[Audience Filled with U.S. Soldiers at U.S.O. Show]

Photograph of large crowd of U.S. Military personnel audience members at a U.S.O show either in the Philippines or New Guinea. There is a large wooden platform with a roof pictured on the upper left side.
Date: [1941..1945]
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Diary Entries, Eugene Houston] (open access)

[Diary Entries, Eugene Houston]

Handwritten diary pages from Eugene J. "Gene" Houston, who served on the U.S.S. Gillespie during World War Two. Ranging from a few words to a few sentences, the entries are dated and mention naval activities in the Pacific Theater.
Date: [1941..1945]
Creator: Houston, Eugene J.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Bougainville Evacuee Letter] (open access)

[Bougainville Evacuee Letter]

Letter written by Nuns aboard USS Nautilus. The officers and crew of the USS Nautilus rescued the nuns from Bougainville on 1 January 1943.
Date: January 3, 1943
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Letter from Charles Stasny to his Parents, October 4, 1944] (open access)

[Letter from Charles Stasny to his Parents, October 4, 1944]

Letter from Charles Stasny to his parents discussing life during the war. He mentions receiving letters from his parents and Dottie, the possibility of being home for Christmas, locating someone from back home, losing his watch, the ship's heat and reading his magazines.
Date: October 4, 1943
Creator: Stasny, Charles, 1921-2014
Object Type: Letter
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Navy Mess Hall Staff Posing On Bougainville Island]

Photograph of Navy mess hall staff Posing in front of foliage at a base on Bougainville Island. The group is composed in three lines, two standing and one sitting in front of them with a backdrop of trees.
Date: 1944
Creator: Sprinkle, A. P.
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History

[Marines at Red Cross Tent]

Photograph of Marines on Bougainville gathering around the Red Cross center there to read the latest news. The Red Cross center is a tent pitched with wooden stakes with Marines lined up underneath it and it's surrounded by trees. There is also a small wooden sign with "Red Cross" written across it to mark the tent.
Date: April 4, 1944
Creator: Batts, J. J.
Object Type: Photograph
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Ramon Acuna (open access)

Oral History Interview with Ramon Acuna

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ramon Acuna. Acuna grew up in Arizona and joined the Army National Guard in 1941. He joined the Bushmasters, Company B, known as the Bushmasters. Acuna spent time in Panama for a year before sailing to Brisbane, Australia on the USS Dickman (APA-13). He also spent time on Toem and Wakde Netherlands, New Guinea, and Luzon. His division was at the Battle of Lone Tree Hill or the battle of Wakda-Sarmi. Acuna stayed on Sarmi, ill with malaria, which his team went onto Noemfoor Island. Once he recovered he rejoined them. On the road to Rosario, Acuna's arm was hit and he went to a hospital at San Fernando. From the hospital he was taken to Hollandia and from there took the USS Monterey (CVL-26) back to San Francisco for more surgery.
Date: unknown
Creator: Acuna, Ramon
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Academic Panel, Part 1] captions transcript

[Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Academic Panel, Part 1]

A recording of the Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Symposium academic panel, including Dr. Dean Allard as the moderator and panel speakers including Dr. Joseph Dawson III, Dr. Roger Beaumont, Capt. Roger Pineau, Dr. Paul Woodruff, and Dr. Manuel Davenport. The five speakers discuss the historical context to attacks upon senior military leaders, the planning of the Yamamoto mission, and the ethical issues involved in signalling out for attack.
Date: 1988-04-16/1988-04-17
Creator: National Museum of the Pacific War
Object Type: Video
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Academic Panel, Part 2] captions transcript

[Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Academic Panel, Part 2]

A recording of the Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Symposium academic panel, including Dr. Dean Allard as the moderator and panel speakers including Dr. Joseph Dawson III, Dr. Roger Beaumont, Capt. Roger Pineau, Dr. Paul Woodruff, and Dr. Manuel Davenport. The five speakers discuss the historical context to attacks upon senior military leaders, the planning of the Yamamoto mission, and the ethical issues involved in signalling out for attack. The recording moves on to questions for the academic panels.
Date: 1988-04-16/1988-04-17
Creator: National Museum of the Pacific War
Object Type: Video
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Survival Panel, Part 1] captions transcript

[Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Survival Panel, Part 1]

A recording of the Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Symposium survival panel. Moderated by R. Cargill Hall, the panelists include John Mitchell, Rex Barber, and Frank B. Holmes.
Date: 1988-04-16/1988-04-17
Creator: National Museum of the Pacific War
Object Type: Video
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Survival Panel, Part 2] captions transcript

[Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Survival Panel, Part 2]

A recording of the Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Symposium survival panel. Moderated by R. Cargill Hall, the panelists include Frank B. Holmes, Kenji Yanagiya and his translator Mr. Makoto Shinagawa, Louis Kittel, Jack Jacobson, Delton Goerke, Douglas Canning, and Roger Ames. The panelists are then asked questions.
Date: 1988-04-16/1988-04-17
Creator: National Museum of the Pacific War
Object Type: Video
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Survival Panel, Part 3] captions transcript

[Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Survival Panel, Part 3]

A recording of the Yamamoto Mission Retrospective Symposium survival panel. Moderated by R. Cargill Hall, the panelists include John Mitchell, Rex Barber, Frank B. Holmes, Kenji Yanagiya and his translator Mr. Makoto Shinagawa, Louis Kittel, Jack Jacobson, Delton Goerke, Douglas Canning, and Roger Ames. The panelists are asked questions by the attendants.
Date: 1988-04-16/1988-04-17
Creator: National Museum of the Pacific War
Object Type: Video
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with W. G. (Bill) Campbell, April 21, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with W. G. (Bill) Campbell, April 21, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with W. G. (Bill) Campbell. Campbell grew up in Texas, attended Texas A&M, and married in 1939 before joining the Army in 1943. After training, he went to Australia, Dutch New Guinea, Palu, Leyte, and Mindanao. He describes riding in amphibious vehicles and interacting with the natives. He discusses various illnesses he had during the war and his interactions with his brother, an engineer. He also describes surveying work in some detail. After the war, Campbell eventually became a public school teacher.
Date: April 21, 2000
Creator: Campbell, W. G. (Bill)
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Orland J. ""Bud"" Harris, August 22, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Orland J. ""Bud"" Harris, August 22, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Orland Harris. Harris went to Santa Anna, California for Aviation Cadet training in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He went to primary flying school in Visalia, California and then went to LaeMoore, California for more training. From there he went to replacement training units, flying the P-38, P-322 and P-39. Harris had take civilian pilot training for one year at college before he went into the service. He received his wings at Williams Field in Arizona 3 Nov 1943 and became an officer that day. He went to the South Pacific in a C-54, along wih about 30 other pilots, ending up in Nadzab, New Guinea with the 8th Fighter Group (part of the 5th Air Force). His P-38 missions included targets of opportunity around New Guinea, a cave on Corregidor and straffed ships on the way to Borneo, and the Philippines. Normally they flew cover missions for B-17s and B-24s but on occasion covered B-25s and A-20s. Harris was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) when he was flying out of Mindoro in the Philippines on a night mission (26 Dec 1944) attacking a Japanese task …
Date: August 22, 2000
Creator: Harris, Orland J.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with James T. Murphy, October 1, 2000 (open access)

Oral History Interview with James T. Murphy, October 1, 2000

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James T. Murphy. Murphy grew up in Montana and joined the Army Air Corps in May 1941. Once he finished training, he was assigned to the 43rd Bomb Group, 63rd Bomb Squadron. He then went to reconnaissance for the Battle of Midway. He then rejoined the Pacific Theater and pacticipated in skip bombing and flying B17s. He tells the story of receiving his Silver Star from General Douglas MacArthur. He mentions returning to the Air Force in 1949 and remaining in service for 20 years, until he left to join NASA as a civilian. He also mentions writing a book on Skip Bombing in the 1990s.
Date: October 1, 2000
Creator: Murphy, James T.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with William C. Beyer, March 14, 2001 (open access)

Oral History Interview with William C. Beyer, March 14, 2001

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William C. Beyer. Beyer grew up in Texas and joined the Marines in January 1942. After training, he was assigned to the third division in artillery. He departed on the USS Mount Vernon for New Zealand. He anecdotes about meeting with some Maori people. Then he departed on the Cresent City for Guadalcanal in May 1943. From Guadalcanal he left for Bougainville in November 1943. He describes being caught in a foxhole for two days without communication. He also listened to Tokyo Rose on the radio. The Army relieved the Marines January 15, 1944, and his unit returned to Guadalcanal. On July 21, 1944, they landed on Guam and went into battle. Next Beyer left for Iwo Jima. The Third Marine Division was assigned to the central area of the island. He witnessed the raising of the flag. On the 50th anniversary of the war, Beyer and his wife returned to New Zealand and Guam.
Date: March 14, 2001
Creator: Beyer, William C.
Object Type: Text
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 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 Melvin Harmon, October 21, 2002 transcript

Oral History Interview with Melvin Harmon, October 21, 2002

Interview with Melvin Harmon, a paratrooper during World War II. He discusses his paratrooper training and his time on Guadalcanal, Bougainville and other battles in the Solomon Islands. He also contracted malaria.
Date: October 21, 2002
Creator: Morris, Cork & Harmon, Melvin
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Albert Day, February 23, 2004 transcript

Oral History Interview with Albert Day, February 23, 2004

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Day. Day was born in Olney, Texas 23 September 1921 and graduated from high school in Vivian, Louisiana in 1942. Upon joining the Navy 4 June 1942, he was sent to The Great Lakes Naval Training Station for boot training. Afterwards, Day was assigned to the Amphibious Forces at Solomons, Maryland for training where he learned navigation and signal communications. Completing the course in October 1942 he went to Redwood City, California for further training. Assigned to LCT(5)-62, he describes the size, propulsion, crew compliment and purpose of the craft. Day tells of breaking the LCT into sections that were put aboard an AKA and sailing to New Caledonia arriving in December 1942. On a trip to Guadalcanal he witnessed a Japanese plane dropping a bomb on the USS De Haven (DD-469). He recalls a night trip to New Georgia when he saw St. Elmo’s fire on the railing of his ship. At Tulagi on 7 April 1943, Day personally shot down an attacking Japanese plane. He participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima and tells of being on the USS Estes (ACG-12) and describes an intense …
Date: February 23, 2004
Creator: Day, Albert
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Albert Day, February 23, 2004 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Albert Day, February 23, 2004

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Day. Day was born in Olney, Texas 23 September 1921 and graduated from high school in Vivian, Louisiana in 1942. Upon joining the Navy 4 June 1942, he was sent to The Great Lakes Naval Training Station for boot training. Afterwards, Day was assigned to the Amphibious Forces at Solomons, Maryland for training where he learned navigation and signal communications. Completing the course in October 1942 he went to Redwood City, California for further training. Assigned to LCT(5)-62, he describes the size, propulsion, crew compliment and purpose of the craft. Day tells of breaking the LCT into sections that were put aboard an AKA and sailing to New Caledonia arriving in December 1942. On a trip to Guadalcanal he witnessed a Japanese plane dropping a bomb on the USS De Haven (DD-469). He recalls a night trip to New Georgia when he saw St. Elmo’s fire on the railing of his ship. At Tulagi on 7 April 1943, Day personally shot down an attacking Japanese plane. He participated in the invasion of Iwo Jima and tells of being on the USS Estes (ACG-12) and describes an intense …
Date: February 23, 2004
Creator: Day, Albert
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Al Stevens, March 27, 2006 transcript

Oral History Interview with Al Stevens, March 27, 2006

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Stevens. He graduated from Michigan State University in 1943 as a metallurgical engineer. He enlisted in the Navy in 1944 in Detroit, Michigan. He attended the Navy Electronics School at Harvard University as well as a specialized radar training program organized by MIT at the Harbor Building in Boston, Massachusetts. He received further training in radar countermeasures at Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. He served on the USS Wasatch (ACG-9). When the ship was anchored, he was assigned to deliver orders and mail. He describes the Operation Olympic portion of the plan to invade Japan. He was part of the force that occupied Wakanoura and Nagoya, Japan. He shares an anecdote about obtaining a Japanese sword as a souvenir in Nagoya. In North China he participated in the repatriation of the Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans. He wrote a book, ?Up Close and Personal,? about his World War II experiences.
Date: March 27, 2006
Creator: Stevens, Al
Object Type: Sound
System: The Portal to Texas History
Oral History Interview with Al Stevens, March 27, 2006 (open access)

Oral History Interview with Al Stevens, March 27, 2006

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Stevens. He graduated from Michigan State University in 1943 as a metallurgical engineer. He enlisted in the Navy in 1944 in Detroit, Michigan. He attended the Navy Electronics School at Harvard University as well as a specialized radar training program organized by MIT at the Harbor Building in Boston, Massachusetts. He received further training in radar countermeasures at Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. He served on the USS Wasatch (ACG-9). When the ship was anchored, he was assigned to deliver orders and mail. He describes the Operation Olympic portion of the plan to invade Japan. He was part of the force that occupied Wakanoura and Nagoya, Japan. He shares an anecdote about obtaining a Japanese sword as a souvenir in Nagoya. In North China he participated in the repatriation of the Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans. He wrote a book, ?Up Close and Personal,? about his World War II experiences.
Date: March 27, 2006
Creator: Stevens, Al
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History