Resource Type

Oral History Interview with Gary Anderson, April 29, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Gary Anderson, April 29, 2002

Interview with Gary Anderson, a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard from Wausau, Wisconsin. It includes a list of questions about Anderson's time as a medic in the late 1970s in Baltimore and Houston, where he was part of the 389th Transportation Battalion, as well as his opinions on Desert Storm and September 11th.
Date: April 29, 2002
Creator: Contreras, Francisco & Anderson, Gary
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Acencion Fernandez, February 19, 2005 transcript

Oral History Interview with Acencion Fernandez, February 19, 2005

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Acencion Fernandez. Fernandez, a Texas farm boy born in 1924, was drafted when he was 18 years old. He was based in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was assigned to the USS LCI-80 where he served as a loader on a 40-inch gun. At the Mariana Islands of Saipan and Tinian and at Iwo Jima, he was involved in strafing the beaches to enable Marines to land. Later his LCI landed Marines on Okinawa. He briefly mentions the presence of Navajo code talkers on the ship.
Date: February 19, 2005
Creator: Fernandez, Acencion
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Tom Hildenbrand, Jr., April 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Tom Hildenbrand, Jr., April 2002

Interview with Sergeant Tom Hildenbrand, Jr., a United States Marine veteran of the Vietnam War originally from Galveston, Texas. Sergeant Hildenbrand answers questions and elaborates on his service time such as his training and incidents that his unit encountered. He tells of all the bombs the enemy would make and his being a part of the Tet Offensive of 1969.
Date: April 2002
Creator: Garcia, Melinda & Hildenbrand, Tom, Jr.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Al Jowdy, September 21, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Al Jowdy, September 21, 2008

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Jowdy. Jowdy enlisted in the Navy in July 1942 at the age of 15, with his parents’ consent. His first assignment was pulling bodies out of sunken ships in Pearl Harbor. At Guadalcanal, his ship was torpedoed. Due to the presence of enemy subs, he could not be rescued initially and spent two weeks floating in a raft. Then he joined a rescue effort to aid the USS Wasp (CV-7), only to be torpedoed again, spending another four days in the water. Jowdy was then assigned to the USS Salt Lake City (CA-25), patrolling the Bering Sea and participating in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands as a second loader on a 40-millimeter. After witnessing the Marianas Turkey Shoot and also seeing MacArthur film his famous return, Jowdy participated in the bombardment of Iwo Jima, amidst kamikazes and suicide boats. After the war, he survived a typhoon and served occupation duty in Japan, later transporting troops as part of the demobilization effort before being discharged in January 1946.
Date: September 21, 2008
Creator: Jowdy, Al
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Gene Buehring, April 29, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Gene Buehring, April 29, 2001

Interview with Gene Buehring, a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Vietnam and was wounded in action. Buehring describes what every day life was like in the service and his experiences upon returning home. He also talks about meeting Bob Hope and the two times he was injured on duty.
Date: April 29, 2001
Creator: Reitmeier, Sara & Buehring, Gene
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Voris C. Riley, November 1, 2005 transcript

Oral History Interview with Voris C. Riley, November 1, 2005

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Voris C. Riley of Kingland, Texas. He discusses enlisting in the military while living in Abilene, Texas and getting sent to civil service for the Army before being offered to join the Navy. In the Navy he went through basic training in San Diego, California, then to St. Louis Electrical School and finally through firefighting training in Rhode Island. After he completed his training Mr. Riley was assigned to the U.S.S. Lake Champain, CB 39 and went on a shakedown cruise where 16 crewmen were lost for various reasons. In the Navy he was an electrician aboard the ship and dealt with setting up electricity onshore. He also dealt with Prisoners of War, being put in charge of a group of them to build a swimming pool. He was in New York City on temporary leave when the news of the wars end was released by President Truman. Mr. Voris also talks about serving in the Civilian Conservation Corps in New Mexico.
Date: November 1, 2005
Creator: Riley, Voris C.
System: The Portal to Texas History