The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Adolph Krchnak. Krchnak joined the Army in December of 1944. He completed parachute school. In late 1944, early 1945 he was stationed in the Philippines with the 11th Airborne Division. They served in a traditional infantry role in the Philippines. His division participated in the Liberation of Manila in the spring of 1945. In August of 1945 they traveled into southern Japan as part of the occupation force. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Allen Cates. Cates joined the Army in 1944. He completed basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas, and paratrooper training off Dog Island, Florida. In December he deployed to New Guinea and served with the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division. In mid-February 1945, they landed on Corregidor to liberate the island from occupying Japanese forces. From there he was assigned as a combat engineer with the 11th, working with demolition, traveling through Manila, Luzon and Okinawa. In late August, they landed at Atsugi Airfield in Japan, then traveled to Hokkaido in December where he served with the occupation through late 1946. He returned to the US and received his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alvin Lebsack. Lebsack joined the Army Air Corps in November of 1940. He trained in aircraft mechanics, and served with the 58th Bomb Wing as a B-29 Crew Chief and Flight Chief. They participated in the China Burma India Theater, and were stationed at a base in India. Lebsack completed bombing missions over Japan in 1944. He returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Anthony Giglio. Giglio joined the navy in September, 1942 and trained in Virginia. He was assigned to USS LST-454 just prior to commissioning and served as a gunner’s mate. He stayed aboard for 49 months and made 13 invasions. Giglio relates several experiences he had while aboard. He returned to the US after the war and was discharged in December, 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Archie W. Scott. Scott joined the Marine Corps in 1942. He entered the V-12 Program, and was sent to Georgia Tech to train further as an engineer. He transferred to California, and attended Field Telephone School. He was then assigned to USS Rochambeau (AP-63), and served in communications, and on the 8-inch gun. They traveled to Pearl Harbor, where he joined the Third Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment. They participated in the Guadalcanal, Eastern New Guinea, New Britain, Peleliu and Okinawa campaigns. He shares details of his combat experiences, injuries and receiving two Purple Hearts during the battles on Peleliu and Okinawa. Beginning in April 1946, they participated in the occupation of North China. Scott returned to the US and received his discharge in 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Charles Thibeault. Thibeault was drafted and went into the Army in 1943. He took basic training in Alabama, was shipped overseas and joined the 35th Division, 134th Infantry, 1st Battalion, Company C in 1944 when they were in France. He was a squad leader then when he made Staff Sergeant he had his own platoon. He fought at the Battle of the Bulge and was wounded. He also fought in the Battle of Bastogne and at Metz. His outfit liberated one of the concentration camps (somewhere in Germany but Thibeault couldn't remember the name). Thibeault gives a fairly graphic description of the scene at the concentration camp. After liberating the camp he got his men together and said, "As of now, right now, we do not take any more prisoners. If that is the way they are going to treat people, I will do the same. I don't care. This is not war, what they did to the people. They were prisoners of war and all that is all they done, and look how skinny they are; you could see the bones." His unit also liberated a concentration camp that just contained women. Thibeault …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with David Belvin. Belvin joined the Navy in June, 1941 and trained at San Diego. After training and before the war started, he went to machinist school and then was assigned to the USS Dobbin (AD-3). He spent some time in Australia and recalls a submarine attack in Sydney Harbor. After his brother was lost at sea during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Belvin was sent back to the US for reassignment after some home leave. Belvin was discharged in July 1946 and enrolled in the University of Texas where he earned an engineering degree.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with David Laughery. Laughery joined the Navy in June of 1943. He served as Seaman 2nd Class aboard the USS Harrison (DD-573), assisting the 20mm gunner and working in the fireroom as a Water Tender 1st Class. They survived 11 encounters with Japanese defenses at Bougainville, Tarawa, New Guinea, Kwajalein, Guam, the Philippines, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Laughery was discharged in April of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edward Larson. Larson joined the Army Air Forces in January, 1943 and became a pilot and was commissioned in April, 1944. He was first assigned as an instructor. He finally went overseas to India and was stationed in the Assam Valley where he participated in transporting material over the Himalaya Mountains to China beginning in January 1945. After a few trips over the Hump, Larson was stationed in China where he flew transport missions to various bases in China. Larson describes some of the flying conditions he experienced in the Himalaya Mountains as well as his experiences during the war in China.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eugene Hannemann. Hannemann joined the Navy in June of 1943. He deployed after basic training to Brisbane, Australia, where he was assigned to a replacement unit. He served as a Yeoman in the Admiral’s Office of the 7th Fleet, under the direction of Douglas MacArthur. Hannemann additionally served on bases in Hollandia, New Guinea and in the Philippines. In mid-1945, he was transferred to a Navy base in Florida. In 1946, he received his discharge.

The National Museum of the pacific War presents an oral interview with Eugene Volcik. Volcik grew up on a farm in Texas and was 13 when the war started. Volcik’s brothers served and urged him not to join the service too quickly as their mother needed help at home. Volcik was 17 when the war ended. After the war, he joined the Navy in February 1946 and recalls several experiences from his time in the post-war Navy aboard USS Huntington (CL-107).

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Everett H. Logan. Logan was born 6 March 1921 in Wolcott, Indiana. He was drafted into the Army 1 September 1942. Following basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, he joined the 111th Engineer Battalion of the 36th Infantry Division at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts, training in small pontoon bridge deployment and mine clearing. In 1943 the unit landed in Oran, Algeria. Fighting in North Africa had ended, so after some additional training, the unit sailed to Anzio. After landing on the beach, they were pinned down for 3 or 4 days. While in Italy, Logan saw Ernie Pyle, witnessed the destruction of the Abbey of Monte Cassino, and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The 36th advanced as far as Pisa. In August 1944, they were sent to Marseille. They advanced north into France and eventually into Germany. When Germany surrendered, they went back to France where they were shuttled around waiting for a decision whether they would go to the Pacific. Finally they were sent to Holland and transported back to the United States. Logan arrived in the States on 1 October 1945 and was discharged on 5 October …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Frank Miller. Miller joined the Navy in 1942. He trained to work in the engine and boiler rooms, serving as Third Class Petty Officer aboard the USS Jarvis (DD-799). Miller participated in 8 engagements through Alaska and the Kurile Islands. After Japan’s surrender, he worked with occupation forces in Japan destroying military supplies. Miller was discharged in February of 1946.

Transcript of an oral interview with Frederick M. Bidwell. Bidwell joined the Army in 1940 at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was assigned to the 69th Infantry Division and headed for France in mid-1944. He eventually was attached to the 35th Infantry Division and fought in France at the Battle of St. Lo. He also briefly mentions the Battle of the Bulge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Gresko. Gresko joined the Army Air Forces in January 1944 and trained at Miami Beach. He then went to aerial gunnery school, then overseas to Tinian where he joined the 6th Bomb Group, 24th Bomb Squadron in April, 1945. He flew 11 combat missions before being sent back to the US to train as a lead crew. He was discharged in February 1946. In 2005, Gresko returned to Tinian for the 60th anniversary of the atomic bomb attack.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George S. Halfin. Halfin joined the Army in early 1942. He studied geodetic computing at the University of Kentucky, then joined the 910th Engineers Air Force Headquarters Company. They were sent to Colorado Springs, and worked on drafting plans to extend runways in the U.S. to handle military planes. Through 1943, Halfin traveled to around 45 states in the U.S., analyzing runways. They would clock the amount and distance it took a plane to land. In late 1943 or early 1944, they were deployed to Guam, where Halfin assisted in designing runways for the different islands with the goal of getting closer to Japan. He provides details of island life, where he remained through the end of the war. Additionally, Halfin and another draftsman from their company were assigned to create architectural drawings for an office on Guam for Admiral Chester Nimitz and the Pacific Command, which the Seabees built. He returned to the U.S. in late 1945 and received his discharge.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Herman L. Bell. Bell worked in a shipyard in California at the beginning of the war and describes his duties as a welder. He joined the Navy in April 1943 and discusses his time in boot camp at Farragut, Idaho and the additional training that he received as a firefighter. Bell was sent to the USS Independence (CVL-22). He describes his duties and some of the work he performed. Bell discusses when his ship was hit with a torpedo off Tarawa and the damage control work he performed including how he helped save a trapped sailor. He also discusses an incident when emergency repairs were performed during a typhoon and another when a large bomb broke free from its restraints. Bell also discusses seeing the massive flyover during the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay. He left the service in November 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Plaster. Plaster joined the US Navy in 1943, completed boot camp and Landing Craft School. He then went to New Caledonia, where he served aboard USS John Penn (APA-23). He describes the ship and its mission. While participating in the invasion of Guadalcanal, the ship was sunk by a Japanese torpedo. Plaster was then assigned to USS President Hayes (APA-20) as a member of a landing craft crew and participated in the landing on Bougainville. He also recalls being subjected to nightly bombing for 21 consecutive nights. While there, he contracted malaria. In 1945, Plaster was assigned to a minesweeper in the Philippines. He explains the method used in mine sweeping including the use of the paravane. He also tells of his ship being in typhoons. Soon after the Japanese surrender, Plaster was assigned to a destroyer that participated in a goodwill tour that visited a number of countries before returning to the US.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with James Wicker. Wicker joined the Navy in mid-1944. He served with the ship repair crew aboard the USS Corregidor (CVE-58). They traveled to Eniwetok, Guam, Pearl Harbor, conducting anti-submarine patrol, providing air cover and qualifying pilots in carrier operations. Wicker returned to the US and received his discharged in late 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jerome Crowley. Crowley was born in Cituate, Maine 17 March 1924. He graduated from high school in 1941 and joined the US Navy 17 January 1942. Upon completion of boot camp he was sent to Aviation Machinist Mate School in Jacksonville, Florida where he received six months training on aircraft engines. He then volunteered for PT boats and underwent two months of training in Melville, Rhode Island. Crowley was then assigned to Torpedo Squadron 9 and went to Tobago for additional training. In March 1943 his unit arrived in Tulagi and he was assigned to the engine room aboard PT-156. He participated in the invasion of Munda and the Treasury Islands as well as doing patrols in the Kula Gulf. Crowley comments on the high morale among the crew members.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Carey. Carey joined the Naval ROTC at Yale and received his commission in February 1944. Assigned to the USS Loy (DE-160), he was shocked by the poor relations of the captain and executive officer. In one instance, the captain flew into a rage until he was finally subdued by the executive officer's fists. The other officers were kinder to each other, and Carey assisted them with gunnery and communications. Off the Bay of Biscay, he monitored high-speed German transmissions that he recorded so that they could be slowed down and decoded. The transmissions were useful in pinpointing enemy subs. In the summer of 1944, Carey was reassigned to PC-1245. That fall, his family received the devastating news that his brother was killed in the European Theater. After the war, Carey was caught in a typhoon at Okinawa and survived with the help of a passing tugboat. He returned home and was discharged in January 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John W. Smith III. Jean assists with the interview. Smith was born 15 February 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He speaks about his father’s participation with the Manhattan Project. Smith’s father, John W. Smith II, was an electrician and completed contract work for the government at Huntsville Arsenal in Alabama, Oak Ridge in Tennessee and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Smith recalls traveling with his family each time his father was relocated for work. He was 12 years old when the war in the Pacific started, and he shares memories of life in the US as a child during wartime. He served in the Navy from 1946 through 1947, then entered the Air Force. He was assigned as a navigator with the 764th Bombardment Squadron, 461st Bombardment Wing. He served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, retiring in 1970.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Leslie Bray. Bray joined the Army Air Forces in January of 1942. He received his wings and commission as second lieutenant in October. He served as Operations Officer in the 10th Troop Carrier Group at various locations in the US. Bray additionally served as Commander of the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron, 4th Combat Cargo Group, beginning June of 1944 and participated in the China-Burma-India Theater. They transported airport construction materials, men, mules, supplies, and provided logistic support throughout China, Burma and India until the war’s end. Bray returned to the US and continued his service, retiring in 1973.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lorenzo Todd. Todd completed radio school through the National Youth Administration. He completed Civilian Pilot Training with the Army Air Force Reserves in mid-1943. Beginning in 1945, he flew an L-5 aircraft with the 163rd Liaison Squadron. They traveled to Hawaii, the Bikini Islands, Eniwetok, Ulithi, and evacuated wounded soldiers from Okinawa. Todd returned to the US and was discharged in November of 1945.