The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Malone Farrar. Farrar grew up in Texas and joined the Navy in 1940. In training, he was assigned to VP-12, a PBY-3 Catalina Squadron. Then he was transferred VP-13 Squadron. Next, he was transferred to VP-55, a PBM1 Mariner Squadron and sent to flight engineering school. After the Pearl Harbor attack, he was assigned to ACORN-8. Farrar then joined with the 73rd CB Battalion. He was a mechanic. They loaded the USS President Polk (AP-103) in May 1943 and went to New Caledonia. He was transferred to the USS Ballard and left for Espiritu Santo in the Hebrides Islands. Then they left for Guadalcanal, where he heard Washing Machine Charlie at night. Next he rejoins his ACORN group and moved to Munda, where his unit moved into the airstrip. The ACORN group moved to Banika, Biak, and then Owi. Farrar describes training and giving bungee starters to the Marines for Peleliu actions. He then received orders to return to the U.S. and boarded the USS George Clymer (APA-27) where he witnessed the USS Mount Hood (AE-11) explosion on November 10, 1944. He returns eventually to Corpus Christi, Texas, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Buell. While attending college in Iowa, Buell took advantage of the Civilian Pilot Training program and earned a pilot's license in 1940. He volunteered for the Navy and went to flight school at Pensacola, Florida, where he earned his wings and a commission in November, 1941. He was assigned to go aboard the USS Yorktown (CV-5) as a member of Scouting Squadron 5 (VS-5) and arrived in time for the Battle of the Coral Sea. His squadron suffered enough damage to be removed from the Yorktown prior to the Battle of Midway. Buell was assigned to the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and flew search and rescue missions from her during the Battle of Midway. After that battle, Buell was transferred to yet another carrier, the USS Enterprise (CV-6), prior to the invasion of Guadalcanal. While flying off the Enterprise, Buell and ten other pilots had to land on Guadalcanal at Henderson Field. They and their dive bombers then became members of the Cactus Air Force. Buell describes the living conditions on Guadalcanal as opposed to those aboard an aircraft carrier. His group finally got off Guadalcanal and returned …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Trenton Fowler. Fowler grew up in Corpus Christi and enlisted into the Marine Corps in 1943. Once he finished training, he was assigned to the 4th Marine Raider Battalion and shipped out on the French transport ship Rochambeau to New Caledonia. From there he went to Guadalcanal for training and then to the Emirau, Guam, and Okinawa campaigns, with stops at Guadalcanal in between each campaign. Fowler discusses the pros and cons of the Browning Automatic Rifle versus the M-1 Garand. He tells of the change of his unit's name from the 4th Battalion Raiders to the 6th Marine Division, before he went to Okinawa. He relates the experience of finding out his brother, a fellow Marine, had died at Iwo Jima.

Photograph of wounded soldiers and Red Cross nurses decorate and trim a small Christmas tree at Fleet Hospital in New Caledonia. Two soldiers sit on each bed with the small Christmas Tree propped up between them with a nurse on either side.

Photograph of five soldiers lying in sick beds at Fleet Hospital 107, Ward 3, in Noumea, New Caledonia. Pictured on the left at the end the row of beds stands a man and women in service uniforms.

Photograph of women on the Red Cross Staff in front of the Fleet Hospital 107 in Noumea, New Caledonia. Seated on the wooden steps from left to right: Jane Mayhew, Secretary; Carolyn Perabe, Recreation; Carol Weaverling, AFD; Rebecca Van Meter, Recreation. A sign with the symbol and words "American Red Cross" is in front a building behind them.

Photograph of wounded servicemen at a presentation of Purple Hearts in Noumea, New Caledonia in August of 1944 in the middle of a large dirt area. On the right stands two rows of injured servicemen at attention, and on the right more servicemen standing at attention with a row sitting in the center on folding chairs due to leg injuries. The dirt area has been carved out of rolling hills that appear in the background of the photo. A portion of the camp can also be seen in the background.

Photograph taken at a Presentation of Purple Hearts in Noumea, New Caledonia in August of 1944. On the right stands an officer speaking into a microphone and behind him to the right stands service women and men at attention.

Photograph taken at a Presentation of Purple Hearts in Noumea, New Caledonia in August of 1944. Group of men and women military members stand at attention in rows behind a microphone.

Photograph at the presentation of Purple Hearts in Noumea, New Caledonia, August 1944. Men and women service members stand at attention, while unidentified officer standing in front of them speaks into microphone.

Photograph of G.I.s dancing with nurses and Red Cross staff at dance in New Caledonia.

Photograph of a field where a presentation of Purple Hearts is taking place in Noumea, New Caledonia on August 1944. On the left stand a 2 groups of service members standing at attention, in the center stands another group at attention with one member standing with the American flag and a group of women are lined up facing them. On the right side of the photograph stands service members amongst some folding chairs, and a service band.

Photograph of G.I.s dancing with nurses and Red Cross staff at a dance in New Caledonia. In the front of the people dancing are two tables covered in cups and tins, two women sit at the second table and a service member is leaning down to the woman on the left facing the camera.

Photograph of G.I.s dancing with nurses and Red Cross staff at dance in New Caledonia. A couple stands in the center of the photograph with the man's back turned to the camera, and there are two couples shown behind them and one just out of frame on the left.

Photograph of Carol Weaverling in uniform at a Purple Heart presentations ceremony outside the Fleet Hospital, Noumea, New Caledonia. Three men in uniform's stand behind Carol, and a woman in a white, Red Cross Nurse uniform stands on the left taking to another serviceman.

Photograph of G.I.s, nurses, and Red Cross Staff sitting at two tables talking at a dance in New Caledonia.

Photograph of Eleanor Roosevelt in Red Cross uniform speaks to crowd while standing in front of several servicemen and women as well as Admiral Halsey and some cars.

Photograph of a group of Purple Heart recipients taken at a Purple Heart ceremony in Noumea, New Caledonia. The recipients are in two lines, the back line all standing, and the front seated.

Photograph of a presentation of Purple Hearts in Noumea, New Caledonia, in August of 1944. Four Marines are lined up and standing at attention for an officer standing in front of them, while women service members hold papers off to the left alongside another officer.

Photograph of a Presentation of Purple Hearts in Noumea, New Caledonia in August of 1944. On the left there are four people in white uniforms handing out papers to service members as they pass by while on the left a man is shown with his back to the camera.

Photograph of Becky Van Meter on the right pinning a Purple Heart to one sailor in a line of them with an officer standing to her left.

Photograph of an Airport Depot Group band playing at G.I. Dance in La Tontouta, New Caledonia. The band is arranged in two lines behind a small white picket fence - one row is sitting and playing the sax while the rest of the horns stand behind them alongside a drummer. On the right side sits a man playing the piano with a man standing behind him playing the bass.

Photograph of three G.I.s dancing with nurses and Red Cross staff at dance in New Caledonia, in front of the band sitting behind a white picket fence.

Interview with Hank Hudspeth, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences as a cryptographer in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Hudspeth discusses his assignment to COMSOPAC at Noumea in New Caledonia, the intricacies of sending and receiving various classifications of coded messages, and the ambush of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's plane in 1943.