Search Results

Oral History Interview with William J. Fisk, December 26, 1996
Interview with William J. Fisk, a Navy veteran (VPB-123), concerning his experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Assignment to the crew of a PB4Y-2; his unauthorized participation in a combat mission out of Okinawa over the Sea of Japan; battle damage to his plane; description of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from aerial observations after the dropping of the atomic bombs.
Oral History Interview with J. C. Armstrong, October 17, 1996
Interview with J. .C. Armstong, an Army Air Forces veteran (20th Bomb Group), concerning his experiences as a B-29 pilot in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Bombing missions from Guam and Saipan to Japan, 1945; Japanese flak and fighter opposition.
Oral History Interview with John W. Wisecup, July 28, 1987
Interview with John Wisecup, a Marine Corps veteran and a survivor of the sinking of the USS Houston, concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Wisecup talks about the sinking of the Houston (1942), his capture and imprisonment at Serang, Java, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), Changi Jail (1944-1945), and his liberation.
In God's hands: a posthumous autobiography of Stephen Lloyd Smith
A portion of missionary Stephen Lloyd Smith's unpublished autobiography, "In God's Hands," depicting the experience of his family as civilian internees of the Japanese in the Philippines during World War II.
Oral History Interview with Charles Leroy "Lee" Smith, December 20, 2018
Transcript of an interview with Charles Leroy "Lee" Smith, U.S. Air Force veteran and private pilot. Smith recounts his experiences at the University of Alabama and in the US Air Force, Flight School at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX, and Basic Training in Mississippi. He speaks of his assignments in Keflavik, Iceland, Red Bluff, CA, and NORAD Sector as Captain in electronics and communications. He was Certified for the F-102 at Perrin Air Force Base, Sherman, TX. He tells of his experiences while assigned to combat squadron in Saigon during Vietnam War, and his life after Vietnam era and his work experiences flying world-wide for businesses and the private sector, particularly as pilot for Frank Sinatra.
Oral History Interview with Daniel Thomas, February 26, 1999
Transcript of an interview with Daniel Thomas, a Navy veteran (4th Marine Division), concerning his experiences while attached to the 4th Marine Division as a medic in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Thomas discusses his decision to join the Navy in 1943; Hospital Corps School, San Diego, 1943; assignment to the Fleet Marine Force; Field Medical School, 1944; assignment to the 4th Marine Division, 1944; Iwo Jima, February, 1945; detailed description of casualties and their treatment during the battle for Iwo Jima; and the postwar effects of his Iwo Jima experience.
Oral History Interview with Ralph W. Nelson, April 18, 1996
Transcript of an interview with Ralph W. Nelson, a Navy veteran, concerning his experiences while aboard the submarines USS Batfish and USS Parche in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Submarine School, San Francisco, California, 1942; early torpedo problems; his responsibilities as a fire controlman; assignment to the Batfish, 1944; various patrols in the Luzon Strait and Makassar Strait; lifeguard duty off Palau for downed airmen; transfer to the Parche, 1945.
Oral History Interview with Bruce Gordon Elliot, May 17, 2002
Interview with Bruce Elliot, a Navy veteran and POW from Montezuma, Kansas. Elliot discusses his family, joining the Navy and volunteering for Asiatic service, the start of war and the bombing of Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines, retreat to Corregidor, capture by the Japanese, escaping internment on Palawan and joining Moro guerillas, sabotage, linking up with Australian forces, evacuation to Australia and returning to the United States, becoming a deepsea diver, and Korean War service. In appendix are a photo of Elliot, a map of the Philippines, two photos of a POW camp on Palawan, and a photo of three of his comrades.
Oral History Interview with Cleon Stewart, March 18, 1993
Interview with Cleon Stewart, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Tulia, Texas, who served and was captured with the 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (known as the "Lost Battalion"). Stewart discusses joining the National Guard, training and the Louisiana Maneuvers, deployment to the Pacific in November, 1941, diversion to Java after December 7th, Japanese air strikes and the invasion, the American surrender and initial internement by the Japanese, experiences in internment at Bicycle Camp in Batavia, transfer to Changi Camp, Singapore, and life in captivity there, and liberation.
Oral History Interview with James W. Huffman, April 11, 1990
Interview with James W. Huffman, a Navy WWII veteran and POW from Los Angeles, California, who survived the sinking of the USS Houston (CA-30). Huffman discusses joining the Navy; service aboard the Houston and changes in training as war neared; early operations in the war; the Battle of Sundra Strait and sinking; surviving in Java; capture by the Japanese; various experiences in internment at Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Thanbyuzayat, several camps on the Burma Railway, and Tamarkan in Thailand; and liberation.
Oral History Interview with Howard L. Patton, January 5, 1999
Interview with Howard L. Patton, a Army WWII veteran from Flora, Illinois. Patton discusses his family background, commissioning into the Army through ROTC, training with anti-air artillery, his marriage, deployment to New Guinea, the assault on Wakde Island, the battle of Leyte, operations at Zamboanga, and the end of the war.
Oral History Interview with Margaret Gillooly, March 18, 1995
Interview with Margaret Gillooly, a civilian internee of the Japanese in WWII from San Francisco, California. Gillooly discusses her family's move to the Philippines in 1938, schooling, the start of war and the Japanese invasion, staying in Cebu City, her parents' escape from Manila and surviving a sinking in Manila Bay, Japanese occupation of Cebu, being moved to Manila, various experiences surviving internment at Santo Tomas Prison Camp, bombings, the American invasion and liberation, a Japanese counterattack and siege, emotional and mental impacts, and evacuation.
Oral History Interview with Ernest Kelley, February 20, 2003
Interview with Ernest Kelley, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran from Antioch, Texas (now the Red River Army Depot), who served with the 112th Cavalry. Kelley discusses growing up in the Depression, joining the Guard, mobilization and training, horses, the Louisiana Maneuvers, deployment to New Caledonia, landing on Woodlark island and action there, the Battle of Arawe, redeployment to Australia, the Battle of Driniumor River in New Guinea, the Battles of Leyte and Luzon, returning to the United States, and reflections on his time in the Army. In appendix is a list of people and places named in the interview with lat/long coordinates, descriptions of military equipment, and the 112th's WWII service chronicle.
Oral History Interview with William E. Painter, December 21, 1998
Interview with William Painter, a UNT professor and Army WWII veteran from New Bloomfield, Missouri. Painter discusses growing up in the Depression, being a conscientious objector and feeling pressure to join the war, getting drafted into the infantry and training at Camp Hood and Fort Ord, deployment to the Pacific with the 32nd Infantry Division, operations on Luzon and the Villa Verde Trail, the end of the war, occupation duty in Japan, and returning home. In appendix is a letter to Marcello with a correction for the interview.
Oral History Interview with George Burlage, November 18, 1970
Interview with George Burlage, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Visalia, California. Burlage was stationed in the Philippines before the war and fought at Corregidor in 1942 before his capture by the Japanese, after which he was interned at Camp Cabanatuan #3 in Central Luzon, Las Pinas airfield near Manila, and Moji, Japan.
Oral History Interview with Thomas P. Emery, February 21, 1995
Interview with Thomas P. Emery, a US Army WWII veteran from Solana Beach, California, who served as a pathfinder in the 6th Army Special Special Recon Unit. Emery discusses joining the Army and airborne training, assignment to G-2, scout and pathfinder training, attending OCS, deployment to New Guinea, formation of the Alamo Scouts, learning to live and fight in the jungle, his first mission, raids and harassing Japanese troops, traveling aboard the USS Missouri, and fighting in the Philippines.
Oral History Interview with Rebecca H. Bishop, April 4, 2013
Interview with Rebecca H. Bishop, a USMC Iraq War veteran from Los Angeles, California. Bishop discusses choosing to become a Marine Corps officer, attending the Naval Academy, being a female in the Corps, experiences and combat in Iraq in 2005-06, life as a Marine parent, attending Army Airborne School, the Advanced Degree Program and graduate school, leadership and decision making, the relationship between enlisted and officers, women in combat, plans for the future, and some general reflections. An appendix includes a short chronology of Bishop's military career.
Oral History Interview with Marion E. Carl, May 3, 1993
Interview with Maj. Gen. Marion E. Carl, a Marine Corps WWII fighter ace and test pilot from Hubbard, Oregon. Carl discusses his education, joining the Marines, flight training, deployment aboard the USS Saratoga at the start of the war, first air-to-air combat, service at Midway and Guadalcanal, return to the States as a squadron commander, flying a promotional circuit and getting married, return to the South Pacific, Rabaul, end of combat flying and work as a test pilot at Patuxent River NAS, jets vs. props, flight injuries, return to fighter units, and service in Taiwan and Vietnam.
Oral History Interview with James L. Kent, May 11, 1972
Interview with James L. Kent, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Duncanville, Texas. Kent discusses joining the Marine Corps, being AWOL, his judicial punishment, his deployment to the Philippines at Cavite Navy Yard, the Japanese attack, his experiences in the Battles of Bataan and Corregidor, his capture, and his internment at Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan #1 & 2, and Mitsushima.
Oral History Interview with Tom Blaylock, March 22, 1971
Interview with Tom Blaylock, an Army Air Corps WWII veteran and POW from Dallas, Texas. Blaylock was stationed in the Philippines during the Japanese invasion of December 1941, was captured, forced to partake in the Bataan Death March, and was interned at several major POW camps in the Philippines before transferring to a coal mine camp at Omine-machi, Yamaguchi, Japan.
Oral History Interview with William Coffey, May 20, 1996
Interview with William Coffey, a Navy WWII veteran from Hopkins County, Texas. Coffey discusses joining the Navy in 1937, boot camp in San Diego, service aboard the USS Oklahoma (BB-37), transfer to submarines in the Philippines, the bombing of Cavite Navy Yard at the start of the war, assignment to the S-41 as a cook, combat around the Solomon Islands, attaining submarine qualifications, patrolling the northern Pacific, the character of the crew, transfer to the USS Sterlet (SS-392), patrols, medical leave, and service postwar.
Oral History Interview with Billy Drawe, June 13, 2000
Interview with dairyman and Marine Corps veteran Billy Drawe. The interview includes Drawe's personal experiences about the Pacific Theater during World War II, enlistment and boot camp, tank training, invading Guam, coming under Japanese mortar fire on Guam, invading Iwo Jima, hauling supplies ashore to the infantry on Iwo Jima, and returning to the states for training in the V-12 Program.
Oral History Interview with William E. Cooper, September 7, 1999
Interview with business executive and Army Air Forces veteran William E. Cooper. The interview includes Cooper's personal experiences about being a B-29 pilot in the Pacific Theater, pre-flight and flight training, various assignments, and dropping supplies by parachute to prisoners-of-war. Cooper also talks about living on Guam, mechanical weaknesses of the B-29, his descriptions of Nagasaki and Hiroshima from the air after the dropping of the atomic bombs, his disappointment with not being able to fly combat missions, postwar duty as a test pilot on Guam, and his postwar civilian activities.
Oral History Interview with James F. Brede, 2011
Interview with James F. Brede, dentist and U.S. Army Air Forces veteran. The interview includes his personal experiences in World War II as a B-17 co-pilot with the 8th Air Force in the European Theater, his childhood in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, enlistment in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943, preliminary training in Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas, his active service with the 379th Bomb Group in Kimbolton, England, combat experience in 35 missions, return to the U.S. and continued military service as a flight instructor in Lakeland, Florida and Wichita Falls, Texas, as well as the return to civilian life, marriage, dental school under the G.I. Bill, reenlistment in the Air Force as a dentist, his deployment to Korea, his discharge from the Air Force, and the establishment of his dental practice and experiences since retirement. The interview includes an appendix with a copy of his book.
Oral History Interview with Bennie G. Snider, June 10, 2002
Interview with banker and Navy veteran Bennie G. Snider. The interview includes Snider's personal experiences about the Pacific Theater during World War II, youth and education in Denton, Texas, joining the Navy, and boot training and electrical engineering school. Snider talks about duties aboard the USS Hancock, his assignment to Task Group 58 and the invasion of the Philippines, as well as the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, kamikaze attacks and the Hancock being hit by a kamikaze, burials at sea, and his postwar duties aboard the Hancock as part of Operation MAGIC CARPET.
Oral History Interview with K. O. Dahlgren, May 28, 2002
Interview with K.O. Dahlgren, civil engineer and Marine Corps veteran. The interview includes Dahlgren's personal experiences about being a PBJ co-pilot in the Southwest Pacific Theater during World War II, enlisting in the Navy, primary and secondary flight training through the Civilian Pilot Training Program, pre-flight training, basic and advanced flight training, and navigation school. Additionally, Dahlgren talks about his early interest in aviation, designation as an Aviation Cadet, the transition to multi-engine planes at Corpus Christi and his transfer to the Marine Corps, transferring to Cherry Point, North Carolina, crew formation and PBJ training at Cherry Point, advanced training, his personal views on combat and the Japanese, stationing to Green Island, "night heckling" missions to Rabaul, his assignment to and living conditions in Emirau, skip-bombing, strafing, and night bombing missions, rest and relaxation in Australia, his rotation back to the states, and his postwar career.
Oral History Interview with Robert H. Flatley, October 27, 1999
Interview with business executive and Army Air Forces veteran Robert H. Flatley. The interview includes Flatley's personal experiences about being a P-38 pilot in the Pacific Theater during the World War II, basic training, flight training, P-38 training, various assignments and missions, and the destruction of forty-seven locomotives. Flatley also talks about various missions to targets in the Philippines, activities between combat missions, postwar military activities in the Philippines, and postwar adjustments to civilian life.
Oral History Interview with Jean Balch, October 12, 1996
Interview with Navy veteran Jean Balch, including Balch's personal experiences about the Pacific theater, being a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II, boot camp, radio, radar, and gunnery school, operations during the Leyte invasion, missions over Luzon, and raids on Japanese installations on Formosa and Saigon, French Indo-China. Additionally, Balch talks about his plane being shot down on a raid to Hong Kong and his capture on January 16, 1945, interrogations and beatings by the Kempei-tai, imprisonment at Ofuna, Honshu, solitary confinement for six months and continued interrogation, beatings by Japanese prison guards, starvation diet, the end of the war and liberation, and his participation in the war crimes trials held by the International Military Tribunal.
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