Oral History Interview with John O'Keefe, August 10, 2006

Oral History Interview with John O'Keefe, August 10, 2006

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John G. O’Keefe. He was born in Centralia, Illinois 13 June 1923. After high school he worked for the Illinois Railroad until he was old enough to join the Navy in 1942. After training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, he was assigned to Diesel Service School in Chicago. After six weeks, he went to patrol boat school at Melville, Rhode Island. O’Keefe and several other PT boat replacements, boarded the Robert C. Greene for a 43 day trip to New Hebrides. At Tulagi, he was temporarily … continued below

Physical Description

53 p.

Creation Information

O'Keefe, John August 10, 2006.

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 John G. O’Keefe. He was born in Centralia, Illinois 13 June 1923. After high school he worked for the Illinois Railroad until he was old enough to join the Navy in 1942. After training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, he was assigned to Diesel Service School in Chicago. After six weeks, he went to patrol boat school at Melville, Rhode Island. O’Keefe and several other PT boat replacements, boarded the Robert C. Greene for a 43 day trip to New Hebrides. At Tulagi, he was temporarily assigned to work on PT-107, part of Patrol Boat Squadron 5. He was then assigned to PT-184, in Squadron 11. He recalls the need for one hour rotations by the boat diesel engineers, due to extreme heat in the engine room. He visited a small island and found group picture of Amelia Earhart, a Japanese officer, a missionary and a native boy. Following Navy orders to report any evidence regarding Amelia Earhart, they contacted headquarters. Three days later, a PBY arrived with an officer from Naval Intelligence, who took possession of the picture. After making inquires as to the disposition of the finding, the boat commander received a dispatch, signed by Admiral Chester Nimitz, to cease any further inquiries. O’Keefe describes many of the eighty combat missions in which he participated. He tells of the boat being caught in a typhoon and their struggle for survival.

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: OH01663
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1605009

Relationships

Oral History Interview with John O'Keefe, August 10, 2006 - ark:/67531/metapth1608815

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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