The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Cecil Young. Young was born in Bowie, Texas on 2 October 1919. After graduating from high school in 1937, he attended Abilene Christian College on a football scholarship. After graduating from college in June 1941, he began a coaching career. He entered the Navy in June 1942 as a Chief Petty Officer and went to Norfolk, Virginia for two weeks of boot training. He then went to Little Creek, Virginia for three months of amphibious training. Upon completion of the training he boarded a ship bound for Algiers. He spent one year as a member of the staff preparing for the invasion of Italy. At this time Young received notification of promotion to ensign and reported to New York to attend a school. At the end of three weeks he was sent to the University of Arizona for training in communications. Upon completion of the course, he was sent to Coronado, California where he trained in the operation of LCVP landing craft. In August 1944 he boarded the USS Carteret (APA-70) carrying eight LCVPs and combat troops for the invasion of Iwo Jima. He describes combat and observed …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Brown. Born in 1919, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1941. He was sent to Pearl Harbor. He recounts his actions during the Japanese attack there. He was then assigned to the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). He describes his duties as the captain?s orderly. He talks about an encounter with fifteen Japanese twin-engine airplanes while escorting troop ships from the Coral Sea to Australia. He also discusses sinking Japanese supply ships in Alaska. After being hospitalized in San Francisco for tuberculosis, he joined the 1st Marine Division in Guadalcanal in late 1943. He shares an anecdote about the troops and quinine on Guadalcanal. He describes the Battle of Peleliu where he was a gun captain on a 105mm howitzer. When the war ended, he was transported on the USS Wharton (AP-7) to San Diego, California where Roy Rogers and Dale Evans greeted the troops with the song ?Happy Trails.? Shortly thereafter, he was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J.C. Alston. Alston joined the Navy in August, 1941. He eventually reported aboard the USS California (BB-44) and served in the number 2 turret. Alston describes being present aboard the California when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Afterwards, Alston stayed with the California repairing and refurbishing her. Alston was aboard for the in Leyte invasion in the Philippines and describes watching some of the action at Iwo Jima. Alston also speaks about life aboard the California during the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Curre. Curre joined the Navy in June of 1941. Beginning in August, he served as Mess Cook aboard USS Tennessee (BB-43). They were moored in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Through 1942, Curre served aboard a yard mine sweeper in Bremerton. He completed training on minesweeping gear. He traveled through the Caroline, Marshall and Gilbert islands. They swept around Bougainville, New Britain and New Georgia prior to invasions. They were stationed on Midway Island, where Curre remained through the end of the war. He was discharged in August of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Euell White. White entered the Marine Corps on 29 May 1941 and did his basic training in San Diego. His first assignment was on Midway Island where he manned 3-inch anti-aircraft guns. He was at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 in the Marine barracks, which looked down on battleship row. White talks about a Japanese aircraft that was shot down and ended up about 500 feet from the hospital near his barracks. He states that the pilot had a map that marked every battleship and aircraft carrier that was supposed to be in the harbor. White also talks about a two-man Japanese submarine in the bay during the attack; the sub had hit a sand bar. He also mentions guarding a tank farm two days after the attack. Two to three weeks after Pearl Harbor, White was put on a destroyer that was going to Wake Island but they received word that Wake was going to fall so they went to Johnston Island instead. At Johnston Island they pumped coral and built a runway. After leave back in the States, White went back to Hawaii and was …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Pat Duncan. Duncan joined the Navy 9 July 1940 and after training in San Diego he was put on the USS Brazos (AO-4) for transport to Pearl Harbor where he was assigned to the USS Raleigh (CL-7). He was onboard for almost a year before the war started. Duncan was the bugler, stood orderly watches and did deck work. He was standing watch on 7 December 1941 and saw the plane coming in low that dropped the torpedo that hit the Raleigh, right below where he was standing. The officer of the deck told him to sound general quarters but his bugle was full of water. His battle station was a three-inch gun. The Raleigh was hit again with a bomb aft, where Duncan’s sleeping quarters were. The ship was trying to turn over but the captain told them to jettison everything overboard. A barge came over with some float pontoons that helped the ship stay afloat. The Raleigh went into dry dock at Pearl Harbor where it got patched up enough to get to Mare Island for additional repairs. After seven and half months in San Francisco, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William R. Hamilton. Born in 1927, he enlisted in the Navy with his twin brother, Bob, in early 1945. He shares an anecdote about their selection for submarine school and the subsequent change in their orders. He also tells about how they came to be assigned to the USS Pomfret (SS-391). They served together on the submarine for forty-two months. He served as an electrician while Bob was a gunner. Hamilton describes the guns on the submarine. He discusses searching for and destroying mines at sea. Both Hamilton and his brother completed the submarine qualification process and were awarded the dolphin insignia. He recounts an incident in which the submarine was erroneously targeted by an American destroyer with Hedgehogs and depth charges. He describes sinking Japanese ships with torpedoes at Eniwetok. He was discharged at Treasure Island Naval Base after serving forty-four months in the Navy. He describes the shellback initiation; living conditions on the submarine; charging submarine batteries; and conditions in Japan after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Findley. Findley joined the Army Air Forces in July of 1942. He received pilot training at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona from both the Royal Air Force and United States. Upon graduation, Findley was eligible to wear the wings of both countries. He also completed Special Weapons Training. He served in Strategic Air Command (SAC) at Omaha, Nebraska setting up a missile safety program. Findley’s military career began with a year in India flying the Hump, where he made 103 missions. He returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1946, though continued his military career retiring from the USAF in 1973.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Norman. Born in 1919, he joined the Army Air Force in September 1941. He began his pilot training in early 1942. He served as a flight instructor in the Army Air Training Command at Marfa Army Airfield, Texas for two years. In September 1944 he was transferred to the Air Transport Command. He relates a story about landing a C-46 on Ascension Island en route to delivering it to England. Because he had experience flying four-engine airplanes, he was sent to India to fly C-87 and C-109 transport planes. He flew missions transporting fuel from Jorhat and Kermatola, India over ?the Hump? to Chengtu and Kunming for use by bombers and other airplanes operating out of China. He talks about the transport mission hazards, such as adverse weather conditions, the combustible nature of the cargo, mechanical failure, primitive navigation techniques, and flying at high altitudes over mountainous. He describes his plan of action in the event his plane crashed in the Himalaya Mountains. He mustered out when the war ended in 1945. The interview also contains information about his parents and siblings.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jim Romer. In 1943 he was a civilian single-engine flight instructor at an Army Primary Flying School in Helena, Arkansas. He then joined the Ferry Command in Memphis, Tennessee where he received twin-engine training and worked as a civilian pilot ferrying airplanes. He shares an anecdote about leading a flight of six airplanes from Brazil to Ascension Island. After attending four-engine flight school, he went to Mitchel Field in Long Island, New York. He describes the conversion of B-24 bombers into C-109 fuel transports. The Army gave him an appointment as a flight officer and sent him to Shamshernagar, India. He flew missions transporting fuel over ?the Hump? to Chengtu and Kunming for use by bombers and other airplanes operating out of China. He flew C-87 transport planes, which were converted B-24 bombers. He talks about the hazards involved in the transport missions over the Himalaya Mountains, such as encountering Japanese planes, adverse weather conditions, and engine failure. He relates a story about drifting off course as well a one about losing three engines. He also mentions Japanese radio propaganda. Additionally, he comments on some of the activities …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Oscar Mitchell. Mitchell joined the Army in November of 1941. He completed Officer Candidate School and served as commander of an all-black engineer combat battalion. Beginning in 1943, they traveled to North Africa and Calcutta, India, and worked as drivers along the Ledo Road. He returned from India to the US, and was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Marion Kennedy. Kennedy joined the Army as a nurse in late 1941. She was assigned to the 20th General Hospital and traveled to India. Kennedy describes how the hospital supported the workers on the Ledo Road and later troops involved in combat. She describes how malaria was treated. Kennedy discusses the ration and supply situation. She also mentions how Chinese soldiers were fed and housed separately. Kennedy rotated back to the U.S. and was there when the war ended. She left the Army in 1946, but rejoined in 1953 and retired as a colonel in the early 1970s.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Englert. Englert joined the Army in April of 1943. He traveled to Calcutta, India, and worked with the Military Police stationed there. He worked on patrol at the docks. He also joined the Z Force in Kunming, China, where he worked as a telephone operator, with the Red Cross, and as a librarian on the base. He returned to the US and was discharged in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene Piester. Born in 1922, he joined the Army Air Force in 1942. He recounts being selected for Project #9 and transported to India. He was assigned to a fighter group to perform mechanics on P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts in India. The group?s mission was to destroy Japanese supply lines and air fields in Burma. He discusses the use and difficulties of Waco CG-4A gliders in the invasion of Burma. He also discusses the effect of the monsoon season on the mission and the movement of the air bases. When the war ended he returned to the United States on a troopship and was discharged in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James E. Holden. Holden joined the Army and trained at Camp Swift, Texas in 1943. He was assigned to a replacement battalion and eventually shipped to Burma where he joined Merrill's Marauders. He joined them before the Myitkyina campaign. He got injured by a fall and was eventually evacuated back to Lido. He returned to his unit in time for them to relocate to Kunming. He was detached to temporary duty at Kweiyang helping build a Red Cross station. He was there when the war ended and witnessed some fighting between the Chinese Nationalists and communists. Holden was discharged in December, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Mabel Miller. Miller was born 5 October 1925 near Floresville, Texas. She shares her recollections of her childhood, life during the war, and how she met her husband, who served in World War II. Miller provides details of her husband’s service in the war, and their life and family together.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Young. Young was commissioned as a reserve officer with the Army Corps of Engineers. He was of Chinese descent and spoke Cantonese and Mandarin. Young was sent to China and served as an aide-de-camp for General Stilwell from February 1942 through the end of 1945. He discusses the difficulties of the relationship between Stilwell and Chiang Kai-Shek as well as the overall strategic situation. Young also describes how Chinese officers would often defer to Chiang. He also got to know Madame Sun Yat-Sen and describes their interactions. Young tells how he walked out of Burma with Stilwell during a retreat.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Hilton. Hilton joined the Army Air Forces in 1943. He completed Photo School and served as a photographer aboard a B-29, taking photos for reconnaissance in the China Burma India Theater. He served with the 40th Bombardment Group. They completed the majority of their missions over China, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, including detailed mapping over Okinawa in preparation for the invasion. His group also completed several missions in the Mariana Islands. Hilton participated in bombing, mapping and photo reconnaissance missions from April of 1944 through July of 1945. He was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Peter Tringham. Tringham was born in London, England in 1920. He graduated from high school in 1936, and completed an engineering degree in college by 1939. He joined England’s Territorial Army, similar to the US National Guard, in February of 1939. He volunteered as a driver in the Royal Engineers, and later traveled to France to join the British Expeditionary Force. Tringham served as a British Army captain through the China Burma India Theater campaign. He was discharged in April of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Hazel Tringham. Tringham joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service towards the beginning of World War II in England. She worked as a radar operator on gun sites in London. Tringham served from June of 1942 through June of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Pederson. Pederson joined the Army Air Forces in December of 1942. In 1943, he completed Cadet School in Meteorology, and Tropical Meteorology School. He was assigned to MacDill Air Force Base in Florida for one year, practicing simulated bombings of Berlin. Beginning in December of 1944, he served in the China Burma India Theater. He was assigned to an Air Force station in Chabua, India. He worked as a load master, loading planes bound for China with proper weights and balances. Pederson continued his service after the war ended, and remained in the reserves until 1968.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Peter Lutken. Lutken received his commission in the Army via the ROTC program when he graduated from Mississippi State College in 1941. He was attached to the 703rd Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion. He went overseas aboard the SS Santa Paula (1932) headed for India, but stopped in South Africa briefly before arriving in Karachi. Before long, they went to Assam and set up their anti-aircraft guns around the airfield.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ruth Lutken. Lutken was a legal secretary in the Civil Service. She worked in Jackson, Mississippi in a U.S. Attorney’s office. Lutken describes the local environment and situations she observed. She briefly mentions alien registration for civilians from enemy nations and an interview with a German POW. Lutken also volunteered at the American Red Cross. She left her position a few years after the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bryce Brown. Brown joined the Army around 1942. He trained with the Medical Corps and served as a Medical Clerk. Brown was stationed in China, in the field of malaria control. He returned to the US and was discharged in 1945.