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 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 interview with Mildred Bauman. Bauman’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1923. She was born in Brooklyn, New York in November of 1926. Her family sent her back to Germany to live with her grandparents in Berlin in 1928. Bauman grew up in Germany during the Nazi reign and was 13 years old when World War II began. Being an American citizen, Bauman endured relentless harassment from neighbors and classmates. She vividly describes her experiences growing up and as a young woman in the early 1940s, including forced evacuations, Russians taking over, bombings, concentration camps and casualties. She was sent back to the U.S. in 1946 due to her American citizenship. From the early 1950s to the 1980s Bauman worked for Guaranty Federal in Dallas. She retired to Burnet, Texas. She speaks of desiring to compile her story into a book, though it wasn’t until 2014 that a book came to fruition, titled “Abandoned! The WWII Ordeal of an American Child Living and Surviving from 1928 to 1946 in Hitler’s Nazi Germany”, available at the Burnet County Library.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Hardin. He was born in Brock, Texas 25 December 1921. His three other brothers served in the military during World War II. Two were killed in action. After graduating from Howard Payne College at Brownwood, Texas, Hardin entered the Naval Officer’s Candidate School program and was sent to Columbia University for sixteen weeks of training. Upon being commissioned, he was sent to San Diego for small boat training. While there he saw several USO shows danced with Marilyn Monroe. Upon completion of small boat training, he was sent to Pearl Harbor and was assigned to the USS White Marsh (LSD-8). After the invasion of Iwo Jima, he was transferred into Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) 17. He describes the intensity of the UDT training. Based on Guam, Hardin’s team participated in the invasion of Okinawa. During the operation, a close friend and team member was killed. While on Saipan, he witnessed the loading of the first atomic bomb that was dropped over Japan. While based on Guam, he was designated as a mail censor. Following the surrender of Japan, he returned to San Francisco and assisted sailors to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Maxine Lauderdale Cullison. Cullison speaks of being raised in Harlingen, Texas and meeting her husband, who was training in the Army Air Corps there in 1942. She mentions two brother that served during the war: one aboard the USS Swordfish (SS-193) and one was an engineer building the Alcan Hiaghway. Then she speaks about her husband's service and all the places he was stationed.

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 oral interview with Eugene Riester where he discusses his childhood and education and what led him to joining the Navy. He describes his experiences in the attack on Peral harbor and his service in the Pacific Theatre that followed.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alan Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt enlisted in the Army Air Forces in July of 1942. He describes the planes he flew during training, including the PT-19, the BT-13 and the UC-78. Hildebrandt was commissioned and received his pilot rating in November of 1943. Upon graduation he trained on the B-26 at Laughlin Field. Hildebrandt served as a pilot in the 95th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force. They first traveled to Morocco, North Africa, then to northern Italy and Southern France. Their job was to bomb Marshaling yards, bridges and troop replacements. Hildebrandt describes some of his missions. He flew a total of 64 missions and was discharged in July of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Garland John Robinson. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Robinson joined the Army Air Corps. Having already earned a Bachelor of Arts, he was interested in becoming a mechanic and was assigned to the so-called 3rd Attack Group, 89th Squadron as an assistant engineering officer. Stationed on a racetrack in Australia, Robinson maintained B-17s and socialized with locals. He transferred to a group in New Guinea, where he worked closely with famed mechanic-pilot Pappy Gunn. When his unit began to run out of airplanes, Robinson and his crew salvaged a wrecked plane that they then flew to Australia for rations, nicknamed the Steak and Eggs Special. Toward the end of the war, Robinson returned home and married his sweetheart.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jackie Redstone and Chris Jenkins. Redstone and Jenkins are sisters who were born in Belgium. They moved to China when their father took a job as an engineer at a coal mine north of Peking. When the Japanese invaded, the Belgian engineers were kept on, in order to keep production running. Food was scarce, and the flour they were given for rations had worms, but the family was able to maintain a robust garden and tend to their livestock. Their father kept a radio well hidden in the home, and the girls were petrified every time Japanese soldiers came looking for it. Their town was eventually liberated by Marines, whom the family then visited in the United States after the war. They later returned to China as it was coming under communist rule, and their father began working for the Marshall Plan. The girls eventually immigrated to the United States, and they each married a military man.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harry Gill. Gill joined the Army Air Forces in January of 1942. After basic training, he traveled to New Guinea for additional training in jungle fighting and helped build a sawmill, officers housing and the mess hall. He describes his 3 years living and working in the jungle. He was transferred to the other side of the mountains in New Guinea, to a town called Finschhafen, where he served as an airplane mechanic. He worked on B-25s, B-24s, P-38s and P-51s. They also traveled to Numfoor Island, Australia and the Philippines. He was discharged in 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Feller. Former Major League baseball player Feller heard of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor as he was traveling to Chicago to sign his 1942 contract with the Cleveland Indians. Upon arriving in Chicago he made a personal call to his friend Gene Tunney. Tunney flew to Chicago and was present when Feller was sworn into the Navy on 9 December 1941. He underwent boot training at Norfolk, Virginia. He was then assigned to the USS Alabama (BB-60) as a gun captain and participated in convoy duty in the Atlantic. In August 1943, the Alabama returned to Norfolk for supplies, and then sailed to the New Hebrides. Feller stayed in good physical shape by throwing the baseball while on board and participating in inter-service games on various islands. He participated in the Marianas Turkey Shoot as well as the invasions of Guam and other islands. Returning to the United States in 1944 he was named the baseball coach of the Great Lakes Naval Station baseball team. He was discharged in 1945and signed as a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Haw. Haw joined the Navy in April of 1943. He completed Hospital Corps and Operating Room technician training. He completed Amphibious Training with the 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton in California. In 1945 he traveled with the 5th Marine Division aboard the USS Hansford (APA-106) to participate in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Haw was wounded during the battle by an explosion. From Iwo he participated in the Battle of Okinawa. Haw provides details of his training and aiding the wounded during battles. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leonard Kliff. Kliff enlisted in the Army Air Forces in August of 1943. He trained as a bombardier in the AT-7. After graduation he went to Biggs Field near El Paso for additional training in B-17s. He served as a flight officer. He was sent to an air base in Lincoln, Nebraska, and while at the base the war ended. In October of 1945 he went to Traux Field in Madison, Wisconsin and was discharged.

Transcript of an oral interview with Peter N. Karegeannes. Born in 1923, he joined the Navy in 1943. He subsequently volunteered to be a Corpsman in the Marine Corps. He was assigned to the 5th Marine Division, 26th Regiment, 2nd Battalion serving with Headquarters Company and later with Fox Company. After receiving medical training in handling casualties on the front lines, he was sent to Iwo Jima. He landed on Red Beach in the thirteenth wave on the first day of the battle. He describes the difficult landing and fighting as well as being targeted by Japanese artillery when rendering medical aid to soldiers. He also mentions Mount Suribachi and tactics for attacking Japanese soldiers in caves. He was hit by shrapnel and evacuated to a hospital ship. After the Japanese surrender, he was sent to Sasebo, Japan. He describes the behavior & living conditions of the Japanese people. He also describes experiencing a typhoon in Japan. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas L. Stafford. Stafford joined the Army in March 1943. He was trained as a quartermaster and sent to England as a replacement. Stafford volunteered to join the 6th Combat Engineer Amphibious Special Assault Brigade which was attached to the 29th Infantry Division. He describes landing on the wrong part of Omaha Beach on D-Day being sent to find a sergeant who had combat fatigue. Stafford was then sent to the 87th Infantry Division where he participated in front line combat from the Battle of the Bulge through the end of the war in Germany. He became a platoon leader and eventually received a battlefield commission. Stafford discusses crossing the Rhine under heavy fire and seeing Buchenwald soon after it was liberated. One of his proudest achievements occurred when he accepted the surrender of two German division near the end of the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Scott. Scott was born in San Antonio, Texas on 17 April 1922. Upon joining the Navy on 8 December 1941, he went to the San Diego Naval Training Station for three weeks of boot training. When completed, he was assigned to the USS New Orleans (CA-32). He was assigned as a gunner on a 20mm deck gun even though he had not received any gunnery training. He experienced various combat situations including participation in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Tassafaronga in which the bow of the New Orleans was blown off. He tells of the efforts put forth that allowed the ship to go to the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington for major repairs. After being repaired the ship returned to the Pacific and participated in several invasions. In 1944 the ship was part of a force that endured a typhoon in which several ships were sunk and Scott describes the experience.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Max Duncan. Duncan was born in Avondale, North Carolina on 17 June 1921. After graduating from high school he attended The Citadel, in Charleston, South Carolina for a year before entering the US Naval Academy. He graduated from Annapolis in December 1941. He points out that, at that time, every newly commissioned officer had to go to sea before they could specialize. Duncan was assigned as a gunnery officer on the USS Milwaukee (CL-5). In 1943 he was ordered to New London, Connecticut for three months of submarine training. Upon completing the training he went to Midway Island as part of a refit crew. While there, he was assigned to the USS Barb (SS-220) commanded by Eugene Fluckey. He recalls that on his first patrol the crew picked up allied survivors from the Japanese prisoner of war ship, SS Rakuyo Maru. The crew also sank two Japanese ships during this patrol. After completing the patrol, the Barb went to Majuro for refit. There they formed a wolf pack with the USS Queenfish (SS-393) and USS Picuda (SS-338) and patrolled in the East China Sea. He discusses the differences …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lyle Bradley. Bradley was born in Key West, Iowa on 22 November 1924. After graduating from the University of Dubuque, in 1942 he joined the Navy and went to Aberdeen, South Dakota where he began his initial pilot training. He was stationed at several airfields and flew various aircraft prior to going to Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida where he received his wings in April 1944. After taking advanced training in the F4F Wildcat fighter he was sent to California where he began flying the F4U Corsair. Upon becoming carrier qualified Bradley reported VMF-123 aboard the USS Bennington (CV-20). On one combat mission, his flight received credit for destroying ten kamikaze aircraft on the ground. He also tells of a mission during which he shot down a Japanese fighter plane. He remembers being in a typhoon in 1945 in which a number of US ships sank. Following the Surrender of Japan, Bradley was discharged but remained in the Naval Reserve. He was recalled to active service during the Korean War and joined VMF-214 in Japan. He describes some of the actions in which he was involved including a …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Henry Frank Vojtek. Vojtek joined the Navy in September of 1942. Beginning in April of 1943, he served as a Helmsman aboard the USS Murray (DD-576). They participated in the invasions of Bougainville, Tarawa, Aitape, New Guinea, Saipan, the Philippines and Okinawa. He was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bob Hurmence. Hurmence joined the Navy in May of 1944. Beginning March of 1945, he served as a Radio Operator aboard the USS Iowa (BB-61). They participated in the Battle of Okinawa, and served with occupation forces in Japan after the war. Hurmence returned to the US and was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clarence Kendall. Upon graduating from the University of Missouri in 1942, Kendall enrolled in Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School at Notre Dame. His first assignment was on the USS Stack (DD-406) as an assistant gunnery officer. He recounts dramatic details of the Battle of Vella Gulf and feels that his success in combat was due to his diligent studies and mastery of technology such as radar. Kendall transferred to the USS Essex (CV-9) as a battery officer, participating in invasions from the Marshall Islands through Okinawa, where a kamikaze flew 20 feet above Kendall’s head before hitting a gun and exploding. Following the war, Kendall transferred to the new USS Juneau (CL-119) and spent 90 days aboard, during which time he wrote the fire control doctrine for the ship. Much to his captain’s chagrin, as Kendall was a valuable asset to the ship, he was discharged thereafter and went on to attend law school.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Creed Coffee. Coffee was in the Army ROTC at Texas Technological College, now Texas Tech in Lubbock, in 1941 and 1942. He was in the Corps of Engineers. He was on active duty beginning June of 1943. He completed Officers Candidate School in June of 1944 and commissioned a second lieutenant. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1327th Engineer General Service Regiment. Coffee served as a platoon leader and worked on a 200-mile section of the Ledo Road, connecting Ledo to Myitkyina in Burma. He was discharged in May of 1946. In November of 1950 he was recalled for the Korean War and served as a captain in the 183rd Engineer Combat Battalion.