The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas H. Boruff where he discusses his childhood and what led him to join the Air Force and what he had to go through for training. He describes his experiences flying airplanes in the Pacific Theatre of World War Two.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alfred P Birdwell. Birdwell joined the Army around 1943. He served as a tank driver with the 3rd Armored Division. He deployed to La Havre, France. Birdwell participated in the Battle of the Bulge, traveling through Germany along the Siegfried Line into Berlin. He returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Tom Dowding. Dowding joined the Army in 1942 and received four weeks of basic training at Camp Lee. He was sent to Camp Stoneman for bakery training. Having been a baker in civilian life, he was already qualified to do the work and so was not required to attend classes. He was sent to Guadalcanal on a mail ship that couldn’t dock upon arrival, due to low tide. While waiting in the water, the ship was strafed by Japanese planes. Men standing on either side of Dowding were killed. He spent over a year stationed at the end of Henderson Field, trading baked goods as a commodity with troops. There was nothing he couldn’t have, and the Seabees even made a boat for him. He traveled to a small island and came across a native who spoke perfect English, as Australians had brought him to the Midwest to be a prizefighter. Dowding was transferred to Mindanao, staying behind with his baking company for three months as the troops were fighting. When the war ended, Dowding volunteered as a baker on the way home, which gave him access to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Porter. Porter was born in Woburn, Massachusetts 1 May 1916. After graduating from high school he worked on his father’s farm until 1940, when he enlisted in the Army. After basic training at Camp Edwards, Mississippi for thirteen weeks he took part in maneuvers in South Carolina. On 16 January 1941 he boarded a troop ship in New York City bound for Australia. Upon arrival in Melbourne, he was assigned to 81mm mortars in the Americal Division. He then went to New Caledonia. In November 1942, the division went to Guadalcanal to reinforce the 1st Marine Division. There, Porter was subjected to Japanese naval gunfire and nightly raids by Japanese bombers. After the island was secured he went to Fiji and while there he contracted malaria as well as hepatitis. He was put aboard a hospital ship and sent to the United States where he was taken to Winter General Hospital in Topeka, Kansas. After being discharged from the hospital, he was sent to Indian Gap, Pennsylvania where he guarded German prisoners of war. He was discharged in 1944.

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 oral interview with Charles H. Ripper. Born in Fayette, Texas 20 March 1915, Ripper describes his family’s living conditions during The Great Depression. He quit school in the eighth grade to help his family on the farm. Drafted into the Navy in 1943, he had six weeks of boot training at San Diego before being sent to Pearl Harbor where he was assigned to the USS Colorado (BB-45) as a shell man on a sixteen inch gun. He tells of the Colorado providing support during the invasions of Tarawa, Kwajalein, Guam, Saipan and Tinian. On 25 July 1944, offshore of Tinian, the ship was hit by Japanese artillery fire which resulted in many casualties. On 3 December 1944, off Leyte, the ship was hit by two kamikaze aircraft which wounded and killed many. After receiving emergency repairs at Manus Island, the Colorado returned to Luzon and while under attack by Japanese aircraft the ship was hit by friendly fire from an Australian cruiser resulting in more casualties. After being resupplied at Ulithi, they participated in the pre-invasion bombardment of Okinawa. On 6 August 1945 the ship sailed to Tokyo in support …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Russell Barager. Barager joined the Navy in October of 1944 after spending a year in the Merchant Marine. He was assigned to USS LSM-326 and served in the deck department. Barager mentions delivering supplies to Saipan and the Philippines. He discusses landing Marines in the eleventh wave on Okinawa. Barager describes feeling the impact of a kamikaze landing in the water nearby and firing on another that hit a cruiser. His ship was caught in a major typhoon when it was headed to Japan after the war. He was discharged in June of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clarence Kendall. Upon graduating from the University of Missouri in 1942, Kendall enrolled in Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School at Notre Dame. His first assignment was on the USS Stack (DD-406) as an assistant gunnery officer. He recounts dramatic details of the Battle of Vella Gulf and feels that his success in combat was due to his diligent studies and mastery of technology such as radar. Kendall transferred to the USS Essex (CV-9) as a battery officer, participating in invasions from the Marshall Islands through Okinawa, where a kamikaze flew 20 feet above Kendall’s head before hitting a gun and exploding. Following the war, Kendall transferred to the new USS Juneau (CL-119) and spent 90 days aboard, during which time he wrote the fire control doctrine for the ship. Much to his captain’s chagrin, as Kendall was a valuable asset to the ship, he was discharged thereafter and went on to attend law school.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Amstutz. Amstutz joined the Marine Corps in November of 1943. He provides some details of his training, including shooting machine guns and the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). Amstutz served with C Company, 9th Marines, 3rd Division. In March of 1944 he traveled to Pearl Harbor, then on to the Marshall Islands, participating in the Battle of Eniwetok in February of 1944. In July of that same year they participated in the Battle of Guam, invading the Mariana Islands. After the battle they trained on Guam, about 20 months altogether, before the Battle of Iwo Jima. He provides some details of his time living and training on Guam. They arrived in Iwo Jima on the 3rd day of the battle in February of 1945. He provides details of some of his combat experiences at Iwo, using the BAR. In March he was wounded by shell fragments and sent back to Guam on a hospital ship. He received a Purple Heart and Three Battle Stars. He was discharged in March of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Buster Simmons. Simmons joined the Army National Guard in September of 1940. He served as a combat medic with the 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division throughout the European theater. He provides some details of his basic and medical training. By 1942 Simmons had worked up to Staff Sergeant and was assigned to Camp Blanding, Florida. After 7 December 1941 their camp began receiving casualties, sending out replacement troops and retraining new recruits for combat. In the fall of 1943 they transferred to Camp Atterbury, Indiana. In February of 1944 they traveled to Scotland aboard the USS Argentina. His detachment was designated to man the ship’s hospital. As First Sergeant at this point, Simmons work was mainly administrative and teaching other medics. His division landed on Omaha Beach in June of 1944 and traveled into Germany, participating in the Battle of the Bulge along the way. He shares vivid details of his experiences traveling through France and Germany, including German counterattacks made upon their group and casualties of fellow servicemen. He was discharged in June of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Warren Wishnack. Wishnack joined the Army in August of 1942. He trained to serve as a radio operator. He joined the 6th Cavalry, a reconnaissance unit, and provides some details of their unique training. Wishnack was assigned to an M-8 armored car where he tapped out Morse Code to communicate with headquarters and also worked with an FM radio for short distances. He provides details of his radio training and the M-8 armored vehicle. He served in Ireland from October 1943 to June of 1944, conducting routine training missions and building a motor pool. They landed on Utah Beach July 9. They participated in five campaigns, including the Battle of the Bulge and attacking the Siegfried Line. Wishnack provides some details of the tanks and the battles he fought in. He also shares his encounters with the German civilians. He was discharged around December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Garfield Crawford. Crawford was born 13 June 1922 in Edgar, Wisconsin and graduated from high school in Green Bay. He entered the Army Air Forces in March 1943. He trained at various bases and with a variety of aircraft. Upon graduating from multi-engine, he was assigned as an aircraft commander and went to Walla Walla, Washington for crew training. Arriving at Nadzab, New Guinea he made several training flights with experienced pilots prior to going to Wakde where the crew was assigned a B-24 in the 307th Bomb Group, 421st Bomb Squadron. Crawford recalls his first combat mission to Balikpapan. Of the twenty-four bombers on the mission, fourteen where lost due to heavy flak and Japanese fighters. He also recalls a mission to Negros Island where they encountered sixty enemy aircraft that dropped phosphorus bombs and steel rods above his formation in attempts to knock them down. During this mission, his friend’s plane went down. A month later, while returning from a bombing mission over Corregidor, he saw signals on the ground from the surviving crew members. They were rescued and sent home. Crawford flew thirty-eight other mission, …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Ho. Ho was a boy living in Hong Kong when the Japanese attacked in December 1941. Ho’s father served as a major general in the Chinese Nationalist Army and the Japanese were after him and his family. They changed their identities and escaped to Luchow and joined his father. When the Japanese overran Luchow, Ho escaped to Kunming. He remained there for the rest of the war. When the war ended, Ho went to Macao before returning to Hong Kong.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Philip Lapaglia. As an only child, Lapaglia was exempt from the draft, but he enlisted with the Army Air Forces upon learning that they were looking for aviation cadets. After completing pre-flight training, he learned that they were looking for Romance language translators, so he went to Camp Richards for intelligence school as a speaker of French and Italian. The need for translators suddenly dropped following the surrender of Italy, so Lapaglia went into photo intelligence. He learned to use aerial photography to track changes in the terrain and to perform comparative coverage. In the Pacific, Lapaglia traveled extensively to many islands, including New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, Bougainville and the Philippines. While on New Caledonia, his outfit’s portable photo lab was stolen, so they improvised a new one out of an ambulance. Lapaglia traded photos for local supplies, because cameras were exotic in some locales. On Bougainville, he learned that the Japanese had a mortal fear of Fijian warriors, so intelligence was fed to native spies purporting that the allies were sending Fijians to battle. After the war ended, Lapaglia returned home and was discharged in December 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Hagen. Hagen served as the gunnery officer aboard the USS Johnston (DD-557). The ship’s captain, Commander Ernest Evans, was well liked and highly respected by the crew. Hagen recalls the Johnston was with a group of seven destroyers and six escort carriers supporting the troop landing at Leyte Gulf. On 24 October 1944 they were alerted to the approach of a large Japanese force led by Admiral Kurita. Hagen describes in detail the actions involving the Johnston, which led to heavy damage and the eventual sinking of the ship. The actions initiated by Commander Evans led to him being awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. As senior surviving officer of the Johnston, Hagen wrote the recommendation for the award.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Sam Shelton. Shelton was born in rural Kansas on 18 August 1917. He participated in the Civilian Pilot Training Program while attending Fort Hays College. Upon completing the program in 1939, he joined the Navy. After completing flight training at Pensacola, he was sent to the Corpus Christi (Texas) Naval Air Station as a flight instructor. In 1943 he was assigned to VF-7, a fighter squadron, stationed at San Diego, flying F4F and F6F fighters. In early 1944 the squadron was assigned the FM2 (fighter) and put aboard the USS Santee (CVE-29). He returned from a combat patrol and found the Santee had been stuck by a kamikaze and a bomb. Unable to land, he was directed to land aboard the USS Suwannee (CVE-27). After landing, his plane was refueled and the ammunition replenished. Smith proceeded with another combat patrol, after which he returned to the Santee after repairs. The ship returned to Pearl Harbor and Shelton was assigned to Air Group 6 based at Los Alamitos, California. Following the surrender of Japan, Shelton remained in the Navy. He recalls various assignments including being aboard the USS Valley …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Marty Romano. Romano was born 11 June 1924 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He joined the Navy and went to boot camp at Newport, Rhode Island. Upon completing boot training he was sent to Quonset Point, Rhode Island for patrol boat training. After more training he was assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 22 on Corsica. He went aboard PT-306 as a motor machinist. He describes his duties and of the need for rotating motor men every two hours due to the noise in the engine room. Squadron 22 participated in Operation Brassard on 4 June 1944 dropping off French commandos during the invasion of Elba. Ramano also participated in Operation Dragoon when they delivered commandos of the 1st Special Service Force to beaches in Southern France. He describes the method used in landing the troops and recalls one boat hitting a mine. On 24 December 1944 he was relieved of duty and returned to the United States for a thirty-three day leave. In February 1945 he boarded a troopship for New Guinea. Upon arrival he was sent to Borneo and assigned to the USS Oyster Bay (AGP-6), …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul Candelori. Candelori joined the Navy in June of 1943. He served as Radioman Third Class and had additional training in amphibious landings. He traveled to Hawaii in April of 1944, training and working on the island. In February of 1945 he was assigned to USS LST-646 and participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima, working as radio operator and delivering supplies to the troops on the island. Candelori returned to the US in December of 1945 and was discharged in April of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lewis Whitaker. Whitaker joined the Army in May of 1944. He served in Company K, 3rd Battalion, 264th Infantry Regiment, 66th Infantry Division. In the fall he was sent to England, then traveled from Southampton, England to Cherbourg, France aboard the SS Léopoldville (1929), for deployment into the Battle of the Bulge. During their transfer their ship was attacked and sunk by the German submarine U-486. Once ashore, Whitaker served as a rifleman and fought from Northern France to Germany and Austria, receiving a Combat Infantryman Badge. He was discharged in June of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jerry Lewis. Lewis was born in Diamond, Missouri 18 February 1925. At sixteen he joined the Navy and trained at San Diego. He then attended radio school, after which he was assigned to the USS Frankford (DD-497). In June 1943 the ship traveled through the Panama Canal to Norfolk, Virginia. He recalls participating in convoy duty to Casablanca. He recalls relying on a tank as a fire control director during Operation Overlord. In October 1944, the ship returned to the United States and Lewis was transferred to the USS Harding (DMS-28). After the crew was trained in the use of mine sweeping gear the Harding sailed to Pearl Harbor. During March 1945, they sailed to Ulithi where they joined Task Force 58. After participating in mine sweeping operations during the invasion of Okinawa the ship was assigned to picket duty. The ship, damaged by a bomb from a kamikaze, was taken to Kerama Retto Island for repair. Lewis recalls having armed sentries on board at night to repel efforts by Japanese soldiers to board anchored ships. Returning to the United States, Lewis entered flight training at Norman, Oklahoma. …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lew Weber. Weber graduated from high school in Galveston, Texas, in May and joined the Marine Corps in July, 1943. He joined the Second Marine Division at Camp Tarawa on Hawaii late in 1943. Weber describes his experiences going ashore during the invasion of Saipan. he also describes a Japanese tank attack and being wounded on Saipan. Weber's unit was headed for Okinawa, but was diverted back to Saipan, where he finished the war. Weber then describes some experiences while on occupation duty in Japan after the war. Weber was awarded the Silver Star on Saipan. He finished by speaking about visiting the National WWII Memorial in Washington, DC.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Roy Simmons. Simmons begins by describing his reaction to the news about the attack on Pearl Harbor. He stayed in college for a little while before hitchhiking to San Antonio and joining the Marine Corps. After he graduated in August, 1943, he was sent to Parris Island for basic training. He went to Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps before shipping out to Hawaii. Finally, he was assigned as an artillery forward observer at Saipan prior to the invasion of Okinawa. At Okinawa, he participated in a diversion landing on D-day, an attempt to confuse the Japanese. He finally landed on Okinawa several weeks later and describes his combat experiences. Simmons witnessed General Buckner getting killed. After the war, Simmons went to Japan for occupation duty and describes some of his activities outside of Nagasaki. While there, his unit inherited an ice cream plant in which they began making ice cream for the regiment. In April, 1946, he shipped back to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Michalak. Michalak joined the Marine Corps and, after training in San Diego, went to communications school. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division and sailed for the Solomon Islands after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He relates an anecdote about being on Gavutu and having an American dive bomber dorp a bomb near him. He then describes being present on Guadalcanal during the battle. His job during his time on Guadalcanal was making sure the telephone lines were operating and repairing them when they were down. When Guadalcanal was secure, Michalak and his unit went to New Zealand for R&R. In November, 1943, Michalak headed for Tarawa. He describes his combat experiences there and shares an anecdote about seeing a high school classmate on Tarawa whom he did not know was in the Marines. Michalak also share stories about his combat experiences on Saipan. He was wounded on Saipan and evacuated to a hospital ship. When he was recovered, he was sent to a naval ammunition depot in Oklahoma where he remained for the duration of his time in the service. He …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Stutterheim. Stutterheim was born 14 June 1928 in Indonesia. He speaks fondly of growing up on the island of Java. Stutterheim was 13 years old in December of 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked. With the surrender of Java to the Japanese in 1942, Stutterheim and his younger brother and mother were taken to one prison camp and his father to another, where they all remained until their liberation in 1945. Their camps were located around Batavia and Jakarta. He recounts his experiences during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, sharing the brutal conditions in a Japanese labor camp and collapse of Dutch colonial rule.