National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection - 124 Matching Results

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Oral History Interview with Albert Jeffers, December 28, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Jeffers. Jeffers joined the Navy in 1943 and received basic training in Illinois. He received diesel engine maintenance and repair training at submarine school in Connecticut. Upon completion, he was assigned to the engine room aboard the USS Threadfin (SS-410) as a fireman, first class. He participated in the tracking operation that led to the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato. He was transferred to the USS M… more
Date: December 28, 2011
Creator: Jeffers, Albert
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Lee Soucy

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Lee Soucy. Soucy joined the Navy in December of 1937. He completed Hospital Corps School, and served as Pharmacist’s Mate aboard the USS Utah (BB-31). He was on board when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After the attack and sinking of the Utah, Soucy worked as an RN and head of the medical laboratory at the Pearl Harbor Hospital. He remained at the hospital through April of 1945. He then completed Malaria Control School with… more
Date: September 28, 2002
Creator: Soucy, Lee
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Earl Stevens, September 28, 2001

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Earl Stevens. Stevens served aboard the USS New Mexico (BB 40) as an electrician beginning October of 1942. He was a gun electrician and took care of the firing mechanisms and the telephones. He provides his experience of joining the Navy with his dad and three brothers. He describes life aboard the New Mexico. He recalls traveling to Australia for liberty. Stevens describes the explosion of the USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) and the r… more
Date: September 28, 2001
Creator: Stevens, Earl
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Eugene Walker, September 28, 2001

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Eugene Walker. Walker served in the Navy aboard the USS New Mexico (BB-40) beginning Christmas Day 1937. He was aboard serving as a radioman. He describes the radios aboard the ship, working in the powder rooms in the turrets and Navy life in general. He gives details of a typical day as a radioman, including training, practicing Morse code and standing watch. Walker describes changes that took place in 1940, when they traveled f… more
Date: September 28, 2001
Creator: Walker, Eugene
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Robert B. Walker, December 28, 2010

Description: Transcript of an oral interview with Robert B. Walker. Born in 1920, he was drafted in November, 1943. He completed pilot training at the Tuskegee Army Air Field, Alabama in 1945. He flew B-25 airplanes. He arrived in England as the war in Europe ended. He was there for a month and did not see combat. He was discharged in March, 1946. He used the GI Bill to obtain his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.). He mentions the 1943 Detroit race riot and shares an anecdote about race relations at Tuskegee. The… more
Date: December 28, 2010
Creator: Walker, Robert B.
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with John Frost, April 28, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Frost. Frost joined the Army Air Forces around late 1942 and served as a pilot in the 13th Army Air Force, 5th Bombardment Group, 394th Bomb Squadron. In mid-1944 he was assigned to pilot and serve as Squadron Navigator aboard B-24s in the Pacific. They provided air support during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He describes one event where he and his crew were shot down over Mindanao in the Philippines. They were taken to Morotai… more
Date: April 28, 2010
Creator: Frost, John
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Virgil Sansing, April 28, 2010

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Virgil Sansing. Sansing joined the Army Air Forces in November of 1941. He completed Aircraft Maintenance School, and served as a repairman for over a year, then received approval for flight school. In late 1943 Sansing served as a fighter pilot with the 359th Fighter Group, 369th Fighter Squadron in England. He flew missions over Europe in P-47s and P-51s. On 20 June 1944, while participating in the invasion of Normandy, Sansing… more
Date: April 28, 2010
Creator: Sansing, Virgil
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with John Buchanan, February 28, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Buchanan. Buchanan joined the Navy in 1939 and was assigned to the USS Holland (AS-3). He was then sent to submarine school and joined the USS Cachalot (SS-170) to work on diesel engines. Buchanan was on duty the morning of the attack on Pearl Harbor and describes the events that he witnessed from the Navy Yard where his ship was undergoing repairs. He describes seeing the plane that launched a torpedo on the USS Helena… more
Date: February 28, 2011
Creator: Buchanan, John
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Milton Loss, February 28, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Milton Loss. Loss joined the Navy in January 1942. He was assigned to the USS Haddo (SS-255) and took part in a patrol off England. Loss describes the Haddo receiving new engines at Mare Island. He discusses the arrival of Captain Nimitz and how well he was liked by the crew. Loss participated in five war patrols. He describes his duties as a Quartermaster, planning a torpedo attack, and problems with malfunctioning torpedoe… more
Date: February 28, 2011
Creator: Loss, Milton
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Joseph Lawrence, June 28, 2013

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Joseph Lawrence. Lawrence was born November 6, 1924. He joined the Army Air Forces in late 1942. He completed Cryptography School at Chanute Field, Illinois. Around 1944, he traveled to India to the Assam Valley, then describes his trip to China in February 1945, over the Himalaya Mountains. Lawrence was assigned to an Army Airways Communications System Unit at a base 9 miles from Kunming, China. After the war ended, he was reass… more
Date: June 28, 2013
Creator: Lawrence, Joseph
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with John Kelly, June 28, 2013

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with John Kelly. Kelly joined the Army Air Forces in June of 1943. He completed training as a diesel mechanic at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. In December of 1944, he traveled to Calcutta, India. He recalls flying in a C-46 over the Himalaya Mountains, referred to as the Hump, transporting supplies to Chaotung, China. Kelly maintained Onan generators at an airfield in order to keep radios in operation. He was later transferred to… more
Date: June 28, 2013
Creator: Kelly, John
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Stewart Elder, March 28, 2013

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Stewart Elder. Elder joined the Navy V-5 Program in 1942 and received his wings in November of 1944. He provides details of his flight training and the various of types of planes he flew. He was placed in a replacement squadron in Hawaii four months before the atomic bomb was dropped in Japan in August of 1945. They completed additional training exercises in Hawaii, and after the surrender he returned home. He completed over 1,00… more
Date: March 28, 2013
Creator: Elder, Stewart
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Jerold Cox, August 28, 2019

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Jerold Cox. Cox joined the Marine Corps in January of 1942. He served with the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Defense Battalion on Guadalcanal. He later served with the 2nd Marine Division, 3rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery (formerly Defense) during the Bougainville Campaign. Cox assisted with carrying ammunition and unloading the ships. He contracted malaria, and was sent back to the US around August of 1944 for recovery. He received his di… more
Date: August 28, 2019
Creator: Cox, Jerold
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Clarence Griffith, July 28, 2020

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Clarence Griffith. Griffith was born in Granbury Texas in 1913. He worked as an electrician and volunteered for service in the Navy in 1943. He served with the Seabees in the 76th Naval Construction Battalion and went to Guam during the invasion. While there, his outfit built power stations.
Date: July 28, 2020
Creator: Griffith, Clarence
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Whitcomb Jones, July 28, 2017

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Whitcomb Jones. Jones volunteered for the Army Air Forces in June 1943, and went to flight training in Texas. He finished flight school and went to B-17 crew training in Nebraska. Just prior to deploying overseas, Jones was ordered to B-29 training. Upon completion of training in a B-29, Jones was sent to Saipan and assigned to the 499th Bob Group. He flew a few sorties before the war ended. He extended his service time in order … more
Date: July 28, 2017
Creator: Jones, Whitcomb
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Walter Karnes, July 28, 2017

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Walter Karnes. Karnes was drafted into the Army in January 1945. He was aboard a troop ship in the Pacific headed for the Philippines when the war with Japan ended. He spent some time guarding Japanese prinsoners of war on Leyte before deciding to extend his enlistment. He was back in the US in December and was assigned to Germany in Janaury 1946. He shares a few anecdotes about his time in Occupied Germany. His enlistment expire… more
Date: July 28, 2017
Creator: Karnes, Walter
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Charles Kollman, July 28, 2017

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Charles Kollman. Kollman joined the Marine Corps in January 1944 and had basic training at San Diego. After training, he went to Hawaii and was at Maui when the war ended. He returned to the US and was discharged in December 1945.
Date: July 28, 2017
Creator: Kollman, Charles
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with William Jackson, July 28, 2017

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with William Jackson. Jacklson was drafted into the Army Air Forces in June 1943 after he had finished high school. He trained in aerial gunnery and served as a nose gunner on a B-24. He flew 32 missions over Italy, Romania, Czeckoslovakia, Germany, etc. before being shot down over Poland, captured and made a prisoner of war in October 1944. He shares anecdotes about bailing out, being captured and interrogated, and arrving at Stalag … more
Date: July 28, 2017
Creator: Jackson, William
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with John Bennett Lee, October 28, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Bennett Lee. Lee joined the Army Air Forces soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He discusses the training he received to become a fighter pilot. Lee was sent to England in October 1944 to fly P-51s. He completed 52 missions over Europe with the 79th Fighter Squadron. Lee describes what it was like to fly a P-51 and details some of the highlights his of missions. He details one mission in which he encountered German M… more
Date: October 28, 2011
Creator: Lee, John
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Norman Kleiss, October 28, 2011

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Norman Kleiss. Kleiss graduated from the Naval Academy in 1938 and became a dive-bomber pilot. He describes how he earned his nickname, Dusty, by making an uninvited landing at Ewa Field and causing a large dust cloud that disrupted Marine Corps flight operations. Kleiss discusses his training and early career as an aviator. He describes early tactics that naval aviators used and how they evolved under the direction of Admir… more
Date: October 28, 2011
Creator: Kleiss, Norman
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Thomas Whetstone, July 28, 2015

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Thomas Whetstone. Whetstone joined the Army sometime after 1942 and received basic training at Fort Hood. He was sent to Hawaii for jungle training and amphibious training. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, as a replacement. Due to high casualties during combat, he assumed the role of Browning Automatic Rifleman and was eventually promoted to squad leader. Whetstone descri… more
Date: July 28, 2015
Creator: Whetstone, Thomas
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Robert Axworthy, July 28, 2015

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Robert Axworthy. Axworthy was drafted into the Army in April, 1944. He broke his foot in basic training. Once healed, he went overseas and landed on Leyte during the invasion. Because of a high score on an aptitude test, Axworthy was transferred from the infantry to the signal section in MacArthur’s General Headquarters on Leyte. When the war ended, he travelled to Tokyo with GHQ. He recalls an anecdote where he ran into Gen… more
Date: July 28, 2015
Creator: Axworthy, Robert T
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Edith Scott, November 28, 2015

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Edith Scott. Scott graduated from high school in 1942. She began nursing school in October of 1943 at John Sealey College of Nursing (now the University of Texas Nursing School) in Austin. She joined the US Cadet Nurse Corps and graduated in 1946, after the war ended. She describes in detail her experiences through nursing school and corps training. Scott also notes that there were several Japanese ladies going through training w… more
Date: November 28, 2015
Creator: Scott, Edith
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Oral History Interview with Alfred P. Birdwell, August 28, 2004

Description: The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Alfred P Birdwell. Birdwell joined the Army around 1943. He served as a tank driver with the 3rd Armored Division. He deployed to La Havre, France. Birdwell participated in the Battle of the Bulge, traveling through Germany along the Siegfried Line into Berlin. He returned to the US and received his discharge in late 1945.
Date: August 28, 2004
Creator: Birdwell, Alfred P
Partner: National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation
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