The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clinton E. Morris. He discusses his childhood growing up during the Great Depression and what led him to joining the US Navy. He describes his experiences during bootcamp and the rest of World War Two in the Pacific Theatre.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Voris C. Riley of Kingland, Texas. He discusses enlisting in the military while living in Abilene, Texas and getting sent to civil service for the Army before being offered to join the Navy. In the Navy he went through basic training in San Diego, California, then to St. Louis Electrical School and finally through firefighting training in Rhode Island. After he completed his training Mr. Riley was assigned to the U.S.S. Lake Champain, CB 39 and went on a shakedown cruise where 16 crewmen were lost for various reasons. In the Navy he was an electrician aboard the ship and dealt with setting up electricity onshore. He also dealt with Prisoners of War, being put in charge of a group of them to build a swimming pool. He was in New York City on temporary leave when the news of the wars end was released by President Truman. Mr. Voris also talks about serving in the Civilian Conservation Corps in New Mexico.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Franklin B. Murphy of Milford, Maine. He discusses enlisting in the U.S. Marines and going through basic training in South Carolina before completing his communications training in North Carolina. He also talks about his journey from Hawaii to Tarawa and the horrors he saw when they arrived and started to set up communication lines. Mr. Murphy was assigned to the twenty-fourth marines as their communication before being sent to Iwo Jima. He was in Guam for some recreational time when the bombs were dropped on Japan and the war ended, he was then discharged December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with B B Browning. Browning joined the Navy in mid-1943. Beginning mid-1944, he served as Seaman First Class, supporting Marines aboard a troop ship. He recalls his experiences through the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot in June of 1944, and going ashore on Tinian with the Marines. He vividly describes his time on the island, serving on guard duty, communicating with Japanese civilians on the island, supervising work of the remaining Japanese soldiers and serving as yeoman to the captain. He remained on Tinian after the war ended, returning to the US in mid-1946 to receive his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John W. Smith III. Jean assists with the interview. Smith was born 15 February 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He speaks about his father’s participation with the Manhattan Project. Smith’s father, John W. Smith II, was an electrician and completed contract work for the government at Huntsville Arsenal in Alabama, Oak Ridge in Tennessee and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Smith recalls traveling with his family each time his father was relocated for work. He was 12 years old when the war in the Pacific started, and he shares memories of life in the US as a child during wartime. He served in the Navy from 1946 through 1947, then entered the Air Force. He was assigned as a navigator with the 764th Bombardment Squadron, 461st Bombardment Wing. He served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, retiring in 1970.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Murphy. Murphy joined the Navy in late 1942. After boot training at Great Lakes, he went to quartermaster school in Rhode Island. Upon completion, Murphy was assigned to USS Carlson (DE-9). He was on the commissioning crew and rode it through the Panama Canal to the Pacific. He was transferred off the ship, underwent further training, and was assigned to ACORN-44 and sent to Okinawa. He arrived at Okinawa when the fighting was winding down and set up a seaplane base on Buckner Bay. He remained on Okinawa until he had enough points t oreturn to the US and be discharged in January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Abe. Abe’s wife Yukiko is helping with this interview. Abe was born 29 May 1934 in Ewa, Hawaii, to Japanese immigrant parents. His father was the supervisor of the Ewa Sugar Plantation. He and his family were living on the island, 8 miles west of Pearl Harbor, when the Japanese attacked. Abe was 7 years old at the time, and he provides vivid details of his experiences, witnessing the bombing of military installations, being confined to his house, blackouts and his parents being directed to destroy any documents written in Japanese. From 1956 through 1958, Abe served in the US Army, 4th Infantry Division.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with O. Harold Mainer. Mainer joined the Navy in October, 1940 and trained at San Diego. He was then assigned as a deckhand to USS Helena (CL-50) and caught the ship in Hawaii in late 1940 and was still aboard during the attack on Pearl Harbor, which he describes. Mainer was aboard when Helena sank at Kula Gulf. Then, Mainer was transferred to USS Munsee (ATF-107), an ocean going tug, for the remainder of the war. He was discharged in January 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Pedro Alvarez Vasquez. Vasquez was drafted into the Army around 1943 and assigned to the 87th Armored Field Artillery. In 1944, they were deployed to England. Vasquez traveled throughout France and Germany with the tanks, in charge of gasoline, ammunition, serving as an assistant driver and working the machine guns. He recalls his experiences during the Battle of the Bulge. He returned to the US in November of 1945 and received his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Huffman. Huffman joined the Army Air Forces in 1943. He served as a B-24 Navigator, stationed in Virginia. He flew throughout the US during the war, and did not go overseas. Huffman received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Foster. Foster received an agriculture deferment for two years afer he finished high school in 1942. He was drafted into the Army and trained in Florida before being shipped overseas to Hawaii, then Saipan, and finally Okinawa where he joined the 382nd Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division as a replacement. He shares several anecdotes about his experiences fighting on Okinawa. Toward the end of the war, Foster was reassigned to the 86th Infantry Division in the philippoines and was there when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Kenneth Doolittle. Doolittle was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1930. His father was a doctor at the Queen’s Medical Center. He was an 11-year-old boy, living with his family in Hawaii when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Doolittle shares details of his experiences through that fateful day, and his life in general living on the island before, during and after the war. He graduated high school in 1948 and served in the Army with the 101st Airborne Division.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Bacastow. Bacastow joined the Navy in March of 1943. He completed Aviation Ordnance School. He assisted with setting up an air base in the South Pacific to service carriers. He joined the Aviation Construction Ordnance Repair Navy 28 (ACORN 28) unit, serving in the Admiralty Islands from March through October of 1944. Bacastow was transferred to the USS Kitkun Bay (CVE-71), where he served through the battles of Leyte Gulf and Luzon. He continued his service after the war ended, receiving his discharge in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clinton Langstaff. Langstaff joined the Navy in early 1943 and qualified for the V-12 program and received college instruction in pre – med in Montana, then at Northwestern University. Upon commissioning and some anti-submarine warfare officer training, Langstaff was scheduled to go aboard a vessel when the war ended. He stayed in the reserves and was eventually discharged in the 1950s.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Odd Aarstad. Aarstad joined the Navy in August 1944 and trained to be a corpsman. Upon completion of training, Aarstad reported to the Annapolis Naval Hospital where he served and treated wounded and sick patients. Eventually, Aarstad worked on artificial limbs for amputees. He also served at a rehabilitation station in Philadelphia where people were being fitted for prosthetic legs. Aarstad was discharged in October 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James O., Cotton, Knight. Knight joined the Army in July of 1943. He served as Technician Fourth-Class with the 3197th Engineer Pipeline Detachment, Combat Engineers. They were deployed to New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, operating a tank farm that pumped gasoline for military planes and vehicles. He then served on Emirau Island for 13 months, where their job was to cut the supply line of the Japanese base located 80 miles from their base. In early 1945, they traveled to Leyte to work a tank farm. where they were located when the war ended. Knight returned to the U.S. in January of 1946 and received his discharge in February.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edwin Stewart. Stewart joined the Navy in November of 1943. He completed sonar school in mid-1944, and served as Sonar Man Third Class aboard the USS Wyman (DE-38). They conducted anti-submarine warfare through Saipan, where Stewart recalls sinking Japanese submarines. They also conducted escort duty of their fleet ships between Ulithi and the Philippines. In early to mid-1945, they supported the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Stewart returned to the US and received his discharge in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Fortmeyer. Fortmeyer joined the Navy in February of 1945. He served as Fireman First Class aboard the USS Chickasaw (AT-83). They conducted salvage and rescue operations around Wake Island, the Hawaiian Islands, and along the coast of the United States. Fortmeyer continued his service after the war ended, receiving his discharge in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Curtis Whiteway. Whiteway joined the Army in December 1943 and trained at Fort Knox. He was attached to the 99th Infantry Division and landed in France in September of 1944. He recalls a friendly fire incident that reduced his company to 18 men. He also mentions liberating various concentration camps. He had a comrade die in his arms and he shares anecdotes from during the Battle of the Bulge and other combat experiences. He received three Purple Hearts. When the war ended, Whiteway went back to France. His records were misplaced and he was finally sent home and discharged in March, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Ehinger. Ehinger was drafted into the Navy in October of 1943. He graduated as Ensign from Supply Corps School in January of 1944, with training in record keeping, payroll and supplies. He was assigned to the USS Lamson (DD-367). They traveled to Hawaii, then to Majuro in the Marshall Islands. From there, they went to Eniwetok and connected with the Seventh Fleet. In December of 1944 the Seventh Fleet traveled to Ormoc Bay, to reinforce the troops remaining on the island after the invasion of Leyte. They were hit by a kamikaze and Ehinger details this event. After repairs in Bremerton, Washington they were sent to Iwo Jima to supply the Marines and where he witnessed the flag raising on Mt. Suribachi. From March through August 1945 they traveled the Philippine Sea picking up any pilots that got lost or had to ditch. After the war ended they went to Kyushu to inspect Japanese ships. They returned to San Diego and Ehinger went to Rhode Island in charge of shipping surplus property that was being made available to contractors. He was discharged in June of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leon Faddis. Faddis joined the Navy in December of 1943. He completed Fire Control school and was assigned to the gunnery division aboard the USS Alaska (CB-1). His job aboard was a loader on the 5-inch gun. They assisted with the liberation of the Philippines, and provided support at Iwo Jima, and then on to Okinawa. He provides some detail of each of these experiences. He witnessed the USS Franklin (CV-13) ablaze after it was struck by Japanese bombs, and details how the crew aboard the Alaska assisted. From there they went to Inchon, Korea to assist in liberation. After the war they traveled to Tsingtao, China to assist with repatriation of the Japanese. He was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Scott. Scott joined the Marine Corps in October 1943 and trained at San Diego. In February 1944, he shipped to Hawaii and the 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division at Camp Tarawa. He was on a 75mm pack howitzer at Saipan and recalls details about the invasion. Scott share several anecdotes from his experiences on Saipan. He was at Okinawa, but his unit remained in reserve without going ashore. He also recalls details about the occupation of Japan, where he remained until the end of the year. Scott returned to the US and was discharged in January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Mika. Mika joined the Navy in 1942. He attended aviation metalsmith school in Norman, Oklahoma, repairing airplane parts, including the wings and fuselage, and welding aluminum. In late 1943 he graduated from Aerial Gunnery School in California. He served aboard the USS Santee (CVE-29) beginning March of 1944. They participated in the invasion of Hollandia, Morotai and Guam. Mika’s job aboard the ship was servicing the planes and aviation gas detail. In October of 1944 they participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and he describes an attack by a kamikaze plane and a torpedo from a Japanese submarine. They traveled back to Pearl Harbor for repairs, and then back out to Okinawa. He provides some details of the carrier. They traveled to Wakayama, Japan and picked up American, British and Australian prisoners of war. He was discharged in April of 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Doy Davis. Davis begins with an account of growing up in West Virginia. In August, 1943 Davis joined the Navy and trained at Great Lakes as an electrician. He soon arrived in Kodiak, Alaska. He shares anecdotes about being at a base and in charge of maintaining the harbor craft. When the war ended, Davis took his discharge and went to work for AT&T.