The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Theis. Theis joined the Army Air Forces in 1942 and was placed in the reserves. While waiting to be called, he joined the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP). He graduated from advanced glider flight training in Lubbock, Texas on 15 September 1944. Theis served as a glider pilot with the 98th Troop Carrier Squadron, 440th Troop Carrier Group. They were shipped to England, and participated in re-supply missions during Operation VARSITY in March of 1945. After the war ended, he served in occupied Germany. Theis returned to the US in June of 1946 and received his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norman Wilmeth. Wilmeth signed up for the Citizens’ Military Training Camp in 1937 and obtained his pilot’s license through the Civilian Pilot Training Program in 1940. He was called into active duty in 1942 and attended Officer Training School. He was transferred to the glider program and received CG-4A training in Lubbock. Upon completion, he joined the 91st Troop Carrier Squadron, 439th Troop Carrier Group. Wilmeth transported troops to the Normandy invasion in a Horsa glider and then returned to England. For his next mission, he brought a medical unit to the invasion of Southern France. He witnessed a beautiful candlelit parade in Casablanca on the day that Paris was liberated. In October he flew troops and heavy equipment to Holland amidst antiaircraft fire, relying on Dutch families to hide him after landings. He was transferred to a special combat control team and participated in Operation Varsity, communicating with the battlefield from General Ridgway’s headquarters. After the war he accepted the surrender of German flight crews and arranged for the evacuation of wounded GIs. He returned home and joined the Texas National Guard, later becoming a nuclear weapons …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Ford. Ford joined the Army Air Forces in October of 1942. He served as a pilot with the 315th Troop Carrier Group, 310th Troop Carrier Squadron. They participated in the Battle of Normandy, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, Operation Varsity across the Rhine and transported cargo and evacuated released allied prisoners of war until after V-E Day. Ford returned to the US after the end of the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Cecil D. Bettes. Bettes joined the Army after finishing high school in Houston, Texas, in 1943. After basic training, Bettes was shipped to Italy and assigned to E Company, 2nd, Battalion,339th Regiment, 85th Infantry Division. He describes the death in combat of a close friend. In Italy, Bettes was wounded severley and sent to the hospital. Instead of allowing himself to be shipped to France, he broke out of the hospital and returned to his unit. He also mentions breaking through the Gothic Line. Bettes also describes a sour experiences he had with the Red Cross while he was hospitalized. Bettes also describes taking a few German soldiers prisoner.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ray Phillips. Phillips transferred to the Navy Department after working as a civilian stenographer in the Department of the Interior. He worked in Naval Intelligence for six months, focusing on Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. He was transferred to ACORN-14, stationed on Tarawa. There he worked for Captain Tate, a rough character who would ride his Jeep from island to island during low tide, never revealing what he was searching for. After a year, Phillips was transferred to Kwajalein, where he took dictation from an admiral and taught shorthand to a captain. Phillips returned home and upon discharge he enrolled in college. He was hired by the school as a stenographer soon after graduating.