The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Admiral Noel Gayler. Gayler graduated from the Naval Academy in 1935. In 1940 he completed flight training. His first carrier assignment was aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3). He served as a fighter pilot flying an F4F-3 (Grumman Wildcat). He was transferred to the USS Lexington (CV-2), where in January of 1942 Gayler received the first of 3 Navy Crosses in aerial combat. He received his second Navy Cross escorting torpedo planes in an operation to destroy Japanese amphibious forces en route to conquer northern Australia. In May of 1942 he participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea, where he received his third Navy Cross. He then describes the sinking of the Lexington. He describes his experience as a test pilot and the various planes he flew. In 1944 Gayler returned to combat in the Pacific commanding Fighter Squadron 12. They traveled to Japan. He describes a number of experiences that followed, including serving as operations office under Vice Admiral McCain aboard the USS Randolph (CV-15), being aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63) during the surrender, observing nuclear tests in Eniwetok, serving as deputy director of the Special Devices Center, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with V.P. Johansen. Johansen joined the Navy soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He became a Seabee and spent 18 months working on new construction at the submarine base at Pearl Harbor. His unit was then shifted to heavy equipment for airstrip work. Johansen landed on Iwo Jima on the fourth day of the battle. His battalion began repairing Airfield #1. Johansen details the damaged planes landing on the field and the ongoing maintenance the airfield required. He was sent back to the States that summer where he served until his discharge in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Vestine Schroeder. Schroeder joined the Marines in October of 1942. After boot camp he was assigned to guard duty on North Island in California. He received additional training in the supply room, and was transferred to the Marine base in El Centro, California with Air Group 35. Schroeder worked on the instruments aboard the planes at the base. He did not go overseas, and remained in California for the duration of the war. He was discharged in May of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Servando Lopez. Lopez was born in Lara, Texas on 8 April 1925 and attended school until the 8th grade. He was drafted into the Army and sent to Camp Wolters near Mineral Wells, Texas for 18 weeks of basic training. Completing training he was sent to New York City for debarkation. After arriving in South Hampton, England, he was assigned to the 29th Infantry Division, Company K, 175th Infantry. Lopez tells of the unit undergoing amphibious training daily for several weeks. He recounts being in the third wave attacking Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944. On 8 September, while leading a combat patrol, he was wounded and sent to England for recovery. He was awarded the Silver Star and a Purple Heart. He tells of returning to his platoon in December 1944 and soon after crossing the Ruhr River, he was wounded again and treated at an aid station. The unit advanced to the Rhine River and stopped. He relates that massive numbers of German soldiers were surrendering to the US troops to avoid being captured by the advancing Russian Army. In October 1945, Lopez returned to the …

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 Jack Whetsel. Whetsel graduated from Baylor in 1941, volunteered for the Navy and went into the V-7 Program. He trained at Northwestern University, received his commission after 90 days, and reported to Newport, Rhode Island Naval Operating Base. Their mission was to protect the ships coming out of New York on their way to Boston to from a convoy to England. After almost 18 months at Newport, he got orders to go to Amphibious Forces Pacific Fleet. From there he went to San Francisco, went aboard the USS Enterprise which sailed to Pearl Harbor at which time Whetsel reported to Commander Amphibious Forces Pacific Fleet, Adm Turner. Whetsel was on his staff from Tarawa through the end of the war. He talks about the smoke generators on the ship which they used to cover the fleet when the Japanese planes came over. Adm Turner's flagship was originally the USS Pennsylvania and then it switched to the USS Eldorado, an AGC. Whetsel also discusses the staff's move from Pearl Harbor to Guam. He was in Manila Bay when the atomic bombs were dropped. Whetsel talks very highly of Adm …

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 Carrie Milan. Milan’s husband Joe served with the Army Engineers during World War II from around 1940 to 1945. He served in both the European and Pacific theaters, and was stationed in England, North Africa, Sicily, Corsica, Italy, Okinawa and Iwo Jima during his service. Milan shares that Joe was a Staff Sergeant in charge of supplies. Milan shares a number of Joe’s experiences while on Iwo Jima, including his work with fellow servicemen, casualties and attacks made by the Japanese. She speaks on how their mail correspondence between the two of them was censored, how Joe actively participated in combat throughout his service and his work procuring and dispersing supplies. Joe passed away on 3 August 2000 and Milan provides information about their children and grandchildren.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Tom Stephens. Stephens was born 17 August 1916. He joined the Army and was assigned into the 33rd Infantry Division. After being a machine gun instructor, Stephens was selected for officer training. After receiving his commission at Fort Benning, Georgia he was assigned as a rifle platoon leader. He tells of the division arriving on Morotai, Indonesia on 18 December 1945 and although they conducted aggressive patrols, very little resistance was encountered. During February 1945 the division landed at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. Stephens describes an incident of combat in which he received wounds that required hospitalization and two months of recovery. On 25 September the division landed on Honshu Island, Japan and after three months occupational duty he returned to the United States and was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Marvin Prochnow. Prochnow joined the Aviation Cadet Program in February of 1943. He graduated, received his wings and was commissioned in February of 1944. He completed additional training in the B-17 and joined the 8th Air Force, 385th Bomb Group. From their base in England, he completed 35 missions over London, Germany and France, beginning August of 1944 through May of 1945. Prochnow then served in the Air Force for 27 years, retiring around 1971.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Massey. Massey joined the Marine Corps in the spring of 1943. He completed Aviation Administrative School. He served as the Administrative Chief with Marine Aircraft Group 45, and was responsible for personnel reports for their service squadron. They traveled aboard the SS Dashing Wave to Falalop in Ulithi, where they were stationed. Massey returned with his squadron to the US and was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Rose Steinman. Steinman was living in Fort Worth, Texas when World War II began. She worked as an inspector at the Texas Steel Manufacturing Company, making 81mm and 60mm shells. She also worked with the Knights of Columbus organizing U.S.O. dances for the servicemen. She recalls rationing books, gasoline, coffee and sugar. Her husband was stationed at the Fort Worth Army Airfield, and she had a number of family members who served in the war. Steinman shares details of her individual family members and their unique service in the war, including brothers, uncles and her husband. She also speaks overall how her large family worked together and supported one another throughout war time.

Transcript of an oral interview with Frank Stagner. Stagner was a nine-year-old child living in Manila with his family when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. His father was a radio broadcaster and was asked to keep his station working during the invasion. When the station was destroyed, Stagner's father took the family into the hills where they were eventually captured by the Japanese. He relates the experiences he had just after being captured: getting back to Manila, being paraded through the streets by the Japanese, being interned at Fort Santiago where his father was interrogated, and being interned at Santo Tomas. He provides very few details of day to day life in the camp, but describes being liberated.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Paul Shafer. Shafer moved from the States to Baguio in 1937 after his father was offered a job with the Benguet Consolidated Mining Company. They lived extravagantly there, and Shafer attended a private school. As Japanese aggression heightened in China, American civilians asked the State Department whether they ought to return to home. Despite having evacuated military families in 1941, the civilians were asked to stay in the Philippines so as not to alarm locals. On 6 December 1941, Shafer survived an air raid and was evacuated to Manila. On 3 January 1942, Japanese invaded the city and Shafer was taken to Santo Tomas University. Apart from food shortages, his time at the internment camp was relatively normal, complete with a classroom education and recreational sports. Shafer remembers cozy homemade shanties and warm evening strolls. By 1944, however, internees began to die of starvation. Shafer and his family survived until liberation and returned to the States in February 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Terry Santos. Santos was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on 10 October 1921. Upon joining the Army, he underwent basic training at Fort Ord, California. Upon completing basic he volunteered for paratrooper training. After graduating from jump school he volunteered for special warfare training which comprised training in special weapons, Morse code, semaphore and sailing. Completing the course, he reported to Ft. Benning, Georgia where he was assigned to the 11th Airborne Division. He then volunteered to serve with the Alamo Scouts and received jungle training, hand-to-hand combat training and all infantry weapons training. He then rejoined the 11th Airborne Division. Santos relates in detail an intriguing tale of the operation to liberate Allied internees from the Los Banos internment camp.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Walter Riley. Riley was born in 1932 in Cavite, Philippines. His father was a Navy man who traveled to the Philippines and married his mother who was a Japanese American. They raised eight children, Riley was the youngest. They moved to Manila and were living there when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. Their entire family was interned at Santo Tomas Internment Camp. They were there from early 1942 until February of 1945. Riley shares vivid details of the occupation of Manila by the Japanese, the living quarters at the camp, their room and board arrangements, their work assignments, battling illnesses, their communication with the Japanese guards and their liberation in 1945. Riley served in the Navy during the Korean War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Ream. Ream was born in the Philippines on 28 November 1943. His parents and three older sisters were originally from the United States, but his father had previously taught in agricultural schools in the Philippines and eventually returned and moved his family there, working near Baguio as a manager of a bus and taxi company, as well as a mining-equipment salesman. On Christmas Day in 1941, after the Japanese invaded the Philippines, Ream and his family were taken to various camps, including Camp Holmes, Old Bilibid Prison and Santo Tomas. They remained imprisoned from late 1941 through their liberation in February of 1945. After the war, their family traveled to San Francisco and established life in the United States.