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Oral History Interview with a Palau Native

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with a native of Palau born in 1917. He lived briefly in Saipan and returned to Angaur, Palau, as a young man. In 1943 when the bombing of Palau first began, he volunteered for the Japanese Navy to avoid starvation, since natives were prohibited from buying imported food such as rice. He boarded a ship that was sunk by an American submarine and spent the night floating amidst 12-foot sharks. In the morning, he swam to a damaged b… more
Date: unknown
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

The Thai-Burma Railway and Beyond (The Railway of Death) 1942-1945

Description: Transcript by M.F. Seiker. Seiker was born in Holland and joined the Dutch Merchant Navy. He became a POW in Java in 1942. He went on a hell ship to Singapore and then on a train to Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Next, he was put to work building the Kwai River Bridge. He describes that death was a daily occurrence. He was caught and threatened with execution for stealing Red Cross shipments of food. The camp then found out about Hiroshima three days after it happened, since the Japanese abandoned the… more
Date: unknown
Creator: Seiker, M. F.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with John Reas, November 17, 2000

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Reas. Reas grew up in Indiana and Ohio and enlisted in the Navy in 1938. After training, he boarded the USS Houston (CA-30) at Charleston, South Carolina. He was assigned to the aviation unit. On February 28, 1942, he survived the bombing and sinking of the ship. He and other survivors in life rafts were picked up by the Japanese the next day and taken to Java as a prisoner of war. He was taken to a ship and then back t… more
Date: November 17, 2000
Creator: Reas, John
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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