The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Oscar Robert Freesen. After graduating from high school, Freesen was drafted into the Army in January, 1944. He speaks about training in Georgia and Texas. In January, 1945, Freesen was sent to England and then to Belgium. Upon arriving there, Freesen was assigned to Company K, 331st Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division. He describes some of his combat experiences in Belgium. Freesen's unit eventually crossed the Rhine into Germany. Freesen describes being wounded in a German town in April, 1945 and being evacuated to a hospital in France. Freesen also speaks of connecting, decades after the war, with the daughter of a friend with whom he served in Europe. Freesen was able to verify to the daughter that her father, who was killed in Germany, knew she had been born before he died. She had spet her entire life up to that point not knowing if her father knew she had been born. After recovering in the hospital, Freesen rejoined his unit and served as a clerk until he managed to get sent home after his father became ill. He returned in November, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Roger G. Anderson. When Anderson finished high school in 1943, he entered the Army Air Forces and trained initially at Miami Beach, Florida, then at Laredo, Texas, for gunnery school. Anderson describes the training involved at gunnery school and shares a few anecdotes. In July, 1944, Anderson and crew headed overseas. they were assigned to the 19th Bomb Squadron, 22nd Bomb Group, 5th Air Force. His squadron was nicknamed the Silver Fleet. To begin with, he was stationed in New Guinea and flew aome missions there. Eventually, his unit was assigned to Tacloban, bu teh area was too muddy for an airbase, so his unt was statioend at Angaur. From there, his unit evenually moved up to Clark Field on Luzon. In August, 1945, Anderson went home on leave after completing 48 missions. He anticipated being trained in B-29s, but the war ended while he was home on furlough and he got discharged in October, 1945. He used the G.I. Bill to go to college and eventually had a career as a teacher in Illinois.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John E. ""Jack"" Freemann. When Freemann finished high school in Pennsylvania in 1940, he enrolled in the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell. From there, Freeman enrolled in Bucknell University. He was there when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and joined the Navy in June, 1942 for pilot training. Freemann completed flight training and was commissioned in October, 1943. Then, he went to dive-bomber school in Jacksonville, Florida before reporting to Air Group 6 in Califonria. From there, he was shipped to Hawaii. At Ulithi, Freemann joined the USS Hancock (CV-19) i ntime to participate in the invasion of Okinawa. While attacking targets on the Japanese home islands, Freemann got shot down and ditched into the ocean next to a destroyer. When the war ended, Freemann and his group flew missions to get supplies to prisoner of war camps in Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas S. Hura. Hura begins by speaking of life in Youngstown, Ohio, during the Great Depression. As soon as Hura graduated from high school in 1943, he was drafted into the Navy and sent for training at Great Lakes, Illinois. When Hura finished training, he was shipped to California and assigned to the gunnery and deck division aboard the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38). Hura's job aboard ship was loading the 40mm guns and operating a 20mm gun. When the Pennsylvania arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hura reported for a week of gunnery school. Hura describes the Pennsylvania in action at Makin Atoll in November, 1943. From there, Hura speaks about being attacked by Japanese aircraft at Eniwetok. He also describes leave in Australia, supporting the invasions at Saipan and at Guam, night fighting at Surigao Strait, and covering the landings at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon and at Okinawa. At Okinawa, Pennsylvania was torpedoed. She was pulled to Guam for repairs and managed to survive a typhoon in route. From Guam, Pennsylvania went to Seattle for major repairs. Hura travelled to Toledo and was discharged in March, 1946. He went to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond S. Pugh. Pugh enlisted in the Navy when he was 17 in August, 1941. Pugh begins describing his career in the Navy with his activities on Tulagi. Pugh then shifts to discussing his role aboard the USS Hornet (CV-8) during the Doolittle Raid. He describes watching the pilots practicing taking off the carrier's deck in Chesapeake Bay before sailing through the Panama Canal, loading sixteen B-25s on the Hornet's deck at Alameda and rendezvousing with the USS Enterprise (CV-6) in the Pacific. Pugh recounts a story of encountering his brother at Pearl Harbor close to the end of the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William DeFrates. DeFrates entered the Navy in May, 1943 with his parent's consent. He went to boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, as well as signal school. He was ultimately placed in the amphibious force after training at Norfolk, Virginia. DeFrates was assigned to the 7th Naval Beach Battalion. DeFrates describes training in LCVPs (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel). DeFrates recalls several anecdotes from his training days and riding the troop ship to England, where he arrived in January, 1944. He also discusses training in England prior to the Normandy invasion. DeFrates describes going across the English Channel aboard an LST en route to the Normandy beachhead for the D-Day invasion. He discusses going over the side of an LST (Landing Ship, Tank) into an LCVP and heading for the beach. DeFrates was in the seventh or eight wave and landed close to noon on 6 June 1944 at Omaha Beach. His group immediately began setting up signal stations on the beach to communicate with incoming ships. DeFrates and crew signalled incoming ships until August at Normandy before being relieved and returned to England and then the US. He …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert E. Neff. Neff begins with a description of his life growing up during the Great Depression. When Neff finished high school in Illinois in 1940, he worked as an apprentice carpenter. On a lark, he took the test to get into Army Air Forces as a cadet. He passed the test and entered the USAAF in October, 1942. He trained as a navigator and was commissioned in Hondo, Texas in late 1943. From there ,Neff was assigned as a crewmember to a B-24 and headed for Hawaii. From there, Neff and crew flew to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal and started their tour of combat missions. Neff flew 44 combat missions and attacked Japanese targets at Rabaul, Manila, Balikpapan, and other locations around New Guinea, the Philippines and Indonesia. Neff was in the 394th Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group, 13th Air Force. When Neff left the Army, he went back to work as a carpenter.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harry I. Tannehill. Tannehill was drafted into the Marine Corps in November, 1943. After basic training in San Diego, Tannehill moved to Hawaii and went through amphibious force training. Tannehill was attached to the 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Tannehill served as a crewmember aboard an LVT (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) and ferried Marines to the beaches at Iwo Jima. His LVT ran out of gas and sank on the first night. He was rescued from the water and resumed hauling supplies (food, water, ammunition) via LVT to the Marines on Iwo Jima the next day.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert F. Wisehart. In early 1943, Wisehart joined the Army. He had basic training at Camp Swift, Texas. From there, he went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he primarily worked in the kitchen. Wisehart went overseas a sa replacement and was soon attached to the 99th infantry Division once he arrived in France. He went to France in October, 1944, as part of headquarters company, 1st Battalion, 394th Infantry Regiment. He joined the unit shortly after the Battle of the Bulge and went to work in the kitchen preparing meals for the soldiers. After the war, Wisehart was part of the Occupation in Karlstadt, Germany. Wisehart returned to the US and was discharged in October, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Pierce. Pierce registered for the Army in 1942, working as a machinist in a defense plant until he was called to active duty. He deployed to Leyte with the 284th Ordinance Company and set up a mobile machine shop for the repair of amphibious tanks. His unit was unarmed, as they were told they would be far from the action. But he was warned by nearby soldiers to dig a foxhole as quickly as he could, to take cover from snipers. The next day, he found bullet holes in his truck. He also restored equipment after the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Transferring to Okinawa, his company sought refuge in their trucks to survive a typhoon. At the end of the war, Pierce boarded the same ship as Admiral Nimitz for his return trip to the States and had the pleasure of shaking his hand. Pierce was discharged into the Reserves, but the Army misplaced his papers, so he was not recalled to the Korean War. He attended night school on the GI Bill and contined working as a machinist.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Walter White. White trained to be an aircraft electrician at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He was drafted into the Army Air Force and completed gunnery school in Arlington, Texas. He was assigned to the 492nd Bomb Group in Alamogordo, New Mexico. He served as tail gunner on B-24s. He provides description of the plane’s interior and location of tail gunner. In March of 1944 his crew traveled to a base in North Pickenham, England. Their plane was titled the Ruptured Duck. Overall, White flew 30 combat missions. He describes missions flown to Germany and between France and Switzerland. He returned to the States with 1,000 German prisoners aboard a troop ship. He was then assigned as an electrician to a B-17 outfit. He was discharged in October of 1945.

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 oral interview with Oscar Robert Freesen. After graduating from high school, Freesen was drafted into the Army in January, 1944. He speaks about training in Georgia and Texas. In January, 1945, Freesen was sent to England and then to Belgium. Upon arriving there, Freesen was assigned to Company K, 331st Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division. He describes some of his combat experiences in Belgium. Freesen's unit eventually crossed the Rhine into Germany. Freesen describes being wounded in a German town in April, 1945 and being evacuated to a hospital in France. Freesen also speaks of connecting, decades after the war, with the daughter of a friend with whom he served in Europe. Freesen was able to verify to the daughter that her father, who was killed in Germany, knew she had been born before he died. She had spet her entire life up to that point not knowing if her father knew she had been born. After recovering in the hospital, Freesen rejoined his unit and served as a clerk until he managed to get sent home after his father became ill. He returned in November, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Roger G. Anderson. When Anderson finished high school in 1943, he entered the Army Air Forces and trained initially at Miami Beach, Florida, then at Laredo, Texas, for gunnery school. Anderson describes the training involved at gunnery school and shares a few anecdotes. In July, 1944, Anderson and crew headed overseas. they were assigned to the 19th Bomb Squadron, 22nd Bomb Group, 5th Air Force. His squadron was nicknamed the Silver Fleet. To begin with, he was stationed in New Guinea and flew aome missions there. Eventually, his unit was assigned to Tacloban, bu teh area was too muddy for an airbase, so his unt was statioend at Angaur. From there, his unit evenually moved up to Clark Field on Luzon. In August, 1945, Anderson went home on leave after completing 48 missions. He anticipated being trained in B-29s, but the war ended while he was home on furlough and he got discharged in October, 1945. He used the G.I. Bill to go to college and eventually had a career as a teacher in Illinois.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John E. ""Jack"" Freemann. When Freemann finished high school in Pennsylvania in 1940, he enrolled in the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell. From there, Freeman enrolled in Bucknell University. He was there when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and joined the Navy in June, 1942 for pilot training. Freemann completed flight training and was commissioned in October, 1943. Then, he went to dive-bomber school in Jacksonville, Florida before reporting to Air Group 6 in Califonria. From there, he was shipped to Hawaii. At Ulithi, Freemann joined the USS Hancock (CV-19) i ntime to participate in the invasion of Okinawa. While attacking targets on the Japanese home islands, Freemann got shot down and ditched into the ocean next to a destroyer. When the war ended, Freemann and his group flew missions to get supplies to prisoner of war camps in Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas S. Hura. Hura begins by speaking of life in Youngstown, Ohio, during the Great Depression. As soon as Hura graduated from high school in 1943, he was drafted into the Navy and sent for training at Great Lakes, Illinois. When Hura finished training, he was shipped to California and assigned to the gunnery and deck division aboard the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38). Hura's job aboard ship was loading the 40mm guns and operating a 20mm gun. When the Pennsylvania arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hura reported for a week of gunnery school. Hura describes the Pennsylvania in action at Makin Atoll in November, 1943. From there, Hura speaks about being attacked by Japanese aircraft at Eniwetok. He also describes leave in Australia, supporting the invasions at Saipan and at Guam, night fighting at Surigao Strait, and covering the landings at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon and at Okinawa. At Okinawa, Pennsylvania was torpedoed. She was pulled to Guam for repairs and managed to survive a typhoon in route. From Guam, Pennsylvania went to Seattle for major repairs. Hura travelled to Toledo and was discharged in March, 1946. He went to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond S. Pugh. Pugh enlisted in the Navy when he was 17 in August, 1941. Pugh begins describing his career in the Navy with his activities on Tulagi. Pugh then shifts to discussing his role aboard the USS Hornet (CV-8) during the Doolittle Raid. He describes watching the pilots practicing taking off the carrier's deck in Chesapeake Bay before sailing through the Panama Canal, loading sixteen B-25s on the Hornet's deck at Alameda and rendezvousing with the USS Enterprise (CV-6) in the Pacific. Pugh recounts a story of encountering his brother at Pearl Harbor close to the end of the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harry I. Tannehill. Tannehill was drafted into the Marine Corps in November, 1943. After basic training in San Diego, Tannehill moved to Hawaii and went through amphibious force training. Tannehill was attached to the 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Tannehill served as a crewmember aboard an LVT (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) and ferried Marines to the beaches at Iwo Jima. His LVT ran out of gas and sank on the first night. He was rescued from the water and resumed hauling supplies (food, water, ammunition) via LVT to the Marines on Iwo Jima the next day.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William DeFrates. DeFrates entered the Navy in May, 1943 with his parent's consent. He went to boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, as well as signal school. He was ultimately placed in the amphibious force after training at Norfolk, Virginia. DeFrates was assigned to the 7th Naval Beach Battalion. DeFrates describes training in LCVPs (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel). DeFrates recalls several anecdotes from his training days and riding the troop ship to England, where he arrived in January, 1944. He also discusses training in England prior to the Normandy invasion. DeFrates describes going across the English Channel aboard an LST en route to the Normandy beachhead for the D-Day invasion. He discusses going over the side of an LST (Landing Ship, Tank) into an LCVP and heading for the beach. DeFrates was in the seventh or eight wave and landed close to noon on 6 June 1944 at Omaha Beach. His group immediately began setting up signal stations on the beach to communicate with incoming ships. DeFrates and crew signalled incoming ships until August at Normandy before being relieved and returned to England and then the US. He …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert E. Neff. Neff begins with a description of his life growing up during the Great Depression. When Neff finished high school in Illinois in 1940, he worked as an apprentice carpenter. On a lark, he took the test to get into Army Air Forces as a cadet. He passed the test and entered the USAAF in October, 1942. He trained as a navigator and was commissioned in Hondo, Texas in late 1943. From there ,Neff was assigned as a crewmember to a B-24 and headed for Hawaii. From there, Neff and crew flew to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal and started their tour of combat missions. Neff flew 44 combat missions and attacked Japanese targets at Rabaul, Manila, Balikpapan, and other locations around New Guinea, the Philippines and Indonesia. Neff was in the 394th Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group, 13th Air Force. When Neff left the Army, he went back to work as a carpenter.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert F. Wisehart. In early 1943, Wisehart joined the Army. He had basic training at Camp Swift, Texas. From there, he went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he primarily worked in the kitchen. Wisehart went overseas a sa replacement and was soon attached to the 99th infantry Division once he arrived in France. He went to France in October, 1944, as part of headquarters company, 1st Battalion, 394th Infantry Regiment. He joined the unit shortly after the Battle of the Bulge and went to work in the kitchen preparing meals for the soldiers. After the war, Wisehart was part of the Occupation in Karlstadt, Germany. Wisehart returned to the US and was discharged in October, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Pierce. Pierce registered for the Army in 1942, working as a machinist in a defense plant until he was called to active duty. He deployed to Leyte with the 284th Ordinance Company and set up a mobile machine shop for the repair of amphibious tanks. His unit was unarmed, as they were told they would be far from the action. But he was warned by nearby soldiers to dig a foxhole as quickly as he could, to take cover from snipers. The next day, he found bullet holes in his truck. He also restored equipment after the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Transferring to Okinawa, his company sought refuge in their trucks to survive a typhoon. At the end of the war, Pierce boarded the same ship as Admiral Nimitz for his return trip to the States and had the pleasure of shaking his hand. Pierce was discharged into the Reserves, but the Army misplaced his papers, so he was not recalled to the Korean War. He attended night school on the GI Bill and contined working as a machinist.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Walter White. White trained to be an aircraft electrician at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He was drafted into the Army Air Force and completed gunnery school in Arlington, Texas. He was assigned to the 492nd Bomb Group in Alamogordo, New Mexico. He served as tail gunner on B-24s. He provides description of the plane’s interior and location of tail gunner. In March of 1944 his crew traveled to a base in North Pickenham, England. Their plane was titled the Ruptured Duck. Overall, White flew 30 combat missions. He describes missions flown to Germany and between France and Switzerland. He returned to the States with 1,000 German prisoners aboard a troop ship. He was then assigned as an electrician to a B-17 outfit. He was discharged in October of 1945.

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).