Oral History Interview with Herman R. Shirley, August 22, 2012

Oral History Interview with Herman R. Shirley, August 22, 2012

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Track One 1:32:03

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Herman R. Shirley. Shirley joined the Marine Corps in Alabama shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and trained at Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon completion oftraining, Shirley headed for New Zealand aboard the USS Barnett (APA-5) and was assigned to Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. From there, the Barnett took Shirley to Guadalcanal in August, 1942. Shirley describes the scene after the battle at the Tenaru River and encountering Washing Machine Charlie. He also talks about other action he was involved in while fighting the … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 32 min., 2 sec.)

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 Herman R. Shirley. Shirley joined the Marine Corps in Alabama shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor and trained at Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon completion oftraining, Shirley headed for New Zealand aboard the USS Barnett (APA-5) and was assigned to Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. From there, the Barnett took Shirley to Guadalcanal in August, 1942. Shirley describes the scene after the battle at the Tenaru River and encountering Washing Machine Charlie. He also talks about other action he was involved in while fighting the Japanese on Guadalcanal. During the campaign, he served as a runner relaying messages. Shirley also describes being in combat and the mud on Cape Gloucester. Shirley had been assigned to telephone communications by this time and served as a linesman. Shirley also served as a telephone operator on Peleliu. Shirley returned to the US for more training after Peleliu and was at Camp Pendleton when the war ended. He was discharged in September, 1945.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 32 min., 2 sec.)

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

Sound

Identifier

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

Accession or Local Control No: OH03614
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1610042

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Herman R. Shirley, August 22, 2012, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1606275

Collections

This recording 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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