Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including a visit with a friend name Sally and a trip planned for Gonzales with Baby and John, a suggestion about an address book to track the information that she gives him, and an update that Jessie got a job in San Antonio.

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing the mail service, his appreciation for the work that Catherine is doing on the kitchen, his sadness at Forrest Foch's death, and being behind on his letter writing.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Gilbreath. Born in 1925, he was drafted into the Marine Corps in 1943. As a member of a mortar team in the 4th Division, he first saw military action on Roi-Namur. He describes a mortar and his role on a mortar team. He relates an incident in which LSTs, including his own USS LST-39, caught fire and exploded in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He describes action on Saipan, including landing; combat; friendly fire; Japanese Banzai attacks; and civilian suicides. He also recounts an incident on Saipan in which the Japanese soldiers used civilians to draw fire in order to locate U. S. military positions at night. He talks about living conditions on Saipan after the invasion and mentions radio broadcasts of Tokyo Rose. After the invasions of Saipan and Tinian, he went to Hawaii to prepare for the invasion of Iwo Jima. He talks about seasickness and refueling an LST while at sea en route to Iwo Jima. He describes landing and combat on Iwo Jima. He sustained a shrapnel wound, but was treated and sent back to his unit. He speaks about the living conditions in various …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Phillip Grau. Grau entered the Army Air Forces in October, 1941 after having studied radio and telegraph operation. He did well enough to be an instructor before going overseas. In 1944, Grau went to Dacca, India. Once there, Grau served as a radio operator aboard cargo planes flying aviation gasoline over the Himalaya Mountains to airfields in China. He had over 1500 hours flight time and shares several anecdotes about flying the Hump. Shortly after the war ended, Grau headed home and was discharged in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Myer. Myer joined the Army Air Forces in December of 1942. He served as a flight engineer and waist gunner on a B-24 bomber in the 8th Air Force, 2nd Air Division, 489th Bomb Group, 846th Bomb Squadron. While in the European theater, Myer was stationed at Halton Field in Halesworth, England. On 31 July 1944, during his 31st and final mission, he was shot down and captured by the Germans. Myer was taken to Stalag Luft IV in Poland. From 6 February to 26 April 1945 he participated in a forced march for an estimated 550 miles back to Germany as the Russians advanced from the east, known today as the Black Forest Death March. He provides details of the POW camp and forced march. He was discharged in September of 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Robert A. Heym. When Heym finished high school in 1943 he went into the Army Air Force. He was in pilot training in Arkansas, but was caught doing dangerous aerial stunts and was washed out and sent to radio school in South Dakota. Upon completing that, he was assigned to a B-24 crew as a radio operator in Topeka, Kansas before heading overseas in April, 1944. Heym describes a few missions, being attacked by German fighters, fellow crewmembers getting killed and crash landing. Heym was attached to the 450th Bomb Group in the 15th Air Force and was stationed in Manduria, Italy. In June, 1945 Heym came home aboard the USS Wakefield (AP-21). He was discharged and attended the University of Detroit after the war using his G.I. Bill.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Gilbreath. Born in 1925, he was drafted into the Marine Corps in 1943. As a member of a mortar team in the 4th Division, he first saw military action on Roi-Namur. He describes a mortar and his role on a mortar team. He relates an incident in which LSTs, including his own USS LST-39, caught fire and exploded in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He describes action on Saipan, including landing; combat; friendly fire; Japanese Banzai attacks; and civilian suicides. He also recounts an incident on Saipan in which the Japanese soldiers used civilians to draw fire in order to locate U. S. military positions at night. He talks about living conditions on Saipan after the invasion and mentions radio broadcasts of Tokyo Rose. After the invasions of Saipan and Tinian, he went to Hawaii to prepare for the invasion of Iwo Jima. He talks about seasickness and refueling an LST while at sea en route to Iwo Jima. He describes landing and combat on Iwo Jima. He sustained a shrapnel wound, but was treated and sent back to his unit. He speaks about the living conditions in various …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Phillip Grau. Grau entered the Army Air Forces in October, 1941 after having studied radio and telegraph operation. He did well enough to be an instructor before going overseas. In 1944, Grau went to Dacca, India. Once there, Grau served as a radio operator aboard cargo planes flying aviation gasoline over the Himalaya Mountains to airfields in China. He had over 1500 hours flight time and shares several anecdotes about flying the Hump. Shortly after the war ended, Grau headed home and was discharged in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Myer. Myer joined the Army Air Forces in December of 1942. He served as a flight engineer and waist gunner on a B-24 bomber in the 8th Air Force, 2nd Air Division, 489th Bomb Group, 846th Bomb Squadron. While in the European theater, Myer was stationed at Halton Field in Halesworth, England. On 31 July 1944, during his 31st and final mission, he was shot down and captured by the Germans. Myer was taken to Stalag Luft IV in Poland. From 6 February to 26 April 1945 he participated in a forced march for an estimated 550 miles back to Germany as the Russians advanced from the east, known today as the Black Forest Death March. He provides details of the POW camp and forced march. He was discharged in September of 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Robert A. Heym. When Heym finished high school in 1943 he went into the Army Air Force. He was in pilot training in Arkansas, but was caught doing dangerous aerial stunts and was washed out and sent to radio school in South Dakota. Upon completing that, he was assigned to a B-24 crew as a radio operator in Topeka, Kansas before heading overseas in April, 1944. Heym describes a few missions, being attacked by German fighters, fellow crewmembers getting killed and crash landing. Heym was attached to the 450th Bomb Group in the 15th Air Force and was stationed in Manduria, Italy. In June, 1945 Heym came home aboard the USS Wakefield (AP-21). He was discharged and attended the University of Detroit after the war using his G.I. Bill.