The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norman Stanton. Stanton joined the Navy in 1943 after his brother Joe disappeared on the Yangtze River as part of the South China Sea Patrol. Stanton received basic training at Camp Farragut. Upon completion, he went to gunnery school in Newport, Rhode Island, and was assigned as a gunner’s mate to USS Rapidan (AO-18), where he spent two years in the Atlantic, stopping at Murmansk, Oran, Casablanca, and the Caribbean. He returned to California via the Panama Canal. While on liberty, he visited his mother, who supported troops on the home front by giving over 450 servicemen a place to stay. Stanton was stationed at the Aleutian Islands for a time and recalls the perils of hundred-mile-an-hour winds (williwaw) and giant ocean swells. While loading a ship, he broke his ankle and was sent to the hospital at Bremerton. After recovery, he was assigned as a coxswain aboard the oceangoing rescue tug USS ATR-61. While aboard, he transported divers to Manila Bay to recover plunder from sunken Japanese ships and classified equipment like ciphering machines from American ships. He gives a first-hand account of the poverty and devastation …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Truman Gill. Gill grew up in Texas and joined the Marine Corps in April, 1942 at San Antonio. Gill trained in San Diego and attended Sea School there prior to arriving at Pearl harbor to board the USS Mississippi (BB-41). Gill served as an antiaircraft gunner aboard ship and mentions going on patrols in the Coral Sea and around the Aleutians. Gill also mentions witnessing the USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) sinking after a torpedo attack off Tarawa. He also describes attending a burial at sea. The Mississippi sopported the Army invasion of Makin. Gill was eventually transferred off the Mississippi and sent to New Caldonia, where he describes a deer hunt. Gill was training with the Fourth Defense Battalion on Tinian when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harry Depoy. He was born in Pulaski County, Indiana on April 1, 1920. He recalls joining the Army in the spring 1944 and being assigned to the 670th Field Artillery Battalion. He describes how he had two brothers and both were assigned to different batteries in the 670th. He recalls shipping out from Boston to Le Havre, France. His unit trained in the mountains of France and then joined up with the 1st Army under General Bradley. Next he describes his unit fighting with the 3rd Army under General Patton. He describes some near encounters with V-1 Bombs. He describes getting caught behind enemy lines near Dusseldorf for ten days. Near Berlin, he describes how the Russians fired upon both the surrendering German troops and the Americans. He recalls hearing Patton ordering the Americans to return the fire and the Russians finally ceasing fire. He got to know General Patton very well and describes several instances of direct contact. He describes taking German prisoners, many of whom were SS, and very difficult to deal with. He recalls that he was in Yugoslavia when Germany surrendered. He says he …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clement Good. Good was born in Deland, Illinois 29 September 1920 and upon graduation from high school, was drafted into the Army in July 1942 and joined the 80th Infantry Division. He recalls that he was assigned as the driver for the division artillery’s headquarters battery commander. Good describes in detail the division’s training while operating out of Camp Forest, Tennessee. His division was moved to California for desert training in November 1943. Several weeks of more training followed at Fort Dix, New Jersey in April 1944, before being shipped to Great Britain on the Queen Mary in July. He describes the conditions on the Queen Mary during the seven day transit. The division landed on Utah Beach on 3 August 1944, and was assigned to General Patton’s Third Army. He describes his participation in the Battle for Paris and in the Battle of the Bulge. He recalls seeing the remains of the Maginot Line, the countryside of Luxemburg, crossing the Rhine River into Nuremberg, Germany and entering Munich in April 1945. He was in Austria when the war ended. During the following five months his unit was …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Henry Restorff. Restorff joined the Navy in August of 1940. He served as Seaman First Class, and later moved to the Engineering Division aboard the USS Balch (DD-363). They worked guard duty on the coast of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Restorff volunteered for the Asiatic Fleet and was sent to Manila, Philippines. His job was refueling PBY aircraft and transporting ammunition to cruisers, destroyers and submarines in combat. In late 1941 he was assigned to the USS Langley (CV-1) and traveled to Australia, where they picked up Army personnel and pilots. He provides some details of the carrier. In February of 1942 the Langley was scuttled after an attack by the Japanese, and Restorff recalls surviving that fateful day. He later completed Diesel School and served aboard PC-618, a submarine chaser, as an engineman. He remained in the Navy until 1960.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Truman Gill. Gill grew up in Texas and joined the Marine Corps in April, 1942 at San Antonio. Gill trained in San Diego and attended Sea School there prior to arriving at Pearl harbor to board the USS Mississippi (BB-41). Gill served as an antiaircraft gunner aboard ship and mentions going on patrols in the Coral Sea and around the Aleutians. Gill also mentions witnessing the USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) sinking after a torpedo attack off Tarawa. He also describes attending a burial at sea. The Mississippi sopported the Army invasion of Makin. Gill was eventually transferred off the Mississippi and sent to New Caldonia, where he describes a deer hunt. Gill was training with the Fourth Defense Battalion on Tinian when the war ended.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Henry Restorff. Restorff joined the Navy in August of 1940. He served as Seaman First Class, and later moved to the Engineering Division aboard the USS Balch (DD-363). They worked guard duty on the coast of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Restorff volunteered for the Asiatic Fleet and was sent to Manila, Philippines. His job was refueling PBY aircraft and transporting ammunition to cruisers, destroyers and submarines in combat. In late 1941 he was assigned to the USS Langley (CV-1) and traveled to Australia, where they picked up Army personnel and pilots. He provides some details of the carrier. In February of 1942 the Langley was scuttled after an attack by the Japanese, and Restorff recalls surviving that fateful day. He later completed Diesel School and served aboard PC-618, a submarine chaser, as an engineman. He remained in the Navy until 1960.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Harry Depoy. He was born in Pulaski County, Indiana on April 1, 1920. He recalls joining the Army in the spring 1944 and being assigned to the 670th Field Artillery Battalion. He describes how he had two brothers and both were assigned to different batteries in the 670th. He recalls shipping out from Boston to Le Havre, France. His unit trained in the mountains of France and then joined up with the 1st Army under General Bradley. Next he describes his unit fighting with the 3rd Army under General Patton. He describes some near encounters with V-1 Bombs. He describes getting caught behind enemy lines near Dusseldorf for ten days. Near Berlin, he describes how the Russians fired upon both the surrendering German troops and the Americans. He recalls hearing Patton ordering the Americans to return the fire and the Russians finally ceasing fire. He got to know General Patton very well and describes several instances of direct contact. He describes taking German prisoners, many of whom were SS, and very difficult to deal with. He recalls that he was in Yugoslavia when Germany surrendered. He says he …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clement Good. Good was born in Deland, Illinois 29 September 1920 and upon graduation from high school, was drafted into the Army in July 1942 and joined the 80th Infantry Division. He recalls that he was assigned as the driver for the division artillery’s headquarters battery commander. Good describes in detail the division’s training while operating out of Camp Forest, Tennessee. His division was moved to California for desert training in November 1943. Several weeks of more training followed at Fort Dix, New Jersey in April 1944, before being shipped to Great Britain on the Queen Mary in July. He describes the conditions on the Queen Mary during the seven day transit. The division landed on Utah Beach on 3 August 1944, and was assigned to General Patton’s Third Army. He describes his participation in the Battle for Paris and in the Battle of the Bulge. He recalls seeing the remains of the Maginot Line, the countryside of Luxemburg, crossing the Rhine River into Nuremberg, Germany and entering Munich in April 1945. He was in Austria when the war ended. During the following five months his unit was …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norman Stanton. Stanton joined the Navy in 1943 after his brother Joe disappeared on the Yangtze River as part of the South China Sea Patrol. Stanton received basic training at Camp Farragut. Upon completion, he went to gunnery school in Newport, Rhode Island, and was assigned as a gunner’s mate to USS Rapidan (AO-18), where he spent two years in the Atlantic, stopping at Murmansk, Oran, Casablanca, and the Caribbean. He returned to California via the Panama Canal. While on liberty, he visited his mother, who supported troops on the home front by giving over 450 servicemen a place to stay. Stanton was stationed at the Aleutian Islands for a time and recalls the perils of hundred-mile-an-hour winds (williwaw) and giant ocean swells. While loading a ship, he broke his ankle and was sent to the hospital at Bremerton. After recovery, he was assigned as a coxswain aboard the oceangoing rescue tug USS ATR-61. While aboard, he transported divers to Manila Bay to recover plunder from sunken Japanese ships and classified equipment like ciphering machines from American ships. He gives a first-hand account of the poverty and devastation …