The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Stokesberry. Stokesberry joined the Navy in April 1940 and was stationed at Kaneohe Bay on 7 December 1941. He was out early collecting garbage from various stations on the base that morning and was among the first to see Japanese planes approaching. After the attack, he repaired damaged water lines. October 1942, he was sent to Johnston Island as an aviation metalsmith. After a brief assignment at Pearl Harbor doing overhaul and repair work, he was assigned to USS Independence (CVL-22). There he modified planes and landing craft to make night operations inconspicuous, such as adding flame dampeners to fighter planes and giving landing signal officers reflective clothing. He also outfitted planes with tubes filled with foil that when dropped would confuse Japanese radarmen. To give the impression that the 3rd and 5th fleet had two sets of aircraft, he painted planes with unique colors for each operation. He recalls the Independence participating in the sinking of HIJMS Musashi at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and he saw several kamikazes try to hit the Independence off Okinawa. After the war ended, he spent the rest of his …