The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James McKinley. McKinley was in college when the war started and in spite of serious damage to his eyes earlier in life, he was able to serve in the Army as a clerk in the Ordnance branch. He was shipped to New Caledonia and assigned to the 51st Ordnance Ammunition Company, operating an ammo dump outside of Noumea. He arrived there in 1943 and went home after the war and was discharged in early 1946. He used the GI Bill to finish schooling in pharmacy and earned a master's degree before becoming a pharmacist in Houston.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alex Grosse. Grosse finished high school and joined the Navy in 1942 and served as an ordnanceman loading munitions on planes in New Jersey and Virginia. Grosse shares several anecdotes about his experiences. He worked in a Carrier Air Service Unit (CASU) but never mentioned any number designation.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Frederick. Frederick quit school in November 1942 to join the Navy. He attended gunnery school before being assigned to USS Oakland (CL-95). He spent the rest of the war abaord the Oaklnad and was discharged in January 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Marvin Russell. Russell, who graduated with a petroleum engineering degree from the University of Houston, describes his role in the testing of fuel used in the Pacific and in North Africa during the war. He discusses the homefront, including the politics of war, rationing, the Japanese American internment, the use of the atomic bomb, and the reaction to the end of the war. There is also a brief comparison of World War II and the Iraq War. After the war, Russell was employed in the automotive industry. Additionally, Russell identifies his parents and siblings and mentions his brothers’ role as civilians involved in troop transport.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Hiroshi Sakahara. Sakahara is second generation Japanese-American. He provides some details of his family history and life growing up in Tacoma, Washington during the Great Depression. In 1941 he joined the Army and volunteered for the 442nd Infantry Combat Team, 5th Army. They fought in Belgium and Italy on the front lines opposite the Germans. He served as an ammunition carrier and later carried the Browning Automatic Rifle. In the Spring of 1944 through May of 1945, Sakahara pulled guard duty until Germany surrendered. He was discharged in June of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Ralph Mauller. Mauller joined the Navy around 1942. He completed Midshipman???s School and served aboard the USS Ozark (LSV-2). With his commission as a deck officer, he also served as a Chaplain aboard the Ozark. They participated in the invasions of both Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He provides details of their mission at Iwo Jima. He was later assigned as Troop Transport Officer aboard the USS William P. Biddle (APA-8). He was discharged around 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Christian W. de Marcken. De Marcken was born 24 January 1928 in Uccle, Brussels, Belgium. His father, Gustave immigrated to the United States, became a citizen and served in the US Army during World War I. Later he worked for the Hammond Organ Company, which sent him to Brussels. In 1939 the US embassy advised he and his family return to the United States. He did not leave Belgium, which was soon occupied by Nazi Germany forces. The de Marckens were American citizens and under the protection of the American embassy. This changed in December 1941 when Germany declared war against the United States. While the children were allowed to attend a private school and the family was permitted to rent a large home, a German guard was placed in the home. De Marcken recalls harboring a young Jewish boy in the home for a year and periodically hiding downed Allied flyers until arrangements could be made for their escape. He describes periodic night visits by the German Secret Service in which they thoroughly searched the home. He tells of the arrest and placement of his father into …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with G. K. Guennel. Guennel moved to the United States from Germany in 1934. From January of 1933 to September of 1934, prior to moving to the States, he lived under the Hitler regime and provides some details of this experience. While attending Butler University in Indiana Guennel enlisted in the Army Reserve in the summer of 1942. He was called to active duty in June of 1943 after his graduation. He was invited to take Army Intelligence training at Camp Ritchie in Maryland and graduated in July of 1944. He learned all communication systems, Morse Code, semaphore, map reading, learned Italian and more. He was assigned to the Interrogation, Prisoners of War (I.P.W.) Team 124 as a POW Interrogator. In late 1944 he traveled to Scotland and France where he was attached to the 44th Infantry Division. He provides details of his experiences overseas, including surviving the cold winter and interrogating prisoners of war. At the Rhine River crossing they joined the 3rd Infantry Division and arrived in Berchtesgaden, Germany by April of 1945. They posted Eisenhower???s proclamations in every town and village. Upon his discharge in January of …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Jerome. Jerome joined the Navy in August of 1944. He was assigned to the engineering division, operating evaporators and other engine room machinery. He served aboard the USS Benevolence (AH-13). In July of 1945 they departed for the Pacific, providing hospital services, preventive medicine and casualty evacuation. They were with the Allied fleet in Tokyo Bay during the surrender of Japan. They processed liberated Allied prisoners of war through November 1945 and returned to the U.S. in December. Jerome was discharged upon returning to the U.S.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Craddock. Craddock joined the Marine Corps in May 1942 and attended boot camp at Parris Island. He soon entered the V-12 program and upon completion returned to Parris Island. After further training at Camp Lejeune, he attended platoon commander’s training at Quantico. He then prepared for the invasion of Japan at Camp Pendleton and Hawaii. After the war ended, he was sent to Guam to flush out Japanese holdouts. He was then assigned to China, primarily guarding the railroad from communists. Mostly it was quiet duty, highlighted by a search-and-rescue mission after seven Marines were kidnapped. Craddock returned home and was discharged in July 1946. He enlisted in the Reserves and volunteered for the Korean War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Wade. Wade was born on 23 November 1921 in Nolanville, Texas and attended John Tarleton College where he completed Civilian Pilot Training. As a cadet he trained in P-38s at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, followed by advanced training in 1943 at North Island Naval Air Base in California. Upon completion of training he flew to Nadzab, New Guinea for his first combat assignment with the Fifth Air Force, Eighth Fighter Group, Thirty-Sixth Squadron. He flew escort missions for B-24s. He also qualified in the bombers and transferred to the Forty-Third Bomber Group flying out of Biak. He flew the first B-24 to land on Leyte while ferrying in replacement radio operators. He flew subsequent missions out of Tacloban and then Clark Air Base in bombing runs over Formosa and Okinawa. Next, he volunteered to return to the Eighth Fighter Group, Thirty-Sixth Squadron flying P-38s out of Mindoro. His squadron was sent to Ie Shima to support operations on Okinawa. After the war Wade flew over Hiroshima and provides details of the devastation. He escorted the hierarchy of the Japanese military flying in a Mitsubishi G4M Betty …

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 oral interview with Claude Hudson. Hudson joined the Army in late 1943 and received basic training in Miami Beach, having already completed his first year of college. After being sent to a college training detachment, he was selected for pilot training and began pre-flight at Maxwell Field. Upon completion of flight school, he was assigned to the Second Combat Cargo Squadron and sent to India. There he piloted a C-47, dropping supplies to British troops along the border of Burma. He would sometimes fly to the Bay of Bengal for recreational swimming. He was later assigned to transport horses and mules to China, which would have made it difficult to bail out in the event of an emergency. From his station in China, he often visited Kunming, which was an hour away by plane. Hudson returned home and was discharged in the fall of 1945.

Transcript of an oral interview with Daniel Samuelson. Samuelson joined the Army Air Force in 1943 after one semester at Louisiana State University. After he turned 18 in early 1944, he was called to active duty. After basic training, Samuelson went to aerial gunnery school at Kingman, Arizona. Upon completion there, he was assigned to a B-17 crew. His crew was selected to go to Cuba on a goodwill mission. After that, his crew flew to England, where he was assigned to the 95th Bomber Group, 8th Air Force. Samuelson describes some of the air raids he took part in over targets in Frankfurt, Germany. He completed 35 missions in April and was shipped home on a Liberty ship. When the war ended in the Pacific, Samuelson was discharged.

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 interview with Eugene Strathman. Strathman joined the Navy in the fall of 1943. He completed signal school and was assigned to LSM-11. They hauled tank destroyers. He provides some details of the LSM and its armament. They traveled to Hilo, Hawaii. Aboard the LSM he served as a cook. In January of 1945 they participated in the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf. They were the first ship to hit the beach. He describes some of the air raids of kamikaze planes that he witnessed. His battle station was on the 20mm anti-aircraft gun. They participated in the Battle of Okinawa in April of 1945, and then the invasion of Ie Shima. He describes his experiences at these battles. He was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bill Knuth. The Great Depression caused Knuth and his father to relocate often due to financial hardship. After the tenth move, Knuth sought refuge in the Navy in 1944. After basic training he was assigned as a deckhand to the USS Tulsa (PG-22). His battle station was at the 20-millimeter trunnion, unloading spent magazines. In his spare time he managed to converse with Chinese crewmen, despite the language barrier. Arriving in the Philippines in October 1944, the Tulsa was put on escort duty but was rarely used, due to its tendency to outpace other ships. Often under attack by enemy planes in the Philippines, the crew also had to be alert to Japanese saboteurs hiding under boxes that were floating down the river. In 1945, the ship’s name was changed to the USS Tacloban and erroneously received supplies bound for the new Tulsa, which happily included phonograph records. Knuth took an interest in electronics and learned to operate a film projector. Before returning home, he weathered five typhoons, and after arriving safely in November 1945 he stayed in the service another year.

Transcript of an oral interview with Anton Frank Satsky. Born in 1918, he was drafted into the Army in 1942 where he was assigned to the Second Infantry Division. He went to Armored Assistance Specialist School. He also received baking and ski training. He describes landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day plus 1 as well as advancing up Hill 192. He recounts a narrow escape while on guard duty in Notre Dame. He also describes the Battle of the Bulge in which he was wounded. When he was wounded a second time, he was sent to McCloskey General Hospital in Temple, Texas. He shares anecdotes about the obtaining food while in the field in Europe; a fellow soldier obtaining soft drinks despite German snipers; and his experience with the Red Cross. He discusses the clothing and rifles that were issued to soldiers.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clinton Edward Stork. Stork joined the Navy in early 1943 and took basic training at San Diego. Upon completion of training, Stork was assigned to the USS Tennessee (BB-43), and joined her at Bremerton, Washington. Stork sailed with the Tennessee to the Aleutian Islands and patrolled there and in the Bering Sea. His job aboard the Tennessee was working on the shell deck. All the 16-inch shells were stored there and Stork's team hoisted them up to turret #1 to be fired. Stork mentions some of the action the Tennessee particpated in during its tour of the Pacific: the Palaus, the marshalls, the Philippines, etc. He also describes being a sideboy when Admiral Nimitz boarded the Tennessee at Pearl Harbor one day. Stork also describes the kamikaze attack on the Tennessee off Okinawa. He spotted the formation of planes coming in low first. Six of the seven were shot down, but the seventh struck the Tennessee. He also mentions going ashore briefly in Tokyo and Yokohama before cruising back to the US via Cape Town, South Africa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lawrence Sykora. Sykora joined the Army Air Forces in May of 1943. He completed schooling in Radio, Mechanics and Aerial Gunnery by February of 1944. He was assigned to the 14th Air Force, 308th Bomb Group, 374th Bomb Squadron. He deployed to China, serving as a radio operator and top turret gunner aboard B-24s. They made numerous trips over the Himalaya Mountains. They supported Chinese ground forces by attacking airfields, coal yards, docks, oil refineries and fuel dumps in French Indochina and Burma. Sykora completed 39 missions, returned to the US and was discharged in late September 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard L Hamil. Hamil joined the Navy in 1942 and received basic training in Newport. He studied diesel engines in Virginia, although it was strictly book-learning as there were no engines available to practice on. Upon completion, he was assigned to the engine room of USS LST-447, his battle station at a 40-millimeter gun, as a loader. His ship carried supplies and Marines throughout the Pacific, often coming under attack. They were struck by a kamikaze at Okinawa, which caused an explosion and killed half a dozen of their crew. When Hamil abandoned ship, kamikazes nearly hit the ship that rescued him. Hamil was sent home on 6 April 1945 and discharged in October.

Transcript of an oral interview with Clinton Edward Stork. Stork joined the Navy in early 1943 and took basic training at San Diego. Upon completion of training, Stork was assigned to the USS Tennessee (BB-43), and joined her at Bremerton, Washington. Stork sailed with the Tennessee to the Aleutian Islands and patrolled there and in the Bering Sea. His job aboard the Tennessee was working on the shell deck. All the 16-inch shells were stored there and Stork's team hoisted them up to turret #1 to be fired. Stork mentions some of the action the Tennessee particpated in during its tour of the Pacific: the Palaus, the marshalls, the Philippines, etc. He also describes being a sideboy when Admiral Nimitz boarded the Tennessee at Pearl Harbor one day. Stork also describes the kamikaze attack on the Tennessee off Okinawa. He spotted the formation of planes coming in low first. Six of the seven were shot down, but the seventh struck the Tennessee. He also mentions going ashore briefly in Tokyo and Yokohama before cruising back to the US via Cape Town, South Africa.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ernest Major. Major volunteered for the Navy just after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Upon completion of diesel school, he became a PT boat motor mechanic. After getting injured in a boating accident, he spent nine months recovering and was then assigned to PT-309 in Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 22. Following stops in North Africa and France in early 1943, he experienced a close encounter with Italian ships at Sardinia before arriving at his base on Corsica. Using radar, the PT boat conducted night patrols along the coast of Italy, torpedoing and sinking five supply barges. His unit captured an Italian MAS boat attempting to smuggle out German officers from Elba, and they also transported French commandos to Southern France. After being stationed in Golfe-Juan, Major returned to the States and was later sent to the Philippines. He finished the war at Okinawa, surviving a typhoon and heartily celebrating V-J Day. Major was discharged in December 1945.