Oral History Interview with Richard Matthews, January 7, 2009

Oral History Interview with Richard Matthews, January 7, 2009

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Matthews. Matthews was attending the University of Missouri when he joined the Navy in October 1941. He was called to active duty on 4 December and was trained as a dive bomber pilot. Upon arriving in Hawaii, he attended a party and was given a lift home by Admiral Nimitz. Matthews was assigned to Composite Squadron 26 (VC-26) on Guadalcanal, flying missions over Munda Point in a Dauntless SBD from land bases and from the USS Sangamon (CVE-26). After six months, he returned to the States and … continued below

Physical Description

53 p.

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Richard Matthews. Matthews was attending the University of Missouri when he joined the Navy in October 1941. He was called to active duty on 4 December and was trained as a dive bomber pilot. Upon arriving in Hawaii, he attended a party and was given a lift home by Admiral Nimitz. Matthews was assigned to Composite Squadron 26 (VC-26) on Guadalcanal, flying missions over Munda Point in a Dauntless SBD from land bases and from the USS Sangamon (CVE-26). After six months, he returned to the States and attended rocket school. He was then assigned to the West Coast as an instructor. There he flew a TBF but was still able to land on short runways, due to his precision carrier training. As a lieutenant, he treated his students as equals, sometimes flying them home to visit family. At his final station in Sand Point, the officer’s club was once visited by actor Robert Taylor, who introduced himself and sat down next to the prettiest girl in the room, Matthews’ wife. When the war ended, Matthews left the Navy, although he thoroughly enjoyed his time in the service.

Physical Description

53 p.

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Text

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this text in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH02505
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1605551

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Richard Matthews, January 7, 2009 - ark:/67531/metapth1609360

Collections

This text is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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