Oral History Interview with Raymond F. "Hap" Halloran, March 15, 1998

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Raymond F. "Hap" Halloran, businessman and U.S. Army Air Force WWII Veteran (878th Bomb Squadron, 499th Bomb Group, 73rd Bomb Wing, 20th Air Force) concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II.
Date: March 15, 1998
Creator: Alexander, William J. & Halloran, Raymond F.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with William Alexander Hatcher, December 4, 2008

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Transcript of an interview with William Hatcher, a World War II Army veteran (29th Bomb Group, 20th Air Force). Hatcher discusses concerning his his childhood and education; family's experiences in the Great Depression; decision to attend University of Tennessee-Knoxville and major in mechanical engineering; memories of Pearl Harbor attack; decision to join U.S. Army Enlisted Reserve Corps in 1942; 1943 call-up; basic training at Ft. Belvoir, Va.; instruction in engineering, communications, and radar repair at City College of New York and Chanute Field, Ill.; assignments to Truax Field, Wis., and Boca Raton, Fla.; meeting future wife, Jean E. Sheppard, at USO Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.; transfer to B-29 unit and bases in Neb. And Kan.; deployment to Guam with 29th Bomb Group, 20th Air Force, March 1945; details of high-altitude radar repair work; aspects of daily life for American soldiers stationed in Guam; descriptions of devastation of Japan, including Hiroshima; transfer to base on Tinian; return to U.S. in February 1946; wedding; return to UT-Knoxville using GI Bill benefits; work at Oak Ridge; decision to transfer to University of New Mexico for Mrs. Hatcher's health; career with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Convair Corp. of Fort Worth; …
Date: December 4, 2008
Creator: Hegi, Benjamin & Hatcher, William Alexander, 1923-
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Daniel Thomas, February 26, 1999

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Transcript of an interview with Daniel Thomas, a Navy veteran (4th Marine Division), concerning his experiences while attached to the 4th Marine Division as a medic in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Thomas discusses his decision to join the Navy in 1943; Hospital Corps School, San Diego, 1943; assignment to the Fleet Marine Force; Field Medical School, 1944; assignment to the 4th Marine Division, 1944; Iwo Jima, February, 1945; detailed description of casualties and their treatment during the battle for Iwo Jima; and the postwar effects of his Iwo Jima experience.
Date: February 26, 1999
Creator: Lane, Peter B.; Byrd, Richard W. & Thomas, Daniel B., 1925-2007
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with James W. Gee, March 13 and March 19, 1972 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James W. Gee, March 13 and March 19, 1972

Interview with James W. Gee, a sales executive, a Marine Corps veteran, and a survivor of the sinking of the U.S.S. Houston, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Gee talks about the sinking of the Houston (1942), his capture and imprisonment at Serang, Java, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), the hell ship to Japan (1944), coal mining near Nagasaki (1944-1945), and his liberation.
Date: [1972-03-13,1972-03-19]
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Gee, James Wallace
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Louis B. Read, November 3, 1972 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Louis B. Read, November 3, 1972

Interview conducted in 1972 for the World War II Prisoners of War Oral History Project with Louis B. Read, a businessman, an Army veteran, and a survivor of the Bataan Death March, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II.
Date: November 3, 1972
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Read, Louis B.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interviews with Pete Evans, 1984 (open access)

Oral History Interviews with Pete Evans, 1984

Interview with Pete Evans, a Texas National Guard veteran and POW from Hamby, Texas. Evans discusses his time as a member of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "Lost Battalion") which was captured by the Japanese in March, 1942, including: his upbringing; entering the Guard and training; mobilization, the Louisiana Maneuvers, and deployment to East Asia; diversion from the Philippines to Brisbane and then Java, after December 7th, 1941; assignment to Sangosari near Malang; the Japanese invasion and the American surrender; and experiences in internment at Surabaya, Tanjong Priok in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Nagasaki, and the Orio district of Kitakyūshū.
Date: {1984-02-15,1984-02-29,1984-03-07}
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Evans, Pete
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Personal Diary of Frank Fujita, Jr. (open access)

Personal Diary of Frank Fujita, Jr.

A copy of Frank Fujita Jr.'s war diary, obtained by Dr. Ron Marcello to accompany Fujita's oral history interview. Fujita was an Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment captured on Java in March 1942. Included is Fujita's original bound diary, and a rewritten version he made in a Japanese logbook in internment and continued. They contain daily activities, doodles, lists of dozens of servicemen and captives encountered, and the key to an encoded script Fujita developed for sensitive information. Also included is a postwar newspaper clipping about Fujita's unit.
Date: December 19, 1970
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Fujita Jr., Frank
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Charles M. Lagow, October 11, 2000

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Interview with Charles M. Lagow, a Army WWII veteran from Dallas, Texas. Lagow discusses his family history, attending Texas A&M, joining the CCC, the lead up to war, activation and training with the 352nd Engineer Battalion, deployment to Khorramshahr, Iran, building roads, delivering supplies to the Soviets, crash landing in a B-17 in Palestine, returning to the States and transfer to the 1346th Eng. Bat., deployment to Okinawa, occupation duty and Japanese holdouts, thoughts on Hideki Tojo, attitudes towards the Japanese, shell shock and mental breakdowns, the atomic bomb, and life after the war.
Date: October 11, 2000
Creator: Ripley, Christopher & Lagow, Charles Marshall
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Commander Alex Vraciu, October 9, 1994

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Interview with Cmdr. Alex Vraciu, a Navy WWII veteran and Navy Cross recipient from East Chicago, Indiana. Vraciu discusses his family and educational background, naval flight training, Edward "Butch" O'Hare, the F6F Hellcat, various combat operations throughout the Pacific, his actions at the "Marianas Turkey Shoot," being awarded the Navy Cross and time stateside, and returning to combat. In appendix is an autobiographical sketch by Vraciu, including a picture of him and his Hellcat with visible victory markings on the fuselage.
Date: October 9, 1994
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Vraciu, Alexander
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with William E. Painter, December 21, 1998

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Interview with William Painter, a UNT professor and Army WWII veteran from New Bloomfield, Missouri. Painter discusses growing up in the Depression, being a conscientious objector and feeling pressure to join the war, getting drafted into the infantry and training at Camp Hood and Fort Ord, deployment to the Pacific with the 32nd Infantry Division, operations on Luzon and the Villa Verde Trail, the end of the war, occupation duty in Japan, and returning home. In appendix is a letter to Marcello with a correction for the interview.
Date: December 21, 1998
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Painter, William E.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interview with Maj. Gen. Frederick E. Haynes, September 19, 2001

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with Major General Frederick Haynes, a Marine WWII veteran from Dallas, Texas. Haynes discusses growing up, becoming an officer in the Marine Corps, being a small arms instructor, assignment to the 28th Marines and training for combat, various experiences fighting the Battle of Iwo Jima, and reflections on battle.
Date: September 19, 2001
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Haynes, Frederick E.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with T. G. Crews, January 22, 1972 (open access)

Oral History Interview with T. G. Crews, January 22, 1972

Interview with T. G. Crews, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Stephenville, Texas. Crews, among the first Americans taken prisoner by the Japanese during the war, discusses his time with the North China Marines in Peking, his unit's duties there, his capture, and his experiences during internment at Tianjin, Shanghai, Peking, Busan, and Hakodate.
Date: January 22, 1972
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Crews, T. G.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Billy Allen, March 1, 1976 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Billy Allen, March 1, 1976

Interview with Billy Allen, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Van Alstyne, Texas. Allen discusses his entry into the Marine Corps, deployment to Shanghai with the China Marines in 1940-41, arrival in the Philippines, the Japanese attack on Mariveles Navy Yard, the retreat to Corregidor, capture by the Japanese, and experiences in internment at Bilibid Prison in Manila, Cabanatuan, Osaka, and Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture.
Date: March 1, 1976
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Allen, Billy
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with J. L. Sherman, March 4, 1976 (open access)

Oral History Interview with J. L. Sherman, March 4, 1976

Interview with J. L. "Smokey" Sherman, an Army WWII veteran and POW from Ponder, Texas. Sherman discusses joining the Army in 1940, going to the Philippines and being stationed on Corregidor, the siege and fall of the island, his escape from capture and time as a guerrilla, surrender, and experiences in internment at Cabanatuan and Kobe.
Date: March 4, 1976
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Sherman, J. L.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with O. R. Sparkman, May 6, 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interview with O. R. Sparkman, May 6, 1971

Interview with O.R. Sparkman, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Dallas, Texas. Stationed in China before the war, Sparkman was captured in December 1941 by the Japanese in Beijing and interned at various camps in occupied China and Korea before finishing the war at Hakodate, Japan.
Date: May 6, 1971
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Sparkman, O. R.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Loren H. Brantley, November 19, 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Loren H. Brantley, November 19, 1971

Interview with Loren Brantley, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Daingerfield, Texas. Brantley discusses being stationed in Shanghai before the war, his experience in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked on December 8th, the Battle of Corregidor, and his internments at Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan, and a coal mine near Nagasaki.
Date: November 19, 1971
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Brantley, Loren H.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with James L. Kent, May 11, 1972 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James L. Kent, May 11, 1972

Interview with James L. Kent, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Duncanville, Texas. Kent discusses joining the Marine Corps, being AWOL, his judicial punishment, his deployment to the Philippines at Cavite Navy Yard, the Japanese attack, his experiences in the Battles of Bataan and Corregidor, his capture, and his internment at Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan #1 & 2, and Mitsushima.
Date: May 11, 1972
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Kent, James L.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Tom Blaylock, March 22, 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Tom Blaylock, March 22, 1971

Interview with Tom Blaylock, an Army Air Corps WWII veteran and POW from Dallas, Texas. Blaylock was stationed in the Philippines during the Japanese invasion of December 1941, was captured, forced to partake in the Bataan Death March, and was interned at several major POW camps in the Philippines before transferring to a coal mine camp at Omine-machi, Yamaguchi, Japan.
Date: March 22, 1971
Creator: Marcello, Ronald & Blaylock, Thomas
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with George P. Lawley, November 3, 1973 (open access)

Oral History Interview with George P. Lawley, November 3, 1973

Interview with George P. Lawley, an Army WWII veteran and POW from Odessa, Texas. Lawley discusses his time with the so-called "Lost Battalion" on Java and his experiences as a Japanese prisoner-of-war, including: joining the National Guard in 1940 and training, deployment for East Asia with 2nd Battallion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment; diversion to Java at the start of the war; the Japanese attack and his unit's capture; and his experiences in internment and labor at Tanjong Priok in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Thanbyuzayat and several camps on the Burma Railway, and near Nagasaki.
Date: November 3, 1973
Creator: Teague, William J. & Lawley, George P.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library

Oral History Interviews with Ocie R. Turner, 1991

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Interview with the Rev. Ocie Turner, a minister at New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dallas, Marine WWII veteran, and a longtime resident of the Hamilton Park neighborhood, from Mexia, Texas. Turner discusses his family background, education, serving in the Marine Corps at the Battle of Iwo Jima, working as a butcher in Dallas, working in the oil and gas industry, buying his house in Hamilton Park, the growth and development of the neighborhood, community organizations, local businesses, the schools and his children's education, and changes in the neighborhood over time.
Date: 1991-09-14/1991-12-05
Creator: Wilson, William H. & Turner, Ocie R.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Roy Offerle, August 14, 1978 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Roy Offerle, August 14, 1978

Interview with Roy Offerle regarding his experiences in the military and as a prisoner of war of the Japanese during World War II. He was part of the Texas National Guard, 36th Division, 131st Field Artillery, 2nd Battalion, also known as the "Lost Battalion." He was captured on the island of Java in March of 1942 and spent the duration of the war thereafter as a prison of war in camps in South East Asia and in Japan.
Date: August 14, 1978
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Offerle, Roy M.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Ray Robinson, June 25, 1979 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Ray Robinson, June 25, 1979

Interview with Ray Robinson regarding his experiences in the military and as a prisoner of war of the Japanese during World War II. He was part of the Texas National Guard, 36th Division, 131st Field Artillery, 2nd Battalion, also known as the "Lost Battalion." He was captured on the island of Java in March of 1942 and spent the duration of the war thereafter as a prison of war in camps in South East Asia and in Japan.
Date: June 25, 1979
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Ray Robinson
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interviews with James D. Tyson, December 1970 - February 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interviews with James D. Tyson, December 1970 - February 1971

Interview with James D. Tyson regarding his experiences as a civilian in the Philippines in the 1930s and later a prisoner of war of the Japanese during World War II.
Date: December 5, 1970
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Tyson, James D.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with James C. Venable, April 13, 1971 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James C. Venable, April 13, 1971

Interview with James C. Venable regarding his experiences in the military and as a prisoner of war of the Japanese during World War II. Mr. Venable was captured while serving in the Marine Corps on Wake Island.
Date: April 13, 1971
Creator: Marcello, Ronald E. & Venable, James C.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library