The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Mike C. Dillingham. Dillingham was born in Commerce, Texas 18 February 1912. Upon graduating from Texas A&M University in 1935, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Coast Artillery reserves. Called for active duty 19 April 1941 he reported to the 69th Coast Artillery (anti-aircraft) at Camp Hulen, Texas where he was assigned to Search Light Battery A. In November 1941 the battery went to Midland, Texas to practice using aircraft sound detection and search light equipment. Radar was not available and aircraft detection was made with large horn acoustic receiving devices. On 9 December 1941 the unit moved to San Diego to defend the aircraft production plant. In 1942, Dillingham was sent to Camp Davis, North Carolina to search light school. Upon completing the training he was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas to help establish the 233rd Search Light Battalion (anti- aircraft). In 1943 the battalion was provided with a radar (SCR268) receiving set and went to Fiji in September. In 1944, Dillingham was sent to New Caledonia as executive officer of the 518th Gun Battalion. The battalion arrived at Lingayen Gulf two days after the initial …

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an interview with Ira Zautner. Zautner joined the Navy Reserves in late 1939 and went to radio school. He reported aboard USS Wichita (CA-45) in October, 1940. He rode to Iceland a few times on convoy duty before war was declared and recalls operating with the British Home Fleet. He shares stories from the invasions of North Africa, operating around the Solomon Islands and the Aleutian Islands. By this time, Zautner was serving in the aviation section aboard the Wichita, operating the radio on the reconnaissance plane. He shares several anecdotes about his encounters with other people during the war that he met again later in life. In January 1945, Zautner transferred to Kansas to teach at a radio school. He was discharged at the end of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Warren McLellan. McLellan learned to fly as a civilian before joining the Navy in July 1941. Once in the Navy, he qualified for pilot training and went to Pensacola. After training, he was assigned to Torpedo Squadron 16 (VT-16) in January 1943. They reported aboard USS Lexington (CV-16) later in June in time for her shakedown cruise. He describes attacking targets at Tarawa. He crash landed in the water at the Palau Islands and was rescued and returned to the Lexington. He also ended up in the water during the Marianas Turkey Shoot. He describes being in the water prior to rescue and has great admiration for Admiral Marc Mitscher. He returned to the US later in 1944 and had shore duty in Rhode Island.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Roy Burley. Burley was born in Halletsville, Texas 29 October 1923. Following his graduation from high school in San Antonio, he attended Prairie View A & M College. While in college, he served for three years in the Enlisted Reserve Corps. In May 1943 he was called to active duty and went to Camp Maxey at Paris, Texas. Selected to continue his college education, he was sent to Howard University in Washington DC. After completing one semester he was ordered to report to the 1318th Engineer General Service Regiment as a surveyor. After working on the construction of an air strip in North Carolina, he volunteered to attend Officers Candidates School. After ninety days of training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was commissioned a second lieutenant. He then went to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where he joined the 372nd Infantry Regiment as a rifle platoon leader in Company C. After the unit had set sail for Hawaii a message was received that the 372nd was deactivated. Upon arrival in Hawaii, he was assigned to the Transportation Corps and sent to the Philippines where he reported to a trucking battalion. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Leonard Lott. Initially exempted from the draft as a farmer, Lott was eventually drafted into the Army in October 1944. After basic training at Camp Fannin, he was assigned to the 6th Infantry Division in Manila. During the invasion at Lingayen Gulf, his unit suffered battle casualties and was plagued by dysentery. Armed with a rifle, Lott waited in foxholes for enemy advancement, at times manning a Thompson submachine gun and targeting snipers. Occasionally working alongside Filipino soldiers, Lott found them to be good fighters. While fighting in the mountains, Lott’s rations were airdropped and intercepted by the enemy. He soon contracted malaria and dengue fever, spending the remainder of the war in a hospital. He then served as a platoon sergeant in the Korean occupation, where his clothing and housing was inadequate for the cold weather. Lot was discharged into the reserves and retired as a warrant officer after 27 years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harvey Staley. Staley joined the Navy in mid-1944. He served as a Storekeeper and traveled to New Guinea and Leyte. He participated in the Battle of Okinawa, and experienced a kamikaze plane attacking his ship. Staley had two older brothers also serving in the Navy. He shares a number of anecdotal stories of his time on liberty in Hawaii and the Philippines, where he visited Intramuros, the Walled City, in Manila. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Shanesy. Born in Piqua, Ohio on 5 June 1920, Shanesy graduated from high school in 1938. Joining the Navy in November 1942, he went through five weeks of boot training at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Illinois. He then attended ship fitter’s school for sixteen weeks. He learned welding, pipe fitting, sheet metal work and blacksmithing. Upon completion of the training, he was sent to San Diego to attend advanced welding classes at the fleet welding school. In November 1943 he was sent to the National Landing Force Equipment Depot, Norfolk, Virginia where he repaired small boats. He was then sent to Solomons, Maryland where he was attached to a flotilla of LCIs as a member of the maintenance division. In the fall of 1944 he went to Redwood City, California where he was issued combat gear including a carbine and was trained by Marines. In March 1945 he went to Subic Bay, Philippine Islands where he worked in the refrigeration shop as a mechanic and designated welder. He was then sent to Manila. Shanesy returned to the United States in December 1945 as a first class …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Francis Manniello. Manniello joined the Army Air Corps in April 1941 after being drafted. In his county, the sons of Democrats were drafted before Republicans, so Manniello had been expecting this and took the aviation cadet exam early on. He was ultimately trained as a bombardier and navigator and in 1943 he deployed to England as a replacement for the 96th Bomb Group, 337th Squadron. He came under heavy fire during his first mission while bombing a railyard in Bremen, Germany. Despite losing a wing and part of the vertical stabilizer, he landed safely and completed 24 more missions. Manniello was transferred to the States to teach both celestial and radar navigation and remained in the service and served as a commanding officer in the Korean War. One of his soldiers committed suicide, which Manniello conscientiously reported as KIA to the deceased's family. He advanced to lieutenant colonel and retired in 1969 after representing the United States at the NATO Air Defense Ground Environment (NADGE).

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an interview with John Fitch. Fitch begins with a summary of the naval career of his father, Admiral Aubrey Fitch. Fitch joined the Navy in early 1942. He was assigned to the USS Wasp (CV-7) just before it sank, then to the USS Hornet (CV-8) just before it sank. He was finally assigned to CASU-3 and sent to Guadalcanal. He reflects on what it was like for him in the service while having a high-ranking father. In April, 1943, Fitch transferred aboard the USS Nicholas (DD-449). Fitch shares several anecdotes of his experiences aboard the Nicholas while engaged in the fight around the Solomon Islands and in the Slot. During the Battle of Kula Gulf, Fitch went aboard a whaleboat and rescued survivors from the USS Helena (CL-50). Fitch attended a gunnery school at Noumea before reporting aboard the USS La Vallette (DD-448) in October 1943. He describes being at the Marshall Islands invasion. In July 1944 Fitch returned to the US and put the USS Benner (DD-807) into commission. He recalls battling kamikazes while aboard the Benner on station off the coast of Japan toward the end of the war. Fitch …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Dewitt. Dewitt joined the Navy and served as a Chief Yeoman. He served aboard the ammunition ship, USS Nitro (AE-2). They traveled to all ports along the east coast and in the Caribbean. From there he boarded the USS Medusa (AR-1). He then transferred a year and half later to the supply ship, USS Antares (AKS-3), where he was stationed in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. He recalls when a Japanese two-man submarine was sunk prior to the attack, and the events he endured during and after the attack. In 1945 he was sent to Guam and served in the receiving station until December of that year.

The National museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Dorothy Danner. Danner graduated from nursing school in Los Angeles in 1935. In 1939, she applied and was accepted as a nurse in the Navy. After a while, she received orders for the Philippines and arrived in early 1940 on a two-year assignment. Danner recalls the idyllic setting prior to the war before describing activities just after the Japanese invasion. She was stationed at a hospital at Sangley Point near Cavite in Luzon, Philippines. She was captured by the Japanese and interned at Santo Tomas starting in March 1942. Sometime in 1943, she was sent to Los Banos.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ken Towery. Towery joined the Army in early 1941 and was sent to Corregidor to join a coast artillery unit. He recalls several details about life under siege at Corregidor before he was captured by the Japanese and taken to Cabanatuan. He left the Philippines later that year and was taken to China. Towery shares his opinions about being a POW as well as several anecdotes. He also comments on being liberated by Russians and how the Russians and Chinese communists cooperated right after the war. When he was liberated, Towery was put aboard a hospital ship at Port Arthur.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ernest Gordon. Gordon was born in Scotland and joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in 1939 at Stirling Castle. He was sent to Singapore in January 1940 before the Japanese invaded. Gordon recalls defending the Malay Peninsula starting in January 1942. Gordon was the last to go over the causeway into Singapore before it was destroyed. As Singapore fell, Gordon escaped to Sumatra. When Sumatra fell, Gordon escaped on a sailboat but was captured asea and sent back to Singapore where he entered Changi. He was sent north to build the Death Railway. He describes the conditions along the railway and the work environment.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ray Hunt. Hunt joined the Army Air Corps in early 1939. After training, Hunt became an aircraft mechanic and went to the Philippines in November, 1941. He was captured on Bataan and made a prisoner of war. Hunt describes his experiences on the Death March. Along the way, he escaped and was aided by Filipinos until he was healthy enough to join a guerrilla band in Tarlac. Hunt describes his activities and the command structure of his guerrilla organization. When the Allies invaded Luzon, Hunt’s band of guerrillas created havoc behind enemy lines. He received a battlefield commission retroactively sometime in 1945. He stayed in the Army, retiring in 1959.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Howard Hollinger. Hollinger joined the Coast Guard in 1941. He completed Radio School and High-Frequency Direction Finder training. Hollinger traveled to the Aleutian Islands, and was stationed at a High-Frequency Direction Finder station on a Navy base in Kodiak, Alaska. He tracked Navy planes that took off from Attu to bomb the Kuril Islands. Hollinger returned to the US and received a discharge around late 1945.

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.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Troy Edward Shakles. Shakles joined the Navy in early 1943. He completed communications school, serving as a quartermaster and signalman. He speaks about the Golden Thirteen, who were the thirteen African American enlisted men who became the first African American commissioned and warrant officers in the United States Navy. On Treasure Island in California, Shakles worked in a signaling tower. He notes that segregation was still in effect at this time. He served aboard a minesweeper, and in 1945 the USS Ebert (DE-768), traveling to Pearl Harbor, Eniwetok, Guam. Shakles returned to the US and received his discharge around October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Daniel Montgomery. Montgomery joined the Army Air Forces in late 1942 and trained to be a radio operator. After training, he joined the 371st Fighter Group, 406th Fighter Squadron in Virginia. He travelled with the unit to England in February 1944. He also went to Normandy with them after the invasion. He shares several anecdotes and recalls experiences aboard P-47 aircraft. He was discharged in December, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Morgenroth. Morgenroth joined the Marine Corps in April of 1944. He shares details of his training in Hawaii, learning weaponry and practicing beach landings. He served in demolition with the 5th Marine Division, 26th Marines. They participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima. He received his discharge in April of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Guy Longshore. Longshore joined the U.S. Army Forces in 1941, before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served as a B-29 .50 caliber machine gunner with the 73rd Bombardment Wing, 2nd Air Force. He was stationed in Saipan, Tinian and Guam. He participated in bombing missions and missions to drop supplies to prisoner-of-war camps throughout Japan. His crew was one of the 200 B-29s who flew over Tokyo Bay on the day the surrender was signed. They completed over 30 missions. His discharge date is not noted.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Mike C. Dillingham. Dillingham was born in Commerce, Texas 18 February 1912. Upon graduating from Texas A&M University in 1935, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Coast Artillery reserves. Called for active duty 19 April 1941 he reported to the 69th Coast Artillery (anti-aircraft) at Camp Hulen, Texas where he was assigned to Search Light Battery A. In November 1941 the battery went to Midland, Texas to practice using aircraft sound detection and search light equipment. Radar was not available and aircraft detection was made with large horn acoustic receiving devices. On 9 December 1941 the unit moved to San Diego to defend the aircraft production plant. In 1942, Dillingham was sent to Camp Davis, North Carolina to search light school. Upon completing the training he was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas to help establish the 233rd Search Light Battalion (anti- aircraft). In 1943 the battalion was provided with a radar (SCR268) receiving set and went to Fiji in September. In 1944, Dillingham was sent to New Caledonia as executive officer of the 518th Gun Battalion. The battalion arrived at Lingayen Gulf two days after the initial …

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an interview with Ira Zautner. Zautner joined the Navy Reserves in late 1939 and went to radio school. He reported aboard USS Wichita (CA-45) in October, 1940. He rode to Iceland a few times on convoy duty before war was declared and recalls operating with the British Home Fleet. He shares stories from the invasions of North Africa, operating around the Solomon Islands and the Aleutian Islands. By this time, Zautner was serving in the aviation section aboard the Wichita, operating the radio on the reconnaissance plane. He shares several anecdotes about his encounters with other people during the war that he met again later in life. In January 1945, Zautner transferred to Kansas to teach at a radio school. He was discharged at the end of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Warren McLellan. McLellan learned to fly as a civilian before joining the Navy in July 1941. Once in the Navy, he qualified for pilot training and went to Pensacola. After training, he was assigned to Torpedo Squadron 16 (VT-16) in January 1943. They reported aboard USS Lexington (CV-16) later in June in time for her shakedown cruise. He describes attacking targets at Tarawa. He crash landed in the water at the Palau Islands and was rescued and returned to the Lexington. He also ended up in the water during the Marianas Turkey Shoot. He describes being in the water prior to rescue and has great admiration for Admiral Marc Mitscher. He returned to the US later in 1944 and had shore duty in Rhode Island.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Roy Burley. Burley was born in Halletsville, Texas 29 October 1923. Following his graduation from high school in San Antonio, he attended Prairie View A & M College. While in college, he served for three years in the Enlisted Reserve Corps. In May 1943 he was called to active duty and went to Camp Maxey at Paris, Texas. Selected to continue his college education, he was sent to Howard University in Washington DC. After completing one semester he was ordered to report to the 1318th Engineer General Service Regiment as a surveyor. After working on the construction of an air strip in North Carolina, he volunteered to attend Officers Candidates School. After ninety days of training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was commissioned a second lieutenant. He then went to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where he joined the 372nd Infantry Regiment as a rifle platoon leader in Company C. After the unit had set sail for Hawaii a message was received that the 372nd was deactivated. Upon arrival in Hawaii, he was assigned to the Transportation Corps and sent to the Philippines where he reported to a trucking battalion. …