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Oral History Interview with Irvin Spielberg, November 6, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Irvin Spielberg, November 6, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Irvine Spielberg. Born 18 December 1918 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Spielberg graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1941 with an aeronautical engineering degree. He worked at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio as a civil employee in the aircraft laboratory until he was drafted in January 1943. He went through Army Air Forces basic training on three different occasions. Twice he was relieved from active duty, placed into enlisted reserves and returned to his job at the laboratory. In 1944 he was again called up and completed basic training at Sheppard Field, Texas. Spielberg then entered gunnery school at Lowery Air Base, Colorado. After six weeks of training he transferred into flight engineer school at Lowery and describes various aspects of his training. Upon completion in October 1944, he began training at Maxwell Air Base. After several months, he went to MacDill Air Base, Florida. There, his crew was assembled and training began. It included long flights and he explains the procedure of fuel transfers during flight. In June 1945, the crew was assigned to the 313th Bomb Wing, 504th Bomb Group, 421st Bomb Squadron on Tinian. He remembers …
Date: November 6, 2003
Creator: Spielberg, Irvine
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Frank McGuinn, November 20, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Frank McGuinn, November 20, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank McGuinn. McGuinn trained with the Navy as a part of the V-12 program. He was commissioned in early 1945 and joined the crew of USS Saratoga (CV-3). McGuinn describes the preparations being made for the invasion of Japan and life aboard ship. He also details an incident that he witnessed when a plane caught fire on the flight deck during training. McGuinn took part in Operation Magic Carpet and then traveled with the Saratoga for the bomb testing at Bikini Atoll. He describes seeing the two bombs go off and the effects of the test on the Saratoga.
Date: November 20, 2003
Creator: McGuinn, Frank
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James Young, October 25, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James Young, October 25, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Young. Upon completion of boot camp, Young was assigned to H company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He landed on Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942. He describes the slow progress through the jungle, the shortages of water and of being bombed, strafed and shelled every day. He describes the battle of the Tenaru River and the high casualties inflicted upon the Japanese as they made numerous banzai charges. Young relates the experience of being subjected to bombardment by Japanese ships. The unit went to Melbourne, Australia, after being relieved, for replacements and refitting. His unit then landed on Cape Gloucester and Young tells of contending with dense jungles, wind and rain. After a brief time on Pavuvu, where he describes the nuisance created by land crabs and rats they landed on Peleliu. He recalls various anecdotes involving the battle including the confusion, the damage incurred by enemy artillery, and the high casualties suffered by the landing force.
Date: October 25, 2003
Creator: Young, James
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Harold Bond, October 16, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Harold Bond, October 16, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Bond. Bond was drafted and entered the Navy in 1942. Upon completion of boot camp at Samson Naval Training Base in New York, he was assigned to the USS Cebu (ARG-6), which was in the Baltimore ship yard. He went to Pearl Harbor and describes the destruction he observed. Aboard the Cebu, Bond proceeded to Manus Island. While at anchorage there, the USS Mount Hood (AE-11) exploded and severely damaged the USS Mindanao (ARG-3), which was moored alongside. Five of the crewmen aboard the Cebu where killed by the blast. The ship then went to Leyte Gulf remaining there for seven months before proceeding to Okinawa where the crew weathered a typhoon. Bond recalls going to Japan before returning to the United States.
Date: October 16, 2003
Creator: Bond, Harold
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Arthur Pendleton, October 25, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Arthur Pendleton, October 25, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Arthur Pendleton. Pendleton joined the Marine Corps in 1940. In 1942, he deployed to Fiji and then New Guinea for additional combat training. They participated in the Guadalcanal Campaign. He provides vivid details of his time on Guadalcanal, including living, working and combat conditions. They also participated in the Battle of Cape Gloucester. He was discharged in January of 1946.
Date: October 25, 2003
Creator: Pendleton, Arthur
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Leo Schmittgens, October 25, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Leo Schmittgens, October 25, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leo Schmittgens. Schmittgens joined the Marine Corps in April of 1944. He completed training as an 81mm mortar man, and served with the 1st Marine Division. He traveled to Guadalcanal and Ulithi for additional training, and participated in the Battle of Okinawa. They remained on the island through the end of the war. He was discharged in April of 1946.
Date: October 25, 2003
Creator: Schmittgens, Leo
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Tom Schicher, October 25, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Tom Schicher, October 25, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Tom Schicher. Schicher joined the Marine Corps in March of 1944. He served as a rifleman and mortarman, and deployed to Hawaii as a replacement. They traveled to the Russell Islands and Guadalcanal practicing maneuvers. He participated in the Battle of Okinawa. After the war ended, he was assigned to occupation duty in China. Schicher returned to the US and was discharged around 1946.
Date: October 25, 2003
Creator: Schicher, Tom
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Peter Chu, November 1, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Peter Chu, November 1, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Peter Chu. Peter's son Alan Chu also participates in this interview. Peter Chu discusses the Japanese occupation in Nanking, China in 1937 when he was 10 years old.
Date: November 1, 2003
Creator: Chu, Peter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James D. Rothermel, November 11, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James D. Rothermel, November 11, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James D. Rothermel. Rothermel was born in Burton, Texas 20 February 1918. Enlisting in the Navy in 1942, he had boot camp at Norfolk, Virginia. After spending a short time at Providence, Rhode Island, he was sent to Treasure Island, California and assigned to the 14th Naval Construction Battalion. During September 1942 he went aboard the M.S. Sommelsdijk, a converted Dutch freighter, and tells of the trip to Noumea, New Caledonia. From there the unit was sent to Guadalcanal, which had not yet been secured. The unit constructed two new airstrips on the island and Rothermel describes the other work completed. He tells of the nightly visits by a Japanese bomber, which would indiscriminately drop bombs every night, primarily for harassment. The bomber was called “Washing Machine Charlie” by all the troops on the island. He recounts the devastating affect that malaria, dengue fever and other jungle diseases had on the members of the 14th Battalion. The unit returned to Camp Parker, California, during November 1943. He recalls that during October 1944 the unit was sent to Saipan where they spent several months before being sent to Okinawa …
Date: November 11, 2003
Creator: Rothermel, James D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Richard Toler, November 3, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Richard Toler, November 3, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard G. Toler. Toler grew up in Oklahoma and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1940. He received his commission in 1941 and proceeded to Hickam Field attached to the 42nd Bomb Squadron, 11th Bomb Group. Toler describes the attack on Pearl Harbor and his participation in the battle. He also mentions attacking Henderson Field in a B-17 on Guadalcanal prior to the Marine landing there. Toler describes having to ditch in the ocean after the raid and being rescued. He also describes participating in the Battle of Midway. Also during the war ,Toler served as an instructo for B-17 bombers at Hobbs, New Mexico. He was there when the war ended. He stayed in the Air Force and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1963.
Date: November 3, 2003
Creator: Toler, Richard G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Walter B. Neitsch, November 11, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Walter B. Neitsch, November 11, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter B. Neitsch: He was inducted at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas and received basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and later at the Army Engineer Vancouver Barracks. He speaks of working with the 340th Army Engineers Construction Battalion to construct the ALCAN (Alaska-Canadian) Highway as well as rebuilding an airport in Darwin, Australia, and repairing roads and bridges in Luzon in the Phillipines where he saw Japanese soldiers coming in to surrender at the end of the war. He also told of the death from seasickness of a fellow soldier while in transit on the US Motorship Pennant and becoming a shellback when their ship crossed the equator.
Date: November 11, 2003
Creator: Neitsch, Walter B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Whitney Jacobs, October 25, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Whitney Jacobs, October 25, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Whitney Jacobs. Born in 1922, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 1942. He was assigned to the First Division and sent to Wellington, New Zealand where they prepared to go to Guadalcanal. He mentions the dock workers strike. He describes his experiences as a machine gunner on Guadalcanal. He recounts his actions during the Battle of the Tenaru River for which he was awarded the Navy Cross. He shares an anecdote about the award ceremony in Australia. He also fought in the Battle of Cape Gloucester on the island of New Britain. He served in the Pacific for approximately two years and then transferred to assignments in the United States. He was discharged in October 1945. He used the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill) to attend Harvard University.
Date: October 25, 2003
Creator: Jacobs, Whitney
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Stephen Boykin, October 25, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Stephen Boykin, October 25, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Stephen Boykin. Boykin joined the Marine Corps in August of 1940. In 1942, he was in the second wave entering the Guadalcanal Campaign, where he was severely wounded by a grenade. In early 1943, after being hospitalized, he was sent back to the US for one year of physical therapy. Boykin received a medical discharge in early 1944.
Date: October 25, 2003
Creator: Boykin, Stephen
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Wayburn Hall, October 23, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Wayburn Hall, October 23, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wayburn Hall. Hall was born 9 May 1925 in Gandy, Louisiana. He describes family life during the depression. Joining the Marine Corps 9 February 1943 under the V-12 program he went to the University of South Louisiana in Lafayette. After one semester, Hall was withdrawn from the program and sent to San Diego for boot training. He recalls his training and experiences during boot camp, which included two weeks of firearm training. Upon graduating, he was selected for 81mm mortar training and went to Camp Elliott for training. He describes in detail the crew compliment of a mortar team and the training they received. During February 1944 the graduates boarded a ship for a fifteen day trip to Noumea, New Caledonia. After taking part in intense advanced training, he was sent to Gavutu and assigned to Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. In September 1944 the division boarded USS LST-607 for a 1500 mile trip to Peleliu. Hall was in the first wave in the invasion of Peleliu. He was wounded soon after landing and was treated by a Navy corpsman prior to being taken to a hospital …
Date: October 23, 2003
Creator: Hall, Wayburn
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Rhollie Nix, October 16, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Rhollie Nix, October 16, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Rhollie Nix. Nix joined the Navy in 1943. He completed schooling for welding, metallurgy and diving. He served as Second-Class Petty Officer and deep-sea diver aboard USS Cebu (ARG-6). He assisted with underwater welding repairs of LST propellers. They traveled to the Admiralty Islands, the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan. He was discharged around 1946.
Date: October 16, 2003
Creator: Nix, Rhollie
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Lyall Dean, October 25, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Lyall Dean, October 25, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lyall Dean. Dean was born in Westchester, New York on 19 October 1918. He attended Deerfield Academy prior to attending Union College until June 1941. Joining the US Marine Corps 2 February 1942 he attended boot camp at Parris Island. He went to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina for additional training at which time he was assigned to the 1st Marine Division, H Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. He recalls boarding the USS George Elliott (AP-105) for a 21 day trip to Wellington, New Zealand. Upon their arrival the unit was put to work unloading the ship so it could be combat loaded for the landing on Guadalcanal. Upon landing on Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942 he was assigned to the headquarters company. While not directly involved in the 21 August 1942 battle of the Tenaru River he witnessed the sounds and sights of the battle. Several days later he was removed from the headquarters company and assigned to the 2nd platoon as one of the replacements for those lost in the battle. He tells of daily bombings and bombardment by Japanese ships. Dean recalls being relieved by …
Date: October 25, 2003
Creator: Dean, Lyall
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Franklin Pomroy, October 25, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Franklin Pomroy, October 25, 2003

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an oral history with Franklin Pomroy. Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Pomroy, aged 17, joined the US Marine Corps. After completing boot camp he was sent to Camp Lejeune and assigned to H Company 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. He presents a riveting narrative of combat conditions, death, destruction, jungle diseases and man’s inhumanity to man that he witnessed on the islands of Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu. His wartime experiences were concluded by returning to the United States aboard the USS Comfort (AH-6) followed by extended stays in naval hospitals for wounds received in battle.
Date: October 25, 2003
Creator: Pomroy, Franklin
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Vincent J. Colan, October 17, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Vincent J. Colan, October 17, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Vincent J. Colan. Born in 1914, he joined the Naval Militia in New York in 1932 on his eighteenth birthday. In January 1941, he was transferred to a destroyer, the USS J. Fred Talbott (DD-156), which was part of the Banana Fleet that protected the Panama Canal. He shares an anecdote about learning of the attack on Pearl Harbor while on liberty in Panama. For eleven months, the destroyer escorted ships from Guantanamo to Panama without the benefit of radar or sonar. He shares the story of how he became an ensign. In 1944, he was transferred to the USS David W. Taylor (DD-551). He shares an anecdote about his cancelled liberty in New Orleans, Louisiana on New Year?s Eve, 1944. After the destroyer escorted a convoy to Panama, it was sent to Pearl Harbor to become part of the anti-submarine screen for oil tankers and, later, for the Pacific Fleet. He recounts his actions as Damage Control Officer when the ship struck a mine. He comments on the importance of the extensive emergency drilling. He describes the role he and his Damage Control party played in aiding …
Date: October 17, 2003
Creator: Colan, Vincent J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Robert Strehle, October 17, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Robert Strehle, October 17, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Strehle. Strehle joined the Navy in November 1942. He was sent to school to become a torpedoman and then joined the commissioning crew of USS David W. Taylor (DD-551). Strehle describes depth charging and sinking a Japanese submarine. He describes how depth charges functioned and how they were deployed. Strehle discusses the ship hitting a mine and the damage control performed. He volunteered to go into the damaged area to remove ammunition and recover the bodies of four shipmates. Strehle took part in the occupation of Japan and was discharged in January 1946.
Date: October 17, 2003
Creator: Strehle, Robert
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Frank Jagielski, October 16, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Frank Jagielski, October 16, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Frank Jagielski. Jagielski was born in Redding, Pennsylvania 5 April 1926. In May 1943, he joined the Navy and attended boot camp at Sampson, New York. Following graduation, he was sent to gunnery school at Price Neck, Rhode Island. He was eventually assigned as a member of the deck force on the USS Cebu (ARG-6). He was present at Manus Island when the Mount Hood (AE-11) exploded. The blast killed six sailors on the Cebu. He received his discharge soon after the surrender of Japan.
Date: October 16, 2003
Creator: Jagielski, Frank
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Robert Cwalino, October 17, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Robert Cwalino, October 17, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Cwalino. Cwalino joined the Navy in 1943. He served as a Gunner’s Mate aboard USS David W. Taylor (DD-551) through the ship’s decommissioning in August of 1946. They traveled to Iwo Jima, Tarawa and to the Philippines, escorting carriers and covering landings with naval gunfire. Cwalino was discharged in late 1946.
Date: October 17, 2003
Creator: Cwalino, Robert
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Walter Stueck, October 12, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Walter Stueck, October 12, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Stuek. Stueck was born in St. Louis, Missouri 28 May 1921. Upon enlisting in the Army Air Forces in May 1942, he was sent to Santa Ana, California to begin eight weeks of pre-flight training which was followed by three months of primary training at Oxnard. While making his first flight in a P-40 fighter, the plane suffered a complete electrical failure resulting in a controlled crash landing at Luke Army Airfield. He was then sent to Tactical Reconnaissance School at Meridian, Mississippi where he flew a variety of aircraft including the P-51, P-40 and P-39 fighter aircraft. He then went to Europe where he began flying P-38s. He recalls his third combat mission, when due to a loss of both engines he crash landed destroying the plane and becoming slightly injured. As he was recovering, General Charles de Gaulle spoke to him inquiring about his health. During another mission, he was shot down and bailed out, landing in a mine field. An American soldier came to his aid and guided him to safety. On another mission, he was attacked by an ME-163 German rocket powered plane. …
Date: October 12, 2003
Creator: Stueck, Walter E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Merrill Butler, October 3, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Merrill Butler, October 3, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Merrill Butler. Born in 1925, he was inducted into the Army in 1943. After graduating from officer candidate school, he joined the 76th Infantry Division, 301st Engineer Combat Battalion. He explains the military hierarchy of a battalion. As a former football player at the University of Southern California (USC), he became the leader of the battalion football team. He describes being in a convoy of ships bound for England. He was sent to France in December 1944. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge, moving from France into Belgium. From the location of Echternach, Luxembourg, he was part of the force that breached the Siegfried Line at the Sauer River. He describes the Siegfried Line as well as clearing German antipersonnel mines, known as Bouncing Betties, with Bangalore torpedoes. He also talks about destroying German defensive pill boxes. He discusses interactions with German citizens as they advanced across Germany. After they crossed the Rhine, his group was transferred from the First Army to the Third Army and continued toward Dresden, Germany. When the 76th Infantry Division was disbanded, he joined the 30th Infantry Division on the Elbe …
Date: October 3, 2003
Creator: Butler, Merrill
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James Gallant, September 30, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James Gallant, September 30, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Gallant. Gallant was commissioned as an Army Infantry Officer in 1940 and was transferred to the Army Air Forces to serve as an Administration Officer. He discusses his duties at Randolph and Foster fields as a part of flight training. Gallant once was flown by a WASP and from one field to another. He was sent to China in 1945 to join the 327th Troop Carrier Squadron. Gallant tells how his flight over the Himalaya Mountains was delayed for two weeks due to bad weather. He describes how the Chinese people treated the American servicemen. Gallant discusses how his unit adopted an orphaned Chinese boy and raised a bear. He details the reception that his unit received when returning to the States. Gallant left active duty soon after, but remained in the reserves.
Date: September 30, 2003
Creator: Gallant, James
System: The Portal to Texas History