The National Museum of the pacific War presents an oral interview with J. Lloyd Abbot. Abbot received a commission in the Navy in 1939 and served two months aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) before being tasked to bring an old destroyer, the USS Gilmer (DD-233), out of mothballs. He stayed on it for a while before going to flight school in Pensacola. He earned his wings in November, 1941. Due to some accidents and illnesses, Abbot was disallowed to fly from carriers. He was assigned to shore-based anti-submarine patrol squadron, VS-1D-14, in December 1942. In April 1943, the squadron was divided into two and Abbot was placed in command of VS-66 on Wallis Island. At the end of 1943, his squadron inherited some SBD dive bombers and they moved to a new base on Tarawa. In March 1944. Abbot was assigned to the staff of the Chief of Naval Air Training at Pensacola. He was there when the war ended. After the war, Abbot commanded VF-41 aboard the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42). Throughout his career, he served as the operation officer aboard carriers, worked at the Pentagon, was commander of the Antarctic mission and commander of a carrier division …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Eddie Albert. Albert was born in Rock Island, Illinois on 22 April 1908 and joined the Navy in 1942. Following officer training at Cornell University, he was shipped to the South Pacific. Albert recalls spending a night in November 1943 with Lieutenant Colonel Evans Fordyce Carlson (of Carlson’s Raiders fame) in a hole during the Battle of Tarawa. After the battle he relates that he was called to Washington, DC for duties relating to public relations and was sent around the United States selling war bonds. He recalls that by the end of the war he also had produced at least six war-related training films.

Interview with Mary Steele Leon, a secretary for the U. S. Navy during and after World War II. She joined the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) and was trained as a secretary. Her first assignment was in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during World War II. The CNO at the time was Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King. After the war, she served as personal secretary for Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz while he was CNO. She was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ray Amstutz. Amstutz joined the Army Reserve (Student Training Corps) while in college at the University of Tulsa. On May 8, 1943 he was inducted and went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for processing and then to Camp Maxie, Paris, Texas for three months basic training. The Army sent him back to school at the University of Oklahoma where he finished one semester. From there, he went to Camp Claiborne in Louisiana where they were trained to lay pipelines, maintain and repair engines, construct tanks, maintain pumps, etc. Amstutz's unit was put aboard a train, shipped to Oakland, California and put aboard a Liberty ship which sailed for Milne Bay, New Guinea; this was August/September 1944. He provides a nice description of the environment aboard ship for the 18 days it took to get to New Guinea. From there, they moved to Ora Bay and started unloading their equipment at Buna where major battles had already taken place. In Buna, they went inland, built a little dam on a river, laid suction pipe down into it, set up some pumps, and laid pipeline back to the docks; filling up …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Barry Atkins. In 1928, Atkins was appointed to the Naval Academy and graduated in 1932 and was assigned to the USS Tennessee (BB-43). He was aboard at Long Beach, California during the 1933 earthquake. After that, he was transferred to the USS New Mexico (BB-40). his next assignment took him aboard the USS Mahan (DD-364). In 1941, Atkins was assigned to the USS Parrott (DD-218) in Manila Bay. He was aboard the Parrott during the Battle of Balikpapan in January 1942. When Atkins returned to the US in August, 1942, he was assigned as commander of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 8 and sent to New Caledonia that November. His squadron became operational in New Guinea in December. He recalls setting up the PT base at the Morobe River and several patrols and encounters with Japanese shipping. In late 1943, Atkins returned to the US and asked for a destroyer. In October 1944, Atkins was given command of the USS Melvin (DD-680) at Manus Island. From there, the Melvin escorted the Leyte landing forces to the Philippines, then took up station guarding the Surigao Strait. He made a torpedo …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Bailey. Bailey was a crew chief with the Flying Tigers. He recalls that many of the mechanics in his crew were not well trained when they arrived, but they learned from him quickly. He describes the dangers presented by various landing gears. He discusses the personal lives of the crew, staff, and pilots, both during the war and after.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jean Balch. Balch was born in Abilene, Texas and was attending Hardin-Simmons University in 1941. On 8 December, he volunteered for duty in the Navy, but was too young. He joined later that spring. He trained as a radioman and gunner before being assigned the USS Yorktown (CV-10) in the fall of 1944. Balch mentions striking targets in the Philippines and on Formosa in late 1944. On one bombing mission over Hong Kong, China, the plane Balch was in was hit, forcing him to bail out. He landed among some Chinese civilians. In a short time, Balch was captured by Japanese soldiers. After several days, he was transported to Ofuna. Balch recalls several anecdotes about life as a prisoner of war in Japan. He mentions other POWs and tells stories about various guards. When the war ended, Balch was placed aboard the hospital ship USS Benevolence (AH-13). After the war, Balch returned to Tokyo to testify at the war crime trials.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Gregorio Borja. Borja lived a tranquil life under American governance in Sumay until the Japanese invaded. Borja’s family home was seized and occupied for over a year. Natives' travel was restricted and Borja was treated harshly in school. His father and brother were forced into labor, and his brother along with several of his family and friends were killed in the Fena Massacre. Other relatives of Borja were taken to Japan as prisoners. Borja and his surviving family members were placed in a concentration camp in Manenggon, with little food or water, but were soon liberated by the 77th Infantry Division. With their homes destroyed during the preceding bombardment, they were relocated to the new village of Santa Rita. Under post-war military rule, Borja lived a happy life.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ray Brashear. Upon completion of the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP), Brashear joined the Army Air Corps and earned his wings in 1941. He then spent three years at Merced Army Flying Field as a flight instructor and was promoted to director of training. He joined the 499th Bomb Group, 878th Bomb Squadron in 1944 as a B-29 pilot. In June 1945, he led 500 planes on a raid over Kobe. His horizontal stabilizer was shot by a Gekko, and the plane limped seven hours back to Saipan as the Iwo Jima strip was overcrowded. He participated in the first incendiary raids on Japan. Upon returning, his plane was covered in soot and he smelled of burning flesh. Rotated out before the war ended, Brashear was in Honolulu on V-J Day. Discharged into the reserves, he flew a crop duster for a few years before returning to active duty with the Air Force, performing weather reconnaissance in the Korean War and radar bomb scoring during the Cold War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Brush. Brush was assigned to serve as the Chief Engineer of the Philippine Manufacturing Company in Manila, before World War II. He and his wife traveled to Manila in May of 1941 and operated the factory until the end of December. He and his wife were taken prisoner into Santo Tomas Internment Camp in January of 1942. Brush shares details of the accommodations, building structure, atmosphere, food rations, starvation, illnesses, separated living conditions of men, women and children as well as their required daily work. They were later moved to Los Baños Internment Camp. In December of 1943 his wife, along with other women from Santo Tomas, were brought to Los Baños and allowed to live together as a family. Brush provides vivid details of their rescue in February of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John B. Brush. Brush graduated from Cornell in 1934 and went to work for Proctor and Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio. In April, 1941, he took a position as chief engineer for P&G's Philippine operation in Manila. He mentions how unprepared he was for the Japanese invasion in December, 1941, and how unaware he was of any Japanese military intentions. He and his wife were caught in the invasion and captured in Manila and sent to the internment camp at Santo Tomas. Brush describes the establishment of the internment camp and its function. He also recalls various aspect of life within its confines: daily routine, cleaning rice, building shanties, etc. In June 1943, Brush was relocated to Los Banos. He was liberated from there in April 1945, returned to Cincinnati and resumed working for P&G.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harold Buell and Warren Taylor. Buell discusses being aboard USS Enterprise (CV-6) during the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands. Buell served as a Dauntless dive bomber pilot. Ingram’s (interviewer) primary interest in the battleship USS South Dakota (BB-57). Ingram also interviews Warren Taylor. Taylor served as a gunnery officer aboard the South Dakota. Taylor discusses much about gunnery at sea: targeting, target spotting, plotting, etc. He also recalls an explosion aboard ship while replenishing ammunition. Taylor also recalls going ashore in Japan after the surrender.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Prudence Burns Burrell. Burrell was an African American woman who enlisted in the Army Reserve and served as a medical nurse in World War II. She was stationed in Australia, Java, New Guinea and the Philippines. She provides some details of her work in these areas and with the natives. She also shares experiences of racial discrimination. She completed her degree in public health at the University of Minnesota. She then served as a nurse aboard SS America. Upon returning home she became the first black instructor at Mission High School in San Francisco, teaching health and participating with the Future Nurses of America organization.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Marie Castro. As a child, Castro lived in Saipan under Japanese occupation, living with rationing and blackout conditions. As a Chamorro, she received corporal punishment from her teachers, and one of her cousins was beaten to death. When Japanese Marines came to Garapan seeking comfort women, Castro hid in an attic to avoid being taken. She then moved with her family to Marpi Point, but her father was sent to a labor camp. After the United States invaded, Castro and her family hid in a cave, lacking food and water. They were discovered and sent to Camp Susupe, crowded with orphans of those who committed suicide. Initially wary of Americans, the interned were happy to find themselves treated very well. Grateful to Americans for giving their lives to save hers, Castro devoted herself to a teaching career in Kansas City.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Charland. Charland initially provides details of his family history and growing up. He joined the Marine Corps in 1939. He completed boot camp at Camp Elliott in California and provides details of his training. In June of 1941 he was assigned to the 3rd Marine Defense Battalion, H & S Company in Hawaii. He was serving guard detail at Marine Corps Air Station Ewa, 7 miles west of Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December 1941. Charland provides vivid details of his experiences through the attack. For the next month he and his sergeant went through the harbor in the captain’s gig picking up survivors and the dead. In August of 1942 he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, E Company, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division in New Zealand. In November of 1943 he participated in the Battle of Tarawa. Upon getting wounded he boarded the USS Comfort (AH-6) and went back to Hawaii, where Admiral Chester Nimitz awarded him a Purple Heart. He was then assigned to the 4th Marine Division in February of 1944 and supported the infantry during the battles of Saipan, Tinian and …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Martin Clemens. Clemens was born in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1915 and, after attending Cambridge University, joined the British Colonial Service and was posted to Guadalcanal in 1938. After Pearl Harbor, Clemens became the only British colonial authority on Guadalcanal and, in February 1942, was assigned coast watching duties prior to the Japanese invasion in May. After the Japanese invasion, he was forced to relocate from his village to a location in the jungle, where he describes his activities in conjunction with island volunteers in gathering intelligence and transmitting radio signals to British and Australian listening posts. When the Allied Forces landed on Guadalcanal in August 1942, Clemens provided volunteer scouts and laborers to Colonel Carlson of the Second Raider Battalion. He also recalls his encounters with General Vandegrift, who awarded him a Military Cross following the battle.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral presentation given by George DeLong in 1993. DeLong tells of joining the Navy in January 1941 and of being on the battleship Oklahoma (BB-37) during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He describes the ship turning over and his being trapped, along with 32 other shipmates for one and a half days. DeLong describes the struggle to stay alive before being rescued and spending time in the hospital. He discusses causes of the war with Japan, actions which various admirals and generals took and various battles that were fought. He closes the presentation by answering questions presented by members of the audience.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Victor Delano. Delano was appointed to the Naval Academy in June of 1937 and graduated with distinction in February of 1941 and was commissioned ensign. He was assigned to the gunnery department of the Fire Control Division aboard the USS West Virginia (BB-48), where he was stationed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The ship was moored in the Harbor, and Delano provides vivid details of the attack and sinking of the West Virginia. Next, he served aboard the USS San Juan (CL-54) from 1942 to 1943. They participated in the Battle of Savo Island, the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, around Guadalcanal and provided gunfire support for the landings at Tulagi. From 1944 to 1945 he was assigned to the USS Wedderburn (DD-684). They participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, in the Philippines, at Iwo Jima and at Okinawa. He came back to the States in the fall of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lanson B. Ditto. Ditto grew up in Kentucky. He went to college at Washington and Lee University and then joined the Navy in 1940. After training, Ditto chose to join the Asiatic Fleet. He went to Shanghai, China where he was assigned to the USS Langley (CV-1). The ship went to the Philippines. They were at Manila when the Japanese destroyed all B-17's at the airfield on December 8, 1941. The Langley left Manila Bay that night and headed south. On that trip, Ditto mentions that his ship fired at the planet Venus. They went to Balikpapan, refueled, and spent Christmas at Surabaya. Next, they went to Darwin, Australia, then Perth, Australia. Then, they went to Java. Before they arrived at the port, they were hit by Japanese airplanes dropping bombs. Ditto abandons ship and swims to the USS Edsall. They steam to the Christmas Island. He transferred to the Pecos. The Pecos was then bombed by the Japanese. Next the 220 survivors out of 666 men were picked up by the Whipple. He was injured and went back to the United States on the Mount Vernon. They …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Donihi. Donihi was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. He graduated from high school in 1934. During the Depression, he worked low wage jobs and lost his leg in an automobile accident while hitchhiking to Florida. His experiences influenced him to attend law school. He passed the Bar in 1941 and went to work in Tennessee. He was exempt from the draft, but was motivated to learn to fly under the Civil Air Patrol. He joined the Coast Guard Reserve during World War II and became a Seaman First Class, ferrying submarine chasers down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico for shakedown cruises. After the war, he met Tom Clark, President Truman’s Attorney General (and later Associate Supreme Court Justice). Clark offered Donihi a job in Tokyo and introduced him to Joseph B. Keenan, who had worked in President Roosevelt’s White House. Keenan was setting up an organization named Project K, which operated out of the Justice Department. Its purpose was to prosecute Emperor Hirohito and other suspected Japanese war criminals. In Tokyo he lived with Keenan and 15 other lawyers and judges. He attended several meetings …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Donley. Donley was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, 7 October 1923. After graduating from high school, he joined the Navy in 1942. He went to Fleet Torpedo School in San Diego following basic training. In September, he volunteered for PT boats and was sent to the Motor Torpedo Boat Training Center in Melville, Rhode Island. After training, he volunteered for assignment to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 15. He was assigned as a torpedoman to PT-202, which was loaded on a tanker and transported to Gibraltar. The boats were sent to Bone, Tunisia to augment the British Coastal Forces in North Africa. Their primary objective was to prevent movement of German forces by sea from North Africa to Sicily. Following the German surrender in North Africa, Donley’s squadron was engaged in screening Allied landing craft during the Sicily invasion. Later, while intercepting a convoy of eight German supply barges, Donley was wounded by shell fragments. He also describes the numerous shortcomings of the Mark VIII torpedo and his boat’s involvement in the invasion of Italy at Salerno. Donley also describes later operations out of Corsica, Elba and Naples …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Donovan. In January 1943 Donovan served as a member of the 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division as it joined the ongoing battle at Guadalcanal. His unit was withdrawn in February to New Zealand, and after recuperating from widespread malaria, his battalion landed at Tarawa on the day after the initial landing. After Tarawa, Donovan recalls that members of his battalion were put ashore by the USS Nautilus onto the Northern Gilbert island atoll Abemama, to flush out entrenched Japanese soldiers. Donovan was the battalion executive officer during the landing on Saipan. His landing craft was shot up resulting in several casualties but eventually landed. He describes the ferocious action that followed over the next three weeks until Saipan was eventually secured on 9 July. Donovan next describes the landing on Tinian where the 2nd Marine Division landed in support of the 4th Marine Division and secured the island over the following eleven days. At the end of 1944 he was transferred back to Pearl Harbor for a job at Fleet Pacific Headquarters until June 1945 when he was sent to Quantico, Virginia as an instructor.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edwin Dubose. Dubose was born in Waxahachie, Texas on 8 August 1917 and after graduating from Texas A&M, received his commission as ensign in the Navy in 1941. He interviewed with Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley while at Midshipman School in Chicago and was selected for Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron School in Melville, Rhode Island. After training, Dubose was assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 15. His squadron was the first to be sent to the Mediterranean in April 1943. The squadron was originally based in Algeria and Tunisia. Their mission was to interdict German and Italian boats leaving Sicily attempting to evacuate the Afrika Corps from the Tunisian Peninsula. His squadron’s role during the invasion of Sicily was keeping German fast attack boats, known as E-boats, away from the Allied landing craft. During the following year, his squadron was based at Bastia, Corsica and interdicted German barges, known as Flak-lighters, attempting to supply the German army fighting in Italy. Dubose’s squadron also supported the invasion at Salerno. During this time he met General George S. Patton. His squadron served as an anti-E-boat screen in the Nice-Cannes area during …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue of Dale Fagg. Fagg joined the Marine Corps in October of 1942. In Pearl Harbor he was assigned to the Marine Detachment of Admiral Chester Nimitz at Makalapa in Honolulu, and served as his personal chauffer, from 1942 to 1945. He shares numerous stories of his encounters with and work for the Admiral.