Oral History Interview with Arwin Bowden, March 9, 2000 transcript

Oral History Interview with Arwin Bowden, March 9, 2000

Interview with Arwin Bowden, a marine during World War II. He begins by discussing his training in San Diego and New Zealand before the Battle of Tarawa. He describes being wounded in the battle, the casualties he saw, and being shipped back to Pearl Harbor for treatment before joining the battle of Saipan. He describes ancedotes about Japanese killing themselves rather than surrendering, eating food from a garden watered from rainwater running down from outhouses, the wages he made, and the time he had leave.
Date: March 9, 2000
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Bowden, Arwin J.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Ethel Blaine, April 24, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Ethel Blaine, April 24, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ethel ""Sally"" Blaine Millett. Millett grew up in Missouri and went to nurses training in San Diego, California. She volunteered for the Philippines in 1941. She witnessed the bombing at Clark Field. She took care of the soldiers wounded by Japanese strafing. When the bombing got too bad, the nurses left Statsenberg for Manila. Because of continued Japanese bombing all over the Philippines, the nurses had to keep moving as the hospitals moved. She describes having malaria and then having to evacuate from Bataan to Corregidor. Then they went to Mindanao where they were formally captured by the Japanese. They were moved to Davao and then to Santo Tomas. She describes losing her possessions. She describes life in the internment camp: the food, the work required, the sanitary conditions, the self-government, the birthrate, and the entertainment. Millett has to have an operation while at Santo Tomas. She also describes executions. Finally, the American soldiers arrived, and she took a plane home in February 1945. Her brother met her in San Francisco.
Date: April 24, 2000
Creator: Millett, Ethel Blaine
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Orland J. ""Bud"" Harris, August 22, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Orland J. ""Bud"" Harris, August 22, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Orland Harris. Harris went to Santa Anna, California for Aviation Cadet training in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He went to primary flying school in Visalia, California and then went to LaeMoore, California for more training. From there he went to replacement training units, flying the P-38, P-322 and P-39. Harris had take civilian pilot training for one year at college before he went into the service. He received his wings at Williams Field in Arizona 3 Nov 1943 and became an officer that day. He went to the South Pacific in a C-54, along wih about 30 other pilots, ending up in Nadzab, New Guinea with the 8th Fighter Group (part of the 5th Air Force). His P-38 missions included targets of opportunity around New Guinea, a cave on Corregidor and straffed ships on the way to Borneo, and the Philippines. Normally they flew cover missions for B-17s and B-24s but on occasion covered B-25s and A-20s. Harris was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) when he was flying out of Mindoro in the Philippines on a night mission (26 Dec 1944) attacking a Japanese task …
Date: August 22, 2000
Creator: Harris, Orland J.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Arwin Bowden, September 9, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Arwin Bowden, September 9, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arwin Bowden. He begins by discussing his training in San Diego and New Zealand before the Battle of Tarawa. He describes being wounded in the battle, the casualties he saw and being shipped back to Pearl Harbor for treatment, then joining the battle of Saipan. He ancedotes about Japanese killing themselves rather than surrendering, eating food from a garden watered from rainwater running down from outhouses, the wages he made and the time he had leave.
Date: September 9, 2000
Creator: Bowden, Arwin
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Francis R. Ferry, September 30, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Francis R. Ferry, September 30, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Francis R. Ferry. Ferry grew up in Nebraska and taught for a year before joining the Navy in 1942. He had enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program prior to enlisting. He trained on the N3N, the SNJ, the OS2U, the BT, the SBC3 and other types of aircraft. He was assigned to be a dive-bomber, flying the SB2C Helldiver. Ferry was initially assigned to VB-14 and left aboard the USS Wasp to the coast of Venezuela where he continued training. He was reassigned to VB-82 and left on the USS Bennington (CV-20) for Pearl Harbor. The ship joined Task Force 58.1 for Japan. He flew his first combat mission over Tokyo. He was involved with burning the beaches on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He then was involved in the attack on the Japanese ship Yamato. His air group was the lead group in on the first strike, and Ferry himself dropped rockets and bombs that may have been hits. His wife Genevieve Ferry briefly discusses what her experiences were on the homefront.
Date: September 30, 2000
Creator: Ferry, Francis R.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Trenton Fowler, January 17, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Trenton Fowler, January 17, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Trenton Fowler. Fowler grew up in Corpus Christi and enlisted into the Marine Corps in 1943. Once he finished training, he was assigned to the 4th Marine Raider Battalion and shipped out on the French transport ship Rochambeau to New Caledonia. From there he went to Guadalcanal for training and then to the Emirau, Guam, and Okinawa campaigns, with stops at Guadalcanal in between each campaign. Fowler discusses the pros and cons of the Browning Automatic Rifle versus the M-1 Garand. He tells of the change of his unit's name from the 4th Battalion Raiders to the 6th Marine Division, before he went to Okinawa. He relates the experience of finding out his brother, a fellow Marine, had died at Iwo Jima.
Date: January 17, 2001
Creator: Fowler, Trenton
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Abe Santos, February 24, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Abe Santos, February 24, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Abe Santos. Santos joined the Navy in November of 1939. He served as a Fireman aboard the USS Astoria (CA-34). They participated in the battles of the Coral Sea, Midway and Savo Island, where the ship was sunk. He traveled back to Pearl Harbor aboard the USS Wharton (AP-7). Santos was placed on tugboat duty for six months, then transferred to Johnston Island as a Second-Class Machinist’s Mate. He assisted with airstrip construction. He later transferred back to headquarters at Pearl Harbor, and worked on staff for Admiral Robert L. Ghormley. He continued his service after the war ended.
Date: February 24, 2001
Creator: Santos, Abe
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Abe Santos, February 24, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Abe Santos, February 24, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Abe Santos. Santos joined the Navy in November of 1939. He served as a Fireman aboard the USS Astoria (CA-34). They participated in the battles of the Coral Sea, Midway and Savo Island, where the ship was sunk. He traveled back to Pearl Harbor aboard the USS Wharton (AP-7). Santos was placed on tugboat duty for six months, then transferred to Johnston Island as a Second-Class Machinist’s Mate. He assisted with airstrip construction. He later transferred back to headquarters at Pearl Harbor, and worked on staff for Admiral Robert L. Ghormley. He continued his service after the war ended.
Date: February 24, 2001
Creator: Santos, Abe
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Carl Peltier, March 4, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Carl Peltier, March 4, 2001

Interview with Carl Peltier, a U. S Marine during World War II. He begins by discussing his reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He then joined the Marines when he was old enough. He trained in San Diego before shipping out to Hawaii where he joined the 2nd Marine Division. Further training included heavy weapons and mortars. Later, he landed on Saipan and describes his small arms and rations. He witnessed General Simon Buckner getting killed on Okinawa. He was later wounded on Okinawa. After the war ended, Peltier served in the Pentagon during the Korean War.
Date: March 4, 2001
Creator: Nichols, Chuck & Peltier, Carl
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William C. Beyer, March 14, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with William C. Beyer, March 14, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William C. Beyer. Beyer grew up in Texas and joined the Marines in January 1942. After training, he was assigned to the third division in artillery. He departed on the USS Mount Vernon for New Zealand. He anecdotes about meeting with some Maori people. Then he departed on the Cresent City for Guadalcanal in May 1943. From Guadalcanal he left for Bougainville in November 1943. He describes being caught in a foxhole for two days without communication. He also listened to Tokyo Rose on the radio. The Army relieved the Marines January 15, 1944, and his unit returned to Guadalcanal. On July 21, 1944, they landed on Guam and went into battle. Next Beyer left for Iwo Jima. The Third Marine Division was assigned to the central area of the island. He witnessed the raising of the flag. On the 50th anniversary of the war, Beyer and his wife returned to New Zealand and Guam.
Date: March 14, 2001
Creator: Beyer, William C.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with E. G. Warren, April 10, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with E. G. Warren, April 10, 2001

Interview with Warren, E.G., an electrician in the US Navy during WWII. He describes volunteering to join the military and life during his service.
Date: April 10, 2001
Creator: York, Ann Marie & Warren, E. G.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Brinton Cate, April 11, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Brinton Cate, April 11, 2001

Interview with Brinton Cate, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who served in World War II from Jackson, Michigan. Cate describes his time as a corporal with the military police and how he was on Iwo Jima when the atomic bomb was dropped, as well as seeing the aftermath at Nagasaki.
Date: April 11, 2001
Creator: Campbell, Justin L. & Cate, Brinton
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with John Bounds, April 12, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with John Bounds, April 12, 2001

Interview with John Bounds, a U.S. Navy Seal veteran from McGregor, Texas who served in the Vietnam War. Bounds describes his time in boot camp in San Diego and experiences in Vietnam. He also shares his opinions on the war and the state of things at home in the United States.
Date: April 12, 2001
Creator: Tiebaso, Miguel & Bounds, John
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Arthur Oviedo, April 16, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Arthur Oviedo, April 16, 2001

Interview with Arthur Oviedo, a seaman in the US Marine Corps during the Korean War. He describes his time in the military and his experiences overseas.
Date: April 16, 2001
Creator: Flores, Jessica & Oviedo, Arthur
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Antonio Amador, April 25, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Antonio Amador, April 25, 2001

Interview with Antonio Amador, a veteran who was wounded in action as a sniper with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. It includes a list of questions, which include a focus on Amador being shot and his experiences while serving and back at home.
Date: April 25, 2001
Creator: Amador, Y. & Amador, Antonio
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alan Fouts, December 6, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Alan Fouts, December 6, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alan Fouts. Fouts joined the Navy in 1939 and trained in San Diego. Upon completion of basic training, Fouts joined the USS Argonne (AG-31). Later, he was stationed at the submarine base at Pearl Harbor when the war started. He recalls witnessing the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. He managed to get guns operational on the USS Widgeon (AM-22) before it got underway during the attack. Between the attacks, Fouts went alongside the USS Arizona (BB-39) and measured the holes in the hull. He continued serving as a diver at Noumea and Samoa in 1942-1943. He volunteered for submarine duty and was made five war patrols aboard the USS Pogy (SS- 266). Fouts tells several submarine stories. After the war, Fouts remained in the Navy for thirty years.
Date: December 6, 2001
Creator: Fouts, Alan
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Raymond D. Carter, April 26, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Raymond D. Carter, April 26, 2002

Interview with Raymond D. Carter, a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War who served as a bosun's mate on LSTs. Carter describes his experiences in basic training and his impressions of the war.
Date: April 26, 2002
Creator: Bottoms, Aaron & Carter, Raymond D.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History

Oral History Interview with Bennie G. Snider, June 10, 2002

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
Interview with banker and Navy veteran Bennie G. Snider. The interview includes Snider's personal experiences about the Pacific Theater during World War II, youth and education in Denton, Texas, joining the Navy, and boot training and electrical engineering school. Snider talks about duties aboard the USS Hancock, his assignment to Task Group 58 and the invasion of the Philippines, as well as the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, kamikaze attacks and the Hancock being hit by a kamikaze, burials at sea, and his postwar duties aboard the Hancock as part of Operation MAGIC CARPET.
Date: June 10, 2002
Creator: Lane, Peter B. & Snider, Bennie, G.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oral History Interview with Jerell E. Crow, August 24, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Jerell E. Crow, August 24, 2002

Interview with Jerell E. Crow. He entered the Coast Guard in 1940 and trained in Florida and New York City. He served aboard a Landing Ship, Tank (LST) when those ships were first introduced. He traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the Neville Island Shipyard operated by the Dravo Corporation as part of a crew that brought an LST down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. From there, the crew practiced operations at Biloxi, Mississippi. Eventually, Crow travelled to San Diego aboard the LST through the Panama Canal. From there, he went to Guadalcanal and unloaded tanks. Eventually, his ship was hit at Saipan and he was wounded. He also served aboard an LST during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Afterwards, Crow's LST was present in Tokyo Bay for the surrender. He visited Hiroshima while on occupation duty after the atomic bomb was dropped. Eventually, his LST made its way back to San Francisco where he was discharged.
Date: August 24, 2002
Creator: Rabalais, Larry & Crow, Jerell E.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Antonio Amador, April 25, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Antonio Amador, April 25, 2001

Interview with Antonio Amador, a veteran who was wounded in action as a sniper with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. The transcript includes a list of questions, which include a focus on Amador being shot and his experiences while serving and back at home.
Date: February 22, 2003
Creator: Amador, Y. & Amador, Antonio
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with John Bounds, April 12, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with John Bounds, April 12, 2001

Interview with John Bounds, a U.S. Navy Seal veteran from McGregor, Texas who served in the Vietnam War. Bounds describes his time in boot camp in San Diego and experiences in Vietnam. He also shares his opinions on the war and the state of things at home in the United States.
Date: March 1, 2003
Creator: Tiebaso, Miguel & Bounds, John
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Raymond D. Carter, April 26, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Raymond D. Carter, April 26, 2002

Interview with Raymond D. Carter, a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War who served as a bosun's mate on LSTs. Carter describes his experiences in basic training and his impressions of the war.
Date: March 29, 2003
Creator: Bottoms, Aaron & Carter, Raymond D.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Afton Keeton, April 5, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with Afton Keeton, April 5, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Afton Keeton. Keeton joined the Navy in early 1942. He completed Hospital Corps School, and served as a Pharmacist’s Mate. He volunteered for Submarine School. From 1944 through the end of the war, Keeton worked in the sick bays aboard USS Seadragon (SS-194) and USS Tilefish (SS-307). He shares numerous anecdotes of his work aboard the submarines, though does not go into detail of where they traveled through the Pacific. Keeton continued his service after World War II, and retired in February of 1972.
Date: April 5, 2003
Creator: Keeton, Afton
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Afton Keeton, April 5, 2003 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Afton Keeton, April 5, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Afton Keeton. Keeton joined the Navy in early 1942. He completed Hospital Corps School, and served as a Pharmacist’s Mate. He volunteered for Submarine School. From 1944 through the end of the war, Keeton worked in the sick bays aboard USS Seadragon (SS-194) and USS Tilefish (SS-307). He shares numerous anecdotes of his work aboard the submarines, though does not go into detail of where they traveled through the Pacific. Keeton continued his service after World War II, and retired in February of 1972.
Date: April 5, 2003
Creator: Keeton, Afton
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History