Interview with Gilberto S. Trevino, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He attended Texas A&M before serving in the Marine Corps. He was in the 28th Replacement Battalion when he was assigned to the 3d Marine Division and deployed to Iwo Jima. He discusses his first impressions of landing on the island. He describes the constructed Japanese defenses on the island and the use of Japanese Nisei interpreters to convince defenders to surrender. He returned to Texas A&M where he was in the Corps of Cadets (ROTC) and accepted his commission in the Army in time to serve in Korea. He eventually earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A&M and a doctorate degree in pathology from Michigan State University. He retired from service in 1976 with the rank of colonel.

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 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 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.

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 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 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 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.

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 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.

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.

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 interview with James Ahr. Ahr joined the Marine Corps at 16 years old in November, 1942. He lied about his age. After training, he went overseas and was assigned to the 9th Marine Regiment. He arrived in time for the invasion of Guam. Ahr also was at Iwo Jima and shares several impressions and anecdotes of the battle.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Johnnie Lee Pechal. Pechal was drafted into the Navy in July 1943 and went to San Diego for boot camp. Pechal’s first assignment was in a Naval hospital in New Orleans, then Camp Lejeune for further training with the Marines, then Camp Pendleton, after which he was attached to Company B in the 5th Medical Battalion in the 5th Marine Division. In January 1945 they boarded a troop ship bound for Iwo Jima where his company did not go in until the fifth day of the invasion. He was on the island 26 days serving as a corpsman before getting wounded on 22 March 1945. He was at home on leave when the Japanese surrendered and then went to Sasebo with occupation forces. They set up a hospital though there was little need for trained corpsmen.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Farritor. Farritor enlisted in the Marine Corps on 2 July 1941 in Des Moines, Iowa. He completed boot camp in San Diego. In July 1942 he joined the Second Marine Division. In September 1942 his unit helped open Camp Pendleton. While there he met Bob Hope, who introduced him to Frances Langford, Jerry Colona, Les Brown and Bing Crosby. They headed to Auckland, New Zealand in January 1943 on the USS Mount Vernon (AP-22). Eleanor Roosevelt visited them in New Zealand and Farritor laughed with her about taking Atabrine tablets, which she took along with the rest of the men. They moved to Guadalcanal in April 1943. He talks about living in six-man tents and anticipating Washing Machine Charlie. He was in Guadalcanal from April to late September 1943. They landed at Bougainville on 1 November 1943. At Bougainville, he encountered Japanese fire. They returned to Guadalcanal and remained there from January until May 1944. Then his group secured Guam. Then, they headed to Iwo Jima, landing there on 26 February 1945 halfway between Hot Rocks and Futatsu Rock. He was at Iwo Jima for thirty-six days of …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Curtis McGowen. McGowen enlisted in the Marine Corps in January, 1944. When finished with basic training, McGowen went to field telephone school. McGowen landed in the fifth wave at Iwo Jima and set up communications between shore and ships. He spotted for naval gunfire with his communications team. When the battle ended, he headed back to Hawaii and was there when the war ended. He then went to Guam to set up telephone communications on the island before leaving for the US. He was discharged in April, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Chester Ahr. Ahr joined the Marine Corps in December, 1941. He trained in San Diego and shipped overseas in October, 1942 to Guadalcanal where he was attached to a base services unit, which assisted the Seabees and Army engineers in construction projects. He also was in the invasion of Guam, where he was wounded and evacuated. Once he returned to his unit, Ahr got very sick and missed the invasion of Iwo Jima. Shortly afterwards, he was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jimmie C. Thomas. Thomas was born in Ada, Oklahoma 1 May 1923. He was attending Texas A&M University when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He joined the Navy and went to Del Monte, California for three months of pre-flight before going to Norman, Oklahoma for three months of advanced training. Upon completion, he was sent to Corpus Christi Naval Air Station where he trained in the SNJ-T6 trainer. After graduation, he was assigned to fly PBYs at Jacksonville, Florida. After returning from a training flight to Guantanamo, Cuba he was transferred to a Patrol Bomber Squadron and sent to Hutchinson, Kansas for advanced training in a PBY4. Afterwards, he went to California where he selected his crew. They went to the Consolidated Aircraft plant to pick up a new PBY4-2. The crew then flew to Hawaii where they spent four weeks before joining a squadron on Tinian. The crew named their plane Cover Girl and contacted Milton Caniff to provide them with a sketch for nose art. The squadron was transferred to Iwo Jima where they flew combination missions of air sea rescue while seeking Japanese shipping to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Larry Hermes. Hermes was attending Rice University when the war started. He enrolled in the Navy’s V-12 program and graduated with a commission in September, 1944. His first assignment was aboard USS LCI(G)-471, which he caught in Guam, and consisted of persuading holdout Japanese to surrender. Next, they headed for Iwo Jima, where they were attacked by shore batteries while supporting underwater demolition team activities two days prior to the invasion. Hermes was asked later to conduct the burial at sea, which he did. He also shares other stories from just off Iwo Jima. Hermes comments on how LCI(G)s were used as gunboats supporting units ashore. When the war ended, he made his way back to the US and took USS LCI(L)-552 from the west coast, through the Panama Canal, to South Carolina where he was in charge of decommissioning it.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Evan Aron Roberts. Roberts was born in November 1933, and joined the Marine Corps Reserve at the Naval Air Station in Dallas in 1951. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division, and was stationed at South Camp Fuji, near Gotemba, Japan. In early 1953, he was deployed to Iwo Jima to clean up unexploded ordinances and other hazards on the island around Mount Suribachi, and participate in training maneuvers. Roberts’ job was to review and log the remains of Japanese fortifications in caves and holes, including food items, ammunition, and cases of rifles, pistols and medical supplies. After review, the items were left, and the caves and holes were detonated and closed up. Roberts also worked in Okinawa and with Task Force 77 off the coast of China. He returned to the US and received his discharge as a corporal in 1955.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Major General Carey Randall. Randall was born in Gloster, Mississippi, 15 November 1912. Entering Louisiana State University In 1930 he participated in ROTC and in 1935 accepted a commission in the United States Marine Corps. Upon acceptance, he was sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for additional training. Afterwards, he was assigned to the shipyard at Bremerton, Washington as platoon leader in one of the guardhouses. In 1937 he was sent to Shanghai, China and assigned to the 4th Marine Regiment. Leaving China in 1939, he was assigned as an aid to the commanding general at Quantico, Virginia. In early 1941 Randall received orders to the USS Enterprise (CV-6) as senior marine officer. He recalls 7 December 1941, when he was on temporary shore duty when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Going aboard the Enterprise he served as the anti-aircraft control officer and participated in the battle of Midway. He then received orders to report to San Diego to help organize the 9th Marine Battalion. In January 1943 the unit left California and went to New Zealand where they continued their training. They went to Guadalcanal and assisted in mop-up …