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
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Abner Aust, March 19, 2013 transcript

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
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with A. N. Wiseman, March 29, 2011 (open access)

Oral History Interview with A. N. Wiseman, March 29, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Wiseman. Wiseman joined the Navy in 1942 and was assigned to the USS Greene (AVD-13). He served as a deck seaman and stood lookout while on watch. Wiseman discusses traveling as an escort to Brazil and then travelling to the Mediterranean. He describes taking part in the invasion of Southern France. The Greene was then sent to the Pacific and performed escort duty near Okinawa. He describes seeing several Japanese air attacks on ships that were nearby. Wiseman traveled to Japan at the end of the war to pick up POWs. He also visited Nagasaki. Wiseman describes how his ship was critically damaged when it ran aground during a typhoon in October of 1945. He served on two more ships working in engineering before getting out of the Navy in 1948.
Date: March 29, 2011
Creator: Wiseman, Al
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with A. N. Wiseman, March 29, 2011 transcript

Oral History Interview with A. N. Wiseman, March 29, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Wiseman. Wiseman joined the Navy in 1942 and was assigned to the USS Greene (AVD-13). He served as a deck seaman and stood lookout while on watch. Wiseman discusses traveling as an escort to Brazil and then travelling to the Mediterranean. He describes taking part in the invasion of Southern France. The Greene was then sent to the Pacific and performed escort duty near Okinawa. He describes seeing several Japanese air attacks on ships that were nearby. Wiseman traveled to Japan at the end of the war to pick up POWs. He also visited Nagasaki. Wiseman describes how his ship was critically damaged when it ran aground during a typhoon in October of 1945. He served on two more ships working in engineering before getting out of the Navy in 1948.
Date: March 29, 2011
Creator: Wiseman, Al
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History