Resource Type

Oral History Interview with William C. Beyer, March 14, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with William C. Beyer, March 14, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William C. Beyer. Beyer grew up in Texas and joined the Marines in January 1942. After training, he was assigned to the third division in artillery. He departed on the USS Mount Vernon for New Zealand. He anecdotes about meeting with some Maori people. Then he departed on the Cresent City for Guadalcanal in May 1943. From Guadalcanal he left for Bougainville in November 1943. He describes being caught in a foxhole for two days without communication. He also listened to Tokyo Rose on the radio. The Army relieved the Marines January 15, 1944, and his unit returned to Guadalcanal. On July 21, 1944, they landed on Guam and went into battle. Next Beyer left for Iwo Jima. The Third Marine Division was assigned to the central area of the island. He witnessed the raising of the flag. On the 50th anniversary of the war, Beyer and his wife returned to New Zealand and Guam.
Date: March 14, 2001
Creator: Beyer, William C.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William C. Beyer, March 14, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with William C. Beyer, March 14, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William C. Beyer. Beyer grew up in Texas and joined the Marines in January 1942. After training, he was assigned to the third division in artillery. He departed on the USS Mount Vernon for New Zealand. He anecdotes about meeting with some Maori people. Then he departed on the Cresent City for Guadalcanal in May 1943. From Guadalcanal he left for Bougainville in November 1943. He describes being caught in a foxhole for two days without communication. He also listened to Tokyo Rose on the radio. The Army relieved the Marines January 15, 1944, and his unit returned to Guadalcanal. On July 21, 1944, they landed on Guam and went into battle. Next Beyer left for Iwo Jima. The Third Marine Division was assigned to the central area of the island. He witnessed the raising of the flag. On the 50th anniversary of the war, Beyer and his wife returned to New Zealand and Guam.
Date: March 14, 2001
Creator: Beyer, William C.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Annie May Web, March 24, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Annie May Web, March 24, 2001

Interview with Annie (Amy) May Webb discussing her husband's service and her experiences on the homefront during World War II. She describes delivering word of the birth of their daughter to her husband while he was aboard the USS Bennington serving with VMF-112.
Date: March 24, 2001
Creator: Bloomfield, Vivian & Webb, Annie May
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Joseph B. Brown, March 24, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Joseph B. Brown, March 24, 2001

Transcript of an oral interview with Joesph B. Brown. He discusses going to Guadalcanal, various guns and artillery he used, the battle of Tarawa and getting malaria just before it, then going to Hawaii for more training before returning to the South Pacific and fighting on Saipan and Tinian. He also discusses being wounded on Saipan, getting a bayonet run through his forearm and keeping the bayonet as a souvenior after the war and talks about some of his experiences and travels after the war.
Date: March 24, 2001
Creator: Brown, Joseph B.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Joseph B. Brown, March 24, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Joseph B. Brown, March 24, 2001

Transcript of an oral interview with Joesph B. Brown. He discusses going to Guadalcanal, various guns and artillery he used, the battle of Tarawa and getting malaria just before it, then going to Hawaii for more training before returning to the South Pacific and fighting on Saipan and Tinian. He also discusses being wounded on Saipan, getting a bayonet run through his forearm and keeping the bayonet as a souvenior after the war and talks about some of his experiences and travels after the war.
Date: March 24, 2001
Creator: Brown, Joseph B.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Ethel Reisberg Schectman, March 24, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Ethel Reisberg Schectman, March 24, 2001

Interview with Ethel Reisberg Schectman regarding her experiences during World War II. She begins by discussing her family background: her parents were Jews born in Poland and emigrated to the United States. Ethel's European aunts, uncles and grandparents all likely died in the Holocaust. As a first grade student, she taught her mother, a Polish immigrant, how to read and write English. She recalls, wartime rationing, Victory Gardens, scrap drives, and antisemitism among her school-aged classmates in Dallas, Texas, and the end of the war.
Date: March 24, 2001
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Schectman, Ethel Reisberg
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Ethel Reisberg Schectman, March 24, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Ethel Reisberg Schectman, March 24, 2001

Interview with Ethel Reisburg Schectman of Fort Worth, Texas, who was born in New York City during the Great Depression to Jewish Polish immigrant parents. The interview includes Hill's personal experiences of World War II on the home front, including memories of D-Day, iron metal scrap drives, victory gardens, rationing, V-E and V-J Days, and what it was like being Jewish in Dallas during that time.
Date: March 24, 2001
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Schectman, Ethel Reisberg
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Joseph B. Brown, March 23, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Joseph B. Brown, March 23, 2001

Interview with Joseph B. Brown of Abilene, Texas, who is a World War Two veteran of the United States Marine Corps. In the interview, Mr. Brown recalls memories of growing up and his time in the Marines, particularly from training, being wounded, and working campaigns in the South Pacific.
Date: March 23, 2001
Creator: Cox, William G. & Brown, Joseph B.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Joseph B. Brown, March 24, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Joseph B. Brown, March 24, 2001

Interview with Joseph Brown, who was in the Marine Corps during World War II. He discusses going to Guadalcanal, various guns and artillery he used, the battle of Tarawa and getting malaria just before it, then going to Hawaii for more training before returning to the South Pacific and fighting on Saipan and Tinian. He also discusses being wounded on Saipan, having a bayonet run through his forearm and keeping the bayonet as a souvenir after the war, and he talks about some of his experiences and travels after the war.
Date: March 24, 2001
Creator: Cox, William G. & Brown, Joseph B.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Norman Delisle, March 15, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Norman Delisle, March 15, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norman Delisle. Delisle enlisted in the Navy right after Pearl Harbor and went to basic training in Newport, Rhode Island. He was assigned to the Boston Navy Yard awaiting assignment and while there he went to Wentworth Institute for training on diesel engines and air conditioning. After 2-3 months of training, he was transferred back down to Newport and he was made a gunnery instructor, instructing crews from different ships that were anywhere near the area. He was there about eight months and transferred to Vallejo, California to pick up the USS Oakland but before he could report aboard he was diagnosed with rheumatic fever, spending many months in hospitals. They were going to give him a disability discharge but he wanted to go back to active duty which he was allowed to do. He reported to the USS Oakland at Mare Island Shipyard. The Oakland left Mare Island in October, went to Pearl Harbor and joined the Pacific Fleet. The Oakland was involved in the invasion bombardment of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands and then came back to Hawaii. After Hawaii, the Oakland joined Task Force 38 …
Date: March 15, 2001
Creator: Delisle, Norman
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Norman Delisle, March 15, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Norman Delisle, March 15, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norman Delisle. Delisle enlisted in the Navy right after Pearl Harbor and went to basic training in Newport, Rhode Island. He was assigned to the Boston Navy Yard awaiting assignment and while there he went to Wentworth Institute for training on diesel engines and air conditioning. After 2-3 months of training, he was transferred back down to Newport and he was made a gunnery instructor, instructing crews from different ships that were anywhere near the area. He was there about eight months and transferred to Vallejo, California to pick up the USS Oakland but before he could report aboard he was diagnosed with rheumatic fever, spending many months in hospitals. They were going to give him a disability discharge but he wanted to go back to active duty which he was allowed to do. He reported to the USS Oakland at Mare Island Shipyard. The Oakland left Mare Island in October, went to Pearl Harbor and joined the Pacific Fleet. The Oakland was involved in the invasion bombardment of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands and then came back to Hawaii. After Hawaii, the Oakland joined Task Force 38 …
Date: March 15, 2001
Creator: Delisle, Norman
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Harold Gensler, March 31, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Harold Gensler, March 31, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with Harold Gensler. Gensler was born in Tarrytown, New York on 28 September 1915 and graduated from high school in 1935. He recalls the crowds at the New York recruiting station being so large the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor that horse-mounted policemen were needed for crowd control. He was exempt from the draft and ineligible to enlist in any branch of the service as he was employed by a railroad company with a job considered essential to the war effort. In 1943 he joined the Navy and was assigned to a Naval Construction Battalion. He was put on various clerical assignments all the while desiring to be in combat. After filing numerous requests he was assigned to the USS Edgecombe (APA-164). The ship departed for New Guinea 31 December 1943 and he describes in minute detail the Shellback initiation ceremony that took place upon crossing the Equator. He made trips to Leyte and Ulithi to deliver supplies and to the Philippines as the fleet prepared for the invasion of Okinawa. He also recalls listening to radio broadcasts by Tokyo Rose foretelling the landings on the island. …
Date: March 31, 2001
Creator: Gensler, Harold
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William F. (Bill) Graham, March 24, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with William F. (Bill) Graham, March 24, 2001

Transcript of an oral interview with Bill Graham. He begins by discussing joining the Navy and becoming a corpsman, then being transferred to the 2nd Marine Division after the Pearl Harbor attack. He discusses being in the first wave on Guadalcanal and various things that happened during the six months there, contracting a severe strain of malaria, getting shipped back to the States and stationed near his home in Fort Worth, then to training in Virginia preparing for an invasion of Japan.
Date: March 24, 2001
Creator: Graham, William F. (Bill)
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William F. (Bill) Graham, March 24, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with William F. (Bill) Graham, March 24, 2001

Transcript of an oral interview with Bill Graham. He begins by discussing joining the Navy and becoming a corpsman, then being transferred to the 2nd Marine Division after the Pearl Harbor attack. He discusses being in the first wave on Guadalcanal and various things that happened during the six months there, contracting a severe strain of malaria, getting shipped back to the States and stationed near his home in Fort Worth, then to training in Virginia preparing for an invasion of Japan.
Date: March 24, 2001
Creator: Graham, William F. (Bill)
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Raymond Heller, March 6, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Raymond Heller, March 6, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond Heller. Heller joined the Army in September 1944 and received basic training at Camp Hood. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 40th Infantry Division as a rifleman. In March 1945 he travelled to Leyte and was camped beside survivors of the Bataan Death March. He made patrols along various islands, to protect villagers from Japanese raids. While in the Philippines, he bought fresh fruits from natives. He recalls that although his unit prepared for a full-scale landing on Mindanao, it was unopposed, save for a lone Japanese soldier who charged with a sword. At Panay, Heller was treated by a medic for jungle rot. He then survived a typhoon on the way to Inchon. On V-J Day he saw USS Missouri (BB-63) break away from his convoy to celebrate by firing ammunition. Heller patrolled the 38th parallel, opposite the Russians. Heller returned home and was discharged in October 1946.
Date: March 6, 2001
Creator: Heller, Raymond
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Raymond Heller, March 6, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Raymond Heller, March 6, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond Heller. Heller joined the Army in September 1944 and received basic training at Camp Hood. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 40th Infantry Division as a rifleman. In March 1945 he travelled to Leyte and was camped beside survivors of the Bataan Death March. He made patrols along various islands, to protect villagers from Japanese raids. While in the Philippines, he bought fresh fruits from natives. He recalls that although his unit prepared for a full-scale landing on Mindanao, it was unopposed, save for a lone Japanese soldier who charged with a sword. At Panay, Heller was treated by a medic for jungle rot. He then survived a typhoon on the way to Inchon. On V-J Day he saw USS Missouri (BB-63) break away from his convoy to celebrate by firing ammunition. Heller patrolled the 38th parallel, opposite the Russians. Heller returned home and was discharged in October 1946.
Date: March 6, 2001
Creator: Heller, Raymond
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James A. Laux, March 23, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with James A. Laux, March 23, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James A. Laux. Born in 1925, he was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He was accepted into the submarine service. He describes his training at sub school. He reached New Guinea in 1944 and was assigned to his first submarine, the USS Pintado (SS-387), in 1945. He served as a 3rd Class Motor Machinist Mate. He describes sinking two floating mines while off the coast of Java as well as a near-miss with depth charges dropped by Japanese planes. They also rescued downed American pilots while on patrol off the coast of Japan. He describes the living conditions on the submarine. He shares an anecdote about celebrating the end of the war on the way back to the U.S. with a concoction of alcohol called depth charge rum. He was discharged in May 1946. He shares an anecdote about hitchhiking home to Ohio from California. The conning tower of the Pintado is on display at the National Museum of the Pacific War.
Date: March 23, 2001
Creator: Laux, James A.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James A. Laux, March 23, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James A. Laux, March 23, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James A. Laux. Born in 1925, he was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He was accepted into the submarine service. He describes his training at sub school. He reached New Guinea in 1944 and was assigned to his first submarine, the USS Pintado (SS-387), in 1945. He served as a 3rd Class Motor Machinist Mate. He describes sinking two floating mines while off the coast of Java as well as a near-miss with depth charges dropped by Japanese planes. They also rescued downed American pilots while on patrol off the coast of Japan. He describes the living conditions on the submarine. He shares an anecdote about celebrating the end of the war on the way back to the U.S. with a concoction of alcohol called depth charge rum. He was discharged in May 1946. He shares an anecdote about hitchhiking home to Ohio from California. The conning tower of the Pintado is on display at the National Museum of the Pacific War.
Date: March 23, 2001
Creator: Laux, James A.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Carl Peltier, March 4, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Carl Peltier, March 4, 2001

Interview with Carl Peltier, a U. S Marine during World War II. He begins by discussing his reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He then joined the Marines when he was old enough. He trained in San Diego before shipping out to Hawaii where he joined the 2nd Marine Division. Further training included heavy weapons and mortars. Later, he landed on Saipan and describes his small arms and rations. He witnessed General Simon Buckner getting killed on Okinawa. He was later wounded on Okinawa. After the war ended, Peltier served in the Pentagon during the Korean War.
Date: March 4, 2001
Creator: Nichols, Chuck & Peltier, Carl
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Carl Peltier, March 4, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Carl Peltier, March 4, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Carl Peltier. He begins by discussing his reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor and then joining the Marines when he was old enough. He trained in San Diego before shipping out to Hawaii where he joined the 2nd Marine Division. Further training included heavy weapons - mortars. Later, he landed on Saipan and describes his small arms and rations. He witnessed General Simon Buckner getting killed on Okinawa. He was later wounded on Okinawa. After the war ended, Peltier served in the Petagon during the Korean War.
Date: March 4, 2001
Creator: Peltier, Carl
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Carl Peltier, March 4, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Carl Peltier, March 4, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Carl Peltier. He begins by discussing his reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor and then joining the Marines when he was old enough. He trained in San Diego before shipping out to Hawaii where he joined the 2nd Marine Division. Further training included heavy weapons - mortars. Later, he landed on Saipan and describes his small arms and rations. He witnessed General Simon Buckner getting killed on Okinawa. He was later wounded on Okinawa. After the war ended, Peltier served in the Petagon during the Korean War.
Date: March 4, 2001
Creator: Peltier, Carl
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Charles Ramsey, March 20, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Charles Ramsey, March 20, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Ramsey. Ramsey joined the Navy in 1941 and attended aviation radio school in Alameda, California. Upon completion, he was assigned to the Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station, where he served as radioman in Patrol Squadron 1 and then Patrol Squadron 11. He describes the special treatment given to radiomen so that they could be well-rested and alert. During the attack on Kaneohe, Ramsey helped to shoot down the attack force's highest-ranking officer, Lieutenant Fusata Iida, commander of the Japanese 3rd Air Group. Ramsey was sent to San Diego eight months later to pick up a new plane, but his records were lost, and he was instead sent to the South Pacific on the USS Denver (CL-58), captained by Robert Carney. Ramsey flew night patrols at the Solomon Islands and covered the invasion of Bougainville. On the way to the invasion of the Philippines, his ship became lost in a typhoon. Ramsey used his aviation training to give the ship’s bearings to the radio officer. When the Denver arrived at Leyte, Ramsay witnessed the HUMS Yamashiro sink. The Japanese refused to be rescued by American lifeboats. Ramsey saw …
Date: March 20, 2001
Creator: Ramsey, Charles
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Charles Ramsey, March 20, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Charles Ramsey, March 20, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Ramsey. Ramsey joined the Navy in 1941 and attended aviation radio school in Alameda, California. Upon completion, he was assigned to the Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station, where he served as radioman in Patrol Squadron 1 and then Patrol Squadron 11. He describes the special treatment given to radiomen so that they could be well-rested and alert. During the attack on Kaneohe, Ramsey helped to shoot down the attack force's highest-ranking officer, Lieutenant Fusata Iida, commander of the Japanese 3rd Air Group. Ramsey was sent to San Diego eight months later to pick up a new plane, but his records were lost, and he was instead sent to the South Pacific on the USS Denver (CL-58), captained by Robert Carney. Ramsey flew night patrols at the Solomon Islands and covered the invasion of Bougainville. On the way to the invasion of the Philippines, his ship became lost in a typhoon. Ramsey used his aviation training to give the ship’s bearings to the radio officer. When the Denver arrived at Leyte, Ramsay witnessed the HUMS Yamashiro sink. The Japanese refused to be rescued by American lifeboats. Ramsey saw …
Date: March 20, 2001
Creator: Ramsey, Charles
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Ethel Reisberg Schectman, March 24, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Ethel Reisberg Schectman, March 24, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ethel Reisberg Schectman. She begins by discussing her family background: her parents were Jews born in Poland and emigrated to the United States. Ethel's European aunts, uncles and grandparents all likely died in the Holocaust. As a first grade student, she taught her mother, a Polish immigrant, how to read and write English. She recalls, wartime rationing, Victory Gardens, scrap drives, and antisemitism among her school-aged classmates in Dallas, Texas, and the end of the war.
Date: March 24, 2001
Creator: Schectman, Ethel
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History