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 oral interview with William Lozano. Lozano joined the Navy in January 1944 and trained at San Diego. From there he also attended radar school at Point Loma before reporting aboard the USS Washington (BB-56). He shares several anecdotes and provides much detail of his life aboard ship during WWII. He was discharged in May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Osteen. Osteen was drafted into the Army April 29, 1942. He was in Company D, 182nd Infantry Regiment of the 23rd Infantry (Americal) Division. He completed basic training in California. He worked some with machine guns, though primarily as a mechanic in D Company. His company shipped out of Fort Ord on a Norwegian freighter to Guadalcanal, and helped with clean up after the main battle was over. From there they spent a year in Bougainville, arriving in November 1943. They held the perimeter and participated in the Battle for Hill 260. From there they took an LST to Leyte, Philippines, carrying tanks and trucks to secure the island. And, then on to Yokohama, Japan continuing with clean up. He was discharged in Seattle Washington in 1945. He used his G.I. Bill to go to school, learning auto mechanics and welding, and took a job as a blacksmith.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Webster. Webster volunteered for the Army Air Forces in December 1943. He qualified for pilot training, but was trained in photography instead at Walker Field, Kansas. He was then sent to Tinian and assigned to the 6th Bomb Group, 22nd Photo Lab. He served as an aerial photographer and lab technician. Webster relates several anecdotes from his time in and out of the service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Carthon Phillips. Phillips was born in Vera, Texas on 17 April 1920 and grew up during the Depression. Soon after joining the Army Air Corps in 1941, he attended the Aviation School of Medicine in San Antonio. Upon completing the course, he qualified as a flight surgeon assistant assigned to the 7th Bomb Squadron and boarded USS Republic (AP-33) bound for Australia. He tells of being assigned to Cloncurry, Australia and graphically describes a combat mission he flew in a B-17 involving the use of Thermite bombs. Returning to the United States in 1942, he commenced flight training and he tells of the various aircraft he flew. Phillips also relates his experiences as a ground control approach instructor and his involvement in the Berlin Airlift. He retired after twenty-eight years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bern Ballard. Ballard joined the Army National Guard in November 1940 at Camp Mabry. He served as a truck driver in the Austin and San Antonio area and describes how he was injured during the Louisiana Maneuvers. Ballard describes driving a truck with the 36th Infantry Division in North Africa and Italy. He details having to pick up dead soldiers near the front and drive them back to cemeteries. Ballard describes taking part in the invasion of Southern France and his transfer to the 78th Division and reassignment as an infantryman. He discusses how he was wounded by mortar fire in the Hurtgen Forest and how he was treated. Ballard describes the combat conditions, in particular the cold and lack of food. He accepted the surrender of German soldiers at the end of the war. Ballard was discharged in July 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with John J. Stavola. Born in 1921, he joined the Navy in 1942. He trained with the diesel group at the Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. He was assigned to USS LST-37 as a Motor Mac. He remained with the ship for a month after it was transferred to the Greek Navy to assist with the transition. His next assignment was to the USS LST-43. He describes a Japanese air raid on Kwajalein. He also describes witnessing the disaster at West Loch in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and rescuing his Executive Officer. He was sent back to the U.S. to pick up LSMRs. He shares an anecdote about prize fighter Tony Zale at the Naval Amphibious Base in Little Creek, Virginia. He returned to the Pacific for the invasion of Okinawa. He describes the naval battle for the island of Kerama Retto. He also describes the landing on Okinawa. He talks about picket duty aboard LSMR-191 and other activities in the waters around the island. He also discusses attacks by kamikazes. He returned to the U.S. with LSMR-191 when it was retrofitted as an ammunition carrier. He was discharged in January, 1946. The interview also contains …

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 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 interview with Bruce Gardner. Gardner joined the Navy in 1944. He provides some details of boot camp. An LST transported him to Pearl Harbor and he shares details of his experiences on board. He completed radar school in Hawaii at Camp Catlin, and talks about his activities on the base including conducting weather observation. Gardner was assigned to the USS Azurlite (PY-22) working with radar and weather reporting. He provides details of daily life aboard the yacht. Gardner was discharged in 1945 as Radarman 2nd Class.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bernard Dillon. Dillon joined the Navy in February of 1943. Around December of 1944 he completed radio operator training and was assigned to ACORN-24 in the Admiralty Islands. They constructed an airfield for patrol planes on Los Negros Island. Dillon assisted with construction and with copying Morse Code. He returned to the US in May of 1945, reenlisted and served another 2 years, receiving his discharge in late 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Rudy Rodriguez. Rodriguez left high school and joined the Marine Corps in 1943 and received basic training in San Diego. He then received advanced infantry training and was assigned to the 3rd Marine Division as a rifleman. After deploying to Guam with the 21st Marine Regiment, Rodriguez learned that he could get out of mess duty and guard duty if he completed flame-thrower training and advanced to PFC. Upon completion of special weapons training, he joined a three-man flamethrower patrol unit. More than once, he encountered Japanese holdouts who either attacked or committed suicide by way of grenade. In addition to capturing a half-dozen Japanese, Rodriguez discovered an American who had been hiding safely among the natives for years. Rodriguez enjoyed trading with the Chamorros, bringing mangoes and bananas back to camp to curry favor and avoid punishment for his unauthorized bartering. After a year and a half, Rodriguez was transferred to Hawaii. Before his discharge, he earned his high school diploma at the Aiea Military School of the Marine Corps.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Vicente Blaz. Blaz was a child during the Japanese occupation of his native Guam. He describes how he and his family lived under constant fear. Blaz discusses how he was forced to join a labor battalion as a young teenager. He talks about how he dug caves and cleared jungle for an airstrip. Blaz describes the hardships endured including lack of food and proper clothing. He discusses the return of the US military and the rapid changes to the island that followed. Blaz describes the profound appreciation that he felt when Guam was liberated. He goes on to describe his later life which included graduating from Notre Dame, becoming a Marine Corps general, and serving two terms as a congressman.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Larry Caid. Caid joined the Army in September of 1944. He served as a light machine gun specialist with the 33rd Infantry Division. He arrived in the Philippines in February of 1945, participating in the Battle of Luzon and the liberation of the islands. He served on occupation duty in Honshu, Japan after the war ended. He was discharged in 1946, though continued his service in the Reserves, retiring as a colonel in the Field Artillery in 1974.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Reas. Reas grew up in Indiana and Ohio and enlisted in the Navy in 1938. After training, he boarded the USS Houston (CA-30) at Charleston, South Carolina. He was assigned to the aviation unit. On February 28, 1942, he survived the bombing and sinking of the ship. He and other survivors in life rafts were picked up by the Japanese the next day and taken to Java as a prisoner of war. He was taken to a ship and then back to an island, where he met survivors of the Australian ship HMAS Perth (D29). They were moved from Serang to Batavia. He was told to record the POW's occupations and those idenitified as skilled were sent to Japan. Inspired by this, he kept a detailed and complete list of the survivors that he kept hidden. From Java, the survivors are put on a cargo ship to Singapore. Then they went to Pynang by train. He then boarded another ship to Burma. Allied forces bombed a ship next to Reas. He describes living in bamboo huts while building the railroad. During one of the routine abuses in …

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 oral interview with William Lozano. Lozano joined the Navy in January 1944 and trained at San Diego. From there he also attended radar school at Point Loma before reporting aboard the USS Washington (BB-56). He shares several anecdotes and provides much detail of his life aboard ship during WWII. He was discharged in May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Osteen. Osteen was drafted into the Army April 29, 1942. He was in Company D, 182nd Infantry Regiment of the 23rd Infantry (Americal) Division. He completed basic training in California. He worked some with machine guns, though primarily as a mechanic in D Company. His company shipped out of Fort Ord on a Norwegian freighter to Guadalcanal, and helped with clean up after the main battle was over. From there they spent a year in Bougainville, arriving in November 1943. They held the perimeter and participated in the Battle for Hill 260. From there they took an LST to Leyte, Philippines, carrying tanks and trucks to secure the island. And, then on to Yokohama, Japan continuing with clean up. He was discharged in Seattle Washington in 1945. He used his G.I. Bill to go to school, learning auto mechanics and welding, and took a job as a blacksmith.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Webster. Webster volunteered for the Army Air Forces in December 1943. He qualified for pilot training, but was trained in photography instead at Walker Field, Kansas. He was then sent to Tinian and assigned to the 6th Bomb Group, 22nd Photo Lab. He served as an aerial photographer and lab technician. Webster relates several anecdotes from his time in and out of the service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Carthon Phillips. Phillips was born in Vera, Texas on 17 April 1920 and grew up during the Depression. Soon after joining the Army Air Corps in 1941, he attended the Aviation School of Medicine in San Antonio. Upon completing the course, he qualified as a flight surgeon assistant assigned to the 7th Bomb Squadron and boarded USS Republic (AP-33) bound for Australia. He tells of being assigned to Cloncurry, Australia and graphically describes a combat mission he flew in a B-17 involving the use of Thermite bombs. Returning to the United States in 1942, he commenced flight training and he tells of the various aircraft he flew. Phillips also relates his experiences as a ground control approach instructor and his involvement in the Berlin Airlift. He retired after twenty-eight years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bern Ballard. Ballard joined the Army National Guard in November 1940 at Camp Mabry. He served as a truck driver in the Austin and San Antonio area and describes how he was injured during the Louisiana Maneuvers. Ballard describes driving a truck with the 36th Infantry Division in North Africa and Italy. He details having to pick up dead soldiers near the front and drive them back to cemeteries. Ballard describes taking part in the invasion of Southern France and his transfer to the 78th Division and reassignment as an infantryman. He discusses how he was wounded by mortar fire in the Hurtgen Forest and how he was treated. Ballard describes the combat conditions, in particular the cold and lack of food. He accepted the surrender of German soldiers at the end of the war. Ballard was discharged in July 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with John J. Stavola. Born in 1921, he joined the Navy in 1942. He trained with the diesel group at the Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. He was assigned to USS LST-37 as a Motor Mac. He remained with the ship for a month after it was transferred to the Greek Navy to assist with the transition. His next assignment was to the USS LST-43. He describes a Japanese air raid on Kwajalein. He also describes witnessing the disaster at West Loch in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and rescuing his Executive Officer. He was sent back to the U.S. to pick up LSMRs. He shares an anecdote about prize fighter Tony Zale at the Naval Amphibious Base in Little Creek, Virginia. He returned to the Pacific for the invasion of Okinawa. He describes the naval battle for the island of Kerama Retto. He also describes the landing on Okinawa. He talks about picket duty aboard LSMR-191 and other activities in the waters around the island. He also discusses attacks by kamikazes. He returned to the U.S. with LSMR-191 when it was retrofitted as an ammunition carrier. He was discharged in January, 1946. The interview also contains …

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 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.