priddy joined the Army Air Corps around 1938. He completed Officer Candidate School in mid-1942. He deployed to England, and served as chief of Materials Section, Air Transport Service. Priddy was able to commandeer sufficient resources within the European Theater to assist Patton’s 3rd Army in their drive into Germany in late 1944. For his contribution, General Charles de Gaulle awarded Priddy the French War Cross with Silver Star. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard O'Shaughnessy. O'Shaughnessy joined the Navy in 1942 and received basic training at Great Lakes. Upon completion of aviation radio and gunnery school, he was assigned to VPB-117, alternating between the top turret and radio of a PBY4-1 Catalina. In early 1944, he deployed to the Pacific in a secret operation that was somehow known to Tokyo Rose, who nicknamed them the Blue Raiders. Being one of the first squadrons equipped with radar, they performed classified patrol missions and bombed opportunistically. On one mission, the crew became lost; running low on fuel, they unloaded their plane by throwing out oxygen system and guns. They landed at their base just as the engines cut out. O'Shaughnessy was administered Dramamine to help him through 24-hour-long missions out of Mindoro, tracking the Japanese fleet. Near the end of the war, his crew faced their first enemy fire and shot down six aircraft. O'Shaughnessy was transferred to Corpus Christi but found he could not advance due to nepotism. He was discharged into the Reserves and retired as a master chief.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Burnett. Burnett joined the Army Air Corps in October, 1942 and learned to fly in Texas. He earned his wings and a commission in March, 1944 and was assigned to the 310th Fighter Squadron, 58th Fighter Group flying a P-47 once he got overseas to the Philippines. From there, Burnett flew combat missions against ground targets. He flew missions alongside the 201st Fighter Squadron out of Mexico. His unit moved to Okinawa just before the war ended. After a brief interlude in Japan, Burnett went back to the US and was discharged. He joined the FBI in 1947 after finishing college.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jim Bradford. Bradford was born in Marshall, Texas in 1920 and graduated from high school in 1937. Entering the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program he was sent to Tulare, California where he began flight training at the Rankin Aeronautical Academy. Upon graduation as a second lieutenant, he was assigned to Roswell, New Mexico as an instructor pilot at the Roswell Army Air Field. Following two years as an instructor Bradford was assigned to the 548th Night Fighter Squadron to begin training in the Northrop P-61 night fighter plane. Upon completion of training the unit was moved to Iwo Jima where they conducted night patrols. Bradford shot down a Japanese Betty bomber during one patrol. After Iwo Jima was secured, the unit moved to Okinawa and remained there until Japan surrendered. Bradford concludes the narration by telling of the various assignments he had prior to his retirement after thirty years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Berger. Berger joined the Army in July of 1942. He served with the Service Company of the 377th Infantry Regiment, 95th Infantry Division, completing administrative work and ensuring the regiment had adequate supplies. He then served as Warrant Officer Junior Grade, working with ammunitions supplies. Berger later joined the 543rd Field Artillery Battalion, and traveled to Hawaii, conducting routine training. He later traveled to Leyte aboard an LST, supplying ammunition and other supplies to troops, where he was located when the war ended. Berger then served with occupation forces in Sapporo, Japan, working in the Inspector General’s office. He returned to the US and received his discharge in February of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Cletus Ernster. Ernster went to Conrad Flying School in Winona, Minnesota in 1939. He joined the Army Air Forces in 1942 and was commissioned as a service pilot. He was assigned to Wilmington, Delaware to deliver planes throughout the United States and overseas. He discusses the various planes that he flew and the locations he delivered planes to. He was assigned to Chanyi, China in September of 1944, where he spent the remainder of his service. He was in the 1342nd Army Air Forces Base Unit in China. He gives detail of flying missions and transporting Chinese soldiers from one battle area to the next. He was discharged in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Elaine Osborn. Osborn was born in 1932 in Freeman, South Dakota and had just turned 9 years old when World War II began. She shares memories of civilian life during the war, and living in a Mennonite Community during the Great Depression. She had 5 uncles and 2 cousins in the service. Osborn recalls community building between farmers to help feed and care for one another. Additionally, she notes that her Japanese American college roommate was encamped in California during the war. Osborn provides vivid descriptions of the sacrifices made by the civilians to support the men and women serving their country.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Davidson. Davidson joined the Navy in the spring of 1943. He served as Seaman 1st Class. He completed the equivalent of a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He worked in a field engineering group at a Naval research lab in Washington. He was later sent to the Banana River Naval Air Station in Florida, running tests on carrier-controlled approach. He volunteered for the invasion of Japan in 1945, though after the bombs were dropped Davidson went back to field engineering in Florida. Davidson remained in the US for the remainder of his service. After the war ended, he remained in the Naval Reserves. Davidson retired from the Reserves in 1971.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Rudy Moreau. Moreau was born in 1924 in Port Arthur, Texas. In January 1943 he was drafted into the Army and sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training in infantry and armor. Following a 2 month hospitalization for a ruptured appendix, he was shipped overseas, sailing from Boston to Glasgow, Scotland. In the UK, he was stationed in Frome, England until being assigned to the armor replacement stream. Moreau sailed from England to Normandy, landing via a Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) on Omaha Beach on D-Day plus 4 or 5. Moreau joined the Recon Company of the 66th Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division. As a gunner in either an M-4 light tank or an armored car, he saw action at St. Lo, the Falaise Pocket, Tornai, Belgium, Maastrict, Holland, crossed the Ruhr into Germany, went back into Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, and again into Germany, ultimately to Berlin. He was there during the Potsdam Conference, seeing Truman, Churchill, Stalin, and the generals in attendance. In October 1945 Moreau was sent back to the States and was discharged at Fort Bliss, Texas. He rejoined the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert Lawrence Wile. Wile joined the Army in 1943. He completed Cook School, and worked as a cook at Fort Meade and Fort Eustis. In late 1944, he traveled to Cherbourg, France and Belgium, working with the 1591st Labor Supervision Company. He assisted with coordinating German companies in cleaning up after the war, rebuilding roads and picking up artillery shells. Wile continued in the Army after the war, completing 30 years of service in the military.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert Lawrence Wile. Wile joined the Army in 1943. He completed Cook School, and worked as a cook at Fort Meade and Fort Eustis. In late 1944, he traveled to Cherbourg, France and Belgium, working with the 1591st Labor Supervision Company. He assisted with coordinating German companies in cleaning up after the war, rebuilding roads and picking up artillery shells. Wile continued in the Army after the war, completing 30 years of service in the military.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ernest Major. Major volunteered for the Navy just after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Upon completion of diesel school, he became a PT boat motor mechanic. After getting injured in a boating accident, he spent nine months recovering and was then assigned to PT-309 in Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 22. Following stops in North Africa and France in early 1943, he experienced a close encounter with Italian ships at Sardinia before arriving at his base on Corsica. Using radar, the PT boat conducted night patrols along the coast of Italy, torpedoing and sinking five supply barges. His unit captured an Italian MAS boat attempting to smuggle out German officers from Elba, and they also transported French commandos to Southern France. After being stationed in Golfe-Juan, Major returned to the States and was later sent to the Philippines. He finished the war at Okinawa, surviving a typhoon and heartily celebrating V-J Day. Major was discharged in December 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Erwin Wilhite. Wilhite earned his wings in February of 1942. He then conducted anti-submarine patrols off the coast of Louisiana. Later, he served with the 376th Bombardment Group, piloting B-24s out of North Africa and Italy. He describes in vivid detail his first flight to Africa, landing in Khartoum in July of 1942. From there they traveled to Lydda, Palestine where they joined the Halverson Provisional (HALPRO) detachment. He describes running out of fuel over Lebanon, parachuting from the plane, injuring his ankles and his interactions with the Lebanese people. Wilhite returned to the U.S. in January of 1943 for additional treatment of his ankles. In mid-1943 he was sent to Dayton, Ohio to serve as a test pilot, and later served as an engineering officer in Columbus, Ohio through the end of the war. He provides some details of the planes he flew as a test pilot. He was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joe Jeanes. Jeanes joined the Navy in 1942 at 15 years old. He completed basic training at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas, and was assigned to a PBY Squadron. They patrolled the Gulf of Mexico. In 1944, Jeanes was shipped to New Guinea and Hollandia. He worked for a Seabee outfit for a short period of time. He served aboard USS Ward (DD-139) until it sank in October of 1944, and then transferred to Manila until the end of the war. Jeanes returned home and was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Loyd Oakes. Oakes was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and enlisted in the Army Air Forces on 9 February 1943 and was sent to Kelly Field for training. He qualified as bombardier and went to Laredo, Texas for ten weeks of gunnery training followed by three weeks of bombardier training in Midland, Texas. He graduated as a second lieutenant on 4 December 1943. Following his B-24 training, he flew with his crew to Darwin, Australia. In Darwin he was assigned to the 528th Bomb Squadron of the 380th Bomb Group, operating as a unit of 5th Air Force and was flying under Australian control. He also trained of Royal Australian Air Force pilots in the B-24. He describes several missions bombing Japanese airfields in the East Indies and Philippines. He provides several anecdotes of his time in Australia, including the time that Tokyo Rose broadcast that the Japanese were sending planes to bomb Darwin, which did not occur. His group moved to Mindoro Island, Philippines in February 1945 from where he describes flying missions over China, New Guinea and the Philippines. He recalls embarking on a troopship in …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Waite Higgins. Higgins joined the Navy in late 1943. Beginning in 1944, he served with the deck force aboard a carrier. They traveled throughout the Pacific Islands, and he recalls burials at sea. Higgins recalls participating in the Battle of Okinawa. In August of 1945, they traveled to Tokyo Bay in Japan. He returned to the US and was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with J L Cunningham. Cunningham joined the Marine Corps in late 1942. He served in combat infantry with the 4th Marine Division, and participated in amphibious assaults in the battles of Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. Cunningham was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Erick Miller. Miller began learning to fly in 1939. He joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1940, and was sent to Cranfield, England. He piloted the Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft, and shares his experiences through the Battle of Britain. In November of 1940 through early 1941 Miller was posted to a Canadian squadron of Beaufighter airplanes assigned to night fighting in Britain. Their duty was to ward off German bombers as they came over the North Sea. He recalls how thankful he was when the Americans joined in the war effort in Europe. Miller completed additional missions through Le Havre, France, Gibraltar and Africa. He was also assigned to military intelligence work. He remained a pilot through the end of the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Jackson. Jackson joined the Navy in 1942. He served as Machinist’s Mate Second Class in the engine room aboard the USS Salt Lake City (CA-25). While aboard the ship, Jackson recalls bombarding and covering landings on 34 islands in the Pacific, including the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, Saipan, Australia, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He shares his experiences going through a typhoon. In March of 1943 they participated in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands. He was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Spradlin. Spradlin joined the Navy in 1943. He completed gunnery school. Beginning January of 1944, he served aboard the USS Porterfield (DD-682) as a watertender, tending to the fire in the boilers. They escorted convoys from the US to Pearl Harbor, the Marshall Islands, Tinian, Saipan, Guam, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In early 1945 their ship was hit by a kamikaze, and they traveled back to the US. Spradlin was assigned to USS White Marsh (LSD-8). After the war ended, Spradlin served in the Navy an additional 14 years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas B. Dabney. Dabney wanted to go to the Naval Academy, but was denied entry as a second alternate. Undaunted, he enlisted in the Navy, working toward receiving an appointment to the Academy from the ranks, which he achieved in May 1932, after serving aboard the USS Texas (BB-35). He graduated from the Academy in 1936 and served aboard surface ships: USS New York (BB-34), USS Chester (CA-27), USS Indianapolis (CA-35). During this period, Dabney befriended Joe Rochefort. In May, 1940, he was transferred to the USS Bernadou (DD-153) and began escorting supplies across the Atlantic to Iceland. Dabney was assigned to submarine school in September, 1941 and was graduated early after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He joined the Pacific Fleet in January 1942. At first, he was assigned to the USS Pompano (SS-181), but was in the hospital when it sailed. He instead boarded the USS Plunger (SS-179) and describes some of its war patrols while he was aboard. In May, 1944, Dabney was assigned to the USS Becuna (SS-319) before being called to command the USS Guitarro (SS-363) in December in Fremantle, Australia. After the …

Transcript of an oral interview with John Hamilton. Hamilton was drafted into the Army in early 1943. After training, Hamilton was assigned to the 87th Infantry Division at Fort McCain, Mississippi. In the fall of 1944, Hamilton was shipped overseas with the 87th to England. From there, his unit went to the continent and was on the line in Belgium when the Battle of the Bulge began in December, 1944. Hamilton speaks of the conditions he faced during the battle.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Smalling. Smalling graduated in August of 1941 from the University of Texas with a degree in Chemical Engineering and a commission as ensign, Engineering Specialist in the Naval Reserve. He volunteered for submarine duty and served as a lieutenant commander aboard USS S-11 (SS-116). They conducted photoreconnaissance of Iwo Jima before the 1945 invasion, and detected and tracked the Japanese battleship Yamato prior to its being sunk. He also served aboard USS Spearfish (SS-190) and in January of 1945, USS Hackleback (SS-295).

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Helen Beattie. Beattie was born in the Philippines, where her parents were missionaries. She provides details of her family history. She and her family lived in Lugazpi, Philippines. When the Japanese invaded the Philippines, they landed five miles from her home. Beattie provides vivid details of her family and friends attempts to run and hide from the Japanese. They were captured in January and allowed to live in a compound of houses, not an internment camp. Sometime in 1942 they were taken to Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila. Beattie shares her experiences there as a fifteen-year-old girl, separated from her family. They were later transferred to Los Baños Internment Camp and rescued in February of 1945. They returned to the US in May of that same year.