The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J. Kenneth Duncan. Duncan was born in Lowell, Indiana 12 February 1920. Upon completing high school in 1939 he attended Purdue University for two years. Drafted into the Army in 1942, he went to Camp Atterbury, Indiana for basic and medical training. He then went to Fort Benning and took charge of the base dispensary. Not caring for that job, he joined the 160th Combat Engineers. After finishing engineer training at Fort Meade, Maryland he went to Fort Ethan Allen for advanced training in bridge building. After maneuvers in Tennessee he went to Fort Rucker, Alabama for more reconnaissance and engineering training. In August 1944 the unit boarded HMS Queen Elizabeth bound for England. Upon arrival, they traveled to a temporary camp where they practiced building pontoon bridges, Bailey bridges and fixed bridges. On 1 August 1944 the unit was transported to Omaha Beach by LST. Duncan recalls completing their first bridge over the Seine River at Gironville, France. Duncan was wounded on five different occasions and he describes how each occurred. He had several personal encounters with General George Patton and met General Eisenhower in Le Havre …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charlie Boswell. Boswell was born in Coryell County, Texas 4 September 1921. He quit high school, joined the Navy and went to boot camp in San Diego. Upon completing boot training he was assigned to the USS Tennessee (BB-43) as a member of the crew in the engine room. During battle stations, he served as an ammunition handler for a five inch gun. He was aboard the ship on 7 December 1941 and he describes his activities during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Tennessee received two bomb hits during the attack. Boswell recalls being at his battle station for twelve straight hours before being permitted to go topside. The ship went to Bremerton, Washington for repairs. In 1942 Boswell was assigned to the USS Waller (DD-466). The ship supported various landings in the Pacific before returning to the United States in 1944. After refitting, the ship supported landing in the Philippines. When the Japanese surrendered, the Waller went to Shanghai, where various work parties from the ship assisted in disarming the Japanese troops. Returning to the United States in December 1945, Boswell remained aboard as part …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ray Kroft. Kroft joined the Army in October of 1944. He served as a Staff Sergeant with the 77th Infantry Division. He participated in the Battle of Okinawa, and served with occupation forces in Japan. He was discharged in November of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert D. Tippen. Tippen was born in Goldthwaite, Texas on 8 May 1923. He joined the Navy in July 1942. After boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, he was sent to the Canal Zone where he joined the USS Columbia (CL-56), assigned to the Navigation Department. In October 1942 Columbia sailed for Espiritu Santo, supporting the struggle for Guadalcanal. For the next 14 months, with few breaks, Tippen and Columbia saw combat. Starting with securing Guadalcanal, they participated in the bombardment of Munda, supported the landings at Bougainville, participated in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, made raids on Rabaul and Truk, and covered an assault of Emirau Island. After an overhaul in San Francisco to repair battle damage, Columbia supported the landings at Peleliu, and participated in the Battle for Leyte Gulf. In December 1944 Tippen was transferred to USS Denver (CL-58). Denver helped in the final capture of the Philippines, supported the landings at Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Balikpapan, Borneo, and hunted Japanese shipping off the China coast. Following the end of hostilities, Denver provided cover for the liberation of prison camps in Wakayama, Honshu, Japan. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Karl Williams. Williams joined the Navy in April of 1942, as a 3rd Class Yeoman. He completed training at San Diego and provides details of his training experiences, uniforms and general life at camp. While waiting on a ship assignment, Williams was transferred to Tiburon, California, making submarine harbor nets by hand. From June to October of 1942 he volunteered to attend school for additional Yeoman training in Bloomington, Indiana. He was transferred to Miami to complete further training through the middle of 1943. He then served as 2nd Class Yeoman aboard a submarine chaser. They were sent to Panama in August of 1943. He did not have any contact with enemy submarines during his service. They traveled to New Caledonia and Guadalcanal, where they were stationed through August of 1944, serving as a patrol ship around the island. They were sent to the Mariana Islands where they remained until the war ended. He was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lawrence Dibb. Dibb joined the Navy in September of 1941. Beginning January of 1942, he served aboard USS Maryland (BB-46) as a Fireman in damage control, fire and rescue, and diving repair. They traveled to Midway and Fiji Island. They participated in the battles of Tarawa, Saipan, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. Dibb was discharged in October of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ivan Brown. Brown joined the Army in 1942. He joined the 3rd Chemical Mortar Battalion. His job was working with the 4.2-inch mortar and poison gas. In April of 1943, they deployed to Oran, North Africa. They participated in the allied invasions of Sicily, Italy and southern France, and the Battle of the Ardennes. Brown was discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jamie Davis. Davis joined the Marine Corps in July of 1944. He served with a replacement draft for the 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Regiment. They deployed in mid-December to Pavuvu Island in the Solomons. He completed additional training between Pavuvu and Guadalcanal via LSTs and LCVPs. They participated in the Battle of Okinawa, where Davis served as a forward observer, coordinating naval gunfire to enemy positions. After the war ended, they served as occupational troops in Tientsin, China, and returned to the US in December of 1945. Davis was discharged in July of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harrison Gunter. Gunter joined the Navy in June, 1942 as an aviation cadet. He trained in Georgia and Texas before receiving his commission. He then opted to transfer to the Marine Corps. He was retained as a flight instructor. In January, 1945, Gunter was sent to Guam and flew C-47s hauling personnel all over the Pacific. His squadron was VMR-952. When the war ended, his unit went to occupation duty in Japan. Gunter was discharged in 1946.

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 Chester Gacek. Gacek joined the Navy in 1943. He was trained as a radioman and was assigned to the USS El Dorado (AGC-11). Gacek was aboard during the invasion of Okinawa and mentions how he recorded messages received in Morse Code. He was in Manila when the Japanese surrendered and describes transporting Japanese officers onboard the USS Okala (ARST-2) to war crimes trails.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Raymond Cheney. Cheney enlisted in the Army Air Forces in September of 1942. He completed radio school and served in Australia, New Guinea and Los Negros Island. He provides some details of his work and travel experiences. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ramon Villa. Villa joined the Army in April of 1941. He served with the 200th Coast Artillery. In September, he deployed to the Philippines, and was assigned at Clark Field. After the Japanese landed on Luzon, Villa helped defend Bataan and Corregidor, surrendering to the Japanese in April of 1942. He was captured and held a prisoner of war at Camp O’Donnell, Cabanatuan Camp #3, Las Piñas Camp #4, and in Japan. In 1944, he survived transport aboard the Haro Maru to Taiwan, to work as slave labor on a sugar plantation. He was liberated after the war ended, and returned to the US in October of 1945, receiving an honorable discharge in February of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Walter Tucker. Born in Amherst County, Virginia in May 1925, Tucker was a freshman at the Virginia Military Institute when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Graduating with a civil engineering degree, he entered the Navy in November 1944. When he completed boot camp he was sent to Midshipman’s school. Upon graduating in May 1945, he was commissioned. During a rail trip with a group he was escorting from Providence, Rhode Island to Camp Shoemaker, California word was received that Japan had surrendered. He remained in California for a month and then received orders to report to the 94th Naval Construction Battalion stationed on Guam. He remained on Guam until August 1946 when he returned to the United States.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jim Wilcox. Wilcox joined the Marine Corps in 1940. Upon completion of basic training he deployed to Guantanamo for further training. Assigned to artillery, he forwarded targets to the control center. He returned to the States to be treated for appendicitis and was then assigned to the special weapons battery of the 1st Marine Division, 11th Marine Regiment. Wilcox then landed in the third wave at Guadalcanal, where his ship, the USS Hunter Liggett (APA-14), was sunk while being offloaded. After four months of battle, Wilcox sailed to Australia, contracted malaria, and returned to the States. There he joined the Fourth Division at Camp Pendleton, broke his thighbone and clavicle in a truck accident and was hospitalized for six months. His leg never fully healed, so when the war ended he was discharged with partial disability compensation.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jim Wood. Wood joined the Marine Corps in January 1943 after graduating from the University of Illinois. Following special training near Camp Pendleton, Wood joined the 3rd Raider Battalion for further training in New Caledonia. His first campaign was Bougainville, where the dense jungle made it difficult to spot enemies until they were dangerously close. Wood, a rifleman, was permitted to carry a Thompson machinegun after his assistant squad leader was killed. On Guam, his platoon lost 15 men. He landed at Okinawa with little resistance but in his 15-mile walk across the island he came under heavy fire emanating from enormous caves. By this time, his unit had become part of the 4th Marines, and Wood was the last man standing in his platoon, with 21 kills and only a minor shell fragment wound. He finished the war as a squad leader at Yokosuka Naval Base as part of the occupation force and was personally saluted by Nimitz.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Tom Story. Story joined the Navy in October of 1934. Beginning September of 1936, he served as Quartermaster aboard USS Perkins (DD-377), operating out of San Diego. He was discharged in July, then re-enlisted and volunteered for submarine school. Story served aboard the USS S-45 (SS-156), completing antisubmarine warfare training. From early 1942 through early 1943, they completed war patrols in the Solomon Islands. Beginning April of 1943, Story was transferred to the USS Pargo (SS-264), completing war patrols in the East China Sea. Beginning early 1945, he served aboard the USS Chanticleer (ASR-7), completing war patrols in Port Darwin, Australia.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Boren. Boren joined the Marine Corps in 1943 under the V-12 program in Monticello, Arkansas. Upon graduating, he was sent to basic training at Parris Island. He received advanced weapons training at Camp Lejeune in preparation for the invasion of Japan. After the war ended, he was stationed at Pearl Harbor in a commander’s office, handling mail and confidential messages. Boren returned home and was discharged in May 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Rhoades. Rhoades joined the Navy in February 1942 and received basic training in San Diego. He received gunnery training at an armed guard school and upon completion was assigned to a Merchant Marine ship, the SS Canfield, carrying supplies to Halifax. He then served aboard the SS Potomac, bringing Army supplies to Panama and returning with raw sugar. The ship was coal-powered and broke down in the Gulf of Mexico; so upon return, Rhoades asked to be transferred. He went aboard the SS Jose Bonifacio (USAT-907), a Liberty ship built by Kaiser, with a load of Army jeeps for Perth. He then brought a P-51 to Calcutta, where poverty and differences in culture left a lasting impression on him. The ship brought a load of 300 monkeys back to New York City for research experiments, and Rhoades was transferred to the MV Cape Matapan (C1-A-292), which brought supplies to Army personnel in Chile. The last ship he served on was the SS Sapulpa Victory (V-14), taking small arms and ammunition to New Guinea and bringing bombs to the Marianas. He was then stationed on Ulithi and witnessed …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gabriel Robert Caggiano. Caggiano joined the Marine Corps in 1943. He completed boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina and provides details of his training. He was assigned to Company G, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. They traveled to Pavuvu in the Solomon Islands for additional training. Over the next 2 years Caggiano participated in the Battle of Peleliu and the Battle of Okinawa as a Private First Class. He provides vivid details of his experiences throughout these battles. After getting wounded in battle he was sent back to the U.S. and honorably discharged from the service in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Melvin Troutman. Troutman provides some details of his family???s experiences through the Great Depression. Troutman joined the Navy in June of 1943. He provides some details of his training. He served as a Seaman aboard LCT-943. Troutman vividly describes the LCT, its weaponry and crew members. In January of 1944 they traveled to Brisbane, Australia. From there they traveled to New Guinea, making more than 10 landings. Troutman???s job was to operate the ramp during each landing. In the fall of 1944 they participated in the invasions of Leyte in the Philippines. Troutman received 3 Battle Stars, one for Asia Pacific and two for Philippine Liberation. He was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dale Everill. Everill joined the Army in November 1942 and enlisted in the aviation cadets program. He washed out of flight school due to slight vision impairment but was accepted to a liaison flying school soon after. With prior civilian flight experience, he was soon approved as a pilot and assigned briefly to the 47th Liaison Squadron before transferring to the 115th. He was sent to India and Burma as an L-5 pilot, offering assistance to the Mars Task Force, evacuating casualties, delivering supplies, and carrying out reconnaissance. He was next stationed in China, where he transported OSS personnel. After the war, Everill was in charge of 600 men aboard a troop train. When they arrived at their destination on New Year’s Eve, he went against a lieutenant’s orders and dismissed them all. Everill returned home and was discharged in January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jesse Dwain Holmes. Holmes joined the Navy in 1944 and attended boot camp in San Diego. Upon completion of gunnery school, he boarded the SS John T. McMillan (1943) as an armed guard. After joining a convoy at Leyte, the crew was at general quarters every hour for air raids. Whenever the ship laid smoke screens, Holmes didn’t fire a single round, for fear of engaging in friendly fire. He returned home briefly after 10 months at sea and redeployed to Okinawa, where he fired a 3-inch gun at kamikazes. He then served on Guam as a postman to enjoy some shore duty. Holmes sailed to Wake Island after the war ended and went ashore for its surrender. After being discharged in December 1945, he was grateful to return home unscathed despite the Naval Armed Guard's heavy casualty rates.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Matthews. Matthews was attending the University of Missouri when he joined the Navy in October 1941. He was called to active duty on 4 December and was trained as a dive bomber pilot. Upon arriving in Hawaii, he attended a party and was given a lift home by Admiral Nimitz. Matthews was assigned to Composite Squadron 26 (VC-26) on Guadalcanal, flying missions over Munda Point in a Dauntless SBD from land bases and from the USS Sangamon (CVE-26). After six months, he returned to the States and attended rocket school. He was then assigned to the West Coast as an instructor. There he flew a TBF but was still able to land on short runways, due to his precision carrier training. As a lieutenant, he treated his students as equals, sometimes flying them home to visit family. At his final station in Sand Point, the officer’s club was once visited by actor Robert Taylor, who introduced himself and sat down next to the prettiest girl in the room, Matthews’ wife. When the war ended, Matthews left the Navy, although he thoroughly enjoyed his time in the service.