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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Leal Langshaw. Langshaw was born in Salina, Kansas 29 December 1918. At 21 he joined the US Navy and underwent boot camp at San Diego. He then attended machinist school and worked in a torpedo shop. He describes defects in the torpedo firing pins. Langshaw was transferred to Pearl Harbor and he describes what he saw when he arrived there on 24 December 1941. He was assigned to the engine room of the USS Plunger (SS-179) and tells of detecting a defect in one of the engines, thus saving it from being damaged. As a result of his actions, he was promoted to seaman second class. He made four war patrols on the Plunger and tells of going through the Okhotsk Sea to attack Japanese shipping in the Sea of Japan. In 1944, Langshaw returned to the United States and was sent to Portsmouth, New Hampshire to assist in preparing the USS Scabbardfish (SS-397) for commissioning. He recalls being on a war patrol near Formosa when they encountered a typhoon. After riding out the typhoon, he requested land duty. Upon arriving at Pearl Harbor he taught hydraulics at …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ralph O. McClain. McClain was born in Lone Wolf, Oklahoma 30 June 1925. He joined the Navy in March 1943 and went to San Diego for boot training. From there, he was sent to Honolulu. He tells of going aboard the Japanese midget submarine HA-19, which was tied along the dock. He comments on seeing it again during his visit to the National Museum of the Pacific War. After undergoing some training related to submarine duty he was sent to Midway and assigned to the USS Aspro (SS-309). On night watch during his first war patrol McClain sighted a silhouette and reported it to the captain. It was the Japanese submarine I-43 which was engaged and sunk by torpedoes from the Aspro in February 1944. McLain made five more patrols while on board the boat and he tells of some actions, including life guard duty, which involved picking up downed flyers. He was discharged soon after returning to the United States following the surrender of Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with E.R. (Ed) Dolinar. He discusses going to boot camp, then torpedo school and submarine school. He was on the SSN Stingray as a torpedo crewman that offloaded supplies and guerrillas in the Philippines and picking up stranded Japanese sailors, transporting them to Australia, after which the Stingray was decomissioned. He was then part of a crew that cannibalized and plagiarized captured German submarines and he discusses the differences between the U-boats and the US submarines. He ancedotes on the Bolomen, Filipino guerillas who fought the Japanese during the occupation, getting hit with depth charges and his opinions on MacArthur and Truman.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Wiley Davis. Davis was born in Gainesville, Texas 13 April 1925. Enlisting in the Navy in 1942, he was sent directly to Iowa State College for six months training in electrical engineering. He volunteered for submarine service in January 1943. After attending various schools, he reported to Portsmouth, New Hampshire and was assigned to the USS Batfish (SS-310), which was under construction. After commissioning and a successful shakedown cruise, the Batfish headed for the Pacific Ocean. Davis was assigned as fireman in the after engine room. Refueled and resupplied at Pearl Harbor, the Batfish proceeded to Midway, where more fuel and additional torpedoes were taken on board. He recalls the first combat mission, lasting 52 days, where they sank several sampans with their deck gun, as well as a destroyer escort and a tanker with torpedoes. On one patrol, the Batfish encountered severe weather and did not locate any Japanese ships. On another, she received damage from a bomb erroneously dropped by an American plane. They went to Brisbane, Australia for repairs. Davis comments on other patrols including the sixth when Batfish sank three Japanese submarines. Davis remembered …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Land. Land was a native of Fredericksburg, Texas and served in the Navy from July of 1938 through September of 1945. He shares the story of how he and his wife met, his work as a salesman, and his volunteer work at St. David’s hospital in Austin. He also speaks about his children and grandchildren. The interviewer comments about the documents Land provided him, which he says he’s included with this interview, sharing Land’s recollections as a Pearl Harbor survivor and service through World War II. The document included was an oral history Land conducted with another organization regarding his military history.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norman Palmer. Palmer was born in 1922 in Tiosa, Indiana. He enlisted in the Army in January, 1942 and took basic training at Fort Robinson, Arkansas where he was assigned to the Medical Corps. From there, he went to Fort Benning, Georgia and worked ina field hospital until he took and passed the Army Air Forces cadet training tests. He reported to preflight training in San Antonio in December, 1942. Palmer earned his wings and was commissioned in August 1943 just prior to reporting for duty with the 309th Bomb Wing in South Carolina. Palmer was assigned to a B-25 crew as copilot and flew a new bomber to North Africa in December, where they were attached to the 310th Bomb Group stationed on Corsica. Palmer describes bombing missions over Italy and southern France. Palmer flew 40 missions in a B-25 as a copilot and 30 as a pilot. After 70 missions, Palmer was sent home in September, 1944. Palmer was assigned as a flight instructor at Altus, Oklahoma after he returned. When the war ended, Palmer was assigned to the Transport Command where he ferried planes. Later …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Burns. Burns joined the Navy in June of 1943. He completed the Navy V-12 Program. He was commissioned as ensign in May of 1945, and assigned to a destroyer escort. They conducted submarine patrol. He worked in numerous departments aboard the ship, and they remained along the coast of Florida. He was transferred to California for amphibious training. Burns continued his service in the Navy, receiving his discharge in 1958.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with David Mackay. Mackay joined the Army in June of 1942. Beginning in the spring of 1943, he deployed to Brisbane, Australia and served with the 32nd Infantry Division. He completed patrol work and additional training on Hollandia, New Guinea. From early 1944 through early 1945, Mackay participated in the landing at Saidor, the Battle of Leyte and the Battle of Luzon. He returned to the US and was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond F. Hasker. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on October 22, 1922 and enlisted in the Navy on December 11, 1940. After graduating from Aviation Machinist School in May 1941, he sailed on the USS Wharton (AP-7) to Pearl Harbor. During the Japanese attack on December 7, he recalls removing wounded sailors from the water near the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) to the Mobile Hospital at Landing A and pulling damaged PBYs from the airfield with a tractor. He also recounts that he and other sailors spent the night on the roof of the Operations Building at Hickham Airfield armed with antiquated machine guns in anticipation of a Japanese troop landing. He describes taking photos of Eleanor Roosevelt during a visit to Honolulu. He also recounts a flight with an admiral in a new model aircraft that was known to be problematic. He describes how the plane crash landed in the water and the admiral telling him he was grounding all future flights in that model. He recalls that he got so bored while stationed at Pearl Harbor that he volunteered for Parachute Rigging school and graduated with …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Johnny F. Gavlick. He was born in Falls City, Texas on September 14, 1925. He enlisted into the Navy on August 3, 1943. He gives a detailed account of his six weeks at boot camp in San Diego. Upon graduating he was sent to Coronado, California to train in LCVPs (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel) and LCMs (Landing Craft Mechanized) and qualified as coxswain. He hitch-hiked to Los Angeles upon graduation from Landing Craft School where he visited the Hollywood Canteen and was served coffee by Clark Gable and danced with Debra Paget. In November 1943 he boarded the USS Harry Lee (AP-10) and sailed to Pearl Harbor. He recalls sailing to Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands at the end of 1943. He describes his duty at Tarawa aboard a LCM, transporting supplies and personnel from the island to ships anchored outside the reef. After returning to Pearl Harbor, Gavlick volunteered for an assignment with the 33rd Army Division, training at Kauai for a landing in the Philippines. Upon completion of training, he sailed to Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands, where he participated as part of a boat crew …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Daryl Haerther. Haerther joined the Army in 1944 and was assigned to the 96th Infantry Division a few days after the beginning of the invasion of Okinawa. He was assigned to A Company, 383rd Infantry Regiment. While there, Haerther qualified as a medic and shares several anecdotes from his combat experiences. Eventaully, Haerther was wounded and evacuated to Guam. He was still in the hospital when the war ended and Haerther elected to be discharged in December 1945. Haerther indicates he continues to struggle later in life as a result of some of his combat experiences.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Daryl Haerther. Haerther joined the Army in 1944 and was assigned to the 96th Infantry Division a few days after the beginning of the invasion of Okinawa. He was assigned to A Company, 383rd Infantry Regiment. While there, Haerther qualified as a medic and shares several anecdotes from his combat experiences. Eventaully, Haerther was wounded and evacuated to Guam. He was still in the hospital when the war ended and Haerther elected to be discharged in December 1945. Haerther indicates he continues to struggle later in life as a result of some of his combat experiences.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Yerger. Yerger joined the Navy when he finished college in June, 1942 and went into flight training at Grand Prairie, the Corpus Christi. He earned his wings in March 1943 and after instrument training was made an instructor at Beeville. In April, 1945, Yerger was assigned to fly cargo in PBY from Alameda to Hawaii and beyond. He recalls a few anecdotes about Majuro Island and its natives. Yerger took his discharge in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norman Palmer. Palmer was born in 1922 in Tiosa, Indiana. He enlisted in the Army in January, 1942 and took basic training at Fort Robinson, Arkansas where he was assigned to the Medical Corps. From there, he went to Fort Benning, Georgia and worked ina field hospital until he took and passed the Army Air Forces cadet training tests. He reported to preflight training in San Antonio in December, 1942. Palmer earned his wings and was commissioned in August 1943 just prior to reporting for duty with the 309th Bomb Wing in South Carolina. Palmer was assigned to a B-25 crew as copilot and flew a new bomber to North Africa in December, where they were attached to the 310th Bomb Group stationed on Corsica. Palmer describes bombing missions over Italy and southern France. Palmer flew 40 missions in a B-25 as a copilot and 30 as a pilot. After 70 missions, Palmer was sent home in September, 1944. Palmer was assigned as a flight instructor at Altus, Oklahoma after he returned. When the war ended, Palmer was assigned to the Transport Command where he ferried planes. Later …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Burns. Burns joined the Navy in June of 1943. He completed the Navy V-12 Program. He was commissioned as ensign in May of 1945, and assigned to a destroyer escort. They conducted submarine patrol. He worked in numerous departments aboard the ship, and they remained along the coast of Florida. He was transferred to California for amphibious training. Burns continued his service in the Navy, receiving his discharge in 1958.