The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Herman Johns. Johns was working for International Harvester when he decided to join the Air Force. He did essentially the same job for the Air Force he did as a civilian: accounting and finance. Johns met and married his wife while he was in the service. When his stint in the Air Force was complete, Johns returned to work for International Harvester in Dallas.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Waldrip. Born in Texas in 1923, he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in May 1942. After training, he was sent to England where he was assigned to the 490th Bomb Group. He served as a crewmember on a B-17 aircraft. Other members of the crew were Charles Smelser, Neil Johnson, Leonard Kail, and Jake Jackson. He talks about ?buzz bombs?, the living conditions, and flight suits. He describes the airplane weaponry as well as the logistics of bombing missions. He recounts a story of his plane going off course due to bad weather when returning from a bombing mission during the Battle of the Bulge. He was involved in missions to bomb strategic targets in Germany. He describes bombing missions to Berlin and Merseburg, Germany. He also describes a mission to bomb submarines at Brest, France during the Normandy Invasion. He shares anecdotes about flak; obtaining coal to heat his Quonset hut; cleaning his uniform with airplane fuel; and censoring mail. He returned to the United States in 1945 after flying 35 missions. He left military service when the war ended. In 1949 he joined the United …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Mildred Bauman. Bauman’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1923. She was born in Brooklyn, New York in November of 1926. Her family sent her back to Germany to live with her grandparents in Berlin in 1928. Bauman grew up in Germany during the Nazi reign and was 13 years old when World War II began. Being an American citizen, Bauman endured relentless harassment from neighbors and classmates. She vividly describes her experiences growing up and as a young woman in the early 1940s, including forced evacuations, Russians taking over, bombings, concentration camps and casualties. She was sent back to the U.S. in 1946 due to her American citizenship. From the early 1950s to the 1980s Bauman worked for Guaranty Federal in Dallas. She retired to Burnet, Texas. She speaks of desiring to compile her story into a book, though it wasn’t until 2014 that a book came to fruition, titled “Abandoned! The WWII Ordeal of an American Child Living and Surviving from 1928 to 1946 in Hitler’s Nazi Germany”, available at the Burnet County Library.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas R. Durham. Durham was born in Oklahoma 24 March 1924 and joined the Marine Corps 7 April 1944 and went to boot camp in San Diego, California. He recalls being on board a troop ship with 3000 Marine replacements for the 1st Marine Division after the battle of Peleliu. Landing on Okinawa 1 April 1945 he entered the battle and describes incidents that contributed to high casualty rates. Within his initial group of 43 men, thirteen were killed, the rest were wounded. Durham’s slight wound became very infected requiring a stay in the hospital. Returning to combat with his unit he describes an explosion that killed a close friend and gave him a severe concussion. He was hospitalized for combat fatigue and was sent home on leave. He recounts his experiences on the ship that carried him and sixty-four others who had been wounded twice as well as 1000 Japanese prisoners of war. Stopping in Hawaii, the POWs were taken off the ship and it proceeded to San Francisco. Durham was home on leave when Japan surrendered. Returning to Camp Pendleton, he performed various duties until he …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Warren Tsuneishi. Tsuneishi was living in California when the war started and was soon evacuated to a Japanese-American detention center. He joined his family at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming. He did not stay there long as he was allowed to attend Syracuse University. In 1943, he entered the Military intelligence Language School and studied Japanese to become an interpreter. He participated in the invasion of Leyte Island and worked as a translator and interpreter. Tsuneishi also went to Okinawa as a translator. Tsuneishi provides unique insight from the Japanese American perspective of his time in the Army.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Howard Schaefer. Schaefer was drafted into the Army in April, 1943. Once in, he passed the exam to become an air cadet. Instead of becoming a pilot, he was trained as a tail gunner and went overseas to Tinian to join the 505th Bomb Group. He flew in B-29s on several missions to Japan mining harbors or dropping bombs. He flew on 13 combat missions before flyting on a few prisoner of war supply missions. When the war ended, Schaefer flew home on a B-29 and attended college on the GI Bill.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Santiago Villanueva. Villanueva was born in Helena, Texas 7 February 1922. He was drafted into the Army in 1941and had basic training at Camp Adair, Oregon. Upon being assigned as a gunner in an 81mm mortar squad in the 1st Battalion, 382nd Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division he was sent to Obispo, California for amphibious training. He recalls being sent to Camp Stoneman, California prior to disembarking for overseas. Stopping in Hawaii the unit underwent jungle training for several weeks. The division was part of the invasion force that landed on Leyte in October 1944 and Villanueva remarks than many of his friends were killed during the action. The division also took part in the invasion of Okinawa and Villanueva tells of being subjected to banzai charges by the Japanese. He also witnessed Japanese paratroopers land on Okinawa. After the surrender of Japan he returned to the United States and received his discharge.

Transcript of an oral interview with Al Heigel. When Heigel finished high school in June, 1944, he joined the Navy at Little Rock, Arkansas and went for boot training at San Diego. He was assigned as a radar operator and reported aboard the USS Independence (CVL-22) at Pearl Harbor. Heigel describes the light carrier and its construction and features. He also speaks of the time the Independence was hit by a torpedo off Tarawa in 1943. Heigel then describes events off Okinawa: watching the USS Franklin (CV-13) being bombed off Okinawa; locating and shooting down kamikazes; describing battle stations; aircraft water landings; being in a typhoon, etc. After the war ended, the Independence served as a troop transport taking GIs back home to the US. He describes bunks in the hangar deck and arriving in Portland, Oregon. As the Independence was being prepared for the Bikini Atoll atomic tests, Heigel got off becuase he had the requisite amount of points allowing him to be discharged. He then entered the lumber business, married and raised family.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Clayton. Clayton was drafted into the United States Navy. After training, he joined the Amphibious Forces and was assigned to USS Alpine (APA-92). His crew made assaults on Guam and the Philippines. He was a yeoman for 2 years. He was aboard the Alpine when it was commissioned and decommissioned. After the war, the Alpine pulled troops out of battle zones in Japan and China. He was discharged in New Orleans.

Transcript of an oral interview with Charles H. Britten. Britten was drafted into the Marine Corps after he finished high school in June, 1944. He trained at San Diego and at Camp Pendleton as a Marine scout and sniper. He was eventually assigned to the Headquarters Company, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division. He trained more on Guadalcanal in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. Britten shares several anecdotes about his time in battle on Okinawa. When the war ended, Britten and his unit were sent to China for occupation duty. He returned home in July, 1946 and was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Walker. Walker finished high school in 1942, then joined the Navy. He was trained as a pharmacist's mate and went to Guadalcanal in February 1943 and stayed until October. He was evacuated with a few illnesses. Once he recovered, he was assigned to USS Rixey (APH-3). He went to officer candidate school in Kansas in August, 1944. He finished the war there and elected to stay for the education to become an officer rather than return to the Fleet as a first class petty officer. When he finished school and received his commission, he was assigned to USS Ashtabula (AO-51) in 1948 and headed for Japan and other ports. Walker resigned his commission in 1951.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Doty. Doty was working as the head of safety in various munitions factories before he beat his deferment and volunteered for duty in the Marine Corps in 1944. Doty shares several anecdotes from training because the war ended before he went overseas. Doty was much older than everyone else around him and he was called Pop. He was discharged in August, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joseph Hafter. Hafter went into the Air Force right after Pearl Harbor, attended radio school in Illinois and then was sent to Colorado Springs, CO Air Base. His unit (17th Photo Recon, flying P-38s) was shipped overseas via a Dutch freighter ending up on Guadalcanal on 6 Jan 1943. While on Guadalcanal, Hafter transferred to the 70th Fighter Squadron which was flying P-39s. Had malaria five times. His unit moved to Ondonga Island in the New Georgia Group about Aug 1943, then to Munda, and then Sanspore, New Guinea. At Munda, they switched over to P-38s. After Sanspore, his unit went to Morotai, Dutch East Indies, then to Lingayan Gulf and finally Mindoro in the Philippines when that island was taken. From there, his unit moved to Mindanao and Palawan, which is where he came home from. His first relief was after 21 months in the islands. Got back to the States right before Thanksgiving 1945 and mustered out shortly afterwards.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Paine. When Paine joined the Army in September, 1942, he went into the 955th Engineering Topographic Company. His unit drew maps of islands based on aerial photographs from the Solomons to the Philippines that were used by the other service branches. In 1945, his unit moved to Manila while the city was still being cleared of Japanese, but they were not making maps anymore. They instead performed regular engineering tasks: setting up radio towers, clearing roads, etc. When he arrived in the Philippines, Paine was glad to return to some form civilization. He comments on the damage done in Manila.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Dotson. Dotson joined the Navy at 18 when he finished high school in 1943. He trained at Great Lakes Naval Training Center outside Chicago. From there, he went to Maryland to train in the Navy's Amphibious Forces. Upon completing training, Dotson joined the crew of a brand new Landing Craft, Infantry (USS LCI-471) and headed throught the Panama Canal for the Pacific. Initially, he served as a helmsman while his LCI carried underwater demolition teams (UDT) in support for the invasion of Guam. During the campaign for Guam, USS LCI-471 served as a Japanese prisoner-of-war clearing station. About 100 Japanese POWs came on and off USS LCI-471. After assembling at Ulithi, Dotson sailed with the invasion force to Iwo Jima. USS LCI-471 continued to operate supporting he UDTs prior to the invasion. The Japanese fired on and hit USS LCI-471, causing some damage and killing 11 crewmen. When the UDT completed their tasks prior to the invasion, USS LCI-471 continued on station as a support vessel ferrying supplies to shore, escorting members of the press, and making smoke screens for the fleet. After the battle, Dotson went …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George L. Craig. In 1943, when he was 18, he signed up for service in the Marine Corps in Richmond, Virginia. He had basic training at Parris island, South Carolina. After that, Craig went to Quantico, Virginia to Field Artillery School where he trained as a surveyor. Then, he had more training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, before heading to Camp Pendleton, California where he joined the Fifth Marine Division. From there, he went to Hawaii for more advanced training at Camp Tarawa. Then, Craig speaks about landing at and fighting on Iwo Jima. He also talks about occupation duty at Sasebo, Japan when the war ended. Craig returnded home and attended the University of Maryland on the GI Bill and went into public education in Winchester, Virginia until he retired in 1985.

The National Museum of the Pacific war presents an oral interview with Howard Towry. Towry was born in Graham, Texas 17 December 1926. He quit school in 1943 and began driving a truck. Joining the US Marine Corps in January 1944, he went to San Diego for eight weeks of boot camp. After completing boot training, he was sent to Camp Pendleton where he joined the 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division for a short time. Towry was then sent to a tank destroyer unit at Camp Elliott. He learned to use various weapons and explosives. During November 1944 he boarded the USS Marathon (APA-200) bound for Pavuvu where he joined the 1st Marine Division, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Regiment as a tank driver. During March 1945 the regiment went to Okinawa where he was assigned to Headquarters Company of the 1st Regiment as tank liaison. Towry recalls being subjected to artillery fire that wounded him and killed two men with him. He describes the typhoon that hit Okinawa in October 1945. After the surrender of Japan the 1st Marines were sent to Tientsin, China to disarm Japanese troops and maintain order. Towry returned to the United States and was discharged …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Taylor. Taylor joined the Navy in 1942 and trained at Great Lakes as an electrician. He was assigned to USS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95) and was aboard when the kamikazes hit her. He was assigned to a damage control unit on the flight deck and was fighting fires from the first kamikaze strike when the second kamikaze struck. He was rescued from the water by a neighbor from back home who as a crewmember of USS Edmonds (DE-406). Taylor was injured badly and returned to a hospital in the US. Taylor stayed in the Navy and earned a commission.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clyde Johnson. Johnson joined the Navy in January, 1944 and went to San Diego for boot camp. From there, he went to the University of Kansas to electrician's school. He finally joined the USS Chester (CA-27) at Ulithi 31 October 1944 as an electrician's mate. Soon after, the Chester went to Iwo Jima to bombard the island prior to the invasion. Right as the invasion began, Chester collided with another ship and lost a screw. She was returned to Mare Island for repairs and updates. Toward the end of June, she returned to duty and made it to Okinawa for the end of the action there. Johnson separated the Navy in 1946 and returned to Hondo, Texas.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James W. Nelson. After the attack o nPearl Harbor, Nelson enlisted. He was rejected for flight school on account of his age so he went to meteorology school at the University of Chicago instead. From there, he was assigned to a weather station in Laredo, Texas. Nelson was transported aboard USS LST-792 to Iwo Jima and recalls beaching, unloading troops and tanks and backing off the island. He recalls walking along the beach and witnessing the flag-raising atop Mt. Suribachi. Eventually, he got his radar station set up near the airfield on Iwo Jima. From there, he guided B-29s toward Japan. He remained on Iwo Jima through December, 1945 at his radar station.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Colonel Ken Miller. Miller was born in Toronto, Canada and raised in California. As a student, he became interested in radio communications and went into the California National Guard in 1939. In the Guard he was wth 102nd Signal Radio Intelligence Company. Miller was on his way to Hawaii and then the Philippines when the Japanese attacked. The ship he was on returned to San Francisco and he was sent to Officer Candidte School. Upon graduating, he was assigned to the 8th Army Air Force Radio Squadron Mobile at Camp Pinedale where he trained units headed for the field overseas. Eventually, he shipped out with the last unit he trained and was stationed at Guam prior to the invasion of Iwo Jima. Once the island was secure, Miller went in and established his radio station where he intercepted Japanese radio traffic. Miller continues with several anecdotes about being on Iwo Jima: recovering Japanese code books from aircraft crashes; surfing; being attacked by Japanese planes; witnessing airplane ditches and crashes; receiving mail; being attacked at night by Japanese holdouts; working with Japanese Americans on Iwo Jima; a typhoon; etc. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bud Nardecchia. After turning 18 years old in 1943, he voluntarily joined the Marine Corps and was sent to boot camp in San Diego, California. He was sent to Guam in 1944. He discusses sailing to Iwo Jima, going ashore on an LST (Landing Ship, Tank), and his experiences on the island. After returning to Guam, he was sent to northern China where he spent nine months. He includes an anecdote about experiencing a typhoon while on board a ship returning to San Diego, California. He also recounts his memory of learning about the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was discharged from the Marines in San Diego, California.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Tom Ketchbaw. Ketchbaw joined the Marine Corps in March, 1943 and trained at San Diego. He also attended radio school prior to making the invasion of the Marshall Islands in January 1944. Ketchbaw kept getting thrown in the brig and became a sort of orphan in the Corps without a unit for a while. As a result, he was in several different amphibian tractor battalions and eventually ended up in the 3rd Marine Division as a member of the band because he could play the trumpet well. He participated in the invasion of Guam and went directly from Guam to Iwo Jima. After leaving Iwo Jima, Ketchbaw spent some time in the hospital before being discharged in October, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jim Humphries. He joined the Army Air Corps as a reserve cadet at 17, but was discharged a year later for less than 20/20 vision and a heart murmur. He enlisted in the Navy in Louisiana in June, 1944. He went to Basic Training at Camp Wallace, Texas. After training he boarded USS LSM-140 at San Diego and served in the Amphibious Forces as a fireman 2nd class in the engine room. Humphries continued training in Hawaii with the LSM and a Marine Pioneer battalion. Prior to heading for Iwo Jima, the LSM took aboard the Marines and a load of airfield construction equipment: a bulldozer, a cherry-picker, a crane, a big 6x6 truck (all of which proved useless beacuse it all sank in the sand on the beach). Humphries describes making suppply runs back and forth from cargo ships offshore to the Marines on the beach. He describes bringing them food, ammunition, clothing, etc. as well as recieving incoming enemy fire that wounded and killed several sailors. He lauds the weasel - a small tracked vehicle that made running supplies over the beaches at Iwo Jima a …