First page of an incomplete letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including the fact that she has been busy but is planning to go visit Jenny after the 7:00 mail and that Mathew has bought half interest in the market.

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing making food with the other men in his squadron rather than going to the mess hall, the poor mail service, having completed 15 missions, and seeing the movie "Hail the Conquering Hero."

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing the mail service, seeing the movie "Caught in the Draft," having completed seven missions, and his laundry.

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing his most recent mission and the dinner of cold soup that followed it. A portion of text has been removed from the letter.

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing seeing a biographical film about Jack London and his guilt over missing church.

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing flying a gunnery mission, plans to see a performance from Bob Hope the next day, and expecting to move to another part of the island when he and his squadron finish gunnery school in a week.

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing the mail service, his approval of Catherine making cotton dresses, asking her to send a photo of her and Teddy, eating dinner at the post exchange, and his joy that Catherine has heard from their friends in Tonopah.

Letter from Joe to his wife Catherine discussing spending the day building tents and buildings, listening to records after his shower, and reading the Luling newspaper.

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe encouraging him not to send money home because she is saving already. Catherine also discusses news from home, including buying their dog, Teddy, a harness, supper with Mrs. Graham, and making cigarettes with Lorraine because they cannot buy them in town.

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including a trip to Gonzales with Sue Merle, a plan to do yardwork, Mr. Davis's return to New York, and Mother mailing him a Christmas present.

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including photos she is having copied, Mr. Keith's death, Shorty Ward's discharge, mowing the lawn, losing weight, and postcards she is having made of her and the pets.

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including going out to Seguin with friends and having a few drinks, Dan being unable to get over Bea, and Charlotte's brother Boyce being killed in action in France.

Letter from Catherine to her husband Joe discussing news from home, including writing a letter to the Bergins, who Joe spent Christmas with, and her plans to go to Gonzales after mailing the letter.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Muriel Usselman. Usselman was a child living in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Her father worked as an electrician and the family lived on base. She recalls what she witnessed during the attack on 7 December as well as her experiences in the following days. She returned with her family to the Mainland in 1944.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Joseph Moore. Moore joined the Army Air Corps in June 1937 and received flight training at Randolph and Kelly fields. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 77th Pursuit Squadron and arrived at Nichols Field in October 1940 as squadron commander. His squadron relocated to Clark Field, and on 8 December 1941 Moore was among the first pilots to fight Zeros, quickly learning that the P-40’s only advantage was speed. His squadron relocated to Bataan and lost all its planes in battle. His mechanics refurbished an abandoned J2F-2 so that Moore could fly to Cebu and Mindanao for desperately needed supplies. He was away when Bataan fell. Moore was transferred as an instructor to a combat training school in Brisbane and then to a day-fighter school at Drew Field with the 90th Fighter Squadron. He was then sent to the Philadelphia Fighter Wing. With the 84th Fighter Wing he arrived at Normandy and ran a mobile combat operations and intelligence center, moving across France, through Belgium, and into Germany. In December 1944 he was transferred to the 98th Combat Bombardment Wing (Medium) at MacDill and then reassigned to …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Victor Delano. Delano was appointed to the Naval Academy in June of 1937 and graduated with distinction in February of 1941 and was commissioned ensign. He was assigned to the gunnery department of the Fire Control Division aboard the USS West Virginia (BB-48), where he was stationed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The ship was moored in the Harbor, and Delano provides vivid details of the attack and sinking of the West Virginia. Next, he served aboard the USS San Juan (CL-54) from 1942 to 1943. They participated in the Battle of Savo Island, the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, around Guadalcanal and provided gunfire support for the landings at Tulagi. From 1944 to 1945 he was assigned to the USS Wedderburn (DD-684). They participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, in the Philippines, at Iwo Jima and at Okinawa. He came back to the States in the fall of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Gill. Gill was born in Pennsylvania 21 July 1920. He attended Pennsylvania State College and graduated in December 1942. He then reported to Ft Benning, Georgia to attend Infantry Officers Candidate School. Upon graduation in March 1943 he was commissioned and assigned to the 98th Infantry Division at Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky. While there he was assigned as an air-ground umpire during maneuvers and he explains the functions of those assigned to this position. In early 1944 the unit went to Camp Stoneman, California where they boarded the USS General W.M. Black (AP-135) where they joined the 304th Infantry Regiment for a trip to Honolulu. Upon their arrival, the unit maintained defensive positions among the islands. In 1945 after receiving advanced training for the invasion of Japan, they began loading the ships for the invasion. When the war ended, the division became part of Operation BLACKLIST and proceeded to Wakayana, Japan. Soon after his arrival, he was assigned to his regiment’s ordnance company to supervise the collection and destruction of Japanese weapons. In October, Gill reported to the US Army War Crimes Legal Section in Tokyo. He investigated …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a monologue by Keith Evans. Evans joined the Navy in April of 1944. He was assigned to the USS USS LSM-135 that same year. He participated in the Battle of Okinawa as one of the first waves to hit the beach. Evans provides details of his experiences through this battle and general living conditions aboard the ship. They anchored on the beach of Ie Shima, and delivered supplies and had an opportunity to tour the island. In May of 1945, while operating at Okinawa and picking up survivors from the minesweeper Spectacle (AM-305), the USS LSM-135 was sunk by a kamikaze attack. Evans recalls his job throughout this fateful event was to set up smoke screens for the USS Missouri (BB-63).

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Tom Stephens. Stephens was born 17 August 1916. He joined the Army and was assigned into the 33rd Infantry Division. After being a machine gun instructor, Stephens was selected for officer training. After receiving his commission at Fort Benning, Georgia he was assigned as a rifle platoon leader. He tells of the division arriving on Morotai, Indonesia on 18 December 1945 and although they conducted aggressive patrols, very little resistance was encountered. During February 1945 the division landed at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. Stephens describes an incident of combat in which he received wounds that required hospitalization and two months of recovery. On 25 September the division landed on Honshu Island, Japan and after three months occupational duty he returned to the United States and was discharged.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with George Deer. Deer joined the Marine Corps in February of 1944, and provides details of his training. He was assigned to communications, working with phones, radios and stringing lines. He was attached to the 11th Gun Battalion at Camp Tarawa, Hawaii and shares his experiences training, living and working on the island, providing a number of anecdotal stories as well. He participated in the Battle of Leyte in October of 1944, where he served in both communications and as infantry. In January of 1945 they completed mopping up exercises on Guam, taking on 19 Japanese prisoners. Deer remained on Guam until the war ended. He was issued a medical discharge in December of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jimmy Bennett. Bennett was born in Munda, New Georgia, Western Province, Solomon Islands in May of 1922. He recalls the Japanese invading in 1942, the Americans arriving in 1943, and his family hiding in the bush. Bennet, and a number of other natives, joined the American Army’s 118th Engineer Battalion, 43rd Infantry Division. He served as a scout for the island, and led the troops on Baanga Island, through the New Georgia Campaign, and until the end of the war. Reference Alfred Bisili’s oral history, a native friend of Bennett, who participated with him during the war.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Byron K. Henry. Henry finished high school in Indiana and joined the Marine Corps in January, 1943. He had his basic training in San Diego and recalls experiences there. He also provides details about training he got once he arrived at Pearl harbor later in 1943. He also served on Midway Island as a guard. He shares two anecdotes about saving guys' lives: one from a mountin accident and another from drowning in the surf.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Dwight Dehaven. Dehaven joined the Navy in 1939 and served aboard the USS Yorktown (CV-5) in the boiler room. Dehaven recalls being shaken by a bomb and by explosions from the USS Lexington (CV-2) nearby in the Battle of the Coral Sea. In the Battle of Midway, bombs and a torpedo caused fire and flooding. Dehaven witnessed the gruesome death of a sailor jumping ship and saw a pilot trapped underneath an overturned plane. After abandoning ship, Dehaven was rescued by the USS Henley (DD-391), which was subsequently hit by a torpedo. He abandoned that ship amidst the explosions of depth charges and was then rescued by the USS Balch (DD-363). He was assigned to help repair the USS California (BB-44) and was then transferred to the USS England (DE-635) as a chief machinist’s mate. Dehaven describes the complementary skillsets and personalities of Captain Williamson and Commander Pendleton, and how that contributed to the England’s unparalleled success in anti-submarine warfare. Dehaven was discharged in November 1945. He returned to the England for its decommissioning ceremony, remembering his friends who were trapped and burned in the Yorktown after it …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Stokesberry. Stokesberry joined the Navy in April 1940 and was stationed at Kaneohe Bay on 7 December 1941. He was out early collecting garbage from various stations on the base that morning and was among the first to see Japanese planes approaching. After the attack, he repaired damaged water lines. October 1942, he was sent to Johnston Island as an aviation metalsmith. After a brief assignment at Pearl Harbor doing overhaul and repair work, he was assigned to USS Independence (CVL-22). There he modified planes and landing craft to make night operations inconspicuous, such as adding flame dampeners to fighter planes and giving landing signal officers reflective clothing. He also outfitted planes with tubes filled with foil that when dropped would confuse Japanese radarmen. To give the impression that the 3rd and 5th fleet had two sets of aircraft, he painted planes with unique colors for each operation. He recalls the Independence participating in the sinking of HIJMS Musashi at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and he saw several kamikazes try to hit the Independence off Okinawa. After the war ended, he spent the rest of his …