The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Frasher. Frasher joined the Marine Corps in September of 1943. He provides details of his training. He served as a pilot in a Corsair in Marine Aircraft Group 51 (MAG-51). He served on the carrier USS Gilbert Islands (CVE-107). He provides some details of his experiences catapulting off, and landing on, the carrier. Beginning in April of 1945 he participated in the Battle of Okinawa, covering landings and completing daily bomb runs in the Sakishima Islands. He also covered Australian landings that occurred in Balikpapan, Borneo. He strafed air strips on Formosa and made over 50 carrier landings. He shares some of his experiences of life aboard the carrier. He was discharged in December of 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with E J Billings. Billings joined the Navy V-12 program in February of 1943. He completed Navy flight school in October of 1944. He also completed additional training in aerology and navigation. He provides some details of his schooling, carrier landings and various types of planes he flew, including the SNV and the FM-2 Wildcat. He served as a pilot aboard the FM-2 and traveled to Hawaii. While in Hawaii they practiced bombing runs to support Marine landings. He completed landings aboard the USS Lunga Point (CVE-94). They traveled to Guam, Saipan, Tinian and the Philippines, though never participated in combat. Billings remained in the Reserves and was discharged in December of 1953.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jack Stoeber. Stoeber joined the Navy in January of 1940 and completed a 6-year tour of duty. He completed machine gun school, learning how to fire a 50 caliber anti-aircraft gun. He served aboard the USS Whitney (AD-4), which was docked at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. He describes his experiences through that fateful day of events. In May of 1942 they traveled to Tongatapu, tending to the destroyers in that area. Beginning in 1944 Stoeber served as Chief Carpenter???s Mate aboard the USS Pickens (APA-190), which participated in the invasions of Iwo Jima, Okinawa and the Philippines. He was discharged in January of 1946.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Bernard Rubien. Rubien joined the Army Air Corps after his 22nd birthday and received basic training at Fort Slocum. Upon completion, he was assigned as a clerk typist to bomb squadrons at Hickam Field. He was then transferred to Hawaiian Air Command headquarters. On 7 December 1941 he received a distress signal from Wake Island via teletype. With Pearl Harbor also under attack, Rubien quickly set about burning classified documents. Within a few days, he was relocated to an alternate command post in a mountainside cave. After a year, he returned to the States for Officer Candidate School at Miami Beach. After training troops in Atlantic City, he returned to his former office in Hawaii. He was soon transferred to VII Fighter Command at Fort Shafter as adjutant for the 318th Fighter Group. He then joined ComAirForward, a joint task force designated as Task Force 59. Rubien returned home and later served in the Korean War. He retired after 26 years in the service.

Transcript of an oral interview with Olian Perry. Perry went to boot camp in San Diego. They were supposed to have ten week's of training but only had seven before they were shipped overseas on the Mastonia, landing in New Zealand. He was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, 18th Marines, 1st Battalion, Company "C" as a dynamite man. After some training on New Zealand, they went to Guadalcanal on a troop ship. Once onshore, they started digging their foxholes but couldn't get any sleep because of washing machine charlie coming over. Perry talks about the land crabs crawling into their foxholes after the Japanese would bomb or shell the island. After Guadalcanal, he went back to New Zealand and then to Tarawa. Perry went into Tarawa on a Higgins boat and describes it as "just murder"; he went over the side of the boat and into waist deep water. Perry states "men were dropping around you side by side". After Tarawa, they went to Parker Ranch in Hawaii for R&R. From there they went to Saipan and Tinian. Perry describes seeing a man and woman come out, throw their kids over the cliff, and then jump in right after …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Underwood. Underwood joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. He entered the Navy in 1940 and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Portland (CA-33) at Pearl Harbor, where he was trained as a signalman. He was out on maneuvers on 7 December 1941 and recalls seeing a signal come in from the flag ship that the harbor was under attack. When he returned a few days later, the USS Arizona (BB-39) was still smoking. Underwood spent the remainder of the war escorting ships and carrying out shore bombardments. After the Portland was torpedoed at the Battle of Surigao Strait, Underwood enjoyed a few months in Australia. There, he reconnected with old friends he had made on a goodwill tour before the war began. When the war ended, Underwood returned home for shore duty and remained in the Navy for another 20 years. His picture can be found in LIFE Magazine’s January 1942 issue, showing the Portland’s signalmen.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William St.John. St. John graduated from high school in 1939 and joined the Navy. He was assigned to the USS West Virginia (BB-48) in the gunnery division. His duties also included handling plane catapult charges. In December 1940, St. John received radio communication training in Hawaii. He was then assigned to the brand new Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station, maintaining radio equipment. On the morning of December 7, he was working on a transmitter when he watched in shock as the Japanese attacked. St. John later spent nine months in aviation communication on Palmyra Island, coordinating emergency landings. He was sent back to the States to oversee the installment of electronics on the USS Guam (CB-2) and USS Portsmouth (CL-102) prior to commissioning. He was then trained in coding machines and sent aboard the USS Dayton (CL-105) as a radioman, first class. His final duty before his November 1946 discharge was preparing top secret monitoring stations in California and New York. He applied his wartime experience to embark upon a civilian career at both the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and Kelly Air Force Base.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Paul Wallace in memory of his father Paul Eugene Wallace. Wallace joined the Marines in 1927, graduated from Annapolis in 1933 and completed Marine Corps Officer Training in 1934. He was assigned to the USS Maryland (BB-46). Following that he was a China Marine and served with the 4th Marines in Shanghai. He later served aboard the USS Augusta (CA-31) with the Marine detachment. He completed Chemical Warfare School and was transferred to San Diego as commander of a chemical warfare company. He later became Commanding Officer of the Marine detachment aboard the USS Pensacola (CA-24). Paul???s mother was the secretary to the Chief of Naval Intelligence, 14th Naval District and their family was stationed in Pearl Harbor, present on the day of the attack. Paul describes life growing up in Pearl Harbor and what he witnessed that fateful day in December of 1941, including his mother???s and father???s reactions to the attack and their providing help in the weeks that followed. He and his mother were shipped back to California aboard the SS Lurline. His father was transferred back to the Marine Corps School to become a Chief …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Avery Willis. Willis left the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and joined the Navy in 1935. After training, he was assigned to the engine room of the USS Nevada (BB-36) as a machinist’s mate. On the morning of 7 December, he was filling in as an engineer on the motor launch. When the initial attack passed, he assumed his station in the engine room just before the ship got underway. Thinking he might be safer on a submarine, Willis soon requested a transfer and boarded the USS Tunny (SS-282). Conducting patrols off of Guam, he was at ease under the expert command of Lieutenant Commander John Scott. After five patrols, Willis was transferred to Mare Island, where he ran errands for Admiral Rickover. As the war came to an end, Willis’s last duty was decommissioning 57 submarines, some of them brand new.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Edwin Schuler. Schuler joined the Navy and in early 1940 was assigned to the USS Phoenix (CL-46) as a fire controlman. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was at the gun director, preparing the ship’s artillery, which required the coordination of several hundred men. He describes the happenings at East Loch that morning, including a moment when he stopped to help a wounded Army man. After the ship got underway, they chased what they thought to be a Japanese ship, going so far as to train all of their guns on it, only to receive a signal at the last minute that it was actually the USS Minneapolis (CA-36). Still, Marines cheered them for their bravery upon return to the harbor. He recounts several escort missions in the Indian Ocean, including one in which the USS Langley (CV-1) was sunk off Java. He remembers that General MacArthur spent several weeks aboard their ship, and it was evident that he and the crew did not like each other. When the ship went back to the States for repair, Schuler returned home. He celebrated V-J Day on the lawn …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Rauschkolb. Rauschkolb enlisted in the Navy in 1938 and was assigned to the USS West Virginia (BB-48). As a third class signalman, Rauschkolb performed bunting maintenance, fixing torn flags as necessary. On the morning of the Pearl Harbor attack, he narrowly escaped strafing by jumping into oily water set ablaze by the USS Arizona (BB-39). He then reboarded his ship to fight fires, dragging a friend out of the flames and to safety. Recovering bodies in the aftermath was the most difficult job he’s ever had. On a trip home to attend his mother’s funeral, Rauschkolb learned that there had also been a service held a for him after he had been erroneously reported killed in action. On his return trip, aboard the USS Raleigh (CL-7), the skipper taught him navigation and requested that Rauschkolb be reassigned to their crew. On V-J Day, the ship fell silent until Rauschkolb suggested they shoot flares in celebration. He returned home and was discharged as a senior chief petty officer.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Arthur Rees. Rees joined the Marine Corps in October 1941 and received basic training in San Diego. After training a few platoons as a drill instructor, he was transferred to Combat Engineers as a crane operator. He improved the airstrip at Guadalcanal and transferred supplies from LCTs to amphibious vehicles at Guam. He arrived at Iwo Jima just after D-Day and left for the States two weeks later. Although he was never on the frontlines, he was at the tail end of invasions and often operated under enemy shelling. Rees returned home and was discharged in October 1945.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with George A Richard. Richard joined the Navy during the Depression. Upon boarding the USS Tennessee (BB-43), he was delighted to have free room and board. A second class seaman, he was assigned to the range-finder in the fire control division, later transferring topside and working his way up to boatswain’s mate. After surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor, he helped to recover bodies the following day. In the Philippines, Richard experienced an attack by a kamikaze that dropped a 500-pound dud, as well as collisions with the USS California (BB-44) and USS Black Hawk (AD-9). In the Marianas, while watching Marines land, he gave up his seat to another sailor who was then immediately shelled. At the end of the war, Richard endured a typhoon on the way to Japan and watched a Japanese admiral board the ship to surrender. He stayed in the Navy another year and was discharged as a boatswain’s mate, first class.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gus Seeley. Seeley joined the Navy in July of 1940. During his career, he completed schooling for Yeoman, Naval Intelligence, Stenography and the Portuguese Language. Seeley served as Yeoman Third-Class aboard USS Honolulu (CL-48). They were moored in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. Seeley was later transferred to USS LST-312, serving in the European Theater. He participated in the Sicily Campaign, the Salerno landings and the Invasion of Normandy. Seeley was transferred to another LST, and also served in the invasions of the Philippines and Okinawa, and served with occupation forces in China.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Sally McNamara. McNamara was a young teenager living in Long Beach when the war started. They rationed, saved scrap metal, and bought war bonds. McNamara remembers seeing a sea battle . and being awoken by air raid sirens. McNamara’s mother was a Gray Lady and together with her children made bandages from home. McNamara’s father joined the Navy during World War I and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1922; he survived the attack at Pearl Harbor and retired as a Rear Admiral after 35 years of service.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Richard Pauls. Pauls joined the Navy in January of 1941. He provides some details of his training. He served as a watertender aboard the USS Medusa (AR-1) beginning April of 1941. The Medusa was in Pearl Harbor the morning of 7 December 1941. Pauls provides vivid details leading up to, during and after the attack by the Japanese. They shot down two Japanese Aichi dive bombers, provided rescue assistance to other ships in the harbor and performed their primary role as a repair ship. In 1942 he was transferred to the USS Titania (AKA-13). Pauls served as an engineer on one of the tank lighters aboard the ship. They helped train Marines and soldiers in Chesapeake Bay. They participated in the Invasion of North Africa in late 1942. From there he went back to the U.S. and then in February of 1943 went to Guadalcanal. In October and November of 1943, they participated in Operation CHERRY BLOSSOM, the initial landing at Cape Torokina, Bougainville. Around January of 1945 Pauls was assigned to the USS Soubarissen (AO-93) and traveled to Okinawa and Leyte. In late 1945 he served aboard the …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Lloyd Pearson. Pearson joined the Navy in 1940 after five months in the Civilian Conservation Corps and received basic training in San Diego. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS West Virginia (BB-48) as a seaman. He was aboard ship during the attack on Pearl Harbor and swam to Ford Island after the West Virginia was torpedoed. Afterward, he was assigned to Fleet Machine Gun School, where he learned to operate a 20-millimeter Oerlikon machine gun. He was transferred to an ammunition depot in New Zealand and returned to the States a year later for Deep Sea Diving School. He went aboard the USS ATR-52 as a gunner’s mate, providing support to other ships at Iwo Jima. The ship was in Leyte for repairs when the war ended. Pearson was discharged after a short stint aboard the USS Alabama (BB-60).

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Gerry Porter. Porter enlisted in the Navy in November of 1940. He completed Machinist School and was assigned to the USS West Virginia (BB-48), main engines M Division. He describes this job and the engine rooms he worked in. Porter talks some on the 3 weeks leading up to 7 December 1941, and the military being instructed to be on alert. The West Virginia was stationed in Pearl Harbor on the day of the attack. Porter discusses the events that occurred that morning both around and inside the ship. His ship was hit by 6 torpedoes that fateful day and sunk in Pearl Harbor. In October of 1942 he was assigned to the USS Bogue (CVE-9). They did convoy and submarine patrol in the Atlantic, operating out of Argentia, Newfoundland. They would convoy and meet the British halfway across the Atlantic, and he provides some detail of these convoy experiences. In July of 1943 he was rotated to the USS Langley (CVL-27), providing training for pilots. In January of 1944 they began operating with the Fleet and continued through April of 1945. By May of 1945 he was classified …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William Koehl. Following high school and after a brief stint working in a blacksmith shop, Koehl joined the Army Air Corps in 1940 and was assigned to the 31st Bombardment Squadron. In November 1941, he was put on guard duty in Honolulu and quickly made sergeant of the guard. On the attack of December 7th, Koehl dragged a wounded man to the hospital and spent the rest of the day on guard with a Thompson submachine gun. In February, Koehl received orders to return to the States for staff pilot training, earning his wings and learning to fly gliders as well as the B-26 Marauder. He was sent to Belgium and France, where he flew 66 missions, including raids on so-called No-Ball targets, which were heavily guarded V-1 and V-2 launch sites. He was discharged as a second lieutenant shortly after the war ended and went to work for Eastern Air Lines.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William H Mullins. Mullins joined the Navy in July 1939 and received basic training in San Diego. Following in the footsteps of his father, a World War I Navy man, he attended machinist’s mate school. Upon completion, he was assigned to the USS Tangier (AV-8) at Pearl Harbor. On 7 December 1941, Mullins was on duty in the engine room, monitoring lubrication of large bearings at the recently damaged propeller shaft. He received updates on the action from someone shouting from above, and he felt the ship heave out of the water when a bomb landed in the mud nearby. Mullins was selected to attend Officer Training School at the University of New Mexico under the V-12 program. He was then assigned to the USS Coghlan (DD-606), where he was responsible for the rescue of downed pilots. Before his discharge, he served briefly in Japan; Mullins recalls vividly the ruins of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Clarence Heidemann. Heidemann joined the Marine Corps. He was first assigned to the 4th Defense Battalion and traveled to Hawaii aboard the USS Henderson (AP-1). He was on liberty in Honolulu during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He describes what he witnessed on the day of the attack. He served on guard duty around the Navy yard and various posts after the attack. On 22 December his outfit was sent to Midway Island. They were sent back to Pearl Harbor; their unit was reorganized and Heidemann was transferred to a five-inch coast artillery unit. This group was sent to the New Hebrides for one year. His job was in fire control on the range finder. They later traveled to Guadalcanal and Vella Lavella. Heidemann spent 3 years in the South Pacific. From there he went back to the States where he completed Optical Ordnance School. Heidemann served 20 years in the Marine Corps, retiring in 1961.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Arthur Herriford. Herriford joined the Navy in April of 1940. In July of 1940 he was assigned to the USS Detroit (CL-8). They traveled to Hilo, Hawaii. He completed Fire Control School and worked as a striker for the Fire Control gang. He later became a rangefinder Operator. He describes both of these positions, and life aboard the ship in general. The Detroit was moored at her base with the USS Raleigh (CL-7) and the USS Utah (BB-31/AG-16) in Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. He describes what he witnessed that fateful day aboard his ship and those around him. He remained aboard the Detroit until May of 1942. He operated in the Bering Sea during the winter of 1942 and into 1943, after the Japanese had taken over Attu and Kiska. In May of 1943 he was ordered back to the Advanced Fire Control School in Washington, D.C. to complete advanced training. He spent over five years in Navy Technical Service Schools. He served in the Navy for 21 years.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Robert Hodenson. Hodenson joined the Navy around May of 1940. He completed Fire Control School. He served aboard the USS Whitney (AD-4) as Fire Controlman. Their job was to tend destroyers, either at sea, in port or in dry dock within Pearl Harbor. He was in Pearl Harbor during the attack in December of 1941 and describes what he witnessed and his actions through that fateful day. The day after the attack, Hodenson recalls his crew assisting the destroyers and other vessels for several months. In 1944 he was transferred to the USS Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774) and traveled to Okinawa in the spring of 1945, where they were assigned to radar picket duty. While at sea they were attacked by over a hundred enemy planes, which he describes, including shooting down 25 kamikazes.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Ide. Ide???s father completed the Naval ROTC program at the University of California at Berkley while Admiral Chester Nimitz was there. His father was among Nimitz???s first students. His father joined the Naval Reserve and became a Lieutenant in1940. His father was assigned as skipper of a net tender and he and his family of six headed to Pearl Harbor. They lived at the officer???s quarters. Charles provides some details of life in Hawaii growing up, going to school and checking on the ship with his father. They were there on 7 December 1941, and Charles describes what he witnessed that fateful day, and how his family reacted. He talks about his father???s response in providing generators to the hospital and using his station wagon for a temporary ambulance. After living in Hawaii for one year, the family traveled back to California aboard the SS Lurline. His father participated in Saipan and Okinawa and retired later as a Captain. Charles himself served in the Army.