The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas H. Boruff where he discusses his childhood and what led him to join the Air Force and what he had to go through for training. He describes his experiences flying airplanes in the Pacific Theatre of World War Two.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Merrill Pierce. Pierce entered the Navy in September, 1941 and was in training when the war started. His assignment was with the Armed Guard and he rode a tanker to Hawaii. He switched ships and hauled molasses up from Chile. On another ship, he carried bombs to Australia and India. Next they hauled a load of jute to New York. He landed at Peleliu and worked as a stevedore. When the war ended, Pierce was tasked with dumping aircraft overboard off Los Negros.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dwight A. Dahmes. Dahmes was born 18 July 1918 in Clements, Minnesota. In 1936 he attended Westmar College in Lemars, Iowa where he joined the 133rd Infantry Regiment of the Iowa National Guard (part of the 34th Infantry Division). On 1 February 1941 the unit went to Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. Soon after, Dahmes was made sergeant of a weapons platoon and trained with various weapons. Upon completion of training the unit moved to New Orleans to perform guard duty at water purification plants and energy centers. On 1 February, the unit went to Fort Dix, New Jersey to await shipment overseas. The regiment went aboard the Duchess of Atholl and Dahmes describes the conditions aboard the overcrowded ship. They landed in Belfast and trained until June 1942, when they went to England and continued training. In December 1942 the unit boarded the Empress of Australia and landed in Oran, North Africa. He was involved in a number of battles and comments on the many casualties. In September 1943 the unit invaded Salerno and Dahmes recalls his admiration for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was assigned to his …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Helen Leverton. Leverton married Lieutenant Joseph Wilson Leverton, Jr., USN, in 1938. They were stationed in Honolulu when the Japanese attacked. Bill had to leave Helen and their twin babies, as he helped remove his ship, USS Wasmuth (DD-338), from the harbor during the bombing. Bill rose to the rank of Rear Admiral during a long, distinguished career in the Navy. She speaks on her experiences through that fateful day in 1941, her perspective as a Navy wife and her husband’s military career.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Inami. Inami was born in April of 1921 in Madera, California. After graduating from Madera High School, Frank attended the University of California, Berkeley. While working on his degree in electrical engineering, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Inami and his family, all Japanese-Americans, were removed from the west coast and incarcerated in Jerome War Relocation Center in Arkansas. In 1944, while still in Jerome, Inami volunteered for the Army. He was assigned to the Military Intelligence Service because of his proficiency in Japanese. He was stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, where he eventually became an instructor. After the war, he served in the Signal Corps and then in the 8th Army during the Korean War. He retired from the Army in 1974, at the rank of lieutenant colonel.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edwin H. Simmons. Simmons was born 21 August 1921 in Paulsboro, New Jersey. Graduating from Lehigh University in 1942 he entered the Marine Corps as a 2nd lieutenant. Upon graduating from the reserve officers training course at Quantico, Virginia he served as an instructor. In the fall of 1943 he went to New Caledonia aboard the USS Orizaba (AP-24). He was then sent to Guadalcanal and assigned to the 4th Marine Regiment as a shore party officer. Simmons landed on Guam on 21 July 1944 with the 4th Marines, 1st Marine Brigade and describes the action in which he was involved. He was later selected to be the adjutant of the 5th Field Depot and remained on Guam until the end of the war. In late August 1945 he was assigned to the 7th Service Regiment and went to Okinawa. There, he set up a public relations system which entailed training clerks and photographers to do personal stories about various marines, which were then sent to the hometown newspapers. He was then sent to China and he relates several incidents which occurred during that assignment. He returned to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Green. Green joined the Army in the spring of 1943. He served with the 763rd Tank Battalion, 96th Infantry Division, and transferred to Scofield Barracks in Hawaii in January of 1944. They participated in the battles of Leyte and Okinawa. He was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gerald Graham. Graham joined the Georgia National Guard in the 1930s, and enlisted in Troop C, 108th Cavalry. In 1940, his unit was re-designated to Battery C, 101st Anti-aircraft Battalion. He was stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Beginning May of 1942, his unit was transferred to the 40th Coastal Artillery Brigade, and they served as the first ground troops in New Guinea. Graham worked as the liaison officer between his anti-aircraft unit and the 5th Air Force, identifying needed anti-aircraft to protect landing fields for planes to drop replacement men and supplies. In early 1943, he met General Douglas MacArthur at Port Moresby, and transferred to MacArthur’s headquarters serving as his aide-de-camp. He shares intimate details of his work for MacArthur. They traveled to Hollandia, the Philippines and Japan during the occupation. In December of 1945 he left Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Howard Howell. Howell joined the Marine Corps in 1943. He completed engineering school. He graduated from the Platoon Commanders Class at the Marine Corps Quantico Base, Virginia in May of 1945. Before the war ended, he deployed aboard a troop ship to invade mainland Japan. He then served in the Occupation of Japan after the surrender from November through January of 1946. He was discharged in early 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with David Richardson. Richardson served as a journalist and sergeant in the Army from 1941-1945. In 1941 he worked as editor of the Camp Pendleton newspaper. He then worked for the Army Weekly and Yank in New York in 1942. They sent him, with orders, to General MacArthur in Australia to put together a group of journalists to document the war in the China, Burma, India Theatre of Operations. He participated in battles in New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Leyte Gulf, India, Burma, the Philippines and shares his grim experiences in journaling through combat. In Burma, Richardson walked 700 miles with Merrill’s Marauders. He shares details of casualties, illnesses, attacks, weapons and military vehicles he handled, while writing GI stories from the front lines.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with J J Knaupp. Knaupp joined the Marine Corps in November of 1943. He completed boot camp in March of 1944. He joined the 5th Marine Division, and remained in Hawaii through December. He participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima serving as a gunner on 81mm mortars. After the war ended, Knaupp was transferred to the 2nd Marine Division and sent with occupying troops to Sasebo, Japan. He worked in administration. He returned to the US and was discharged in September of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Scripps. Scripps joined the California Army National Guard in March of 1940. He deployed to Pearl Harbor shortly after the attack, and remained on the island throughout 1942. They enforced the blackout curfew, built fencing around certain areas of the Harbor, dug an underground communications center and served on guard duty. In early 1943, Scripps was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division. They transported troops to the Panama and Fiji. He was assigned to Guadalcanal to relieve the Marines and participated in combat with remaining Japanese. They continued traveling through New Zealand, New Caledonia and arrived in the Philippines in early 1945, participating in the invasion of Luzon. They reduced the Japanese resistance on the island until late June. The division then served in the Occupation of Japan after the surrender. He returned to the U.S. and was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Carl Duncan. Duncan joined the Navy around 1944. In February of 1945, he completed Midshipman’s School, and received his commission in July. He recalls his experiences and the celebrations in New York’s Times Square on both V-E Day and V-J Day. Duncan joined the USS Cotten (DD-669) in Tokyo Bay, beginning late September of 1945. He served as an Assistant Communications Officer. They participated in the allied occupation of Japan through December. In March of 1946, he was transferred to the USS Hollis (APD-68), where he remained until his discharge in August of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lee Soucy. Soucy joined the Navy in December of 1937. He completed Hospital Corps School, and served as Pharmacist’s Mate aboard the USS Utah (BB-31). He was on board when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After the attack and sinking of the Utah, Soucy worked as an RN and head of the medical laboratory at the Pearl Harbor Hospital. He remained at the hospital through April of 1945. He then completed Malaria Control School with the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and worked as the Assistant Malaria Control Officer until his discharge in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Martha Hilliard. Hilliard was born in October 1928. She provides a good description of what her home town life was like growing up as a teenager during the war years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Hilliard. Hlliard went into the Army right after he graduated from high school in August 1943 and was accepted into pilot training. After going through basic training in Wichita Falls, Texas he went to Henderson State College in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He was there five months taking college courses and 10 hours of flight training. From there, he went to a base near San Antonio where they put everyone through all kinds of tests, for classification; he was classified as a pilot. Then they were marched across the street and he started more training. He finished that and was sent to Ballinger, Texas for primary flight training and then to San Angelo to fly Vultee BT-13s. Hilliard didn't enjoy flying the Vultee and had a 'personality conflict' with the instructor so he left the aviation cadet program and ended up at Truax Field in Madison, Wisconsin as a private where he studied to be a radio mechanic. After graduation, they sent him to Rantoul, Illinois for electronics training and then on to Boca Raton, Florida where he was moved to radar. Hilliard was there when the war ended. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dallas Clark. Clark enlisted in the Navy in January 1931 in Ashville, North Carolina. He was sent to Norfolk, Virginia for boot camp and after boot camp he went to mechanical school there for about a year. He requested and got duty on the USS Texas where he spent the next six years as a machinist. Clark reenlisted in 1936 and was assigned to the USS Yorktown, being built in Newport News, Virginia. After two years on the Yorktown, he went to optical school in Washington, DC for a year. After finishing school, Clark went back to the Yorktown which was on the west coast at the time. He transferred to the USS Houston when he heard they needed 500-600 men; joining her in Manila. For Moore's first year on board, the Houston cruised in Philippine waters. After Pearl Harbor was attacked, the Houston escorted ships south to the Java Sea area and became part of the naval forces of the joint American, British, Dutch, Australian Command (ABDACOM). Clark talks about the USS Marblehead getting hit while waiting to be refueled off the east coast of Borneo. The …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eugene Crispi. Crispi joined the Navy in February of 1940. He served aboard USS Houston (CA-30). Crispi worked aboard the ship until it sank in March of 1942 during the Battle of Sunda Strait. He swam ashore on Java Island and was captured by the Japanese. Crispi was taken to a POW Camp in Serang, Java, and later to a camp in Jakarta. After 3 years of imprisonment, he was placed into an Army hospital. He returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Stanley Woody. Woody joined the Navy around 1940. He served as a Chief Boatswain’s Mate aboard USS Houston (CA-30). Woody worked aboard the ship until it sank in March of 1942 during the Battle of Sunda Strait. He swam ashore on Java and was captured by the Japanese. He traveled to Singapore and Burma, where he worked on the Thai-Burma Railroad. He remained a prisoner-of war until his liberation in September of 1945. Woody continued his service in the Navy, and retired in the 1990s.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eugene Wilkinson. Wilkinson joined the Navy in 1940. He served in the Fire Control Division aboard the USS Chicago (CA-29). After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wilkinson transferred to the USS Houston (CA-30), where he served as the Forward Rangefinder Operator. They completed convoy duty, transporting American soldiers to various locations in the Pacific. In February of 1942, Wilkinson describes Japanese attacks while escorting a convoy to Timor and participating in the Battle of the Java Sea. On 1 March 1942 during the Battle of Sunda Strait, the Houston was fatefully damaged and sank. Wilkinson was one of the survivors of this attack and sinking, was captured by the Japanese, imprisoned and forced into labor building the Burma railroad. He returned home in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Clarence Schilperoot. Schilperoot joined the Navy in May of 1936. He served as an Electrician’s Mate and joined the Asiatic Fleet in 1940. He was assigned to USS Houston (CA-30). After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Houston joined the American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) naval force at Surabaya. Schilperoot worked aboard the ship until it sank in March of 1942 during the Battle of Sunda Strait. He was captured by the Japanese, and traveled to Surabaya, Singapore and Burma, where he worked on the Thai-Burma Railroad. He remained a prisoner-of war until his liberation in September of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Otto Schwarz. Schwarz was born in Newark, New Jersey, on 6 September 1923, and enlisted in the Navy in October 1940. After basic training in San Diego, he was assigned to the USS Lark (AM-21), a magnetic mine sweeper. The ship sailed to the Philippines where it performed duties as a pilot rescue vessel. Schwarz was soon transferred to the USS Houston (CA-30), the flagship of the Asiatic Fleet. He recounts that the Houston left the Philippines prior to the Japanese attack and sailed to Surabaya, Indonesia where she operated between there and Darwin, Australia. Schwarz recalls participating in the Battle of Makassar Strait on 4 February 1942, during which a Japanese bomb destroyed the after turret killing 48 men. Schwarz also participated in the battles of the Java Sea and Sunda Strait, where HMAS Perth and the Houston were both sunk. He was in the water for thirteen hours, until he was picked up by a Japanese landing barge. He then hauled supplies for Japanese troops in Java between March and early October, 1942. Then he was transported to Burma to work on the Burma-Siam Railway. He …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank "Ned" Gallagher. Gallagher was born in Watervilet, New York in 1915. He attended Boston University and was inducted into the United States Marine Corps upon graduation in 1939. Upon completion of basic training, he was assigned to the USS Houston (CA-30) as a junior officer of the Marine Detachment. Gallagher tells of the ship participating in the battle of the Java Sea along with HMS Exeter (68). He tells of the ship proceeding through Sunda Strait and encountering a large Japanese landing force. In the ensuing action, HMAS Perth (D29) was sunk as was the Houston. After reaching Java he was captured by the Japanese and placed in a jail in Serang. From there, he and 6 fellow officers were placed on a ship and taken to Ofuna Prisoner of War Camp. He tells of later being taken to Zentseyi POW camp and describes a typical day in this camp. He was later moved to a POW camp in Honshu. He describes the day the guards did not appear, of supplies of food and medical goods being dropped by US planes and realizing that the war was …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Raymond and Florence Bower. Raymond joined the Army in 1940. He completed aircraft mechanics school and joined the 86th Observation Squadron, 7th Air Force, at Bellows Field in Hawaii. He provides vivid details of his first-hand experiences through the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. He recalls the capture of a Japanese soldier from a midget sub, who later attended their 50th squadron reunion in Hawaii. Raymond stayed in Hawaii until July of 1945. Raymond flew all over the South Pacific in B-24s, and notes that his unit was converted into a combat mapping squadron. They traveled from Honolulu to Saipan, Kwajalein, Japan, Tinian. Florence completed nurse training and served in World War II with the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, from 1943 to 1945. She completed recruiting school and was assigned to the Northern New Jersey, Delaware recruiting area. She encouraged women, through TV, radio and speaking engagements to join the military. Florence provides details of her public relations work, her uniform, selling war bonds and overall enthusiasm in serving her country. She was then assigned to the Staten Island Area Station Hospital in New York from …