The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Raymundo Martinez. Martinez was drafted in the Army in November of 1941. He served as a Technical Sergeant in the 807th Engineer Battalion for four years. From 1942 to 1944 Martinez was assigned to the Aleutian Islands. During this time, he recalls much combat, casualties, preparing graves for fallen soldiers and a Japanese plane being gunned down during a dog fight. He was then assigned to Hawaii and provides some details of life on the island. From May to September of 1945 his unit served on Okinawa, which he provides vivid details of his experiences. He was discharged in November of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James McClelland. McClelland joined the Navy in 1939 and after training was assigned to the USS Helena (CL-50). He cruised with the ship to South America before heading for Pearl Harbor. He was aboard during the Japanese attack and was burned badly enough to be evacuated to the hospital on shore. He was returned to the US and after recovering, began training people in fire control. McClelland was discharged in September, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Warren McLellan. McLellan learned to fly as a civilian before joining the Navy in July 1941. Once in the Navy, he qualified for pilot training and went to Pensacola. After training, he was assigned to Torpedo Squadron 16 (VT-16) in January 1943. They reported aboard USS Lexington (CV-16) later in June in time for her shakedown cruise. He describes attacking targets at Tarawa. He crash landed in the water at the Palau Islands and was rescued and returned to the Lexington. He also ended up in the water during the Marianas Turkey Shoot. He describes being in the water prior to rescue and has great admiration for Admiral Marc Mitscher. He returned to the US later in 1944 and had shore duty in Rhode Island.

Interview with Hazael R. Olivares, a serviceman in the U. S. Navy during World War II. Olivares dropped out of high school and decided to join the U. S. Navy after hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor. He took his 16-week basic training course at Great Lakes in Illinois where he learned how to fire various guns and recognize aircraft. After basic training, he was assigned to Algiers, Louisiana where he learned how to weld. Aboard the USS Bordelon (DD-881), he served as a Ship Fitter in the damage control department. After WWII, he remained in the reserves and was called up for duty in Korea. He served aboard the USS Sitkoh Bay (CVE-86). After Korea, he worked as a civilian for the Army Corps of Engineers as an oiler on a dredge. He then served in the Merchant Marines, hauling refined petroleum products from South America to North America. He also discusses going to French Indochina (Vietnam) and traveling up the Saigon River in a merchant vessel.

Interview with Maurice Stamps, a serviceman in the U. S. Army during World War II. Stamps discusses growing up on a farm in Iowa, joining the army, going to Hawaii and staying at Schofield Barracks. He was assigned to the Classification/Assignment section at Fort Shafter without ever having basic training. He was later assigned to the Message Center at Ft. Shafter. He remembers his correspondence with his girlfriend Enid, whom he married upon his discharge in 1946.

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.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Hazael R. Olivares. Olivares dropped out of high school and decided to join the Navy right after hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor. He took his 16 week basic training course at Great Lakes in Illinois where he learned how to fire various guns and recognize aircraft. After basic training, he was assigned to the Algiers, Louisiana where he learned how to weld. Aboard the USS Bordelon (DD-881), he served as a Ship Fitter in the damage control department. After WWII, he remained in the reserves and was called up for duty in Korea. He served aboard the USS Sitkoh Bay (CVE-86). After Korea, he worked as a civilian for he Army Corps of Engineers as an oiler on a dredge; then served in the Merchant Marines hauling refined petroleum products from South America to North America. He also speaks of going into French Indochina up the Saigon River in a merchant vessel.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Paine. Paine joined the Navy Reserves soon after 7 December 1941. He served as a photographer’s mate in charge of a photo printing lab in Washington DC. Paine briefly discusses the equipment he used. He was discharged in 1944 when he contracted a serious case of tuberculosis and took several years to recover.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Paul Papish. Papish was born in Pueblo, Colorado on 4 April 1919. After joining the Navy in 1939 he reported aboard the USS Houston (CA-30) and was assigned to the disbursements office. He describes the job responsibilities of his position and the USS Houston being a part of the naval forces within ABDACOM (American-British-Dutch-Australian Command) during March 1942 and participating in the battle of the Java Sea. He also tells of the ship taking part in the battle of Sunda Strait during which the Houston, as well as HMAS Perth (D29), were sunk. Papish abandoned the ship and was strafed by Japanese fighters while in the water. After struggling ashore, the survivors were turned over to Japanese forces by the local natives. As prisoners of war, they were taken to Serang, Java where they were housed in a former theater. Later, Papish was among a group of the prisoners who were taken to the Bicycle Camp prison compound in Batavia and held there until October 1942. He recalls the kindness of a Japanese guard who had worked as a cab driver in New York City. In October he …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Carl Peltier. He begins by discussing his reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor and then joining 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 - 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 Petagon during the Korean War.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Stephen Perrone. Perrone joined the Army Air Forces in October of 1941. He completed training for airplane instrumentation, mechanic and flying cadet. He served as a Radar Bombardier with the 63rd Bombardment Squadron, 43rd Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force. Perrone was in the B-24 snooper squadron. They bombed targets in Indonesia, Malaysia and New Guinea, including shipping areas, airfields and railways. They operated out of a captured base in Morotai. They experimented with low level skip bombing, using this tactic at the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in March of 1943. In November of 1944 they helped the ground campaign in the Philippines. In July of 1945 they moved to Ie Shima, Okinawa, flying missions over Japan. He was discharged in May of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Preston. After discovering that he was not the right size for the Army Air Corps, Preston joined the Marine Corps around the time the war began. He was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division as a rifleman. His first combat experience occurred on Tarawa, where he was one of the first ashore. After wading through waist-deep water, he crawled along a coconut log wall and had an uncomfortably close encounter with an enemy combatant who tossed grenades before retreating. Afterward, Preston enjoyed a brief R&R in New Zealand, where he tried to stay out of the brawls between New Zealander and American troops. On Saipan and Tinian, Preston saw civilian prisoners used for slave labor and put on the front line as false targets. He once found himself within 10 steps of an enemy tank while his antitank support was unable to fire. Fortunately, the tank was too close to lower its gun on him. Preston also survived a bullet that ricocheted off his canteen. After a brief stint on Saipan pulling guard duty, Preston returned to the States and was discharged a few months later.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with J.B. Pryor. Born in Oklahoma in 1922, Pryor attended the University of Wyoming on a football scholarship. Upon entering the Navy in 1941, he was selected for pilot training and tells of being at various bases training in different types of single engine planes until September 1942. He then entered multi-engine aircraft training, flying B-24s as a co-pilot. In November 1943 he was assigned to Patrol Bomber Squadron 106 flying anti-submarine patrol over the Panama Canal Zone for a six month period. The squadron returned to California for training in the PB4Y-2. Upon completion, the squadron was sent to Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, then to Java. He describes the various types of missions they flew and tells of the casualties which occurred among the crewmembers.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Charles Ramsey. Ramsey joined the Navy in 1941 and attended aviation radio school in Alameda, California. Upon completion, he was assigned to the Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station, where he served as radioman in Patrol Squadron 1 and then Patrol Squadron 11. He describes the special treatment given to radiomen so that they could be well-rested and alert. During the attack on Kaneohe, Ramsey helped to shoot down the attack force's highest-ranking officer, Lieutenant Fusata Iida, commander of the Japanese 3rd Air Group. Ramsey was sent to San Diego eight months later to pick up a new plane, but his records were lost, and he was instead sent to the South Pacific on the USS Denver (CL-58), captained by Robert Carney. Ramsey flew night patrols at the Solomon Islands and covered the invasion of Bougainville. On the way to the invasion of the Philippines, his ship became lost in a typhoon. Ramsey used his aviation training to give the ship’s bearings to the radio officer. When the Denver arrived at Leyte, Ramsay witnessed the HUMS Yamashiro sink. The Japanese refused to be rescued by American lifeboats. Ramsey saw …

Transcript of an oral interview with the family of John Ranger; his wife, Joyce, and their son, Jerry. Ranger joined the Navy on January 17, 1938, took boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois and was assigned to the USS Houston. He was an aviation's mate and worked on the airplanes onboard the Houston. She was in the Far East when he joined the cruiser. Ranger's son tells the story of how his dad received the Silver Star while putting out a fire near turret number 3, the result of a Japanese bomb. Ranger was a phone talker for Captain Rook the night the Houston was sunk. After the abandon ship order was given, Ranger went into the water, was rescued by the Japanese, taken to shore, told to unload some freighters and then put on a ship to Burma to work on the railroad there. As a POW, he was in eleven different POW camps. Joyce said John came back from the war fairly healthy. Ranger stayed in the Navy after the war and retired after 30 years. The family had been to several reunions and related stories (told to them by crewmen of the USS Houston) in this interview. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Redfearn. Redfearn joined the Navy in September 1939 and received basic training and gunner’s mate training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to Scouting Squadron 3 (VS-3). Redfearn describes creative offensive and defensive techniques employed by SBD crewmen in combat with Zeroes, such as luring a Japanese plane closer by pretending to have run out of ammunition. After completing missions at Guadalcanal with the USS Saratoga (CV-3), Redfearn returned to the States to attend the University of Texas under the V-12 program. He did not get along well with other students and felt that failing out of school was his only path to reassignment. When professors passed him anyway, thinking they were doing him a favor by keeping him in school, he had to convince them to lower his grades so that he could return to duty. He was then reassigned along with former Saratoga crewmen to the base at Patuxent and was soon promoted to chief. At the end of the war, he returned to Honolulu and oversaw the construction of military housing.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Redman. Redman joined the Navy in May of 1941. He served on the deck force aboard the USS Mississippi (BB-41). From May to 7 December, they escorted convoys back and forth across the North Atlantic. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, they transferred to the Pacific Fleet. Redman completed diving school and worked with the ship’s pumps. He became Seaman First Class, Coxswain, and later became head diver and Gun Captain. Aboard the Mississippi, Redman participated in shelling Japanese forces during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands and the Philippines campaigns and the invasions of Peleliu and Okinawa. He also served in the Battle of Surigao Strait. Redman was discharged around December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Roper. Roper was born in Atchison, Kansas in 1922. He left college in 1941 and joined the United States Marine Corps. Upon completing boot camp he was sent to Parris Island and assigned to heavy artillery of the 5th Defense Battalion. He landed on Funafuti in the Ellice Islands on 2 October 1941. The only contact with the outside world was with a Navy boat that would come from Samoa weekly. He remembers there were two pontoon airplanes based on the island used for reconnaissance. During one evening patrol the pilot spotted a raft containing Eddie Rickenbacker and two others. The plane picked up the three men and taxied 40 miles before they were put aboard a small yard patrol boat. Others who had been with Rickenbacker when their plane went down were recovered from another atoll. Roper also tells of his life after leaving the Marine Corps, which included writing a book about 37 chaplains who were prisoners of the Japanese.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with June Savage. Savage was born June 3rd, 1944, in Wellington, New Zealand. Her mother was a Cook Islander, and her father was a United States Marine Corps officer who was stationed in Wellington during the war. At only two months old, Savage was sent back to the Cook Islands to live with her grandparents, who raised her until she was 16. Growing up without a mother or father caused her to feel lonely and isolated, and she poured herself into all aspects of her schooling, including public speaking. For this, she won a scholarship in New Zealand, where she reunited with her mother. Savage wanted to know who her father was, but she didn’t have the courage to ask her mother directly. When her mother eventually passed away, the only thing Savage knew about her father was that he had died in the Pacific War. Decades later, Savage’s daughter Tonya searched the Internet for information on ranking officers stationed in Wellington during the war. The search turned up a photo of a man bearing a strong resemblance to Savage, and a possible last name for him. At the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ethel Reisberg Schectman. She begins by discussing her family background: her parents were Jews born in Poland and emigrated to the United States. Ethel's European aunts, uncles and grandparents all likely died in the Holocaust. As a first grade student, she taught her mother, a Polish immigrant, how to read and write English. She recalls, wartime rationing, Victory Gardens, scrap drives, and antisemitism among her school-aged classmates in Dallas, Texas, and the end of the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur Schrieber. Schrieber joined the Navy after 7 December 1941. He joined the crew of USS Indianapolis (CA-35). Schrieber worked in the engine room and describes how he studied each piece of equipment and eventually became a machinist mate first class. He broadly covers the actions that his ship participated in from the Aleutians through Saipan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Bill Sheehan. Sheehan joined the Navy in June of 1933. Beginning October of 1943, he served as Quartermaster aboard USS Porterfield (DD-682). In February of 1944, they provided shore bombardment in the Marshalls. In April, they screened escort carriers during the Marianas invasion, and participated in the Guam Campaign in August. Sheehan provides details of their invasion of Saipan in June and Okinawa in April of 1945. He returned to the US and was discharged in late 1945.

Interview with Bill Graham, a Marine during World War II. He begins by discussing joining the Navy and becoming a corpsman, then being transferred to the 2nd Marine Division after the Pearl Harbor attack. He also talks being in the first wave on Guadalcanal and various things that happened during the six months there, as well as contracting a severe strain of malaria, getting shipped back to the States and stationed near his home in Fort Worth, then returning to training in Virginia to prepare for an invasion of Japan.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John G. Solis of Irving, Texas. He discusses enlisting in the U.S. Navy on September 17, 1942, and was sent to the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas for bootcamp. In bootcamp Mr. Solis talks about learning to shoot rifles by shooting clay pigeons and presentations held to teach how to identify enemy aircraft. While learning to fly, Mr. Solis was assigned to Bombing Squadron 1. In 1944 Mr. Solis ended up with the Torpedo Squadron 100 flying torpedo planes in Oahu, Hawaii. His squadron never saw combat, but he did witness U.S. ships getting destroyed by Kamikaze planes during the Okinawa invasion. He helped in some Naval strikes in Japan from March to June of 1945 before returning to the states for leave. Mr. Solis was still at home on leave when the war officially ended, and he was discharged on September 14th of 1948 due to signing up for a 6-year contract instead of the normal 4-year one.