Resource Type

Oral History Interview with Abner Aust, March 19, 2013 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Abner Aust, March 19, 2013

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Abner Aust. Aust joined the Army Air Forces in September 1941 and completed flight school in April 1943. He was assigned to Venice, Florida, as an instructor, often receiving extra runway duty on account of his mischievous acrobatics. In October 1944, he joined the 506th Fighter Group, 457th Fighter Squadron, as flight commander. Upon familiarizing himself with the P-51, he flew his first missions out of Tinian, moving next to Iwo Jima. While escorting B-29s, he sometimes broke away to lead his group of eight fighters to strafe opportunistically. He is credited with five victories, the last of which occurred on 10 August 1945, distinguishing him as the last fighter ace of World War II. Aust then served in the Air Force and participated in the Vietnam War. Just before his retirement, he worked at Bolling Air Force Base to develop the F-15. After all of his experience in fighters, his favorite plane is the P-40N.
Date: March 19, 2013
Creator: Aust, Abner
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Al Kiracofe, March 6, 2006 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Al Kiracofe, March 6, 2006

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Kiracofe. Kiracofe joined the Navy in 1942 and received yeoman training at Great Lakes. Upon completion, he was assigned to CASU-22 at Quonset Point, helping to prepare squadrons for overseas deployment. He was then assigned to Carrier Air Group 41, which was just beginning to use radar for night flying. One of his duties as yeoman was to send letters of regret to the parents of soldiers who were killed in action. The experience upset him to the point that he remembered the date of each letter for the rest of his life. He was transferred to Carrier Air Group 10 aboard the USS Intrepid (CV-11) and helped to set up squadrons in Alameda from January 1943 to September 1944. At Okinawa, a kamikaze hit caused the deaths of eight men on the Intrepid. When the ship returned to Alameda for repairs, Kiracofe was so shaken up that he was ordered to a US Naval hospital for treatment and received a medical discharge in July 1945.
Date: March 6, 2006
Creator: Kiracofe, Al
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Links Chapter Documentation: Newspaper copy item about Jackson, Mississippi chapter of The Links, Inc.] (open access)

[Links Chapter Documentation: Newspaper copy item about Jackson, Mississippi chapter of The Links, Inc.]

Unpublished newspaper copy for an article to be headlined "Black Civic Groups Wants [sic] to Honor Veteran Journalist" about the efforts of the Jackson, Mississippi chapter of The Links, Inc. to raise funds to assist Hazel Brannon Smith. Smith was a publisher and journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for her editorials in support of the civil rights movement, a stance which resulted in her ostracism from local white society and her newspaper's eventual bankruptcy. Aaronetta Pierce (referred to here as A. M. Pierce) passed this unpublished copy of the article on to Margaret Winn, president of the San Antonio chapter. Includes handwritten notes.
Date: January 31, 1986
Creator: Gonzalez, Henry B. (Henry Barbosa), 1916-2000 & Andrews, Thelma
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Business Card for Jack B. Manning of the Texas Automatic Sprinkler Co.] (open access)

[Business Card for Jack B. Manning of the Texas Automatic Sprinkler Co.]

Business card for Jack B. Manning of the Texas Automatic Sprinkler Co.. It lists the cities the company is present in and has a logo featuring the word "Viking" on the top left corner of the card.
Date: 1950
Creator: Texas Automatic Sprinkler Co.
System: The Portal to Texas History