The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Scott West. West joined the Navy in 1935. He was assigned to the USS Lexington (CV-2) for four years. In September of 1942 he served aboard the USS Copahee (CVE-12). He describes the planes aboard and the process of getting all the aviation equipment aboard the carrier. They traveled to New Caledonia to deliver planes, as well as to Munda, in the Solomon Islands. He completed catapult and arresting gear school at the Naval Air Station in Philadelphia, and then served as an instructor. Later, he took crews out to supervise new installations and repair battle damage.

Transcript of an oral interview with Marvin Russell. Russell, who graduated with a petroleum engineering degree from the University of Houston, describes his role in the testing of fuel used in the Pacific and in North Africa during the war. He discusses the homefront, including the politics of war, rationing, the Japanese American internment, the use of the atomic bomb, and the reaction to the end of the war. There is also a brief comparison of World War II and the Iraq War. After the war, Russell was employed in the automotive industry. Additionally, Russell identifies his parents and siblings and mentions his brothers’ role as civilians involved in troop transport.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Hogan. Hogan was drafted into the Army in February of 1943. He was assigned to the 87th Infantry Division. They traveled to Camp Petipool, England. His job was with the 90mm anti-tank gun. In November of 1944 they landed in Le Havre, France. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge. They were located in St. Vith, Belgium. He describes their living conditions and how they kept warm during a bitterly cold European winter. After the Bulge they advanced troops across the Rhine River. By May of 1945 they were in Villmar, Germany, after cracking the Siegfried Line. He provides some details of that experience. They convoyed to Camp Lucky Strike located a few miles from St. Valery, France. He was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Harker. Harker entered the Navy with a direct commission in July 1944. Upon arriving at Pearl harbor, he assumed duties as the engineering officer aboard USS LCI(G)-474, going aboard in November. When Harker’s LCI went close to shore to support the underwater demolition teams prior to the landing at Iwo Jima, his ship was shot up by shore batteries and had to retire from the line. After everyone transferred to a destroyer, the 474 rolled over and sank. Harker was transferred to USS LCI(G)-449 and travelled back to Saipan. Before the war ended, Harker was assigned to LST-226. He shares a few anecdotes about being aboard it. He was recalled for the Korean War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Glenn G. Morgan. He was a bugler aboard the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) and discusses a kamikaze attack during the Okinawa campaign, carrying a crate to Tinian that contained the first atomic bomb, the ship's sinking, and the four days/five nights he spent in a life raft waiting to be rescued.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur Burry. Burry was born in Rocky Ford, Colorado 28 March 1924. He was inducted into the Army Air Forces in January 1943 and received flight training at various bases. After completing gunnery school, he was assigned to the 45th Fighter Squadron, which flew P-47 fighter planes. Traveling by merchant ship, Burry arrived at Iwo Jima in February 1945. He relates an incident where the Japanese made a banzai attack on the air field resulting in several pilots of the 15th Fighter Group being killed. He describes being on a strafing mission to Japan when his plane suffered engine failure and he bailed out. He tells of tying himself to his rubber dingy and surviving a typhoon. On his sixth day at sea he was picked up by the crew of the submarine USS Trutta (SS-421). He was transferred to the USS Peto (SS-265) and taken to Guam. After going to Hawaii for R & R he returned to Iwo Jima and received orders to return to the United States. He was discharged in September 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with June Brandenberger. Brandenberger finished high school in 1943 and was married later I n1944 to an officer in the Army Air Forces. She worked for a telephone company in San Antonio during the war. Brandenberger shares what it was like to be married with a small child and a husband overseas toward the end of the war. She describes his homecoming and what life was like after the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Deward Terry. Terry was born in Bristol, Missouri in 1925. After graduating from high school, he attended business school for six months at Southeast Missouri College. He joined the Marine Corps in August 1943 and underwent boot training at San Diego. Upon graduating, he went to Camp Pendleton, where he joined the 5th Marine Division and attended the Communications School. He then went to Camp Tarawa, Hawaii for training with a forward observation team with the artillery. He recalls landing at Red Beach on Iwo Jima and being unable to move for four days due to heavy mortar and artillery fire from the Japanese defenders. He had a close encounter with a Japanese soldier and recalls the death of a close friend. After the surrender of Japan, Terry’s unit went to Japan where they performed guard duties for six months before returning to the United States. Upon his return, Terry was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Dyches. Dyches joined the Marine Corps in 1943. After boot training, he was assigned to the 4th Marine Division. He landed at Iwo Jima and served as a BAR man carrying the Browning Automatic Rifle. He landed on the first day of the invasion and was wounded and evacuated on the fifth day. His wounds kept in various hospitals for over a year. He was discharged in August, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charlie Adams. Adams enlisted in the Marine Corps in March, 1943 and after training was assigned to the Fifth Marine Division. He landed late on the first day of the invasion of Iwo Jima. He remained there for 36 days. He served as a radio operator and describes much of the combat conditions he encountered on the island as well as some of the Japanese tactics. He was one of 13 of his original company of 248 men to walk off Iwo Jima unhurt. Adams also describes some of his experiences in Nagasaki, Japan during the occupation. He returned to the US and was discharged in March, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Bowell. Bowell entered service in the Navy in February 1942 and trained as a signalman and on sonar. In February, 1944 he was assigned to USS Defense (AM-317). Bowell speaks about the relationships he developed aboard ship. He also mentions minesweeping and kamikaze attacks off Okinawa and talks about fire support for the Marines on Iwo Jima. Bowell also recalls going into the water to rescue men from other vessels. When the war ended, Bowell’s ship swept mines off Japan. He remembers a typhoon off Okinawa and being discharged in December, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral history with Marcus Worde. Worde enlisted in the Army Air Corps in September, 1941. He was in flight school at Uvalde, Texas when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He trained in B-17s, B-24s and B-29s. He served as a flight instructor for B-24s. When, Worde went overseas, he was assigned to the 421st Bomb Squadron, 504th Bomb Group on Tinian. From there, Worde flew combat missions over Japan in a B-29 until he was shot down in May, 1945 and became a prisoner of war. Worde describes his experiences as a Japanese POW and the treatment he endured until the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Cull W. ?Bud? Forbus. Born in 1924, he joined the Marine Corps in June 1942. He was transported on the USS George F. Elliott (AP-105) to Noumea, New Caledonia in December 1943. He was a Browning Automatic Rifleman in the 3rd Marine Division, 34th Replacement Battalion. He discusses the formation of the 3rd Marine Division and the division colors. He recounts waiting for the 77th Infantry Division to arrive prior to the invasion of Guam. He describes being injured at night by a knife-wielding Japanese soldier as well as his evacuation and medical care. When he recovered from his wounds, he was assigned to the 81st Mortar Section of the 4th Marine Division. He describes the landings on Guam using an LVT (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) and on Iwo Jima using an LST (Landing Ship, Tank). He discusses battleship artillery support at Iwo Jima, the landing at Boat Basin, and the Japanese bunkers and tunnels. He describes being injured on Iwo Jima, his evacuation, and medical treatment. After his recovery, he was assigned to guard duty at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. He was discharged in …

Transcript of an oral interview with Karl E. Momsen. Momsen joined the Marine Corps and trained at Parris Island, South Carolina before reporting to Camp Pendleton. He sailed to Pearl Harbor aboard the USS Arenac (APA-128), then Guam in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. Momsen carried the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) in his squad. He landed on Okinawa in the second wave on 1 April 1945. Momsen briefly describes being wounded in action.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Herbert Merritt. When Merritt finished high school I n1941, he went to work for GM making marine engines for PT boats. He volunteered for service in the Army and was assigned to the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment. After going overseas and having more training, Merritt landed with his unit at Leyte, where he was wounded. While serving as a scout for his company, Merritt was wounded by a Japanese grenade. He was evacuated and sent aboard USS Mercy (AH-8). He recovered on Guadalcanal until being shipped back to his unit in time for the liberation of Manila. When the war ended, Merritt went to Japan and describes some of his experiences there during the occupation.

Transcript of an oral interview with Dr. Edward Drea. Drea joined the Air Force in 1965 after college and trained as an intelligence officer. He was eventually assigned to the Fifth Air Force in Fuchu, Japan in 1968 where he monitored communications between communist countries. After a tour with the Air Force in Vietnam, Drea returned to Japan in 1971 to attend university on the G.I. Bill and study for a masters degree in international relations. He returned to work on a Ph. D. at the University of Kansas and was able to return to Japan for some doctoral work where an interest in the Imperial Japanese Army grew and matured. Upon completion of the degree, he took a position at the Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas as a civilian historian. The conversation drifts into breaking the Japanese code during World War II and using it to Allied advantage. From there, the conversation goes into Japan's decision to go to war against the United States. From there, it moves to the occupation of Japan after the war ended and the Imperial Japanese Army.

Transcript of an oral interview with William Buckner. Buckner is the son of General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. He discusses his father's military career, from graduating at West Point to serving as the Army commander in charge of setting up bases in Alaska, then serving in the Pacific under Admiral Nimitz and heading up the 10th Army for the Okinawa invasion. His father was killed by a small caliber bullet that richocheted off a rock which then hit the General in the chest while inspecting the progress of the 8th Marine regiment. Buckner mentions various false stories he's heard about his father's death as well as his father's relationships with other commanders in Alaska and the Pacific, particularly Admirals Theobald, Kincaid, Spruance and Nimitz and Generals Richardson and Stilwell. He also mentions his grandfather, who was a Confederate General in the Civil War, and other ancestors who served in the military dating back to the Revolutionary war.

Transcript of an oral interview with Les Caffey. He was born near Ballinger, Texas, grew up on a farm near Brady, Texas and when he finished high school in 1944, he joined the Navy because his brothers and friends had all joined the service. He had two months training in San Diego, then went aboard a troopship to Pearl Harbor. From there, Caffey was assigned and went aboard the USS Wichita (CA-45). He speaks of towing the USS Canberra (CA-70) after it suffered a torpedo hit off the coast of Formosa. Caffey also speaks of watching from the deck of the Wichita planes from VF-2 come in and land on the illuminated deck of the USS Lexington (CV-16) after operations in the Philippine Sea. As the cruiser was headed into Buckner Bay to soften up Okinawa prior to the invasion, Caffey describes near misses by a torpedo and a kamikaze. After the war ended, the Wichita sailed to Nagasaki where Caffey describes scenes of destruction. After that, the Wichita was sent to Philadelphia for decommissioning and Caffey got his discharge shortly thereafter. He made his way back to Brady and reunited with his folks.

Transcript of an oral interview with George Keith. Keith enlisted in the Navy Seabees in May 1942 and went to boot camp at Camp Allen in Norfolk, Virginia. From there, they were sent by train to Port Hueneme, California. They spent two months training there before they boarded a ship in San Francisco which sailed to Pearl Harbor. He stayed there with the 10th Battalion and worked two years in the Navy Yard switching equipment. Cook was there when they righted the USS Oklahoma. He came back to the States in 1945, first to Camp Parks, California and then they were shipped to Davisville, Rhode Island (Seabee base). After he was discharged, he went back to work at New England Bell which later became AT&T.

Transcript of an oral interview with Charles Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick joined the Marine Corps in 1942. He had basic training at Parris Island, then was selected to go to Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. He was eventually assigned to the Sixth marine Division as an artillery forward observer and joined the division on Guadalcanal before going to Okinawa. Kilpatrick discusses the fighting on Okinawa in the vicinity of Sugar Loaf Hill and the Horseshoe. After Okinawa was captured, Kilpatrick went to Guam, then to Japan for occupation duty. He also spent time in China during the occupation there, as well. Kilpatrick stayed in the reserves until he retired in 1962.

Transcript of an oral interview with Bill McClellan. He joined the Marine Corps in 1944 where he had training at Parris Island, Camp Lejeune and Camp pendleton before shipping out and joining his unit on Guadalcanal. On their way to Okinawa, the unit stopped off at Mog Mog for a beer bust. McClellan was among the first marines to land on Okinawa. After securing the northern portion of the island, his unit moved south. He was detached and spent 10 days assisting the Graves Registration commander in digging graves. A leiutenant from his company rescued him from this duty and sent him back to the rest of his company on the line. From Okinawa, McClellan went to Guam with his unit, then Yokosuka after the surrender. He spent over a year in Japan before being discharged in Corpus Christi, Texas in February, 1947. In 1950, he was called up for duty in Korea.

Transcript of an oral interview with Lieutenant Commander Louis G. Lacy. Lacy enlisted in the Navy in July, 1941 after he graduated from Texas Christian University. He received orders to report to officer training school in Chicago shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After getting commissioned, Lacy went to Naval Mine Warfare School in Virginia for more training. From there, Lacy was assigned to the USS Adroit (AM-82) briefly. After that, he was assigned to the USS Starling (AM-64). Before long, he was assigned back to Virginia for more mine warfare training. Then he was ordered to report aboard the Starling, which he did at New Caledonia. From there, the Starling provided minsweeping duties for convoys in and around the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. Lacy then describes being present for the invasion of Guam. From there, the Starling went back to California for some overhaul work before heading back out, this time for the invasion of Okinawa. Lacy was serving as the ship's Executive Officer at this point. Their duty was to sweep for mines prior to the invasion. Lacy also speaks of being attacked by kamikaze planes off Okinawa. In November, 1945, Lacy rotated home and was …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Sims. Sims was born in Sanger, Texas on 15 August 1921. He quit school and joined the US Marine Corps in September 1940. After completing boot training at Camp Pendleton, California he was sent to Iceland. After eight months, he returned to San Diego. Soon after his arrival he was among fourteen Marines selected for duty on American Samoa. After sixteen months, they were sent to Pearl Harbor for four months of training. As Sims had contracted elephantiasis while in Samoa, he was put into a hospital in San Francisco. Upon recovering he was sent to the Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas where he performed guard duty for four months. He went to Guam for a short time, was involved in limited action on Eniwetok and was sent to China following the surrender of Japan. He was discharged in 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Edmund K. Austin. Austin was drafted his junior year in high school (1943) and sent to Camp Greely in Oklahoma for basic training. From there he was sent to the Pacific and went into a heavy artillery unit (155 mm Long Tom outfit) that had been based on Christmas Island at the beginning of the war. Got bad jungle rot in the Philippines. After the Philippine operation (near the end of Luzon), his unit (532nd Field Artillery Battalion) was sent to Okinawa aboard a LST. They landed on Shishi Jima (small island off Naha) a day or so before the big invasion of Okinawa proper. Witnessed kamikaze attacks a saw several Navy ships hit. Japanese tried to invade Shishi Jima but they were not successful. Had a shell land in his gun pit but it was a dud. Later in the operation his unit was loaded on a barge and taken over to Okinawa, somewhere around Naha. Did lots of firing supporting the Army and Marines because their guns had the range. Operated for a while in the rain and mud. Assigned to a USO unit when the war was over. Austin was a …