Oral History Interview with Lewis R. Hopkins, January 15, 2004 transcript

Oral History Interview with Lewis R. Hopkins, January 15, 2004

Interview with Lewis R. Hopkins, a pilot during World War II. He describes growing up on a farm in Georgia, going to college at Berry, and working for Sears, Roebuck, and the Royal Typewriter Company before joining the U. S. Navy. He tells an anecdote about joining the navy so he could go to New York to see the World's Fair, since he had heard the Atlanta Reserve would be making a trip to the Fair. He began flight training in Florida in December 1940, finished the next September, then drove cross-country to San Francisco after the Pearl Harbor attack. He eventually joined the USS Enterprise in April 1942 and saw the B-25 bombers in the Doolittle Raid take off. He was part of Bombing Squadron Six and trained under Commander Best to learn how to do scouting flights, navigation, and dive bombing. He then describes his participation in the Battle of Midway, the hours before take-off, his first view of the Japanese fleet, and his bombing mission. He was later assigned to the USS Hornet and had to fly off to a little island so that planes from the USS Wasp could land on the Hornet after their ship …
Date: January 15, 2004
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Hopkins, Lewis R.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Albert Bouley, June 27, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Albert Bouley, June 27, 2001

Interview with Albert Bouley, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He discusses his enlistment in the Marines just after Pearl Harbor; his assignment to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division; the battle of Guadalcanal; malaria and dysentery; the battle of Cape Gloucester; the use of Pavuvu as a base; the battle of Peleliu; his return to the United States; guard duty at the Brooklyn Naval Yard and his service as an instructor in a heavy weapons school before the end of the war. He joined the Air Force 2 1/2 years later to be able to fly and work on planes, then retire to become a teacher in California, and finally settled in Texas.
Date: June 27, 2001
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Bouley, Albert
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Jerell E. Crow, August 24, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Jerell E. Crow, August 24, 2002

Interview with Jerell E. Crow. He entered the Coast Guard in 1940 and trained in Florida and New York City. He served aboard a Landing Ship, Tank (LST) when those ships were first introduced. He traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the Neville Island Shipyard operated by the Dravo Corporation as part of a crew that brought an LST down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. From there, the crew practiced operations at Biloxi, Mississippi. Eventually, Crow travelled to San Diego aboard the LST through the Panama Canal. From there, he went to Guadalcanal and unloaded tanks. Eventually, his ship was hit at Saipan and he was wounded. He also served aboard an LST during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Afterwards, Crow's LST was present in Tokyo Bay for the surrender. He visited Hiroshima while on occupation duty after the atomic bomb was dropped. Eventually, his LST made its way back to San Francisco where he was discharged.
Date: August 24, 2002
Creator: Rabalais, Larry & Crow, Jerell E.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Boyd K. Miller, January 21, 2003 transcript

Oral History Interview with Boyd K. Miller, January 21, 2003

Interview with Boyd K. Miller, a draftsman and pilot during World War II. He discusses being drafted out of college and working as an artist and draftsman. Since he studied art in college, he worked on diagrams and charts. He then transferred to the Air Corps to become a pilot and trained in Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Alabama, New York, Georgia, Florida and Texas.
Date: January 21, 2003
Creator: Misenhimer, Richard & Miller, Boyd K.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Richard Bennett, November 15, 2001 transcript

Oral History Interview with Richard Bennett, November 15, 2001

Interview with Richard (Dick) Bennett, a pilot during World War II. He discusses his enlistment in the Army Air Corps, basic training and flight school. He then went to a base in South Carolina to learn to fly B-25s. At Fort Myers, Florida he flew B-26 bombers and trained to fly them off of aircraft carriers so they could drop torpedos on the Japanese fleet during naval battles. He traveled across the Pacific to Brisbane only to be told that they didn't have B-26s for the crews; the colonel there knew nothing about the plan to launch B-26s from aircraft carriers, so they were sent to New Guinea to fly B-17s and supplement the crews for those bombers. From there they made bombing runs or "Washing Machine Charlie"-type runs to keep people awake at night on various Japanese targets in the islands, particularly the base at Rabaul. In fall of 1943, the Army grounded the B-17s due to the damage they had incurred and replaced them with B-24s. The men received manuals and were given only a few days to familiarize themselves with the new planes. They were then sent on bombing runs. He finished his tour of duty at …
Date: November 15, 2001
Creator: Cox, Floyd & Bennett, Richard
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alan Pilot, August 10, 2010 transcript

Oral History Interview with Alan Pilot, August 10, 2010

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alan Pilot. Pilot joined the Army in January 1943 and received basic training at Camp Howze. He received further training in Louisiana for the European Theater and then in California for the Pacific Theater. In January he left for Camp Old Gold at La Havre, where he served as a combat medic, supporting Companies E, G, and H of the 343rd Infantry, 86th Division. His unit relieved the 8th Division and fought in Cologne, where he was stationed at the top of the cathedral while it was being shelled. In the Ruhr Pocket a defective shell landed 10 feet away from him. He recalls seeing 100,000 Germans surrender there. He describes the Bavarian people as friendly as he passed through Austria on VE Day. He was then sent to the Pacific as part of Operation Coronet. VJ Day came while he was still crossing the Pacific. He spent the last five months of his service in the Philippines at a quiet outpost while the rest of his unit prepared the Philippines for independence. Pilot returned home and was discharged in January 1946.
Date: August 10, 2010
Creator: Pilot, Alan
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Alan Pilot, August 10, 2010 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Alan Pilot, August 10, 2010

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Alan Pilot. Pilot joined the Army in January 1943 and received basic training at Camp Howze. He received further training in Louisiana for the European Theater and then in California for the Pacific Theater. In January he left for Camp Old Gold at La Havre, where he served as a combat medic, supporting Companies E, G, and H of the 343rd Infantry, 86th Division. His unit relieved the 8th Division and fought in Cologne, where he was stationed at the top of the cathedral while it was being shelled. In the Ruhr Pocket a defective shell landed 10 feet away from him. He recalls seeing 100,000 Germans surrender there. He describes the Bavarian people as friendly as he passed through Austria on VE Day. He was then sent to the Pacific as part of Operation Coronet. VJ Day came while he was still crossing the Pacific. He spent the last five months of his service in the Philippines at a quiet outpost while the rest of his unit prepared the Philippines for independence. Pilot returned home and was discharged in January 1946.
Date: August 10, 2010
Creator: Pilot, Alan
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Al Quackenbush, October 10, 1999 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Al Quackenbush, October 10, 1999

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Al Quackenbush. Quackenbush joined the Navy in 1931. He served as a First Class Ships Cook on the USS Tangier (AV-8). He is a plank owner of the Tangier and provides details of starting up the crew when it was first commissioned. His battle station was the .50 caliber gun on the forward mount. He discusses the training on the ship and activities prior to and on 7 December 1941. On the day of the attack, Quackenbush helped pull sailors out of the water, including a Japanese aviator.
Date: October 10, 1999
Creator: Quackenbush, Al
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Al Kiracofe, March 6, 2006 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Al Kiracofe, March 6, 2006

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Kiracofe. Kiracofe joined the Navy in 1942 and received yeoman training at Great Lakes. Upon completion, he was assigned to CASU-22 at Quonset Point, helping to prepare squadrons for overseas deployment. He was then assigned to Carrier Air Group 41, which was just beginning to use radar for night flying. One of his duties as yeoman was to send letters of regret to the parents of soldiers who were killed in action. The experience upset him to the point that he remembered the date of each letter for the rest of his life. He was transferred to Carrier Air Group 10 aboard the USS Intrepid (CV-11) and helped to set up squadrons in Alameda from January 1943 to September 1944. At Okinawa, a kamikaze hit caused the deaths of eight men on the Intrepid. When the ship returned to Alameda for repairs, Kiracofe was so shaken up that he was ordered to a US Naval hospital for treatment and received a medical discharge in July 1945.
Date: March 6, 2006
Creator: Kiracofe, Al
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Al Kiracofe, March 6, 2006 transcript

Oral History Interview with Al Kiracofe, March 6, 2006

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Kiracofe. Kiracofe joined the Navy in 1942 and received yeoman training at Great Lakes. Upon completion, he was assigned to CASU-22 at Quonset Point, helping to prepare squadrons for overseas deployment. He was then assigned to Carrier Air Group 41, which was just beginning to use radar for night flying. One of his duties as yeoman was to send letters of regret to the parents of soldiers who were killed in action. The experience upset him to the point that he remembered the date of each letter for the rest of his life. He was transferred to Carrier Air Group 10 aboard the USS Intrepid (CV-11) and helped to set up squadrons in Alameda from January 1943 to September 1944. At Okinawa, a kamikaze hit caused the deaths of eight men on the Intrepid. When the ship returned to Alameda for repairs, Kiracofe was so shaken up that he was ordered to a US Naval hospital for treatment and received a medical discharge in July 1945.
Date: March 6, 2006
Creator: Kiracofe, Al
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Glenn E. McDuffie, January 21, 2008 transcript

Oral History Interview with Glenn E. McDuffie, January 21, 2008

Interview with Glenn E. McDuffie, an Armed Guard in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He discusses lying about his age in order to join the navy at 15 and his experience in boot camp. He served as an Armed Guard on merchant ships that transported supplies across the Atlantic and remembers being in London while German bombers flew overhead. He transported German prisoners out of Marseilles and Naples shortly after the liberation of those cities. He remembers going to Times Square upon hearing that the Japanese had surrendered. He claims to have been the sailor in the iconic photo of the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square on V-J Day. He describes how he proved he was the sailor in the photo, what he did after the war, and how he learned that his brother survived the Bataan Death March.
Date: January 21, 2008
Creator: Misenhimer, Richard & McDuffie, Glenn E.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with A. J. Durham, October 12, 2013 transcript

Oral History Interview with A. J. Durham, October 12, 2013

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with A J Durham. Durham joined the Navy in February of 1943. He served with Composite Squadron 55 (VC-55). After basic training, Durham worked at the Naval Air Station in Astoria, Oregon and unloaded ammunition ships. He later served with the Ordnance Department, synchronizing 30 caliber machine guns aboard TBMs. Durham transferred to Composite Squadron 4 (VC-4), and completed Torpedo School, and served as a Torpedo man and an Aviation Ordnance Mate aboard a TBF Avenger. In April of 1944, he began serving aboard USS White Plains (CVE-66) and recalls his experiences aboard the carrier during invasions of the Mariana and Palau Islands, and through the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Durham remained aboard during Operation MAGIC CARPET, returning troops back to the US. He continued his service in the Reserves, receiving his discharge in the early 1950s.
Date: October 12, 2013
Creator: Durham, A. J.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Aaron C. Kulow transcript

Oral History Interview with Aaron C. Kulow

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Aaron C. Kulow. Kulow grew up in Michigan and enlisted in the Navy in 1942. After training, he joined the ship USS Pollux AKS-4 at Norfolk, Virginia. Initially the ship runs trips down to the Carribbean and Brazil but in 1943 is fitted with radar and sent to the Pacific Theater. In the Pacific, the general stores issue ship visited Australia, New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, and the New Hebrides Islands. He then returned to San Francisco in 1944 where his wife met him to get married. He left for the Pacific again and in 1945 traveled to the Philippines. In 1945 Kulow met survivors of the Bataan Death March that had been liberated. He remembers going to a friend's burial in the Philippines. On V-J Day Kulow was at Manila Harbor. He left for America in October 1945 and was discharged in New York December 12, 1945.
Date: unknown
Creator: Kulow, Aaron C.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Commander Hal Lamar, USNR (Ret.) Remembers Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (open access)

Commander Hal Lamar, USNR (Ret.) Remembers Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

Transcript of an oral monologue with Hal Lamar. He reflects on Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz during his time serving as the Admiral's personal aide and secretary. He describes Nimitz's character and abilities as a leader. Lamar shares anecdotes about visiting wounded men and awarding Purple Heart medals, other officers coming to call, recreating, visiting Tarawa ,and activities at the new headquarters on Guam.
Date: February 1, 1980
Creator: Lamar, Hal
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Commander Hal Lamar, USNR (Ret.) Remembers Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz transcript

Commander Hal Lamar, USNR (Ret.) Remembers Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

Transcript of an oral monologue with Hal Lamar. He reflects on Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz during his time serving as the Admiral's personal aide and secretary. He describes Nimitz's character and abilities as a leader. Lamar shares anecdotes about visiting wounded men and awarding Purple Heart medals, other officers coming to call, recreating, visiting Tarawa ,and activities at the new headquarters on Guam.
Date: February 1, 1980
Creator: Lamar, Hal
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with A. J. Durham, October 12, 2013 (open access)

Oral History Interview with A. J. Durham, October 12, 2013

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with A J Durham. Durham joined the Navy in February of 1943. He served with Composite Squadron 55 (VC-55). After basic training, Durham worked at the Naval Air Station in Astoria, Oregon and unloaded ammunition ships. He later served with the Ordnance Department, synchronizing 30 caliber machine guns aboard TBMs. Durham transferred to Composite Squadron 4 (VC-4), and completed Torpedo School, and served as a Torpedo man and an Aviation Ordnance Mate aboard a TBF Avenger. In April of 1944, he began serving aboard USS White Plains (CVE-66) and recalls his experiences aboard the carrier during invasions of the Mariana and Palau Islands, and through the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Durham remained aboard during Operation MAGIC CARPET, returning troops back to the US. He continued his service in the Reserves, receiving his discharge in the early 1950s.
Date: October 12, 2013
Creator: Durham, A. J.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with A. N. Wiseman, March 29, 2011 (open access)

Oral History Interview with A. N. Wiseman, March 29, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Wiseman. Wiseman joined the Navy in 1942 and was assigned to the USS Greene (AVD-13). He served as a deck seaman and stood lookout while on watch. Wiseman discusses traveling as an escort to Brazil and then travelling to the Mediterranean. He describes taking part in the invasion of Southern France. The Greene was then sent to the Pacific and performed escort duty near Okinawa. He describes seeing several Japanese air attacks on ships that were nearby. Wiseman traveled to Japan at the end of the war to pick up POWs. He also visited Nagasaki. Wiseman describes how his ship was critically damaged when it ran aground during a typhoon in October of 1945. He served on two more ships working in engineering before getting out of the Navy in 1948.
Date: March 29, 2011
Creator: Wiseman, Al
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with A. N. Wiseman, March 29, 2011 transcript

Oral History Interview with A. N. Wiseman, March 29, 2011

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Wiseman. Wiseman joined the Navy in 1942 and was assigned to the USS Greene (AVD-13). He served as a deck seaman and stood lookout while on watch. Wiseman discusses traveling as an escort to Brazil and then travelling to the Mediterranean. He describes taking part in the invasion of Southern France. The Greene was then sent to the Pacific and performed escort duty near Okinawa. He describes seeing several Japanese air attacks on ships that were nearby. Wiseman traveled to Japan at the end of the war to pick up POWs. He also visited Nagasaki. Wiseman describes how his ship was critically damaged when it ran aground during a typhoon in October of 1945. He served on two more ships working in engineering before getting out of the Navy in 1948.
Date: March 29, 2011
Creator: Wiseman, Al
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Adanto D'Amore, October 8, 2005 transcript

Oral History Interview with Adanto D'Amore, October 8, 2005

Transcript of an oral interview with Dr. Adanto D'Amore. D'Amore describes his education briefly at Ohio State University where he graduated from medical school. Shortly thereafter, he joined the US Army Air Corps, where he examined candidates for jump school. He eventually was assigned as flight surgeon to the 19th Bomb Group and sent with them to Clark Field in the Philippines in October, 1941. After the Japanese invaded, D'Amore and elements of the 19th Bomb Group moved to Mindanao. After the surrender, D'Amore went with fellow prisoners of war to the Davao Internment Camp. Eventually, he was relocated to Cabanatuan where he spent 12 months before leaving aboard a hell ship for Omori Prison Camp in Japan. Upon being liberated after the war, D'Amore was sent to Okinawa, Manila and finally San Francisco. D'Amore also discusses the condition of the returning POWs.
Date: October 8, 2005
Creator: D'Amore, Dr. Adanto A. S.
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Adanto D'Amore, October 8, 2005 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Adanto D'Amore, October 8, 2005

Transcript of an oral interview with Dr. Adanto D'Amore. D'Amore describes his education briefly at Ohio State University where he graduated from medical school. Shortly thereafter, he joined the US Army Air Corps, where he examined candidates for jump school. He eventually was assigned as flight surgeon to the 19th Bomb Group and sent with them to Clark Field in the Philippines in October, 1941. After the Japanese invaded, D'Amore and elements of the 19th Bomb Group moved to Mindanao. After the surrender, D'Amore went with fellow prisoners of war to the Davao Internment Camp. Eventually, he was relocated to Cabanatuan where he spent 12 months before leaving aboard a hell ship for Omori Prison Camp in Japan. Upon being liberated after the war, D'Amore was sent to Okinawa, Manila and finally San Francisco. D'Amore also discusses the condition of the returning POWs.
Date: October 8, 2005
Creator: D'Amore, Dr. Adanto A. S.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Aaron C. Kulow (open access)

Oral History Interview with Aaron C. Kulow

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Aaron C. Kulow. Kulow grew up in Michigan and enlisted in the Navy in 1942. After training, he joined the ship USS Pollux AKS-4 at Norfolk, Virginia. Initially the ship runs trips down to the Carribbean and Brazil but in 1943 is fitted with radar and sent to the Pacific Theater. In the Pacific, the general stores issue ship visited Australia, New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, and the New Hebrides Islands. He then returned to San Francisco in 1944 where his wife met him to get married. He left for the Pacific again and in 1945 traveled to the Philippines. In 1945 Kulow met survivors of the Bataan Death March that had been liberated. He remembers going to a friend's burial in the Philippines. On V-J Day Kulow was at Manila Harbor. He left for America in October 1945 and was discharged in New York December 12, 1945.
Date: unknown
Creator: Kulow, Aaron C.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Albert Brown, March 2, 2010 transcript

Oral History Interview with Albert Brown, March 2, 2010

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert Brown. Brown joined the Navy and served as a Radarman with amphibious forces at Guadalcanal for one year. In 1942, Brown worked aboard submarines as a specialist in surface attacks using radar. Admiral Chester Nimitz appointed him the officer in charge to create the Pacific Fleet Radar School for Senior Officers, and to instruct them in radar techniques. Brown completed this work through late 1945. He continued his service after the war ended.
Date: March 2, 2010
Creator: Brown, Albert
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Albert Brown, March 2, 2010 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Albert Brown, March 2, 2010

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Albert Brown. Brown joined the Navy and served as a Radarman with amphibious forces at Guadalcanal for one year. In 1942, Brown worked aboard submarines as a specialist in surface attacks using radar. Admiral Chester Nimitz appointed him the officer in charge to create the Pacific Fleet Radar School for Senior Officers, and to instruct them in radar techniques. Brown completed this work through late 1945. He continued his service after the war ended.
Date: March 2, 2010
Creator: Brown, Albert
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Anne Sloan, September 11, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Anne Sloan, September 11, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Anne Sloan. Sloan grew up in Oregon and joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in 1944. She spent time at Fort Des Moines, Iowa; Plattsburgh, New York; Camp Davis, North Carolina; Lexington, Virginia; and San Antonio, Texas before she left the service in 1946. She was at Times Square, New York City on V-E Day. After the service, she used the GI Bill to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where she met her husband. She later became a teacher.
Date: September 11, 2000
Creator: Sloan, Anne
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History