The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henri Granier. Granier joined the Army in 1939 and received basic training at Fort Slocum. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 27th Infantry Regiment and sent to Schofield Barracks. He fired at Japanese planes as they left Pearl Harbor on the day of the attack. His first experience of combat was on Guadalcanal in January 1942 when he survived a banzai attack in the jungle. While on night duty in the Solomon Islands, he heard a Japanese troop carrier approaching, so he quickly disassembled and reassembled a jammed 57-millimeter recoilless rifle, successfully defending his unit. He was wounded twice in combat, once by a piece of shrapnel and once by a Japanese saber. His unit was relieved and sent to New Zealand for reorganization. While there, the war ended. Granier returned to the United States and remained in the Army, twice deploying to Korea and twice to Vietnam. At the beginning of the Iraq War, he donned dress greens and showed up at a recruiting office, requesting to reenlist. He was 89 years old at the time.

Transcript of an oral interview with Claxito R. Ramirez. He joined the Army in 1942 and was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division. He arrived in Belgium in late 1944 in time to participate in the Battle of the Bulge. In April, 1945 Ramirez was riding on a tank that got hit by a German 88mm shell. Ramirez was wounded by shell fragments and spent some time in the hospital before returning to his unit. By the time he returned to his unit, the war in Europe had reached an end. He stayed in Europe until December when he returned to Texas, where he was discharged in January, 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Harold F. Neuberger. Neuberger grew up on a farm in Illinois and joined the Navy after he finished high school in 1943. He trained at Camp Farragut, Idaho. From there, he went to a machinist school at the University of Kansas. Then he attended a naval optics school in Washington, DC. Upon graduating, Neuberger was assigned to the USS Bennington (CV-20), and was a crewmember upon the ship's commissioning (thus making him a plankowner). He describes going through the Panama Canal on their way to the Pacific in early 1945. The Bennington's first assignement took her to just off the coast of Japan. Then she headed for Iwo Jima. After that, she resupplied and cruised for Okinawa, where the carrier provided air support for ground forces. Neuberger describes going through a typhoon. Neuberger was discharged in February, 1946 and returned to Illinois.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Benjamin Cranefield, Jr. Cranefield joined the US Navy in 1943, and after attending boot camp in Farragut, Idaho, was sent to corpsman school in San Diego, California. Upon completion of the corpsman training he underwent amphibious training. Then he boarded the USS Hansford (APA-106). He tells of joining the 1st Battalion, 27th Regiment of the 5th Marines at Hilo, Hawaii and of landing on Saipan. He describes the combat actions taking place during the four days following the landing. He recalls being involved in action on Iwo Jima, after which time he went back aboard the Hansford. He was aboard when it delivered the Army’s 27th Infantry Division to Okinawa. He describes the operating room aboard the USS Hansford. Following the battle for Okinawa the ship sailed to Subic Bay, Philippine Islands to undergo training for the invasion of Japan. Following the surrender of Japan the ship participated in Operation Magic Carpet until the program was terminated. Soon afterwards the ship went to Norfolk, Virginia, where it was decommissioned.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Haw. As a member of the ROTC, Haw joined the Navy at the age of 17. Upon completion of hospital corps school in San Diego, he was assigned to an operating room at Shoemaker Naval Hospital where he performed minor surgery and worked as an obstetrician. He was granted leave to attend his mother's funeral, and a clerical error resulted in his being reported AWOL. Haw's father was shunned by his community and ridiculed in the local papers for this. Haw deployed to Iwo Jima, where he gave lifesaving assistance to the wounded even after sustaining a permanent spinal cord injury during a shell blast. In the Philippines, he tended to newly liberated American POWs, some of whom were suicidal. After returning home and being discharged in 1946, Haw himself suffered from PTSD.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Stanley Holzhauer. Holzhauer joined the Navy in late 1943 and received basic training at Farragut. Upon completion of signal school, he was assigned to a beach party with the USS Hansford (APA-106), assisting the 27th Regiment of the 5th Marine Division. He was trained in hand-to-hand combat at Camp Pendleton before deploying to Iwo Jima, where he landed in the sixth wave. On the way in, a shell went through his tank and exploded in the water behind him. The volcanic ash on the beach made it so that his tank could not land, so Holzhauer exited into the water, losing all but his generator and signal lamp. The first message he relayed back to the ship was a request for Marston matting so that tanks could maneuver over the beach. His party suffered heavy casualties, immediately losing their two radiomen, doctor, and assistant beach master. Holzhauer survived and continued to serve aboard the Hansford until his discharge in April 1946. He attended school on the GI Bill and became the dean of students at a large high school. Before the war, his family had been so poor …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John McKelfresh. McKelfresh joined the Navy soon after the war began, leaving behind his career as a schoolteacher. Upon completion of officer training at Northwestern, he was assigned to the USS Hansford (APA-106) as assistant navigator and legal officer. In reviewing ingoing and outgoing mail, he consoled the many recipients of Dear John letters. He also had to let go of a highly skilled navigator who committed the indiscretion of broadcasting the ship's whereabouts via coded letters to family. At Okinawa, a young sailor was killed in an innocent but reckless competition to see who could unload their landing craft the quickest. McKelfresh chose to record the death as merely accidental, casting no blame on anyone. After the war ended, McKelfresh visited a holy site in Japan and was stunned by its beauty and tranquility. He returned home and was discharged soon after.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Covill Schneider. " " In February 1943, he began his ground education. By the time he earned his wings, he had witnessed several fatal crashes, prompting him to become a churchgoer. In August 1944 he narrowly qualified for carrier landings in an SBD. He then volunteered for night training in Corsairs. Flying at night over tremendous ocean swells during his training was terrifying. He made his first high-altitude flights in Hawaii off of the USS Saratoga (CV-3), making an emergency landing when a section of cowl broke off and punctured his canopy. When he deployed to Saipan in July 1945, he was met with the sobering sight of human remains in caves that had been burned out by flamethrowers. Schneider returned home and was discharged soon after.

Transcript of an oral interview with Major General John R.D. Cleland. Cleland joined the Army after he finished high school in 1943 because he wanted to be a paratrooper. He took basic training at Fort Hood, Texas and discusses several aspects of it. He eventually was accepted into jump school and describes training to be a paratrooper. After jump school, Cleland went to Parachute demolition school. He graduated top of his class and then went to Officer Candidate School. In November, 1944, he graduated as a second lieutenant from OCS. He finally joined the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team in June, 1945 in the Philippines. He got there aboard the USS Pondera (APA-191). Shortly after arriving on Negros, the Japanese surrendered and Cleland set up and command a prison camp for them. By October, all his prisoners had been shipped out and he went to Japan for occupation duty. While on occupation duty, Cleland was gathered surrendered weapons and demolished ammunition stockpiles. Cleland returned to the US in 1947 and stayed in the service. He describes his participation in the war in Korea. He served as a rifle company commander and was wounded in a night attack. He was evacuated …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bern Ballard. Ballard joined the Army National Guard in November 1940 at Camp Mabry. He served as a truck driver in the Austin and San Antonio area and describes how he was injured during the Louisiana Maneuvers. Ballard describes driving a truck with the 36th Infantry Division in North Africa and Italy. He details having to pick up dead soldiers near the front and drive them back to cemeteries. Ballard describes taking part in the invasion of Southern France and his transfer to the 78th Division and reassignment as an infantryman. He discusses how he was wounded by mortar fire in the Hurtgen Forest and how he was treated. Ballard describes the combat conditions, in particular the cold and lack of food. He accepted the surrender of German soldiers at the end of the war. Ballard was discharged in July 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Carroll. Carroll joined the Marine Corps in August 1943. He became a member of a Unit Defense Company and joined VMO-155 in Hawaii. Carroll was then sent to help defend Midway, Kwajalein, and later Majuro. He briefly describes the islands. Carroll was sent back to the US before the end of the war and served as Sergeant of the Guard at Treasure Island until the end of his enlistment in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Martin Gonzales. Gonzales worked in an aircraft engine plant until he was drafted into the Army in 1943. He joined the 1st Cavalry Division in Australia and took part in the landings at the Admiralty Islands. Gonzales describes becoming a BAR man after the gunner was critically wounded. His unit was then sent to the Philippines and fought on Leyte and Luzon. Gonzales describes the living conditions and details fighting in Manila. He was in Tokyo Bay when the surrender ceremony took place and participated in the occupation for about a month. Gonzales returned to the US and was discharged soon afterwards. He joined a monastery a few years later and discusses his faith in detail.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lawrence Sweet. Sweet joined the Navy near the middle of the war. He was 15 years old and lied about his age. Sweet was trained as an aerial gunner and assigned to a TBM on USS Lexington (CV-16). His age was discovered, but he was allowed to stay in the Navy if he agreed to transfer from being an aviator to the deck division. Sweet became a gunner’s mate and describes the operation of a 5-inch gun. He discusses his duties and daily life on the ship. Sweet remained on the ship for the remainder of the war and left the service soon after the surrender of Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Thomas. Thomas was drafted into the Army in November 1944 after receiving four deferments for working his mother’s farm. He describes how he worked with mules at Fort Sill to transport Pack 75mm artillery. Thomas was then sent to the Philippines where he served as an assistant driver on a two-and-a-half-ton truck. He then traveled to post war Japan for the occupation. Thomas discusses how he worked as a baker for his unit for the remainder of his service. He also describes the damage he observed in Tokyo. Thomas was discharged in November 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Youngs. Youngs joined the Navy and was sent to gunnery school. He was then assigned to USS LST-290. Youngs describes getting sea-sick and a collision with a civilian ship in which he was injured. He was reassigned to the commissioning crew of USS LST-947. Youngs describes his duties as a coxswain including an incident where he received a speeding ticket at Pearl Harbor in his LCVP. He discusses how his ship carried equipment and troops for the invasion of Okinawa. Youngs describes coming under attack by kamikazes and a time when his gun jammed. He participated in the occupation of Japan and was discharged in May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Vaughn Attaway. Attaway was married and living on the farm when he was drafted into the Army in October, 1944. After training, Attaway was shipped to Luzon and attached to the 161st Infantry Battlaion, 25th Infantry Division. Attaway describes varoius patrols he conducted in the hills on Luzon. When the war ended, Attaway's unit began training for the invasion of Japan. When the war ended, Attaway was assigned occupation duty in Japan. Attaway shares a few anecdotes about occupation duty. Attaway returned to the US and was discharged in August, 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dr. Walter N. Burnette. Burnette mentions being involved in the mafia and gaining permission to leave that life. From there, he went to West Point in 1940. His graduation was accelerated due to the war. He graduated in 1943 and was commissioned in the Army Air Forces. General Hap Armold pinned his wings on him. He was originally slated to fly B-25s or B-17s, but was too small to fly medium or heavy bombers so he transitioned to flying A-20s instead. After completing training, Burnette and six other A-20s were ordered to Casa Blanca. Burnette describes the trip to North Africa. Burnette was assigned to the 47th Bomb Goup, 12th Air Force and found his unit in Italy. He mentions seeing the Tuskegee Airmen. Burnette carried an Army infantry captain in the nose of his aircraft on a bombing mission and was then invited to visit the infantry on the front lines, which he did. He went on a dawn patrol and got close to the German lines. Burnette also describes attacking Monte Cassino. When Burnette finished 50 missions he was assigned to the 5th Air Force to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Nash. Nash joined the Army Air Forces in the fall of 1942. He received his wings in April of 1944, and was assigned to the 433rd Troop Carrier Group, 67th Troop Carrier Squadron. Operating primarily in the Southwest Pacific, they transported in supplies and evacuated wounded personnel during numerous campaigns. Nash recalls traveling to Luzon, Okinawa and assisting with the liberation of POWs from Manila and the Bataan survivors. After the war, he served with the occupation forces in Japan. He was discharged in the spring of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Irwin Lejman. Lejman joined the Navy in 1942 and received basic training in Farragut. Upon completion, he was assigned to a pipe and copper shop at the destroyer base in San Diego. He was reassigned to the USS Hansford (APA-106) and worked in the engine room, repairing pipes and relaying phone communication about the ship’s speed and direction. At Iwo Jima, he was given an ad hoc battle station as loader of a 20-milliter gun. His first day shooting at planes, the ship killed 17 U.S. troops on land. The Hansford had tremendous carrying capacity for equipment and troops. The doctors aboard treated wounded from Iwo Jima, and the ship transported Japanese prisoners of war to Yokohama. Lejman was 200 yards away from the USS Missouri (BB-63) for the signing of the surrender. He toured Hiroshima after it was left in ruins. Lejman returned home and was discharged in 1946. He became a stationary engineer for skyscrapers in Chicago, and two of his sons followed suit.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leo Rose. Rose joined the Army Air Forces in early 1942. He served as a B-29 Bombardier and Navigator. Beginning in early 1944, he was assigned to a squadron and plane in Kansas, he does not note his squadron or group number. They were one of the first groups to fly the Superfortress and use the Norden Bombsight. They traveled to Saipan in the Mariana Islands. From these islands, Roses crew flew bombing missions across the Pacific to mainland Japan 37 times. He speaks of combat experiences with the Japanese Zero planes and kamikazes. He returned to the U.S. in 1945 and received his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henri Granier. Granier joined the Army in 1939 and received basic training at Fort Slocum. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 27th Infantry Regiment and sent to Schofield Barracks. He fired at Japanese planes as they left Pearl Harbor on the day of the attack. His first experience of combat was on Guadalcanal in January 1942 when he survived a banzai attack in the jungle. While on night duty in the Solomon Islands, he heard a Japanese troop carrier approaching, so he quickly disassembled and reassembled a jammed 57-millimeter recoilless rifle, successfully defending his unit. He was wounded twice in combat, once by a piece of shrapnel and once by a Japanese saber. His unit was relieved and sent to New Zealand for reorganization. While there, the war ended. Granier returned to the United States and remained in the Army, twice deploying to Korea and twice to Vietnam. At the beginning of the Iraq War, he donned dress greens and showed up at a recruiting office, requesting to reenlist. He was 89 years old at the time.

Transcript of an oral interview with Claxito R. Ramirez. He joined the Army in 1942 and was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division. He arrived in Belgium in late 1944 in time to participate in the Battle of the Bulge. In April, 1945 Ramirez was riding on a tank that got hit by a German 88mm shell. Ramirez was wounded by shell fragments and spent some time in the hospital before returning to his unit. By the time he returned to his unit, the war in Europe had reached an end. He stayed in Europe until December when he returned to Texas, where he was discharged in January, 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Harold F. Neuberger. Neuberger grew up on a farm in Illinois and joined the Navy after he finished high school in 1943. He trained at Camp Farragut, Idaho. From there, he went to a machinist school at the University of Kansas. Then he attended a naval optics school in Washington, DC. Upon graduating, Neuberger was assigned to the USS Bennington (CV-20), and was a crewmember upon the ship's commissioning (thus making him a plankowner). He describes going through the Panama Canal on their way to the Pacific in early 1945. The Bennington's first assignement took her to just off the coast of Japan. Then she headed for Iwo Jima. After that, she resupplied and cruised for Okinawa, where the carrier provided air support for ground forces. Neuberger describes going through a typhoon. Neuberger was discharged in February, 1946 and returned to Illinois.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Benjamin Cranefield, Jr. Cranefield joined the US Navy in 1943, and after attending boot camp in Farragut, Idaho, was sent to corpsman school in San Diego, California. Upon completion of the corpsman training he underwent amphibious training. Then he boarded the USS Hansford (APA-106). He tells of joining the 1st Battalion, 27th Regiment of the 5th Marines at Hilo, Hawaii and of landing on Saipan. He describes the combat actions taking place during the four days following the landing. He recalls being involved in action on Iwo Jima, after which time he went back aboard the Hansford. He was aboard when it delivered the Army’s 27th Infantry Division to Okinawa. He describes the operating room aboard the USS Hansford. Following the battle for Okinawa the ship sailed to Subic Bay, Philippine Islands to undergo training for the invasion of Japan. Following the surrender of Japan the ship participated in Operation Magic Carpet until the program was terminated. Soon afterwards the ship went to Norfolk, Virginia, where it was decommissioned.