Transcript of an interview with Paul Anthony Sovik, U.S. Marine Corps (1st Marine Division) World War II veteran. Sovik discusses his family life and childhood in Ohio, decision to enlist with the Marine Corps following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, experiences with the 1st Marine Division in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and post-war life.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

Interview with John Hargrove, a Army Air Corps WWII veteran from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Hargrove discusses growing up and his family background, being drafted into the Air Corps, training, assignment to the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron, 22nd Bomb Group at Langley Field as a radio operator, life and work at Langley, transition to the B-26, the start of the war, submarine patrol, deployment to Townsville, Australia via Hawaii, flying his first mission, liberty and recreation, bombing and close air support missions, the crew being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, losses, returning to the US, work as a radio instructor, meeting his wife, postwar service, and reflections on the atomic bomb. In appendix is a manuscript for an autobiography written by Hargrove, an addendum to the interview, and a letter to Ron Marcello making corrections to the interview.

Interview with Major Anna K. Schelper, a Army WWII veteran from San Antonio, Texas. Schelper discusses her parents, growing up, her education and becoming a nurse, joining the Army Nurse Corps, experiences serving throughout the Pacific Theater, service in hospitals after the war, continued education and promoting, and reflections on her career and being a servicewoman. In appendix are Schelper's Army service record, a letter from two former patients to the 23rd Field Hospital, a scan of some of her letters which were printed in a book, and a scan of some sections from The Army Nurse Corps: Yesterday and Today by Mary M. Roberts.

Interview with L. B. Smith, a Army WWII veteran from Magnolia, Mississippi, who was present at the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Smith discusses entering the Army and training, events prior to the attack, the morning of December 7th and the bombing of Schofield Barracks, the aftermath and defensive preparations, and his later service in the Pacific Theater.

Interview with Dave C. Sanford, a Army WWII veteran from Carter, South Dakota, who served as a mortarman in the 37th Infantry Division. Sanford discusses growing up, his experiences in the Great Depression, being drafted and training, the New Georgia, Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and Philippine campaigns, being wounded and discharged, and life afterwards.

Interview with Maj. Gen. Marion E. Carl, a Marine Corps WWII fighter ace and test pilot from Hubbard, Oregon. Carl discusses his education, joining the Marines, flight training, deployment aboard the USS Saratoga at the start of the war, first air-to-air combat, service at Midway and Guadalcanal, return to the States as a squadron commander, flying a promotional circuit and getting married, return to the South Pacific, Rabaul, end of combat flying and work as a test pilot at Patuxent River NAS, jets vs. props, flight injuries, return to fighter units, and service in Taiwan and Vietnam.

Interview with William Coffey, a Navy WWII veteran from Hopkins County, Texas. Coffey discusses joining the Navy in 1937, boot camp in San Diego, service aboard the USS Oklahoma (BB-37), transfer to submarines in the Philippines, the bombing of Cavite Navy Yard at the start of the war, assignment to the S-41 as a cook, combat around the Solomon Islands, attaining submarine qualifications, patrolling the northern Pacific, the character of the crew, transfer to the USS Sterlet (SS-392), patrols, medical leave, and service postwar.

The personal diary of Sigismund Koperniak, a Navy veteran, detailing his experiences aboard the destroyer USS Spence during World War II. Launching of the Spence and sea trials off Portland, Maine, January, 1943; shakedown cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, February, 1943; escort duty in the Atlantic and Caribbean, March, 1943; convoy duty in the Casablanca, French Morocco, area, April-May, 1943; passage through the Panama Canal, June, 1943; escort duty for the carriers Princeton and Belleau Wood en route to Baker Island, September, 1943; attachment to Destroyer Division 23 in the Solomon Islands, September, 1943; patrols off Kolombangara and Vella Lavella Islands; interdiction of Japanese shipping and the Spence's role in sinking of twenty barges off of Vella Lavella; bombardment of Buka-Bonis airfields, November 1, 1943; Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, November 2, 1943; support for landings on Bougainville, November 3, 1943; capture of a Japanese sailor; continued attacks by Japanese aircraft; gun battles with Japanese cruisers and destroyers in the Buka-Rabaul route, November 24, 1943; shore bombardments of Tiaraka, Bougainville, Kavieng, and New Ireland, January-February, 1944; shore bombardment of Emirau, Aitape, Humboldt Bay, and Caroline Islands, March 1-24, 1944; shore bombardment during the invasions of the Marianas Islands, June 19-27, …

Interview with Lanson B. Ditto, clothier and Navy veteran regarding personal experiences about the Pacific, Atlantic, and Mediterranean Theaters during World War II. Ditto talks about his education, enlistment in the Navy V-7 Program, midshipman training, assignment to the USS Langley, pre-war duty in the Philippines, coming of war and combat around the Philippines and Netherlands East Indies, the sinking of the Langley and his transfer to the USS Pecos, the sinking of the Pecos and his rescue by the USS Whipple, various naval battles and assignments, antisubmarine patrols off the Solomons, various escort duties, and his promotion to captain of the O'Toole.

Interview with Navy veteran Elijah Collins Jr. The interview includes Collins' personal experiences while aboard the destroyer USS Blue during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Collins also talks about the Battle of Savo Island and the sinking of the Blue.