The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Kindrick. Kindrick was born 23 May 1925 in Coffeeville, Kansas. Upon graduating from high school in 1943, he joined the Army. After completing nine weeks of basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky he was assigned as an assistant tank driver of an M-4 Sherman tank. His unit eventually boarded a ship and sailed to South Hampton, England. On 10 June 1944 he crossed over to Normandy on an LST landing at Omaha Beach. There he was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division, I Company, 67th Armored Regiment as the assistant driver on the company command tank. He explains the purpose of a command tank and the position of it in the battle plans. He participated in the breakout at Saint Lo, the Battle of the Bulge and the crossed the Rhine River on a pontoon bridge into Germany. After Germany surrendered, the company spent three months as an occupation force in Berlin. Kindrick was discharged upon his return to the United States in the fall of 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Ethel Tucker. She discusses life prior to and on the homefront during the World War II. She gives a detailed portion of her history of going to New York City to work while waiting for her husband to return to port. Her husband was in the U.S. Navy at the time, and she shared an apartment with some of the other wives.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Black. Admiral James Richardson inspired Black to join the Navy. Black enlisted on his 18th birthday. He then trained as a radio operator and in January 1945 boarded the USS Franklin (CV-13). Black was in the mess hall after finishing a long watch when the bombs struck. Hungry and tired, he was suddenly tossed against the wall, landing conveniently on a pile of mattresses. But he was also trapped, the hatch inoperable due to a fire above. He managed somehow to escape in the dark and abandon ship. After being rescued by the USS Hunt (DD-674), Black was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down by hypothermia from the cold water. Upon recovery, he was reassigned to a secret outfit, as a radio direction finder locating enemy transmissions. After the war, Black finished his service aboard a seagoing tug, serving as the communications officer due to a shortage of men. He suffered from PTSD after discharge, which required continued use of medication to manage.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edgar McCann. McCann was drafted into the Navy in 1944. He completed boot camp in San Diego. He served in Hawaii for fourteen months and remained at a base during the war repairing landing craft. He provides some details of his work and life in Oahu, Hawaii. He was discharged in Houston in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Kirby Krause. Krause joined the Navy in September of 1943 and served aboard the USS Nevada (BB-36) in the 4th Division retrieving seaplanes out of the water. He vividly describes his work aboard the ship, including his work with fueling hoses. Krause goes into great detail of life aboard the ship including food, living quarters and overall morale amongst the men. The Nevada served as a convoy escort, providing fire support during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Krause provides details of getting hit by a kamikaze during the Battle of Okinawa. He also shares the procedures for burial at sea for the men killed in action. In August of 1945 they were sent to Leyte Island for ship repairs. He was discharged around June of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joe Haines. Haines joined the Army Air Forces in 1942. He was assigned to the 9th Bomb Group in a B-17. He served as their photographer. He traveled to North Africa and provides some detail of his job photographing various events in the war, from the B-17, including missions when they were bombing or getting hit with flak. They traveled to Italy, and he describes meeting Pope Pius the 12th and a shares number of other stories from his travels in Italy. They flew around 40 missions. He was discharged in August of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ben Smith. Smith was born on a farm in Illinois 9 June 1918. After college he became an embalmer for the state of Colorado. Volunteering for the Army Air Corps, he trained at the Spartan School of Aeronautics before being sent to Brady, Texas for basic flight training, then Kelly Field for advanced. He was then sent to Muroc Air Field, California for P-38 gunnery training. After he was commissioned, he was assigned as an instructor. In March 1943 he flew with several other pilots to New Guinea. There he was assigned to the 13th Air Force, 18th Fighter Group, 12th Fighter Squadron. He made daily sweeps over various islands occupied by the Japanese, during which Smith strafed and dropped napalm. He recalls one mission during which the plane flown by close friend was hit by flak. When the pilot bailed out, a Zero pilot killed him in his parachute. Smith was based at several locations in the Philippines where he contacted dengue fever and dysentery. He recalls an incident in which he shot down a Japanese Zero. In early 1945 he went to Luzon and flew numerous …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joe Haines. Haines joined the Army Air Forces in 1942. He was assigned to the 9th Bomb Group in a B-17. He served as their photographer. He traveled to North Africa and provides some detail of his job photographing various events in the war, from the B-17, including missions when they were bombing or getting hit with flak. They traveled to Italy, and he describes meeting Pope Pius the 12th and a shares number of other stories from his travels in Italy. They flew around 40 missions. He was discharged in August of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Kirby Krause. Krause joined the Navy in September of 1943 and served aboard the USS Nevada (BB-36) in the 4th Division retrieving seaplanes out of the water. He vividly describes his work aboard the ship, including his work with fueling hoses. Krause goes into great detail of life aboard the ship including food, living quarters and overall morale amongst the men. The Nevada served as a convoy escort, providing fire support during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Krause provides details of getting hit by a kamikaze during the Battle of Okinawa. He also shares the procedures for burial at sea for the men killed in action. In August of 1945 they were sent to Leyte Island for ship repairs. He was discharged around June of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edgar McCann. McCann was drafted into the Navy in 1944. He completed boot camp in San Diego. He served in Hawaii for fourteen months and remained at a base during the war repairing landing craft. He provides some details of his work and life in Oahu, Hawaii. He was discharged in Houston in late 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Ethel Tucker. She discusses life prior to and on the homefront during the World War II. She gives a detailed portion of her history of going to New York City to work while waiting for her husband to return to port. Her husband was in the U.S. Navy at the time, and she shared an apartment with some of the other wives.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Kindrick. Kindrick was born 23 May 1925 in Coffeeville, Kansas. Upon graduating from high school in 1943, he joined the Army. After completing nine weeks of basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky he was assigned as an assistant tank driver of an M-4 Sherman tank. His unit eventually boarded a ship and sailed to South Hampton, England. On 10 June 1944 he crossed over to Normandy on an LST landing at Omaha Beach. There he was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division, I Company, 67th Armored Regiment as the assistant driver on the company command tank. He explains the purpose of a command tank and the position of it in the battle plans. He participated in the breakout at Saint Lo, the Battle of the Bulge and the crossed the Rhine River on a pontoon bridge into Germany. After Germany surrendered, the company spent three months as an occupation force in Berlin. Kindrick was discharged upon his return to the United States in the fall of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Black. Admiral James Richardson inspired Black to join the Navy. Black enlisted on his 18th birthday. He then trained as a radio operator and in January 1945 boarded the USS Franklin (CV-13). Black was in the mess hall after finishing a long watch when the bombs struck. Hungry and tired, he was suddenly tossed against the wall, landing conveniently on a pile of mattresses. But he was also trapped, the hatch inoperable due to a fire above. He managed somehow to escape in the dark and abandon ship. After being rescued by the USS Hunt (DD-674), Black was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down by hypothermia from the cold water. Upon recovery, he was reassigned to a secret outfit, as a radio direction finder locating enemy transmissions. After the war, Black finished his service aboard a seagoing tug, serving as the communications officer due to a shortage of men. He suffered from PTSD after discharge, which required continued use of medication to manage.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ben Smith. Smith was born on a farm in Illinois 9 June 1918. After college he became an embalmer for the state of Colorado. Volunteering for the Army Air Corps, he trained at the Spartan School of Aeronautics before being sent to Brady, Texas for basic flight training, then Kelly Field for advanced. He was then sent to Muroc Air Field, California for P-38 gunnery training. After he was commissioned, he was assigned as an instructor. In March 1943 he flew with several other pilots to New Guinea. There he was assigned to the 13th Air Force, 18th Fighter Group, 12th Fighter Squadron. He made daily sweeps over various islands occupied by the Japanese, during which Smith strafed and dropped napalm. He recalls one mission during which the plane flown by close friend was hit by flak. When the pilot bailed out, a Zero pilot killed him in his parachute. Smith was based at several locations in the Philippines where he contacted dengue fever and dysentery. He recalls an incident in which he shot down a Japanese Zero. In early 1945 he went to Luzon and flew numerous …