Interview with Robert D. Haines, an American prisoner of war during World War II. He discusses the attack on Clark Field in the Philippines on December 8, 1941, as well as his experiences on the Bataan Death March. He also tells of his time spent as a prisoner of war under the Japanese at Camp O'Donnell, Cabanatuan and Bilibid prison in Manila. He encountered his brother, who was a civilian internee, at Bilibid. From there, he rode on a hell ship for 39 days to a POW camp in Formosa (Taiwan). When the Americans began bombing Formosa, Haines was moved via another hell ship to Tokyo, Japan. Not long after, he was liberated and returned to San Francisco, then Denver.

Interview with Melvin Harmon, a paratrooper during World War II. He discusses his paratrooper training and his time on Guadalcanal, Bougainville and other battles in the Solomon Islands. He also contracted malaria.

Interview with Jerell E. Crow. He entered the Coast Guard in 1940 and trained in Florida and New York City. He served aboard a Landing Ship, Tank (LST) when those ships were first introduced. He traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the Neville Island Shipyard operated by the Dravo Corporation as part of a crew that brought an LST down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. From there, the crew practiced operations at Biloxi, Mississippi. Eventually, Crow travelled to San Diego aboard the LST through the Panama Canal. From there, he went to Guadalcanal and unloaded tanks. Eventually, his ship was hit at Saipan and he was wounded. He also served aboard an LST during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Afterwards, Crow's LST was present in Tokyo Bay for the surrender. He visited Hiroshima while on occupation duty after the atomic bomb was dropped. Eventually, his LST made its way back to San Francisco where he was discharged.

Interview with Floyd Mumme, a medic during World War II. He discusses boot camp, being deployed to Saipan, Japanese trying to steal food, working in the Army Medical Corps, and treating wounds in combat.

Interview with John Wilson, an officer in the U. S. Army during World War II. Wilson was born in Illinois but attended high school in the Philippines after his father accepted an engineering position there. He graduated from high school in 1939 and then enrolled in the University of Wisconsin, where he participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program. He graduated and took his commission in the Army in 1943. After Officer Candidate School (OCS), he was assigned to an engineering unit slated to participate in the invasion of the Philippines. He eventually landed on Luzon. On Luzon he was assigned temporary duty with a small Philippine Civil Affairs unit that was made up of officers and men who had relatives interned by the Japanese in the Philippines. His small unit made their way to Santo Tomas where he liberated many friends and old school mates. A few weeks later, Wilson liberated his father, a civilian internee at Los Banos. Wilson remained with his unit constructing hospitals in the Philippines in anticipation of the casualties expected from the invasion of the Japanese home islands.

Interview with O. H. "Karl" King of Fort Worth, Texas, who is a World War Two veteran of the United States Marine Corps. In the interview, Mr. King recalls memories of his travels, the Japanese attack on Clark Field, the Battle for Bataan, and when he was a Japanese prisoner-of-war. He also talks about other experiences he had while serving in the Marines and his life before and after the war.

Interview with Jessie Clark regarding her experiences during World War II. She discusses having to adjust to a lifestyle of rationing for food products and shoes as well as blackouts and scrap metal drives. Her husband worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad and was often absent while she stayed home to raise their children in Houston. She discusses the scarcity of toys during Christmas and hosiery.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Hobert Dempsey. Dempsey joined the Army in June 1943 and received antiaircraft training in the Mojave Desert. He came down with appendicitis just before his unit went overseas. After recovering, he was reassigned to the 232nd Infantry Regiment, Rainbow Division, as a combat infantryman. He arrived at Le Havre in December 1944, finding a port full of civilian casualties. He fought through France and into Belgium. He was shot in the leg and played dead until the Germans passed by. He was sent to a hospital three days later and returned to the front lines after four days of recuperation. After crossing the Rhine as a front-runner, he accidentally went behind German lines and was captured with five other Americans. He was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp that was unknown to the Americans, who strafed the camp at least once. Conditions were harsh, food was scarce, and the prisoners performed hard labor in cold weather. The camp was overtaken by Russians, who wouldn’t let American troops evacuate prisoners. Dempsey escaped on foot and was eventually rescued and smuggled past a Russian checkpoint by Americans. He weighed over 150 …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joe Matlock. Matlock joined the Army Air Forces on 8 December 1941. He received his wings in 1943, and served as a pilot with the 434th Troop Carrier Group, 71st Squadron. From 1944 through 1945, they flew combat paratroopers on airborne assaults on Normandy, southern France, the Netherlands and Germany. They additionally flew resupply missions in the relief of Bastogne and evacuated the wounded. Matlock returned to the US and was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Coleman Harrington. Harrington joined the Navy in 1944. He completed Communications School, and stevedore training. He traveled to Okinawa, offloading supplies from ship to shore, where he remained through the end of the war. He traveled to Hong Kong. Harrington returned to the US and was discharged in January of 1946.

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 …

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 interview with Cecil Carlisle. Carlisle served in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M, and graduated in January of 1943 as a Corporal. He went on to complete Officer Candidate School and became a second lieutenant. He joined the Army, the Coast Artillery, working with automatic weapons including .50-caliber machine guns and 40mm antiaircraft cannons. He was first assigned to Camp Hahn in Riverside, California where he served as a platoon commander, conducting antiaircraft gunnery and field training. From there he was transferred to complete pilot training through the Army Air Forces and received his wings in the fall of 1944. He did not go overseas, as flights were halted to England as the war was scaling down. He then flew as copilot for Navigation Training School, back and forth from Texas to Florida. He was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Butler. Butler joined the Army in March of 1943. He volunteered to join the paratroopers and completed jump school in Fort Benning, Georgia. In June of 1944 he traveled to Sicily. In August he was assigned to Head Quarters Company 509th, Parachute Infantry Regiment. They traveled to Naples where he served in a machine gun squad. They moved on to southern France, then on to Belgium where their job was to hold a cross road in Manhay. Butler shares his experiences through combat with the Germans, working under the commanding officer General James Gavin and fighting in extreme cold weather conditions. Their battalion defended a 7 mile stretch of terrain between Soy and Hutton, beating off repeated attacks by the German 2nd SS Panzer Division. He returned to England in March of 1945 and was discharged in August.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Mr. Leslie Brandes. Brandes served in the Corps of Cadets and graduated from Texas A&M in 1941 with a commission in the infantry, though he did not begin active duty until June of 1942. He was assigned to the 8th Air Force as a second lieutenant. He traveled to Scotland aboard the Queen Mary. He completed flight training school as a Flight Control Officer in September of 1943, and was stationed in England with the 91st Bombardment Group. He worked as an Air Traffic Controller, and provides details of his work, room and board accommodations at his base, witnessing casualties and his travels to London. He participated in D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, and shares his experiences through these fateful battles. He was discharged as a major in September of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Michael Silan. Silan joined the Marine Corps in February of 1943. He trained as an airplane mechanic, and provides details of his training, including the type of airplanes and engines he worked on. In December of 1943 he traveled to New Caledonia aboard the USS Mintaka (AK-94), and shares experiences of his travels. He was assigned to Marine Scout Dive Bomber Squadron 241 (VMSB-241), and served as a Marine plane captain. In the spring of 1944 they traveled to New Georgia Island, Efate, New Hebrides and Rendova Island. In January of 1945 they were assigned to the Philippines, where Silan operated planes amidst the battle as an artillery spotter. He shares experiences through several missions. Silan was honorably discharged in November of 1945.

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 interview with Peter Bourgeois. Bourgeois joined the Army in July of 1943 and served with the Medical Corps. In December of 1944 he was assigned to the 96th Infantry Division and participated in the liberation of Leyte and Okinawa. He provides details of working as a Combat Medic with L Company, and caring for wounded soldiers on the battlefield. He also served as a rifleman at Okinawa. He was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Clinton Jennings. Jennings joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937. He joined the Army in the spring of 1941. He completed training on the Island of Corregidor and served as Battery Clerk with the 59th Coast Artillery, K Battery. He describes how his unit responded to the attack on the Philippines in December of 1941, enduring bombings and raids by Japanese fighter planes. Jennings and his unit surrendered on 6 May 1942, and were taken to the 92nd Garage for sea planes, and then on to the Bilibid Prison. They traveled by French cattle cars on the railway to a prison camp called Bongabon, northeast of Cabanatuan. He remained there for several months, then moved to Cabanatuan prison camp for two and a half years, helping bury the dead, setting up a small hospital and planting a farm. Jennings shares vivid details of life in the camps, his work, their living and food accommodations, illnesses amongst the prisoners and interactions with the guards. In 1944 he was transported to Japan where he worked in a coal mine. He was rescued in September of 1945 and returned to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Hewson. Hewson joined the Navy in April of 1943. He went to Alameda Naval Air Station and formed Composite Squadron 68 (VC-68), comprised of 12 TBMs and 16 Wildcats. He worked as a storekeeper striker. Beginning in spring of 1944 Hewson served as Storekeeper 2nd Class aboard the USS Fanshaw Bay (CVE-70). He oversaw all aviation mechanical supplies. They traveled to Pearl Harbor and Saipan. They participated in the Battle of Samar in late October of 1944, which Hewson provides vivid details of this event. They returned to San Diego in November. He was discharged in April of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bruce Heard. Heard worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1937 to 1939 as a baker and he build houses and benches at a national park. He joined the Army in April of 1944, and served as a Tech Sergeant with the 1260th Combat Engineers Battalion, Headquarters Company. He provides details of his training. He traveled to France in late 1944. His battalion was attached to the 3rd, 7th and 15th Armies at different times. They moved into Nuremberg, Hanover and Berlin, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. His job was to build bridges and haul ammunition to the Infantry and Artillery on the front lines. He shares some of his experiences through this battle, including casualties of fellow servicemen, bomb attacks and living accommodations. He was discharged around the spring of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harry Hill. He was born at Fort Washakie, Wyoming on the Wind River Indian Reservation on 14 September 1920. Upon graduation from Texas A&M College in May 1942, he received a commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. He was immediately sent to Page Field, Fort Meyers, Florida and assigned to the B-24 Aircraft Maintenance Division. Soon thereafter, he underwent three months of advanced B-24 maintenance training at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Upon completion of the training he returned to Fort Meyers and was assigned to the 93rd Bomb Group. In September 1942 the maintenance personnel of the 93rd Bomb Group went by ship to Glasgow, Scotland. They then traveled by train to Hardwick Air Base, Norwich, England. Hill tells of repairing the aircraft upon their return from bombing raids. He remained in England until June 1945 when he returned to the United States aboard the RMS Queen Mary.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Findley. Findley served with the Navy ROTC V-12 program at the University of Texas at Austin. From there he was commissioned an ensign and called to active duty. He was sent to the University of California at Berkeley for engineering, science and management war training in marine power plants. Upon graduation in August 1944, he was assigned to the USS Wyandot (AKA-92) as the Engineering Officer in the Pacific Theater. They traveled to Pearl Harbor, Guam, Eniwetok, the Philippines and Okinawa. He shares details of his work as Engineering Officer, and his experiences through the Battle of Okinawa beginning March of 1945. Findley was discharged around the spring of 1946 as a lieutenant (j.g) and returned to the University of Texas at Austin.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Homer Dean. Dean completed law school in 1940 at Baylor University. He joined the Texas State Defense Guard in 1941. Right after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dean served as a contracting officer with the US Army Ordnance Department at Rock Island Arsenal in Davenport, Iowa. He was assigned to tour various Arsenals around the US. He was inducted into the Army as a private in San Antonio in January of 1943 and assigned to serve as an instructor in the repair, assembly and disassembly of the 75mm Pack Howitzer. He graduated Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia in November of 1944. He was then assigned to an Infantry Replacement Training Center in Fort McClellan, Alabama, instructing servicemen how to use the Browning Automatic Rifle and prosecuting soldiers who had committed various infractions. Dean was then sent to the University of Beijing in California to learn Chinese. He did not make it overseas before the war ended. He was discharged in December of 1945, though continued his service in the Reserves until 1970.