The National Museum of the Pacific War presents and oral interview with Harold Gensler. Gensler was born in Tarrytown, New York on 28 September 1915 and graduated from high school in 1935. He recalls the crowds at the New York recruiting station being so large the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor that horse-mounted policemen were needed for crowd control. He was exempt from the draft and ineligible to enlist in any branch of the service as he was employed by a railroad company with a job considered essential to the war effort. In 1943 he joined the Navy and was assigned to a Naval Construction Battalion. He was put on various clerical assignments all the while desiring to be in combat. After filing numerous requests he was assigned to the USS Edgecombe (APA-164). The ship departed for New Guinea 31 December 1943 and he describes in minute detail the Shellback initiation ceremony that took place upon crossing the Equator. He made trips to Leyte and Ulithi to deliver supplies and to the Philippines as the fleet prepared for the invasion of Okinawa. He also recalls listening to radio broadcasts by Tokyo Rose foretelling the landings on the island. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Waite Higgins. Higgins joined the Navy in late 1943. Beginning in 1944, he served with the deck force aboard a carrier. They traveled throughout the Pacific Islands, and he recalls burials at sea. Higgins recalls participating in the Battle of Okinawa. In August of 1945, they traveled to Tokyo Bay in Japan. He returned to the US and was discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Waite Higgins. Higgins joined the Navy in late 1943. Beginning in 1944, he served with the deck force aboard a carrier. They traveled throughout the Pacific Islands, and he recalls burials at sea. Higgins recalls participating in the Battle of Okinawa. In August of 1945, they traveled to Tokyo Bay in Japan. He returned to the US and was discharged in 1946.

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.

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.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Solis. Solis served in the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1939-1941, helping build fences and trails. He joined the Navy in September of 1942. He completed gunnery school, and aircraft recognition training. He was assigned at Barber???s Point in Oahu. He flew aboard the Grumman TBF torpedo bomber and trained as an air crewman. In November of 1944 he was assigned to Composite Squadron 83 (VC-83). They served aboard the USS Sargent Bay (CVE-83. In February of 1945 they began flying combat missions off the carrier over Iwo Jima. From there they participated in the Battle of Okinawa. They arrived back to the U.S. in July of 1945. He was assigned to the Naval Air Technical Training Center for Advanced Combat Air Crewman School, then to the Naval Air Gunnery School for Advanced Gunnery. He was then assigned to Fleet Air Wing 11 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Solis was discharged in September of 1948.