The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul Platz. Platz joined the Army in July of 1944. He served with the 77th Infantry Division, 307th Infantry Regiment. He participated in the liberation of the Philippines in late 1944. In the spring of 1945, Platz was in the assault on the Kerama Islands and the Battle of Okinawa, where he was wounded. He returned to the US and received a medical discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Michael Kuryla. Kuryla was born in Chicago, Illinois on 10 September 1925 into a family of eight children. He describes his family’s living conditions during the Depression. Joining the US Navy in 1942, he underwent boot training at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Illinois. Following boot camp, he was assigned to the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) as the fire director of a five-inch gun. He explains the job of the gun director. He describes the bombardment of Tarawa and tells of participating in battles at Kwajalein, Guam, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He shares a personal experience he had with Admiral Spruance. The Indianapolis was struck by a kamikaze and Kuryla describes the damage done and the lives lost as a result. Once the ship was repaired components for an atomic bomb were put on board for delivery to Tinian. After delivery the ship was bound for Guam when it was struck by Japanese torpedoes. Kuryla graphically describes his personal experience of abandoning the ship and what he witnessed during five nights and four days in the water. He recalls being taken aboard the USS Register (APD-92) and delivered to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Sam Shelton. Shelton was born in rural Kansas on 18 August 1917. He participated in the Civilian Pilot Training Program while attending Fort Hays College. Upon completing the program in 1939, he joined the Navy. After completing flight training at Pensacola, he was sent to the Corpus Christi (Texas) Naval Air Station as a flight instructor. In 1943 he was assigned to VF-7, a fighter squadron, stationed at San Diego, flying F4F and F6F fighters. In early 1944 the squadron was assigned the FM2 (fighter) and put aboard the USS Santee (CVE-29). He returned from a combat patrol and found the Santee had been stuck by a kamikaze and a bomb. Unable to land, he was directed to land aboard the USS Suwannee (CVE-27). After landing, his plane was refueled and the ammunition replenished. Smith proceeded with another combat patrol, after which he returned to the Santee after repairs. The ship returned to Pearl Harbor and Shelton was assigned to Air Group 6 based at Los Alamitos, California. Following the surrender of Japan, Shelton remained in the Navy. He recalls various assignments including being aboard the USS Valley …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J.D. Tanner. Tanner was born 20 August 1924 in Jasper County, Indiana. He quit school in the seventh grade and worked with his father on a dairy farm. In August 1944, he was drafted into the US Army and had basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas. After four weeks of training he went to San Francisco and departed on a twenty-one day trip to Leyte. There he was assigned as a rifleman in the 37th Infantry Division. He describes being on patrol and seeing a friend killed by a Japanese sniper. He was hospitalized with dysentery and recalls meeting General MacArthur’s wife, Jean, as she visited the hospital. After the surrender of Japan, he was assigned to the Military Police for a period of time and also drove a truck. He returned to the United States and was discharged 1 August 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Kindrick. Kindrick was born 23 May 1925 in Coffeeville, Kansas. Upon graduating from high school in 1943, he joined the Army. After completing nine weeks of basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky he was assigned as an assistant tank driver of an M-4 Sherman tank. His unit eventually boarded a ship and sailed to South Hampton, England. On 10 June 1944 he crossed over to Normandy on an LST landing at Omaha Beach. There he was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division, I Company, 67th Armored Regiment as the assistant driver on the company command tank. He explains the purpose of a command tank and the position of it in the battle plans. He participated in the breakout at Saint Lo, the Battle of the Bulge and the crossed the Rhine River on a pontoon bridge into Germany. After Germany surrendered, the company spent three months as an occupation force in Berlin. Kindrick was discharged upon his return to the United States in the fall of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Duane Howard. Howard was born in Miami, Indiana 30 November 1919. Although married with two children, he was drafted into the Navy in September 1944. After ten week of boot training at The Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Illinois he began three weeks of gunnery training. Upon completion of the training he was assigned to the merchant ship, SS O.B. Martin as a member of the Naval Armed Guard contingent. His job assignment was as a gunner’s mate on a 3 inch deck gun. He tells of the ship joining a convoy of forty ships and delivering their cargo to Calcutta, India. He also comments on visits the ship made to Leyte, Samar and New Guinea. In September 1945 the ship returned to San Francisco with veterans of the war in the Pacific. He was discharged during October 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wayne Cripe. Cripe was born in Camden, Indiana 22 March 1926. Drafted into the US Marine Corps in June 1944 he went to boot camp at Parris Island. After twelve weeks he was sent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He describes the training he underwent. During November 1944 he was sent to Camp Banyan, Hilo, Hawaii where he was assigned to the 5th Marine Division, 32nd Replacement Battalion. He tells of landing on Iwo Jima and seeing the American flag flying over Mount Suribachi as he was unloading supplies on the beach. He was on Iwo Jima seventeen days before he was severely wounded by fragments from a Japanese grenade. After being tended by a hospital corpsman he was evacuated to the US Samaritan (AH-10) and taken to Aiea Naval Hospital at Pearl Harbor. After spending six months at the hospital he was sent to San Diego where he received a physical evaluation and was discharged 5 May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Hagen. Hagen served as the gunnery officer aboard the USS Johnston (DD-557). The ship’s captain, Commander Ernest Evans, was well liked and highly respected by the crew. Hagen recalls the Johnston was with a group of seven destroyers and six escort carriers supporting the troop landing at Leyte Gulf. On 24 October 1944 they were alerted to the approach of a large Japanese force led by Admiral Kurita. Hagen describes in detail the actions involving the Johnston, which led to heavy damage and the eventual sinking of the ship. The actions initiated by Commander Evans led to him being awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. As senior surviving officer of the Johnston, Hagen wrote the recommendation for the award.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Daniel Jones. Jones was at Harvard and at the end of his sophomore year in 1940, he joined the Navy under the V-7 program. After a cruise on the old battleship USS Wyoming to Guantanamo, Cuba he enterd midshipman's school in New York City. At the end of three months, he was commissioned an ensign and sent to the USS Wichita (flagship of Commander Cruiser Division 7) in January 1941. He was a communications officer and on the Admiral's staff when the message that Pearl Harbor was attacked came into the ship. The ship was operating with the British Fleet in the Atlantic prior to that. During the invasion of North Africa, Admiral Giffen and his staff were on board the battleship USS Massachusetts when they engaged the French battleship Jean Bart in the harbor at Casablanca. After sailing back to the states, the flag was shifted back to the USS Wichita and they sailed for the South Pacific, to Efate in the New Hebrides. Wichita's first operation out of Efate was toward Guadalcanal with the cruiser USS Chicago, with Chicago behind. They were attacked by Japanese bombers …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Bast. Bast joined the Navy in January of 1942. He completed courses in seamanship, gunnery, navigation, and attended the Submarine Chaser Training Center in Miami. He was assigned to the USS Anoka (PC-571), of which he was a plank owner. He provides some details of this patrol craft. They were assigned to Port Townsend, Washington protecting the Bremerton Naval Base from enemy submarines. From the fall of 1942 to April of 1943 they were stationed in Alaska, participating in the Aleutian Island Campaigns. In January of 1944 he was assigned as Commanding Officer of the USS LST-677, which was converted into a supply ship and named the USS Yolo (APB-43). In April of 1945 they traveled with a convoy to Okinawa and provided supplies to hundreds of ships in the Philippine Sea. Bast describes the process of supplying these ships. He was discharged in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with L D Cox. Cox joined the Navy in 1944 and served aboard the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). He was assigned to a deck division, and later the Navigation Division. He describes some of his job functions and life in general aboard the ship. In the spring of 1945 they launched an attack on Tokyo to cover the landings on Iwo Jima and participated in the Battle of Okinawa. He provides details of these events. They traveled back to the States for repairs. Cox then describes their secret mission of picking up the wooden box in San Francisco which carried parts for the Little Boy atomic bomb and delivering it to Tinian. En route from Guam to Leyte Gulf, in July of 1945, a Japanese submarine struck the Indianapolis with 2 torpedoes, and the ship sank within 12 minutes. Of the 1,197 crew members, Cox was one of the 317 who survived the sinking and five nights and four days in the Philippine Sea. He provides vivid details of this horrific event, his injuries and the court-martialing of Captain McVay. Cox was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Larry Delewski. Delewski joined the Navy around 1942. He attended gunnery school in Newport, Rhode Island and completed a program at the Naval Gun Factory for Advanced Hydraulics in Washington, D.C. In early 1944 he was then assigned to the USS Laffey (DD-724). He provides some details of the destroyer, including its weaponry. Delewski served as Mount Captain and was in charge of gun mount number three, located on the stern. They traveled to Normandy, France and were present for D-Day in June of 1944, supporting ground troops by firing over 1,000 rounds at targets including bridges, tanks and troop concentrations. They continued their support at Normandy through the Battle of Cherbourg. Upon receiving some damage to the ship, they traveled back to the United States. In late 1944 they traveled to the Philippines and participated in the Battle of Ormoc Bay. In April of 1945 they were involved in the Battle of Okinawa, where they were heavily attacked by Japanese kamikazes. He was discharged some time in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles R. Clark. Clark was born in 1918 and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1939. His first assignment was as a gunnery officer aboard the USS San Francisco (CA-38). Next, he served aboard the USS Fairfax (DD-93) as an engineer. He also served aboard the USS Texas (BB-35) as a radio officer. Clark attended submarine school after the war started. After graduation he served on the USS O-2 as torpedo, gunnery and engineering officer. He later became the executive officer. His next assignment was to the USS Dace (SS-247) as an engineer. He spent a year on this boat and made seven war patrols. After promotion, he commanded the USS Sennet (SS-408). In May 1945 on war patrol in the Sea of Japan, the Sennet sank four enemy vessels. After the war, Clark administered the submarine sonar school in Florida before being assigned to the USS Quillback (SS-424). Clark also served as captain aboard the USS Hawkins (DD-873). Next he was assigned as embassy naval attaché in Havana, Cuba. He also commanded the USS Tidewater (AD-31). Clark concluded his career in 1967 as naval attaché in Madrid, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul Murphy. Murphy joined the Navy in June of 1943. He received basic training in Farragut, Idaho. He completed fire control school on Treasure Island. Murphy served as a Fire Controlman aboard the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). He shares details of his participation in the Marianas operation on Saipan, Guam and Tinian, bombarding the islands in preparation for the invasion of the Marines and Army. He also participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Murphy vividly describes their fateful attack on 30 July 1945, including the sinking ship, surviving 5 days in the water and his rescue. He was honorably discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Kirby Krause. Krause joined the Navy in September of 1943 and served aboard the USS Nevada (BB-36) in the 4th Division retrieving seaplanes out of the water. He vividly describes his work aboard the ship, including his work with fueling hoses. Krause goes into great detail of life aboard the ship including food, living quarters and overall morale amongst the men. The Nevada served as a convoy escort, providing fire support during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Krause provides details of getting hit by a kamikaze during the Battle of Okinawa. He also shares the procedures for burial at sea for the men killed in action. In August of 1945 they were sent to Leyte Island for ship repairs. He was discharged around June of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jim Spriggs. Spriggs joined the Navy in August of 1943. Beginning February of 1944, he served as Machinist Mate Third-Class aboard the USS Laffey (DD-724). They provided support during the Invasion of Normandy and the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. During Okinawa, Spriggs worked in the engine room helping keep the ship afloat after significant kamikaze damage. He returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lindsey Wilcox. Wilcox joined the Navy in November 1942 and received training on Treasure Island as a machinist. He was assigned briefly to the Aleutian Islands before boarding USS Indianapolis (CA-35) as a fireman, first class. He describes the Indianapolis as a beautiful ship, complete with ice cream parlor and shops. He was aboard the Indianapolis from Tarawa through Okinawa and saw components of the atomic bomb loaded aboard ship, although he didn’t know at the time what they were. While traveling from Guam to Leyte, the Indianapolis was sunk by a torpedo. Wilcox survived close encounters with sharks during the four days he waited for rescue. He was taken by USS Bassett (APD-73) to a hospital in Guam. Wilcox returned home and joined the inactive reserve. He was honorably discharged in 1951. Later in life he came to know Captain McVay personally. Although McVay was subjected to court-martial for losing the Indianapolis, Wilcox maintains that McVay was an excellent captain and an honorable person.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Bast. Bast joined the Navy in January of 1942. He completed courses in seamanship, gunnery, navigation, and attended the Submarine Chaser Training Center in Miami. He was assigned to the USS Anoka (PC-571), of which he was a plank owner. He provides some details of this patrol craft. They were assigned to Port Townsend, Washington protecting the Bremerton Naval Base from enemy submarines. From the fall of 1942 to April of 1943 they were stationed in Alaska, participating in the Aleutian Island Campaigns. In January of 1944 he was assigned as Commanding Officer of the USS LST-677, which was converted into a supply ship and named the USS Yolo (APB-43). In April of 1945 they traveled with a convoy to Okinawa and provided supplies to hundreds of ships in the Philippine Sea. Bast describes the process of supplying these ships. He was discharged in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with L D Cox. Cox joined the Navy in 1944 and served aboard the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). He was assigned to a deck division, and later the Navigation Division. He describes some of his job functions and life in general aboard the ship. In the spring of 1945 they launched an attack on Tokyo to cover the landings on Iwo Jima and participated in the Battle of Okinawa. He provides details of these events. They traveled back to the States for repairs. Cox then describes their secret mission of picking up the wooden box in San Francisco which carried parts for the Little Boy atomic bomb and delivering it to Tinian. En route from Guam to Leyte Gulf, in July of 1945, a Japanese submarine struck the Indianapolis with 2 torpedoes, and the ship sank within 12 minutes. Of the 1,197 crew members, Cox was one of the 317 who survived the sinking and five nights and four days in the Philippine Sea. He provides vivid details of this horrific event, his injuries and the court-martialing of Captain McVay. Cox was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Larry Delewski. Delewski joined the Navy around 1942. He attended gunnery school in Newport, Rhode Island and completed a program at the Naval Gun Factory for Advanced Hydraulics in Washington, D.C. In early 1944 he was then assigned to the USS Laffey (DD-724). He provides some details of the destroyer, including its weaponry. Delewski served as Mount Captain and was in charge of gun mount number three, located on the stern. They traveled to Normandy, France and were present for D-Day in June of 1944, supporting ground troops by firing over 1,000 rounds at targets including bridges, tanks and troop concentrations. They continued their support at Normandy through the Battle of Cherbourg. Upon receiving some damage to the ship, they traveled back to the United States. In late 1944 they traveled to the Philippines and participated in the Battle of Ormoc Bay. In April of 1945 they were involved in the Battle of Okinawa, where they were heavily attacked by Japanese kamikazes. He was discharged some time in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Kirby Krause. Krause joined the Navy in September of 1943 and served aboard the USS Nevada (BB-36) in the 4th Division retrieving seaplanes out of the water. He vividly describes his work aboard the ship, including his work with fueling hoses. Krause goes into great detail of life aboard the ship including food, living quarters and overall morale amongst the men. The Nevada served as a convoy escort, providing fire support during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Krause provides details of getting hit by a kamikaze during the Battle of Okinawa. He also shares the procedures for burial at sea for the men killed in action. In August of 1945 they were sent to Leyte Island for ship repairs. He was discharged around June of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul Murphy. Murphy joined the Navy in June of 1943. He received basic training in Farragut, Idaho. He completed fire control school on Treasure Island. Murphy served as a Fire Controlman aboard the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). He shares details of his participation in the Marianas operation on Saipan, Guam and Tinian, bombarding the islands in preparation for the invasion of the Marines and Army. He also participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Murphy vividly describes their fateful attack on 30 July 1945, including the sinking ship, surviving 5 days in the water and his rescue. He was honorably discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lindsey Wilcox. Wilcox joined the Navy in November 1942 and received training on Treasure Island as a machinist. He was assigned briefly to the Aleutian Islands before boarding USS Indianapolis (CA-35) as a fireman, first class. He describes the Indianapolis as a beautiful ship, complete with ice cream parlor and shops. He was aboard the Indianapolis from Tarawa through Okinawa and saw components of the atomic bomb loaded aboard ship, although he didn’t know at the time what they were. While traveling from Guam to Leyte, the Indianapolis was sunk by a torpedo. Wilcox survived close encounters with sharks during the four days he waited for rescue. He was taken by USS Bassett (APD-73) to a hospital in Guam. Wilcox returned home and joined the inactive reserve. He was honorably discharged in 1951. Later in life he came to know Captain McVay personally. Although McVay was subjected to court-martial for losing the Indianapolis, Wilcox maintains that McVay was an excellent captain and an honorable person.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jim Spriggs. Spriggs joined the Navy in August of 1943. Beginning February of 1944, he served as Machinist Mate Third-Class aboard the USS Laffey (DD-724). They provided support during the Invasion of Normandy and the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. During Okinawa, Spriggs worked in the engine room helping keep the ship afloat after significant kamikaze damage. He returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1945.