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; …

Transcript of an interview with Robert E. Yerger, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences as a flying boat pilot in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Yerger discusses his decision to enlist in the Navy, May, 1942; basic flight training, Naval Air Station, Grand Prairie, Texas, 1942; advanced flight training, Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas, 1942; PBY flying boat training at Corpus Christi, 1942-43; his tenure as a flight instructor, Chase Field, Beeville, Texas, 1943; assignment as a base personnel officer at Chase Field, 1943-45; flying PB2Y flying boats with cargo and personnel in the Pacific, 1945; activities on Majuro Island; his experience flying the Martin Mars flying boat; mustering out of the service, August, 1946.

Transcript of an interview with Lloyd Gossell, a Marine Corps veteran (A Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division), concerning his experiences during the assault on Iwo Jima, February-March, 1945. Gossell discusses his enlistment and boot camp, San Diego, California, 1942; assignment to the 3rd Marine Parachute Battalion, 1942; jungle training on New Caledonia, 1942-43; transfer to Guadalcanal, 1943; combat on Bougainville, 1943-44; return to the States to help form the 5th Marine Division; final training, Camp Tarawa, Hawaii, 1944-45; briefings and meetings en route to Iwo Jima; the pre-invasion bombardment of Iwo Jima; the initial assault on February 17, 1945; conditions on Green Beach; the assault across terraces to the base of Mount Suribachi; isolating Mount Suribachi from the rest of the island; transfer to the north end of Iwo Jima and combat on Hill 362-A; combat in "Death Valley"; occupation of Japan. Appendix includes a map of the landings for the invasion of Iwo Jima.

Transcript of an interview with Hugh M. Robinson, a Navy veteran (Patrol-Torpedo Boat Squadron 3), concerning his experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Robinson discusses the U. S. Naval Academy, 1934-38; assignment to the carrier USS Yorktown, 1938-39; assignment to the destroyer USS Bainbridge, 1939-41; assignment to Motor Boat Submarine Chaser Squadron 1, 1941; assignment to Patrol Torpedo Squadron 2, 1941; operations around the Panama Canal, 1942; reorganization of PT Squadron 2 and his transfer to Patrol Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 for duty in the Pacific; operations around the Solomon Islands, 1942-43; his promotion to commander of PT Squadron 3, 1942; engagements against the "Tokyo Express," 1942-43; his transfer to the staff of Patrol Torpedo Boat Flotilla 1, 1943; transfer to the States, 1943, to the Motor Torpedo Boats Squadron Training Center, Newport, Rhode Island; assignment as air defense officer aboard the battleship USS Wisconsin, 1944; his description of being caught with the 3rd Fleet in a massive typhoon in the Philippine Sea, December 18, 1944; offshore bombardment for the Iwo Jima and Okinawa Campaigns, 1945; offshore bombardment of Honshu and Hokkaido; and his postwar naval career.

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.

Transcript of an interview with George E. Charland, a Native American Marine Corps veteran, concerning his experiences during World War II. Charland discusses his experiences with the 3rd Marine Defense Battalion during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; his experiences with the 2nd Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, at Guadalcanal, 1942; his experiences with E Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, at Tarawa, 1943; his experiences with the 4th Marine Division at Saipan and Tinian, 1944, and Iwo Jima, 1945; medical discharge in April, 1945.

Transcript of an interview with Iliff D. Richardson, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences as a guerrilla fighter in the Philippine Islands during World War II. Richardson discusses his assignment to patrol-torpedo boats in the Philippines, 1941; orders from General Douglas A. MacArthur to establish a clandestine radio network to maintain communications with Commander Southwest Pacific after his evacuation from Corregidor; his role in plotting Japanese minefields in Leyte Gulf prior to MacArthur's return in 1944; pre-invasion weather reporting from Leyte to MacArthur's headquarters; dealings with Filipino guerrillas; transfer to stateside duty and his work with the Industrial Incentives Division of the Navy Department; and the sale of rights to the book about his adventures, "American Guerrilla in the Philippines."

Transcript of an interview with Admiral J. Lloyd Abbot, Jr., a Navy veteran, comments about his service in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Abbot discusses the U. S. Naval Academy, 1935-39; assignment to USS Enterprise, 1939; assignment to USS Gilmer, 1939-41; flight training at Pensacola, 1941; assignment to Advanced Carrier Training Group (Pacific), 1941-42; assignment to VF-6 (Fighting 6) aboard the USS Enterprise, 1942; assignment to VS-1D-14 in the South Pacific, 1942-43; commanding officer of VS-66, Wallis Island, 1943; antisubmarine patrols out of Wallis Island; assignment to Nanumea, 1943; assignment to Tarawa, 1943-44, with an SBD squadron; assignment to the Chief of Naval Air Training, Pensacola, 1944-46, as engineering officer; and his postwar naval and civilian career.

Interview with General Robert E. Galer, a Marine Corps veteran (VMF-224) and recipient of the Medal of Honor, concerning his experiences concerning the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; the Guadalcanal Campaign as commander of VMF-224; and as head of the 584 Radar units during the campaigns for the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Navy ROTC at the University of Washington, 1931-35; pilot training at Sand Point, Pensacola, and Quantico, 1935-38; assignment to amphibian squadron on Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands, 1938-40, and his minor role in the "destroyers-for-bases" deal with Great Britain, 1940; assignment as commander of VMF-224, 1942; description of the Grumman Wildcat fighter plane; assignment to Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, 1942; episodes involving aerial combat against the Japanese; aerial combat tactics; living conditions at Henderson Field; shot down for the first time on September 12, 1942; shot down for a second time on October 2, 1942; personnel problems with dysentery and malaria; reassignment to COMAIRPAC, November, 1943; Command and Staff College, 1943; awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for twenty-nine consecutive days of combat and eleven-and-one-half kills; meeting President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Oval Office; development of the 584 Radar for close-air support; Iwo Jima, …

Transcript of an interview with Admiral Donald M. Showers, Navy veteran, concerning his experiences as a naval officer assigned to the Combat Intelligence Unit, Pearl Harbor, during World War II.

Transcript of an interview with General Alpha Lyons Bowser, a Marine Corps veteran (3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division), concerning his experiences as an artillery officer in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Bowser also discusses his role in planning the Inchon landing, 1950, during the Korean War.

Transcript of an interview with Captain Victor Delano, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Delano discusses his first assignment to the battleship USS West Virginia and his experiences during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; assignment to the antiaircraft cruiser USS San Juan, 1942; naval battles around Guadalcanal; Battle of Savo Island; assignment to the destroyer USS Wedderburn, 1944; Battle of Leyte Gulf, 1944; Pacific typhoons; Iwo Jima and Okinawa operations, 1945.

Transcript of an interview with Caleb H. Canby, III, a Marine Corps veteran (Scout-Bomber 243, 1st Marine Air Wing), concerning experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Canby discusses his family background and education; decision to join the Marine Corps, 1942; boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina; advanced training at Quantico, Virginia, 1943-44; assignment to Scout-Bomber Squadron 243 at Emirau, Solomon Islands, 1944-45; his work in the flight department processing pilots' flight logs; transfer to Mangaldan, Luzon, 1945; assignment to Mindanao in March, 1945; contraction of hepatitis and return to the U. S.

Transcript of an interview with Burton S. Pearsall, a Marine Corps veteran, concerning his experiences as a dive-bomber pilot in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Appendix includes photos, newspaper articles, samples of flight log, and US Marine Corps certificate.

Transcript of an interview with Ralph W. Nelson, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences while aboard the submarines USS Batfish and USS Parche in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Submarine School, San Francisco, California, 1942; early torpedo problems; his responsibilities as a fire controlman; assignment to the Batfish, 1944; various patrols in the Luzon Strait and Makassar Strait; lifeguard duty off Palau for downed airmen; transfer to the Parche, 1945.

Transcript of an interview with Thomas Riggleman, an engineer and Navy veteran, concerning his experiences while aboard the destroyer USS McGowan during World War II in the Pacific Theater. Riggleman discusses everyday life aboard ship, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and kamikazes, and the operations off northern Japan in 1945. Appendix includes a photocopy of Thomas Riggleman's pre-interview information for the University of North Texas.

Transcript of an interview with John Ruddick, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences while aboard the destroyer USS Melvin during World War II in the Pacific Theater. Ruddick discusses the Marianas invasion, the Carolines invasion, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Battle of Surigao Strait, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Kurile operations, and the occupation of Japan.

Interview with First Sergeant Lewis J. Michelony, Jr., a Marine Corps veteran, concerning his experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II and the Korean War. Michelony discusses his assignment to the 6th Marines in 1943, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian, as well as Korea and the Chosin Reservoir.

Transcript of an interview with Commander Edmund Thomassen, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences as a naval officer in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Thomassen discusses the New York State Merchant Marine Academy in 1941, his assignment to the USS Sheridan (APA 51), Tarawa landing, Marshall Island landings, Saipan landing, his assignment to Newport, Rhode Island, his assignment to the USS Dutchess for amphibious landings, and his Korean War experiences.

Transcript of an interview with Admiral Jerry (Gerald) Miller, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Miller discusses his assignment to the USS Richmond, Komandorski Island action, the Aleutians Campaign, and his post-World War II naval career.

Transcript of an interview with General Robert E. Galer, a Marine Corps veteran (VMF-224) and recipient of the Medal of Honor, concerning his experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Galer discusses his pre-war training at Pensacola and Quantico; assignment to Saint Thomas and reminiscences about the "destroyers-for bases" deal, 1940; experiences at Ewa during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; assignment to Guadalcanal as commander of VMF-224, August 30, 1942-December 31, 1942; air combat around Guadalcanal; his receiving the Medal of Honor; reassignment to the States for war bond drives; experiences on Iwo Jima, February-March, 1945, as commander of a 584 Radar Team; and assignment to the Philippines and Okinawa, 1945.

Transcript of an interview with Charles W. Lindberg, a Marine Corps veteran (3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division), concerning experiences during the battle for Iwo Jima, February-March, 1945, in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Appendix includes a photocopy of a map of Iowa Jima and copies of multiple photographs of Mr. Lindberg with other Marines on and around Mt. Suribachi.

Transcript of an interview with Frank Tremaine, a journalist and World War II news correspondent, concerning his experiences as a bureau manager in the Pacific Theater for the United Press during World War II. Tremaine discusses the Pearl Harbor attack, military censorship, CINCPAC and Admiral Chester Nimitz, Admiral William ("Bull") Halsey, General Douglas MacArthur, an account of the Japanese surrender and ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.

Interview with Acting Sergeant David W. Peake, Sr., a Marine Corps veteran, concerning his experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II as a member of the 5th Marine Division. Peake discusses Iwo Jima and his occupation duty in postwar Japan. Appendix includes a photocopy of a "Veteran's Questionnaire" from the Admiral Nimitz Museum and Historical Center, filled-out by David W. Peake, Sr. [3 pages]