Oral History Interview with David Straus, September 17, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with David Straus, September 17, 2001

Interview with David Straus of San Antonio, Texas, a veteran from the United States Marine Corps during World War Two in the Pacific Theater as well as the Korean War. The interview includes some of Straus' background before the war and his personal experiences while in the Marines, including memories of Okinawa, various weapons, what happened at the end of World War Two, and his assignment in Korea.
Date: September 17, 2001
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Straus, David
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Glenn G. Morgan, February 17, 2005 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Glenn G. Morgan, February 17, 2005

Interview with Glenn G. Morgan of Weatherford, Texas, who is a veteran of the United States Navy. In the interview, Mr. Morgan talks about his time before the war as well as his military training, travels, life on and the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, and his survival at sea.
Date: February 17, 2005
Creator: Morris, Cork & Morgan, Glenn G.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Glenn G. Morgan, February 17, 2005 transcript

Oral History Interview with Glenn G. Morgan, February 17, 2005

Interview with Glenn G. Morgan, a bugler in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He was a bugler aboard the USS Indianapolis and experienced a kamikaze attack during the Okinawa campaign. He also describes transporting the crate that contained the first atomic bomb to Tinian, the ship's sinking, and the four days and five nights he spent in a life raft waiting to be rescued.
Date: February 17, 2005
Creator: Morris, Cork & Morgan, Glenn G.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with David Straus, September 17, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with David Straus, September 17, 2001

Interview with David Straus of San Antonio, Texas, a veteran from the United States Marine Corps during World War Two in the Pacific Theater as well as the Korean War. The interview includes some of Straus' background before the war and his personal experiences while in the Marines, including memories of Okinawa, various weapons, what happened at the end of World War Two, and his assignment in Korea.
Date: September 17, 2001
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Straus, David
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - October 17, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - October 17, 1944]

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing the mail service, receiving his beer ration, remembering the loafing that occurred in Catherine's office fondly, writing Pat a letter, and trying to make plans with Walter.
Date: October 17, 1944
Creator: Davis, Joseph Emmett
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - September 17, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - September 17, 1944]

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing missing church to sleep in, his squadron throwing a party, seeing a double feature of "Top Man" and "You Can't Ration Love," and the weather.
Date: September 17, 1944
Creator: Davis, Joseph Emmett
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - August 17, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - August 17, 1944]

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing writing a letter to Pat, going to a museum and hearing a lecture about island living, and his gaining weight.
Date: August 17, 1944
Creator: Davis, Joseph Emmett
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - July 17, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - July 17, 1944]

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing receiving a three day pass from Captain Trewitt, seeing the movie "Shine on Harvest Moon," and spending the day at the beach.
Date: July 17, 1944
Creator: Davis, Joseph Emmett
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - June 17, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - June 17, 1944]

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing sharing a quart of rum with other men in his squadron, the mail service, playing softball, and going swimming with Holquin.
Date: June 17, 1944
Creator: Davis, Joseph Emmett
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - January 17, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from Joe Davis to Catherine Davis - January 17, 1945]

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing the mail service, apologizing for not telling her the name of their plane, being glad that Catherine received the shirt and necklace he sent her, and hoping that Elaine will be able to stay with Catherine again.
Date: January 17, 1945
Creator: Davis, Joseph Emmett
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - July 17, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - July 17, 1944]

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including dinner with Jenny, Judge Marion returning from the war, and walking the dog, Teddy.
Date: July 17, 1944
Creator: Davis, Catherine Dawe
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - August 17, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - August 17, 1944]

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including the letters she has received, breakfast with Elaine and Mammy, and playing a game of golf.
Date: August 17, 1944
Creator: Davis, Catherine Dawe
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - October 17, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - October 17, 1944]

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe expressing her pride at his being promoted to sergeant. Catherine also discusses news from home, including Mr. Tom Burris's death by heart attack, a plan for a phone call with Mother, and Marjorie's trip to Washington.
Date: October 17, 1944
Creator: Davis, Catherine Dawe
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - June 17, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - June 17, 1944]

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe advising him not to lose too much money in poker, as well as discussing news from home, including updates on their pets, and Joe's mother-in-law's pride in him.
Date: June 17, 1944
Creator: Davis, Catherine Dawe
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - January 17, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - January 17, 1945]

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including that Gale died December 27, playing bridge with friends, Joe being featured in the newspaper, and their new dog, Trailer, chewing up the coffee table.
Date: January 17, 1945
Creator: Davis, Catherine Dawe
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - November 17, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Catherine Davis to Joe Davis - November 17, 1944]

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including her plans to send Joe more packages, drinking whiskey with Pat, and the weather.
Date: November 17, 1944
Creator: Davis, Catherine Dawe
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Cargo Boxes Piled on Yellow Beach, Okinawa]

Photograph of a section of Yellow Beach, Okinawa, Japan covered in wooden cargo crates and longshoremen sorting through cargo. A water tower is visible in the background.
Date: October 17, 1945
Creator: Ryan, Gerald
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Transcript of Letter from John E. Harrington to Lt. Comdr. Robert W. Copeland - April 17, 1945] (open access)

[Transcript of Letter from John E. Harrington to Lt. Comdr. Robert W. Copeland - April 17, 1945]

Transcription of letter from John E. Harrington to Lt. Comdr. Robert W. Copeland discussing the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413).
Date: April 17, 1945
Creator: Harrington, John E.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from John E. Harrington to Lt. Comdr. Robert W. Copeland - April 17, 1945] (open access)

[Letter from John E. Harrington to Lt. Comdr. Robert W. Copeland - April 17, 1945]

Letter from John E. Harrington to Lt. Comdr. Robert W. Copeland discussing the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413).
Date: April 17, 1945
Creator: Harrington, John E.
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Trenton Fowler, January 17, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Trenton Fowler, January 17, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Trenton Fowler. Fowler grew up in Corpus Christi and enlisted into the Marine Corps in 1943. Once he finished training, he was assigned to the 4th Marine Raider Battalion and shipped out on the French transport ship Rochambeau to New Caledonia. From there he went to Guadalcanal for training and then to the Emirau, Guam, and Okinawa campaigns, with stops at Guadalcanal in between each campaign. Fowler discusses the pros and cons of the Browning Automatic Rifle versus the M-1 Garand. He tells of the change of his unit's name from the 4th Battalion Raiders to the 6th Marine Division, before he went to Okinawa. He relates the experience of finding out his brother, a fellow Marine, had died at Iwo Jima.
Date: January 17, 2001
Creator: Fowler, Trenton
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with John Reas, November 17, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with John Reas, November 17, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Reas. Reas grew up in Indiana and Ohio and enlisted in the Navy in 1938. After training, he boarded the USS Houston (CA-30) at Charleston, South Carolina. He was assigned to the aviation unit. On February 28, 1942, he survived the bombing and sinking of the ship. He and other survivors in life rafts were picked up by the Japanese the next day and taken to Java as a prisoner of war. He was taken to a ship and then back to an island, where he met survivors of the Australian ship HMAS Perth (D29). They were moved from Serang to Batavia. He was told to record the POW's occupations and those idenitified as skilled were sent to Japan. Inspired by this, he kept a detailed and complete list of the survivors that he kept hidden. From Java, the survivors are put on a cargo ship to Singapore. Then they went to Pynang by train. He then boarded another ship to Burma. Allied forces bombed a ship next to Reas. He describes living in bamboo huts while building the railroad. During one of the routine abuses in …
Date: November 17, 2000
Creator: Reas, John
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Henry Kalinofsky, February 17, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Henry Kalinofsky, February 17, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Kalinofsky. Kalinofsky grew up in Pennsylvania and joined the Navy in 1941. After training, he joined the destroyer DE 581 McNulty and took several convoys into the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. The destroyer took convoys for the invasion of Normandy. Kalinofsky was a captain on a twin mount 40 mm. He was next on the ship USS LSM (R) 198. He describes being in a truck with German prisoners of war and sharing his cigarettes. Kalinofsky was then transferred into amphibious forces and sent to the Pacific Theater. He was a gunners mate 3rd class. He was involved in action at Le Shima. Next, his ship went to Okinawa. Kalinofsky describes targeting and being targeted by kamikazes. He also saw Baka bombs. After the atomic bombs were dropped, he returned to Guam, Pearl Harbor, and then the United States where he was discharged.
Date: February 17, 2001
Creator: Kalinofsky, Henry
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with David Straus, September 17, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with David Straus, September 17, 2001

Transcript of an oral interview with David Straus. Straus was born in San Antonio in 1923 and finished high school at the Texas Military Institute. From there he attended Trinity University, Dartmouth and Texas A&M before dropping out to enlist in the Marine Corps in 1943. He finished Officer Candidate School in 1944 and was shipped to the Pacific early in 1945 as an officer in he First Marine Division. He eventually landed on Okinawa in May, 1945 as a replacement in charge of a rifle platoon in E Company, Fifth Marines. He describes tactics for attacking caves and the use of supporting arms such as bazookas, flamethrowers and tanks. He was present on Okinawa preparing for the invasion of the home islands of Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped. After the surrender, the First Marine Division went to northern China to disarm the Japanese Army there. Straus was stationed in Beijing at the time. He went home in 1946 and went on the inactive reserve list. He was recalled for the Korean War in 1951 after having gotten married and had a son. He became Executive Officer of Company F, Fifth Marines. After brief training in Korea, his …
Date: September 17, 2001
Creator: Straus, David
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Jack Butler, January 17, 2002 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Jack Butler, January 17, 2002

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Butler. Butler joined the Army in March of 1943. He volunteered to join the paratroopers and completed jump school in Fort Benning, Georgia. In June of 1944 he traveled to Sicily. In August he was assigned to Head Quarters Company 509th, Parachute Infantry Regiment. They traveled to Naples where he served in a machine gun squad. They moved on to southern France, then on to Belgium where their job was to hold a cross road in Manhay. Butler shares his experiences through combat with the Germans, working under the commanding officer General James Gavin and fighting in extreme cold weather conditions. Their battalion defended a 7 mile stretch of terrain between Soy and Hutton, beating off repeated attacks by the German 2nd SS Panzer Division. He returned to England in March of 1945 and was discharged in August.
Date: January 17, 2002
Creator: Butler, Jack
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History