Oral History Interview with George Zapalac, January 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with George Zapalac, January 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Zapalac. After completing jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia, Zapalac went into the 101st Airborne, 506th Infantry Regiment. He jumped into Normandy on 6 June 1944. The objective for the 506th Infantry Regiment was to secure two bridges over the Carentan canal. He recalls being seriously wounded soon after landing and tells of the effort made by members of the 4th Infantry to bring trucks up so he and many other wounded could be taken to the aid station on Utah Beach. After receiving emergency treatment he was put on board an LST and taken to a hospital in England. After he recovered, Zapalac returned to his unit in November. It was found that he was unable to properly handle his weapon because of the injury and he was sent back to the hospital. Soon thereafter, he returned to the United States.
Date: January 1, 2002
Creator: Zapalac, George
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with George Zapalac, January 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with George Zapalac, January 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George Zapalac. After completing jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia, Zapalac went into the 101st Airborne, 506th Infantry Regiment. He jumped into Normandy on 6 June 1944. The objective for the 506th Infantry Regiment was to secure two bridges over the Carentan canal. He recalls being seriously wounded soon after landing and tells of the effort made by members of the 4th Infantry to bring trucks up so he and many other wounded could be taken to the aid station on Utah Beach. After receiving emergency treatment he was put on board an LST and taken to a hospital in England. After he recovered, Zapalac returned to his unit in November. It was found that he was unable to properly handle his weapon because of the injury and he was sent back to the hospital. Soon thereafter, he returned to the United States.
Date: January 1, 2002
Creator: Zapalac, George
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Christine Adler, February 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Christine Adler, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Christine Adler. Adler was born in New York City in 1931 to Filipino and American parents. She tells of living in an orphanage until 1938 at which time she went to the Philippines to live with her father. Upon arriving in the Philippines she attended private schools. She recalls December 1941 when she was awakened by the sound of tanks and Japanese soldiers entering homes and taking anything of value. As her father worked with a guerilla group they left their home. Adler tells of fleeing with no shoes, few clothes and very little personal belongings and moving place to place to avoid detection. She recounts an incident where Japanese soldiers picked her up and took her to Fort Santiago. She and her father were later released. She describes seeing piles of bodies and witnessing torture being done by the Japanese during the occupation and of seeing the fires as Manila was set ablaze. She tells of the joy felt by the population upon seeing the American tanks and soldiers roll into the city and of the return of her and her father to the United States aboard …
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Adler, Christine
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Christine Adler, February 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Christine Adler, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Christine Adler. Adler was born in New York City in 1931 to Filipino and American parents. She tells of living in an orphanage until 1938 at which time she went to the Philippines to live with her father. Upon arriving in the Philippines she attended private schools. She recalls December 1941 when she was awakened by the sound of tanks and Japanese soldiers entering homes and taking anything of value. As her father worked with a guerilla group they left their home. Adler tells of fleeing with no shoes, few clothes and very little personal belongings and moving place to place to avoid detection. She recounts an incident where Japanese soldiers picked her up and took her to Fort Santiago. She and her father were later released. She describes seeing piles of bodies and witnessing torture being done by the Japanese during the occupation and of seeing the fires as Manila was set ablaze. She tells of the joy felt by the population upon seeing the American tanks and soldiers roll into the city and of the return of her and her father to the United States aboard …
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Adler, Christine
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Edward Cadwallader, February 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Edward Cadwallader, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Cadwallader. Cadwallader was born in Manila, Philippines in 1938. His parents were of American and Australian descent, and managed an apartment complex inherited by their family in 1930. Cadwallader was 3 years old when he and his family were taken as prisoners to Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila. From such a young age, he recalls the deprivation they had living in the camp, Japanese and American planes fighting overhead, shells exploding, picking up shrapnel, interactions with the guards, taking first communion in the animal husbandry museum of the main building, his schooling, American fatalities and vivid details of their liberation from the camp. After liberation they moved back to their apartment complex for 6 months, then on Cadwallader’s seventh birthday, they relocated to the United States.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Cadwallader, Edward
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Edward Cadwallader, February 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Edward Cadwallader, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Cadwallader. Cadwallader was born in Manila, Philippines in 1938. His parents were of American and Australian descent, and managed an apartment complex inherited by their family in 1930. Cadwallader was 3 years old when he and his family were taken as prisoners to Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila. From such a young age, he recalls the deprivation they had living in the camp, Japanese and American planes fighting overhead, shells exploding, picking up shrapnel, interactions with the guards, taking first communion in the animal husbandry museum of the main building, his schooling, American fatalities and vivid details of their liberation from the camp. After liberation they moved back to their apartment complex for 6 months, then on Cadwallader’s seventh birthday, they relocated to the United States.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Cadwallader, Edward
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Elaine Graydon, February 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Elaine Graydon, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Elaine Graydon. Graydon was born in Manila, Philippines in 1937. Her mother was a native and her father was born in Spokane, Washington. He worked as a mining engineer. When the war began, Graydon was only 4 and ½ years old. She recalls when the Japanese invaded, and she and her family seeking refuge. In early 1942, she and her family were sent to Santo Tomas Internment Camp, where they lived in a shanty. Graydon provides vivid details of her experiences in the camp as a child, including schooling, food and living accommodations, interactions with the Japanese guards, their daily work and tasks and liberation from the camp in February of 1945.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Graydon, Elaine
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Elaine Graydon, February 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Elaine Graydon, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Elaine Graydon. Graydon was born in Manila, Philippines in 1937. Her mother was a native and her father was born in Spokane, Washington. He worked as a mining engineer. When the war began, Graydon was only 4 and ½ years old. She recalls when the Japanese invaded, and she and her family seeking refuge. In early 1942, she and her family were sent to Santo Tomas Internment Camp, where they lived in a shanty. Graydon provides vivid details of her experiences in the camp as a child, including schooling, food and living accommodations, interactions with the Japanese guards, their daily work and tasks and liberation from the camp in February of 1945.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Graydon, Elaine
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Frank Stagner, February 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Frank Stagner, February 1, 2002

Transcript of an oral interview with Frank Stagner. Stagner was a nine-year-old child living in Manila with his family when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. His father was a radio broadcaster and was asked to keep his station working during the invasion. When the station was destroyed, Stagner's father took the family into the hills where they were eventually captured by the Japanese. He relates the experiences he had just after being captured: getting back to Manila, being paraded through the streets by the Japanese, being interned at Fort Santiago where his father was interrogated, and being interned at Santo Tomas. He provides very few details of day to day life in the camp, but describes being liberated.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Stagner, Frank
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Frank Stagner, February 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Frank Stagner, February 1, 2002

Transcript of an oral interview with Frank Stagner. Stagner was a nine-year-old child living in Manila with his family when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. His father was a radio broadcaster and was asked to keep his station working during the invasion. When the station was destroyed, Stagner's father took the family into the hills where they were eventually captured by the Japanese. He relates the experiences he had just after being captured: getting back to Manila, being paraded through the streets by the Japanese, being interned at Fort Santiago where his father was interrogated, and being interned at Santo Tomas. He provides very few details of day to day life in the camp, but describes being liberated.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Stagner, Frank
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Georgia Payne, February 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Georgia Payne, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Georgia Payne. Payne was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1929. Her father, who as an American citizen, was born in Manila, Philippines. In 1934 their family moved back to Manila to work and be close to her father’s mother. They were living there in 1941 when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. She and her family were taken to Santo Tomas Internment Camp, where they resided for 37 months. Around early 1945 Payne and her family were shipped back to the US. She provides vivid recollections of her time in the camp, their liberation and their acclimatization back in the States.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Payne, Georgia
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Georgia Payne, February 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Georgia Payne, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Georgia Payne. Payne was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1929. Her father, who as an American citizen, was born in Manila, Philippines. In 1934 their family moved back to Manila to work and be close to her father’s mother. They were living there in 1941 when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. She and her family were taken to Santo Tomas Internment Camp, where they resided for 37 months. Around early 1945 Payne and her family were shipped back to the US. She provides vivid recollections of her time in the camp, their liberation and their acclimatization back in the States.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Payne, Georgia
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Jay Bollman, February 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Jay Bollman, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jay Bollman. Bollman was born in Manila, Philippines on 15 December 1935. He and his family were taken to Santo Tomas Internment Camp, and later Los Baños Internment Camp as prisoners of war. At a tender age of 6, Bollman recalls civilians getting strafed by the Japanese, air raids, bombings, their living and food accommodations, interactions with the Japanese guards, illnesses and diseases suffered throughout the camp and their liberation in February of 1945. They returned to the US in May of that same year. Bollman shares his family’s experiences through the prison camps and getting acclimated into life in the States.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Bollman, Jay
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Jay Bollman, February 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Jay Bollman, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jay Bollman. Bollman was born in Manila, Philippines on 15 December 1935. He and his family were taken to Santo Tomas Internment Camp, and later Los Baños Internment Camp as prisoners of war. At a tender age of 6, Bollman recalls civilians getting strafed by the Japanese, air raids, bombings, their living and food accommodations, interactions with the Japanese guards, illnesses and diseases suffered throughout the camp and their liberation in February of 1945. They returned to the US in May of that same year. Bollman shares his family’s experiences through the prison camps and getting acclimated into life in the States.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Bollman, Jay
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Paul Shafer, February 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Paul Shafer, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Paul Shafer. Shafer moved from the States to Baguio in 1937 after his father was offered a job with the Benguet Consolidated Mining Company. They lived extravagantly there, and Shafer attended a private school. As Japanese aggression heightened in China, American civilians asked the State Department whether they ought to return to home. Despite having evacuated military families in 1941, the civilians were asked to stay in the Philippines so as not to alarm locals. On 6 December 1941, Shafer survived an air raid and was evacuated to Manila. On 3 January 1942, Japanese invaded the city and Shafer was taken to Santo Tomas University. Apart from food shortages, his time at the internment camp was relatively normal, complete with a classroom education and recreational sports. Shafer remembers cozy homemade shanties and warm evening strolls. By 1944, however, internees began to die of starvation. Shafer and his family survived until liberation and returned to the States in February 1945.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Shafer, Paul
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Paul Shafer, February 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Paul Shafer, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Paul Shafer. Shafer moved from the States to Baguio in 1937 after his father was offered a job with the Benguet Consolidated Mining Company. They lived extravagantly there, and Shafer attended a private school. As Japanese aggression heightened in China, American civilians asked the State Department whether they ought to return to home. Despite having evacuated military families in 1941, the civilians were asked to stay in the Philippines so as not to alarm locals. On 6 December 1941, Shafer survived an air raid and was evacuated to Manila. On 3 January 1942, Japanese invaded the city and Shafer was taken to Santo Tomas University. Apart from food shortages, his time at the internment camp was relatively normal, complete with a classroom education and recreational sports. Shafer remembers cozy homemade shanties and warm evening strolls. By 1944, however, internees began to die of starvation. Shafer and his family survived until liberation and returned to the States in February 1945.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Shafer, Paul
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Terry Santos, February 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Terry Santos, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Terry Santos. Santos was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on 10 October 1921. Upon joining the Army, he underwent basic training at Fort Ord, California. Upon completing basic he volunteered for paratrooper training. After graduating from jump school he volunteered for special warfare training which comprised training in special weapons, Morse code, semaphore and sailing. Completing the course, he reported to Ft. Benning, Georgia where he was assigned to the 11th Airborne Division. He then volunteered to serve with the Alamo Scouts and received jungle training, hand-to-hand combat training and all infantry weapons training. He then rejoined the 11th Airborne Division. Santos relates in detail an intriguing tale of the operation to liberate Allied internees from the Los Banos internment camp.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Santos, Terry
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Terry Santos, February 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Terry Santos, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Terry Santos. Santos was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on 10 October 1921. Upon joining the Army, he underwent basic training at Fort Ord, California. Upon completing basic he volunteered for paratrooper training. After graduating from jump school he volunteered for special warfare training which comprised training in special weapons, Morse code, semaphore and sailing. Completing the course, he reported to Ft. Benning, Georgia where he was assigned to the 11th Airborne Division. He then volunteered to serve with the Alamo Scouts and received jungle training, hand-to-hand combat training and all infantry weapons training. He then rejoined the 11th Airborne Division. Santos relates in detail an intriguing tale of the operation to liberate Allied internees from the Los Banos internment camp.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Santos, Terry
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Walter Riley, February 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Walter Riley, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Walter Riley. Riley was born in 1932 in Cavite, Philippines. His father was a Navy man who traveled to the Philippines and married his mother who was a Japanese American. They raised eight children, Riley was the youngest. They moved to Manila and were living there when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. Their entire family was interned at Santo Tomas Internment Camp. They were there from early 1942 until February of 1945. Riley shares vivid details of the occupation of Manila by the Japanese, the living quarters at the camp, their room and board arrangements, their work assignments, battling illnesses, their communication with the Japanese guards and their liberation in 1945. Riley served in the Navy during the Korean War.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Riley, Walter
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Walter Riley, February 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Walter Riley, February 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Walter Riley. Riley was born in 1932 in Cavite, Philippines. His father was a Navy man who traveled to the Philippines and married his mother who was a Japanese American. They raised eight children, Riley was the youngest. They moved to Manila and were living there when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. Their entire family was interned at Santo Tomas Internment Camp. They were there from early 1942 until February of 1945. Riley shares vivid details of the occupation of Manila by the Japanese, the living quarters at the camp, their room and board arrangements, their work assignments, battling illnesses, their communication with the Japanese guards and their liberation in 1945. Riley served in the Navy during the Korean War.
Date: February 1, 2002
Creator: Riley, Walter
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Audie Lynch, March 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Audie Lynch, March 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Audie Lynch. Lynch was born in Scotland, Arkansas 15 May 1925 and graduated from high school in 1942. He then attended Southeast Missouri State Teachers College where he participated in the Navy’s V-12 college training program. After one year he was sent to the Naval Reserve Midshipman School at Notre Dame University and received his commission four months later. Lynch was then ordered to report aboard the USS Charles Carroll (APA-28) at Norfolk, Virginia. The ship, which carried LCVP and LCM landing craft, sailed to Espiritu Santo where the troops trained and practiced landings prior to the invasion of Okinawa. He recalls participating in the invasion as the boat officer of a LCVP and had Ernie Pyle as a passenger. After the surrender of Japan, he made five trips to the Philippines, China and Japan ferrying troops back to the United States.
Date: March 1, 2002
Creator: Lynch, Audie J.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Audie Lynch, March 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Audie Lynch, March 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Audie Lynch. Lynch was born in Scotland, Arkansas 15 May 1925 and graduated from high school in 1942. He then attended Southeast Missouri State Teachers College where he participated in the Navy’s V-12 college training program. After one year he was sent to the Naval Reserve Midshipman School at Notre Dame University and received his commission four months later. Lynch was then ordered to report aboard the USS Charles Carroll (APA-28) at Norfolk, Virginia. The ship, which carried LCVP and LCM landing craft, sailed to Espiritu Santo where the troops trained and practiced landings prior to the invasion of Okinawa. He recalls participating in the invasion as the boat officer of a LCVP and had Ernie Pyle as a passenger. After the surrender of Japan, he made five trips to the Philippines, China and Japan ferrying troops back to the United States.
Date: March 1, 2002
Creator: Lynch, Audie J.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bill Ingram, March 1, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Bill Ingram, March 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Ingram. Ingram was born in Springfield, Illinois on 13 June 1924. He joined the US Navy in 1941 and after completion of boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station he traveled to California where he was assigned to the USS Houston (CA-30), boarding the ship in Darwin, Australia. He describes his battle station as loader of an 8 inch forward gun and the procedures involved in loading of the gun. He tells of the 28 February 1942 attack on the ship by Japanese forces and the sinking of the Houston. After spending two days in the water he was picked up by the enemy and following questioning he was thrown back into the water. Later, he was picked out of the water and taken to Java. He describes the questioning procedure of the Japanese and the physical abuse he endured. Ingram was then moved from Batavia, Java to Burma to work on the Thai-Burma Railroad and describes the extensive manual labor required, the starving conditions, lack of adequate medical attention and inhumane treatment by the captors. He relates the painful experience of developing dysentery, malaria …
Date: March 1, 2002
Creator: Ingram, Bill
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bill Ingram, March 1, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Bill Ingram, March 1, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Ingram. Ingram was born in Springfield, Illinois on 13 June 1924. He joined the US Navy in 1941 and after completion of boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station he traveled to California where he was assigned to the USS Houston (CA-30), boarding the ship in Darwin, Australia. He describes his battle station as loader of an 8 inch forward gun and the procedures involved in loading of the gun. He tells of the 28 February 1942 attack on the ship by Japanese forces and the sinking of the Houston. After spending two days in the water he was picked up by the enemy and following questioning he was thrown back into the water. Later, he was picked out of the water and taken to Java. He describes the questioning procedure of the Japanese and the physical abuse he endured. Ingram was then moved from Batavia, Java to Burma to work on the Thai-Burma Railroad and describes the extensive manual labor required, the starving conditions, lack of adequate medical attention and inhumane treatment by the captors. He relates the painful experience of developing dysentery, malaria …
Date: March 1, 2002
Creator: Ingram, Bill
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History