The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Rowe. Rowe was born in Meridean, Wisconsin in 1926. He describes his family life during the Depression years. He joined the US Navy upon graduation from high school in 1944 and was sent to boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois. Upon graduation from boot camp, he was trained and graduated as a Watertender 3rd Class. He tells of his entire ship’s crew going to Portland, Oregon by train to board the newly constructed ship, USS Crockett (APA-14). He describes a number of missions in which the Crocket was engaged, including the invasion of Okinawa at which time the naval landing force was attacked by kamikazes. He tells of the elation felt by the crew members upon hearing of the atomic bomb followed by the news of the surrender of Japan. Upon his discharge in 1946, Rowe attended college under the provisions of the G.I. Bill followed by a career as an educator.