Oral History Interview with JC Alston

Oral History Interview with JC Alston

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with J.C. Alston. Alston was born in 1923. He quit high school and joined the Navy in August, 1941. After six months of boot training in San Diego, he was assigned as a deck-hand to USS California (BB-44). The ship left port in October 1940. He tells of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and of hearing the order to abandon ship after it received torpedo and bomb damage. He recalls being temporarily assigned to USS Maryland (BB-46) before going aboard USS West Virginia (BB-48) on which he served as … continued below

Physical Description

10 p.

Creation Information

Alston, J. C. Creation Date: Unknown.

Context

This text is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this text can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Alston, J. C.

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 interview with J.C. Alston. Alston was born in 1923. He quit high school and joined the Navy in August, 1941. After six months of boot training in San Diego, he was assigned as a deck-hand to USS California (BB-44). The ship left port in October 1940. He tells of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and of hearing the order to abandon ship after it received torpedo and bomb damage. He recalls being temporarily assigned to USS Maryland (BB-46) before going aboard USS West Virginia (BB-48) on which he served as part of a gun crew. He remembers being involved in the invasions of Leyte, Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the ship being damaged by kamikazes. He also witnessed the hit on USS Franklin (CV-13). Alston returned to the US and was discharged in October, 1945.

Physical Description

10 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: OH04929
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1607193

Relationships

Oral History Interview with JC Alston - ark:/67531/metapth1610838

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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