The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Harold Placette. Placette joined the Navy in July of 1940. He provides some vivid details of boot camp. He served 5 years aboard the USS Phelps (DD-360). He trained in radio maintenance and radar. They arrived in Hawaii in November of 1940, and they conducted fleet maneuvers and antisubmarine training. He was assigned to the Bofors gun, which he describes. Phelps was on board during the attack at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. He describes their location on the northeast side of Ford Island, and then provides great detail of the event. They shot down one enemy plane. In May of 1942 he describes the Phelps serving alongside the USS Lexington (CV-2) when it was hit during the Battle of the Coral Sea. He talks through this event, and the Phelps delivering the final blow to the Lexington to prevent enemy capture. They later participated in the Battle of Midway, the Aleutian Campaign and the invasion of Saipan. They completed a tour of duty in both the Pacific and Atlantic Theaters. He was discharged in July of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Sehe. Sehe was born in Geneva, Illinois, on 26 February 1923 and enlisted in the Navy in November 1940. Upon completing basic training at Great Lakes, Illinois in February 1941, he completed gunner’s mate school and was assigned to the USS Nevada (BB-36). He recalls the Nevada, the USS Oklahoma (BB-37) and the USS Arizona (BB-39) made up Battle Division One at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Sehe describes the events of 7 December 1941 when the Nevada was hit by a torpedo and several bombs while attempting to move away from the Arizona and the flaming oil. He recalls many heroic actions by crew members, including Ensign Joe Taussig (later awarded the Navy Cross), as the ship eventually got underway and grounded off Hospital Point. He then details the search for victims within the hull over the ensuing days, in which he played an integral role. He describes the temporary repairs that allowed the ship to steam for Bremerton, Washington for a complete refitting. Next, he describes the Nevada’s role at Utah Beach and in the Battle of Cherbourg immediately following the Allied landing on Normandy. He recounts …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alphonsis Stockdale. Stockdale was born near Morristown, South Dakota 2 August 1915. After graduating from high school, he joined the Navy in 1934 and went to San Diego for boot training. He then trained as a radio operator. In 1940, he joined Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 1 aboard PT-24 and went to Pearl Harbor where he witnessed the Japanese attack. Arriving at Midway Island on 2 June 1942 he was present when the Japanese launched their attack. Afterwards, Stockdale went to Melville, Rhode Island, for training in PT boats. Completing the course, he was assigned to PT-107 of Squadron 5. Robert Montgomery, the movie actor, served as boat captain. After training in the Galapagos Islands for several months the boat was taken by ship to New Caledonia, then the Solomons, where they began combat patrols. Stockdale recalls PT-107 and three other boats were involved in an operation to land a group of Marines on Vella Lavella. The landing was repelled by the Japanese and the Marines suffered numerous casualties. He developed a severe case of jungle rot, which hospitalized him on New Caledonia. He was then put aboard …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Swift. Swift was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 3 December 1919. Upon joining the Navy in 1939 he had three months of boot training at San Diego, followed by four months of study at the electrical ordnance school. Reporting aboard the USS Reid (DD-369) in December 1939, he was assigned to the engine room. The Reid was at Pearl Harbor tied up next to the USS Whitney (AD-4) when the Japanese attacked. In March 1942 he went aboard the USS Barton (DD-599). Several months later the Barton was assigned as an escort for the USS Hornet (CV-8). He recalls rescuing survivors of the Hornet after the ship was sunk off Santa Cruz. In November 1942 the Barton was sunk off Guadalcanal. Swift describes his ordeal in the water, being rescued by the USS Portland (CA-33) and being taken to a Marine hospital where he spent several days. Upon his release he was assigned to the USS Navajo (AT-64). The Navajo took the damaged USS Chicago in tow. Both ships were attacked by Japanese aircraft and the Chicago was sunk. When the Navajo sank in September 1943, Swift …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Rhodes. Rhodes was born in 1922 and enlisted in the Army on 23 January 1941. Soon after enlisting, he boarded the USS Republic (AP-33) for an eighteen day voyage to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii for basic training. Upon completion of basic, he was assigned to the 696th Ordnance Company at Wheeler Field. Rhodes recalls being at breakfast when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He describes the actions he and others that were with him took that day and remembers seeing the Japanese pilots smiling while strafing ground targets. In 1943 he was assigned to the 7th Fighter Command and went to Makin Island to help establish an ordnance center for the command. Upon his return to the United States in November 1944, Rhodes was assigned to Langley Field, Virginia and remained there until he was discharged in September 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leroy McCovney. McCovney joined the Navy in May of 1941. Beginning around August he served with the deck force aboard the USS Honolulu (CL-48). He was aboard the Honolulu on 7 December 1941 when it was moored in Pearl Harbor. McCovney provides vivid details of his experiences through the attack on that fateful day. His job was to help clean up the ship after the attack. After minor repairs to the ship, they traveled to Australia, Vanuatu and invaded Guadalcanal. In July of 1943 they participated in the Battle of Kolombangara. McCovney was discharged around October of 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with June Reilly Leonard. Leonard was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on 8 June 1923 and enlisted in the WAVES after the beginning of the war. Upon completion of basic training at Whittier College, Bronx, New York, she was sent to storekeeper’s school at the Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville. She met and married an Army soldier while on leave in August 1943, and after three months together, they were separated for the next two years until the war ended. She was assigned to the Department of the Navy, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, in Washington performing clerical work. Leonard provides anecdotes about her experiences.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Deno Petrucciani. Petrucciani joined the Navy in September of 1940. He served with the deck force aboard USS Maryland (BB-46). In January of 1941 they traveled to Pearl Harbor. Petrucciani was aboard the Maryland during the attack on 7 December 1941. He served aboard the ship for four and half years. He shares a number of anecdotal stories living on the Maryland. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Nelson Howard. He was born in Everett, Washington, March 17, 1920. Upon graduating from high school, he joined the Navy in 1940. He was sent to Pearl Harbor and assigned to the USS Macdonough (DD-351) where he served as a Gunners Mate. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, he recalls shooting down a Japanese plane. He recalls that the Macdonough steamed out of the harbor that morning and returned the following Wednesday to provision and refuel and sailed with the USS Lexington (CV-2) battle group to the Coral Sea. During April 1942 he recalls observing an action near Rabaul when Edward "Butch" O'Hare shot down five Mitsubishi G4M bombers. In the spring of 1942 he was transferred ashore and then to the crew of the USS Moore (DE-240), which escorted convoys to North Africa. He recounts that his ship returned to Norfolk in 1943 for repairs. He recalls that he was transferred to another destroyer escort (not named) that sailed to the Caroline Islands and then Shanghai, China, where he was transferred back to the States suffering from anxiety neurosis. He recalls that he was subsequently transferred to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Chester W. Marshall. He was born March 19, 1917 in Holmes County, Mississippi. He describes growing up during the Depression. On June 26, 1940 he enlisted as a private in the Army Air Corps. In early 1942 he was accepted into Aviation Cadet training. In July 1943 he was assigned to the 30th Bomber Group of the 20th Air Force in Salina, Kansas to train as a flight engineer on B-29s. He recalls being transferred to the 31st Bomber Group on Saipan in October 1944. He describes taking part in 30 bombing raids from Saipan over Tokyo in 1945. He describes one mission over Japan at high altitude on March 17, 1945 gathering weather data for future bombing runs, when his aircraft was shot up by the Japanese and had to make an emergency landing on Iwo Jima. He recalls meeting Colonel Paul Tibbetts while in the Marianas. He recalls being assigned as a B-29 instructor at Roswell, New Mexico Air Base when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James R. O'Donnel. He was born in Donora, Pennsylvania and joined the Aviation Cadet training program in December 1942. Upon graduation from Bombardier School in late 1943 he was sent to Clovis, New Mexico as a B-29 crewmember. Upon completion of training in November 1944 his crew flew a B-29 to Saipan as part of the 499th Bomber Group of the 20th Air Force. He recalls their first mission over Japan on Thanksgiving Day 1944 and 29 subsequent raids ending in June 1945. He describes one mission over Japan at high altitude on March 17, 1945 gathering weather data for future bombing runs, when his aircraft was shot up by the Japanese and had to make an emergency landing on Iwo Jima, even while mop up operations were occurring on the island. He describes meeting General Holland M. Smith while awaiting a flight off the island. He recalls that he had been transferred back to the States when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Kenneth K. Little. He was born in San Diego, California on February 2, 1921 and enlisted in the California National Guard in the summer of 1940. His unit was activated on September 16, 1940. He recalls embarking on the SS Washington (later requisitioned by the Navy and renamed USS Mount Vernon (AP-22)) in San Pedro, California and sailing to Hawaii on November 5, 1940. He recounts the transit during which he contracted a serious illness and was hospitalized upon arrival in Hawaii. After recovering he was assigned to Battery B of the 251st Coast Artillery near Diamond Head, training with 3-inch anti-aircraft guns. He recounts being at Camp Malakole, at the Southwestern tip of Oahu on 7 December and observing Japanese planes flying overhead, and strafing them on return to the their fleet after bombing Pearl Harbor.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Ellinger. Ellinger joined the Navy in August of 1943. He served aboard the USS California (BB-44) beginning in December of that same year. They provided shore bombardment during the Battles of Saipan, Guam and Tinian. In late 1944, they participated in the Leyte operation during the invasion of the Philippines. They were struck by a kamikaze in January of 1945 while providing shore bombardment at Lingayen Gulf. They continued support operations during the Battle of Okinawa. Ellinger was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Howard Fyke. Fyke joined the Navy in December of 1939. He served on the USS Nevada (BB-36), and was aboard during the attack on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941. In January of 1943 they provided fire support for the capture of Attu, during the Aleutians Campaign. They completed bombardment missions through the Battle of Okinawa. Fyke was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Darrell Nelson. Nelson was born in Lenora, Oklahoma on 25 December 1920 and enlisted in the Navy in December 1940. He was sent to Radio School following boot camp in San Diego, and then was assigned to the USS Phelps (DD-360) which was homeported in Pearl Harbor. Phelps was nested north of North Island with other ships being serviced by the tender USS Dobbin (AD-3), when the Japanese attacked. Nelson remembers that Dobbin suffered casualties from a near bomb miss, but Phelps was not damaged and was eventually able to get underway and steam out of the harbor. He watched the USS Utah (AG-16) roll over and sink as the Phelps steamed past. During the Battle of the Coral Sea during, the USS Lexington (CV-2) was severely damaged and had to be abandoned. Nelson recalls that the Phelps rescued several Lexington survivors and torpedoed the carrier to prevent it falling into enemy hands. He remembers that Phelps provided support to several American carriers during the Battle of Midway. He describes action in the Aleutian Islands in support of landings at both Attu and Kiska Islands. He was transferred …

Transcript of an oral interview with Ruth Fowler. Fowler was teaching in Big Spring, Texas, when she went out for the Civilian Pilot Training Program in 1939. She was accepted and was trained to fly. She evetually became an instructor. She also discusses rationing.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Junior Montgomery. Montgomery joined the Marine Corps in the summer of 1942. He trained specifically on driving amphibious tractors. He traveled to New Caledonia and joined the 6th Marine Division, 3rd Raider Battalion. Montgomery participated in the Bougainville Campaign, the Battle of Guam and the Battle of Okinawa. He shares his experiences through these battles, and was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wayne Miller. Miller was born 10 September 1926 in rural Fulton County, Indiana. Upon graduating from high school in 1944, he joined the Navy and went to boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Illinois. Completing boot camp he was sent to Portland, Maine and assigned as Water Tender 3rd Class on the USS Varian (DE-798). In November 1944 the ship joined two other destroyer escorts as a hunter-killer group. In April 1945, while on patrol in the Azores, their sonar picked up German submarine U-248. All three ships dropped depth charges that sank the submarine. In early 1945 the group engaged and sank the German submarine U-546. The surviving submarine crewmen were picked up by the Varian and taken to Newfoundland. Soon after Germany surrendered, the Varian met the submarine U-805 on the high seas and accepted its surrender. An American crew was put on board and taken to Newfoundland. The boat was at the Charleston, South Carolina Naval Yard for refitting when Japan surrendered. Miller was discharged 6 June 1947.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Yaklowich. Yaklowich joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1938 and served 2 years. He then joined the Navy in February of 1940. He completed training at Great Lakes Naval Training Station. Beginning around May of 1940 Yaklowich served aboard the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) as apprentice seaman, a plug man on the middle gun where he called cadence and gave the manual of arms. He was aboard the Pennsylvania in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, and provides vivid details of his experiences through the attack. In November of 1942 Yaklowich volunteered for the submarine services. After graduating from Submarine and Diesel School in New London, Connecticut he was assigned to the USS Cero (SS-225), completing 5 patrols and later commissioned to the USS Dentuda (SS-335), completing one patrol before the war ended. They traveled to the Atlantic, Pearl Harbor, the East China Sea and the Taiwan Straits, and sunk two Japanese patrol craft. He was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Dallas Harvey. Harvey joined the Navy in 1937. He completed training as a Hospital Corpsman, and dental technician. He was assigned to Pearl Harbor, serving in the Sick Bay and dental office aboard the USS Argonne (AS-10). Harvey was aboard the ship, which was positioned at the north end of 1010 dock, during the attack on Pearl Harbor. They later traveled to the Fiji Islands, New Caledonia and Guam, where Harvey worked in a hospital built by the Seabees. He returned to the US in December of 1945 and retired from the Navy in 1967.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Dick Frieze. Frieze joined the Navy in 1939. He trained as an aviation machinist mate, and worked at a base in Pearl Harbor, where he shares some anecdotal stories working for Captain John Sidney McCain. Frieze was in a hangar at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 and provides his recollections of surviving that fateful day. He speaks about Lieutenant Fasada Iada, a Japanese pilot, whom Frieze shot at right before he crash-landed in the Officers’ Housing Quarters. He continues on to speak on Iada’s burial and memorial on the island. He was later assigned to the USS Platte (AO-24). Frieze served 46 months overseas during World War II, including 25 months in combat, and completed 20 years overall in the Navy.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Garland Swann. Swann joined the Marine Corps in June of 1940. He trained to serve as an aviation mechanic. In January of 1941 he was stationed in Hawaii, working as an airplane mechanic and helping to build the Marine Corps Air Station at Ewa. He recalls the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. From Pearl, he was shipped to Midway Island for 13 months. Around 1943, Swann was transferred to Majuro, and moved throughout the Pacific. He was discharged in early 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Evelyn Gordon. Gordon joined the Navy in 1943. She served as Yeoman Second Class in the United States Naval Reserve, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). She trained at Hunter College in The Bronx, New York. From there she was shipped to Port Hueneme, California. Their job was to put the Naval base into commission where they trained and shipped out construction battalions, the Seabees. She provides some details of her working and living accommodations in Quonset City and shares some anecdotes. Gordon served at this location until 1945 and was discharged.

Transcript of an oral interview with Mary Jane Holsey. She married Ray Holsey, a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, at Hickam Field in Hawaii in November 1941. She relates her experiences during the attack on Pearl Harbor and subsequent evacuation to San Francisco, California. She comments on the state of communication at the time as well as rationing. Her husband served in Hawaii and New Guinea. The interview includes information about her parents and her children.