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Oral History Interview with Floyd Mumme, April 12, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Floyd Mumme, April 12, 2002

Interview with Floyd Mumme, a medic during World War II. He discusses boot camp, being deployed to Saipan, Japanese trying to steal food, working in the Army Medical Corps, and treating wounds in combat.
Date: April 12, 2002
Creator: Misenhimer, Richard & Mumme, Floyd C.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with H. L. Obermiller, April 30, 2004 transcript

Oral History Interview with H. L. Obermiller, April 30, 2004

Interview with H. L. Obermiller, a Pharmacist's Mate during World War II. He discusses his involvement in the Battles of Tarawa, Saipan and Tinian, where he served as a Pharmacist's Mate. He remembers having Spam for Thanksgiving, meeting Navajo code talkers, and writing letters home.
Date: April 30, 2004
Creator: Metzler, Ed & Obermiller, H. L.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with E. R. Dolinar, April 5, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with E. R. Dolinar, April 5, 2003

Interview with E.R. (Ed) Dolinar, a serviceman with the U. S. Navy during World War II. He discusses going to boot camp, torpedo school and submarine school. He was on the SSN Stingray as a torpedo crewman that offloaded supplies and guerillas in the Philippines. It picked up stranded Japanese sailors and transported them to Australia. The Stingray was then decomissioned. He was then part of a crew that studied and stripped captured German submarines, and he discusses the differences between the U-boats and the US submarines. He also discusses the Bolomen, Filipino guerillas who fought the Japanese during the occupation. He also talks briefly about his experience of being hit with depth charges and gives his opinions on General MacArthur and President Truman.
Date: April 5, 2003
Creator: Bryk, Clarence & Dolinar, E. R.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Charles Pase, April 12, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Charles Pase, April 12, 2001

Interview with Charles Pase, a marine during World War II. He discusses joining the Marines and training on New Zealand and other Pacific islands. He describes landing on Tarawa, the battle of Tarawa itself, and locating and burying the dead bodies after the battle. He also talks about going to Hawaii for more training before going to Saipan, various guns and artillery he used, encountering natives on Saipan and being in Nagasaki after the bomb was dropped. He relates ancedotes about having tonsillitis during the Tarawa attack, fights that some Marines got into with local Hawaiians while training there and prejudices against Japanese-Americans, mistaking a land crab that pinched the back of his neck for a bayonet, getting Dengue Fever, and faking a landing on April Fools' Day.
Date: April 12, 2001
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Pase, Charles
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Sam H. Snoddy, April 29, 2004 transcript

Oral History Interview with Sam H. Snoddy, April 29, 2004

Interview with Sam H. Snoddy, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He served in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. After training, he participated in the initial landing at Saipan where he was wounded in the knees and shoulder on the beach by shell fragments. He was loaded onto a hospital ship with several other casualties before going to Hawaii to recuperate. He participated in the Okinawa campaign and spent time at Nagasaki on occupation duty. After being discharged, he went to college on the G. I. Bill, and eventually settled in Texas, where he worked in the oil industry.
Date: April 29, 2004
Creator: Smith, Ned & Snoddy, Sam H.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Guinn Rasbury, April 30, 2004 transcript

Oral History Interview with Guinn Rasbury, April 30, 2004

Interview with Guinn Rasbury, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He discusses joining the Marines, being part of the invasion force at Florida and Tulagi Islands, having multiple malaria attacks, being transferred to Maine to cure his malaria, being transferred around the United States, and finally returning to the Pacific theater. He explains how being sick with malaria and getting bumped from a plane ride home saved his life. He shares anecdotes about sounding "Taps" at a memorial service for President Roosevelt and being chairman of the Second Marine Division Memorial Scholarship Fund Committee.
Date: April 30, 2004
Creator: Graham, Eddie & Rasbury, Guinn
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Valentin R. Ybarra, April 29, 2004 transcript

Oral History Interview with Valentin R. Ybarra, April 29, 2004

Interview with Valentin R. Ybarra regarding his experiences during World War II. He discusses his wartime experiences in Peleliu and Okinawa as well as occupation duty in Japan and China. He also had an assignment in Spain. He remembers the Cuban Missile Crisis, the revolt in the Dominican Republic, and his service in Vietnam.
Date: April 29, 2004
Creator: Misenhimer, Richard & Ybarra, Valentin R.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Eleanor Brown, April 24, 2000 transcript

Oral History Interview with Eleanor Brown, April 24, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eleanor Brown. From early 1942 through 1944, Brown served as a general mechanics helper at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, and had completed flight training. In April, she joined the Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASPs) in Sweetwater, Texas. Brown graduated, though WASP was disbanded in December of that same year. She returned to Kelly Field and continued to work as the first woman mechanic at the Air Force Base.
Date: April 24, 2000
Creator: Brown, Eleanor
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Edward Hyak, April 17, 2000 transcript

Oral History Interview with Edward Hyak, April 17, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edward Hyak. Hyak joined the Army Air Corps in August 1940 and received clerical training at Fort Logan. He received glider pilot training in Roswell. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 477th Bomb Group, where he served as a technical clerk assisting the first sergeant. In November 1942 he went to England, where he kept maintenance records and ran troubleshooting for the bomb group as an engineer clerk specialist. He recalls one plane, nicknamed Fuddy Duddy, which flew 90 missions before finally being decommissioned. On D-Day he witnessed thousands of American planes overhead, which came as a total surprise to him. While in England he met his brother and cousin at the Imperial Hotel. Hyak returned home in July 1945 and was discharged. He joined the inactive reserves and was called to Nevada to participate in nuclear bomb experiments in 1950. He recalls being knocked down by the blast from his post in a trench. He attributes numerous lifelong ailments and disabilities to his exposure to radioactivity, including blindness. Hyak was discharged a second time in September 1952.
Date: April 17, 2000
Creator: Hyak, Edward
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William R. Hamilton, April 4, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with William R. Hamilton, April 4, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William R. Hamilton. Born in 1927, he enlisted in the Navy with his twin brother, Bob, in early 1945. He shares an anecdote about their selection for submarine school and the subsequent change in their orders. He also tells about how they came to be assigned to the USS Pomfret (SS-391). They served together on the submarine for forty-two months. He served as an electrician while Bob was a gunner. Hamilton describes the guns on the submarine. He discusses searching for and destroying mines at sea. Both Hamilton and his brother completed the submarine qualification process and were awarded the dolphin insignia. He recounts an incident in which the submarine was erroneously targeted by an American destroyer with Hedgehogs and depth charges. He describes sinking Japanese ships with torpedoes at Eniwetok. He was discharged at Treasure Island Naval Base after serving forty-four months in the Navy. He describes the shellback initiation; living conditions on the submarine; charging submarine batteries; and conditions in Japan after the war.
Date: April 4, 2003
Creator: Hamilton, William R.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bruce Heard, April 15, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Bruce Heard, April 15, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bruce Heard. Heard worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1937 to 1939 as a baker and he build houses and benches at a national park. He joined the Army in April of 1944, and served as a Tech Sergeant with the 1260th Combat Engineers Battalion, Headquarters Company. He provides details of his training. He traveled to France in late 1944. His battalion was attached to the 3rd, 7th and 15th Armies at different times. They moved into Nuremberg, Hanover and Berlin, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. His job was to build bridges and haul ammunition to the Infantry and Artillery on the front lines. He shares some of his experiences through this battle, including casualties of fellow servicemen, bomb attacks and living accommodations. He was discharged around the spring of 1946.
Date: April 15, 2002
Creator: Heard, Bruce
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William Findley, April 2, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with William Findley, April 2, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Findley. Findley served with the Navy ROTC V-12 program at the University of Texas at Austin. From there he was commissioned an ensign and called to active duty. He was sent to the University of California at Berkeley for engineering, science and management war training in marine power plants. Upon graduation in August 1944, he was assigned to the USS Wyandot (AKA-92) as the Engineering Officer in the Pacific Theater. They traveled to Pearl Harbor, Guam, Eniwetok, the Philippines and Okinawa. He shares details of his work as Engineering Officer, and his experiences through the Battle of Okinawa beginning March of 1945. Findley was discharged around the spring of 1946 as a lieutenant (j.g) and returned to the University of Texas at Austin.
Date: April 2, 2002
Creator: Findley, William
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with J. C. Kerr, April 5, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with J. C. Kerr, April 5, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J.C. Kerr. Kerr was born in Dillard, Oklahoma in 1921. Joining the Navy in 1939, Kerr was assigned to the USS Tennessee (BB-43) after attending boot camp in San Diego, California. He began on the job motor machinist training in the engine room while aboard. In 1941 he was transferred to the USS Washington (BB-56) as she began convoy duty in the Atlantic. In September 1942 the ship went to New Caledonia. Kerr tells of the ship being involved in a naval battle near Guadalcanal in November. In 1943, Kerr was transferred into the submarine service. Returning to San Francisco he traveled by troop train to New London, Connecticut to begin training. He describes the various aspects of the training including the use of the Momsen escape lung. After receiving additional training in submarine engineering school, he was sent to Milne Bay, New Guinea and went aboard the USS Dace (SS-247). He describes being on five war patrols which included transporting Australian commandos prior to an island invasion, laying mines, and attacks on Japanese ships. Kerr also recounts the rescue of the crew of the USS Dater (SS-227). …
Date: April 5, 2002
Creator: Kerr, J. C.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Erwin W. Scott, Jr, April 6, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Erwin W. Scott, Jr, April 6, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Erwin Scott. Scott worked at a ship yard until Uncle Sam called him in June 1943. He was at Fort Sam Houston when he volunteered for paratroop training. He was sent to Toccoa, Georgia for some training, Camp McCall, North Carolina for more training, to Fort Bragg for jump school and then back to Camp McCall. He went overseas as part of the 517th Regimental Combat Team; they got to Naples, Italy in May/June 1944. His battalion commander was Dick Sietz, the youngest battalion commander in World War II according to Scott. After staying in camp for about a week or 10 days, they went into combat and got as far as Leghorn after 30 days; then went back to camp (about 10 miles out of Rome). The jumped into southern France on August 15, 1944 and met up with the troops that had landed in Normandy. Scott states that over one-third of his platoon is buried in Europe. They were trucked into the Battle of the Bulge; very cold. This is where Scott froze one foot. He was sent to a hospital in England on December 27, …
Date: April 6, 2002
Creator: Scott, Erwin W.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Bill Lewis, April 25, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Bill Lewis, April 25, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Lewis. Lewis joined the Navy in July 1939 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Breese (DM-18) where he worked in the engine room. He participated in neutrality patrols and survey trips along the Pacific coast. Ten days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, his ship reported sighting a Japanese submarine outside Pearl Harbor. During the attack, he saw the USS Utah (BB-31) roll over and watched as a destroyed midget submarine came to the surface. The Breese got underway and patrolled for seven days, short of crew, until returning to the harbor. At Midway he took on survivors from the USS Yorktown (CV-5). He describes the process of laying contact mines throughout the South Pacific. Lewis was surprised that the USS Tucker (DD-374) tragically entered one of their minefields. Lewis was transferred to the USS Latimer (APA-152) for the landings at Lingayen Gulf and Okinawa. After the war, he remained in the Navy, making the first landing at Inchon, aboard the USS Thuban (AKA-19). He retired from the Navy in 1962 and joined the Merchant Marines, bringing cargo …
Date: April 25, 2001
Creator: Lewis, Bill
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with John Eberle, April 11, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with John Eberle, April 11, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Eberle. Born in 1921, he enlisted in the Navy in 1939. He was assigned to Torpedo Squadron VT-6 of the Enterprise Air Group. He describes events on the USS Enterprise (CV-6) while at sea during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He shares an anecdote about the remains of Admiral Kidd. He relates stories about the Battle of Midway; escorting to the USS Hornet (CV-8) in conjunction with the Doolittle Raid; the sinking of the USS Wasp (CV-7); the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands and the loss of the USS Hornet; and experiencing a typhoon while on an aircraft carrier. He also shares stories about being an aircraft maintenance officer in San Diego, California. He retired from the Navy Reserve in 1976.
Date: April 11, 2001
Creator: Eberle, John
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Thomas Bousman, April 28, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Thomas Bousman, April 28, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with the Reverend Dr. R. Thomas Bousman. Bousman was born in the Manila, Philippines in 1928. His parents were Christian missionaries. He fled to Los Banos with his family, but returned to Manila in late December, 1941. He was interned at Santo Tomas with his family for only a short period of time before being released and placed under house arrest because his parents were missionaries. In 1944, they were transferred to Los Banos and were eventually liberated from there in February, 1945. In May, they returned to California. Bousman also relates how the internee experience affected him throughout his life.
Date: April 28, 2001
Creator: Bousman, R. Thomas
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Preston Allen, April 4, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with Preston Allen, April 4, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Preston Allen. Allen was born in Columbus, Indiana on 6 January 1926. Upon enlisting in the Navy, he went to Great Lakes Naval Training Station for boot training. After graduation, he was assigned to the USS New York (BB-34). He made several trips across the Atlantic aboard the New York before requesting submarine duty. He then went to submarine school in New London, Connecticut. From there he attended diesel school at Groton, Connecticut. Upon graduating as a motor machinist, he was assigned to the USS Perch (SS-313). After conducting sea trials the boat departed to Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal. On their first patrol they sunk a Japanese tanker and were subjected to depth charge attack by destroyers. The next day they sank a Japanese patrol boat with gun fire. On their second patrol one of their main engines required major repairs. The engine room crew worked seventy-two hours straight to get it repaired. As the boat returned to Midway, a PBY dropped a bomb inflicting no to the boat. Allen suffered a ruptured eardrum from the explosion. After the Perch returned to Pearl Harbor, Allen was …
Date: April 4, 2003
Creator: Allen, Preston
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Charles Schaub, April 4, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with Charles Schaub, April 4, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Schaub. He was born on 10 October 1928 in Washington, Pennsylvania and enlisted into the Navy in October 1945. Immediately after enlisting, he was sent to Camp Perry, a Seabee training base in Virginia. He describes the conditions in the camp and his experiences while undergoing eight weeks of basic training. Due to his aptitude with the Morse Code, he was sent to radio school in Bainbridge, Maryland for five months. Schaub graduated in May 1946, and volunteered for Submarine School for advanced training in radio, sonar and radar in Groton, Connecticut. In December 1946 he was sent to the USS Greenfish (SS-351), and following a short cruise to the Caribbean, he was transferred to the Brooklyn Naval Receiving Station in April 1947 to decommission USS LST-506. In September 1947 he was transferred to the USS Steinaker (DD-863) for two years. During his second cruise he was transferred to the USS Cone (DD-866), where he served as a radio operator. In August 1949 he reenlisted and was transferred to the USS Cobbler (SS-344). In June 1950 he was transferred to the USS Sea Leopard (SS-483) where he …
Date: April 4, 2003
Creator: Schaub, Charles
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Arthur Schott, April 4, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with Arthur Schott, April 4, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Arthur Schott. Schott joined the Army in January of 1942. He completed Quartermaster training. In mid to late 1942 he traveled to Brisbane, Australia and New Guinea, serving with the Sixth Army Headquarters. In 1944 Schott was stationed in the Philippines, during the Battle of Leyte. His job was graves registration. He remained in the Philippines through early 1945. He returned to the US and was discharged in August.
Date: April 4, 2003
Creator: Schott, Arthur
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Ruth Hary, April 3, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with Ruth Hary, April 3, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ruth Hary. Ruth was married to Edward Hary, a former submariner. She shares information of her family history, stories of civilian life during World War II, details of Edward’s time in the service, as well as anecdotes of their marriage in September of 1943. During wartime, Ruth worked at Texas A&M University until she had their first child.
Date: April 3, 2003
Creator: Hary, Ruth
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Hershel Downing, April 3, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with Hershel Downing, April 3, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Hershel Downing. Downing was drafted into the Army and served as a platoon sergeant with the 81st Infantry Division, 306th Medical Battalion. He was in charge of the motor pool and also dispatched ambulances. Downing describes evacuating and assisting wounded soldiers. He briefly describes his service on Palau, Leyte, and during the occupation of Japan. Downing was discharged from the service when he returned to the US.
Date: April 3, 2003
Creator: Downing, Hershel
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James B. Perry, April 3, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with James B. Perry, April 3, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Perry. Perry was born in Dallas, Texas in 1921 and graduated from high school in 1940. He joined the Navy in 1942 and was sent to boot camp at San Diego. He was selected for radio operator training. During this time he was put in the brig for five days for a rules infraction. Upon release, he was sent to North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego. Here, while having no particular job assignment, he volunteered for the submarine service. After being accepted, he was sent to Mare Island, California. He was assigned to the USS Haddo (SS-255) as a fireman with additional duties as a mess cook. The captain of the boat was Chester W. Nimitz, Jr. He recalls an incident where the submarine was attacked by a Japanese plane dropping a depth charge and how frightful the experience was. After making several uneventful war patrols, he was assigned to a rest camp at Perth, Australia as a bar tender in the officer’s club. He remained on that job until the Japanese surrendered.
Date: April 3, 2003
Creator: Perry, James B.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with David Lustig, April 4, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with David Lustig, April 4, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Lustig. Lustig was born in August 1927 in Walden, New York. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942 and went to Midland, Texas for basic training. His first assignment was as an operations clerk at Pampa Airfield, Texas. He attended Army radio school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and gunnery school in Yuma, Arizona. At Dyersburg, Tennessee, Lustig was assigned to a B-17 crew, which flew to Grafton Underwood, England, and was assigned to the 384th Bomb Group, 547th Squadron. He flew in twenty combat missions over Germany and describes elements of several sorties. He recalls one mission during which his crew heard on BBC radio of a pending air raid on Skoda Armament Works in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia while on the way to bomb that target. Lustig tells of the grueling flights and extreme weather encountered during these flights. He returned home on HMS Queen Mary in December 1945, signed up for the 52-20 program upon discharge, and joined the Air Force Reserves where he retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1982.
Date: April 4, 2003
Creator: Lustig, David
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History