Pacific Veteran Interviews

Pacific Veteran Interviews

People

This section is an attempt to connect the history of the database with anecdotes from those who served in WWII. Archived are stories and photographs from veterans who served in the Pacific or have stories that relate to the wrecks or locatios in this website. If you are a veteran, and would like to be included, please Contact Justin Taylan. I am interested in any WWII Pacific veteran's stories.

US Army

Walter Seale 871st Airborne Engineers The 871st often worked 24 hours a day building, expanding and repairing.	Carl R. Thien 201st CIC Combat photographer who served in Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines	James A. Pounds 593rd Boat & Shore Reg Old "Washing Machine Charlie" was an aggravating jackass.
William Buckner 24th Infantry Division While stationed in Kaysu, Japan Buckner visited the wreck of a B-25.	Robert Glen Bryant 43rd Division, 169th Infantry Fighting on Russell & Rendova	William Sabel 350th Engineer Service Reg. Faming on Kolombangara
Robert Petersen Biak Photographs Photos from Biak campaign	Bill McLaughin Americal Division Recollections of Guadalcanal	George Watson 29th Quartermaster Reg. African American Medal of Honor posthumous in 1997.
Major Martin M. Friedman 31st Infantry Division Rifle company commander I 155th infantry regiment. Served in DNG & Philippines.	Eugene Salternik 25th Liaison L-5 Pilot Rescue of two P-40 pilots in New Guinea, observations of in DNG & Philippines	Roger Sykes 491st Port Battalion Oro Bay, New Guinea recollections and returning in the 1970s.
George Walden US Army Service in Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea and the Philippines.	Jorge Torralba Filipino Memories of December 8, 1941 and the start of the war, aid to General Kruger after liberation.	Sgt Herman J. Bottcher German Immigrant Fought at Buna with distinction, KIA in Philippines
Glenn Shankle 158th RCT Sarmi, Noemfoor & Luzon	Frank Widay 892th Chemical Company Service in Oro Bay, Biak, Manila using chemical weapons: phosporous, napalm

US Army Air Force

Carlos Dannacher 40th Fighter Squadron I may be the only guy who put a P-39 down on the Wau strip and lived to tell about it.	Jack Heyn 3rd Bomb Group Photographic section. Extensive interview from Pearl Harbor through V-J Day with many photographs.	Jim Houston 22nd Bomb Group Recollections about his service in Australia, and flying the B-26 in training and combat. Images of B-26's.
John "Jock" Henebry 5th AF, 3rd BG 219 successful combat missions, was Commander of the Third Attack Group	Bill Myers Japan Occupation Force "During the occupation part of my job was to disarm the hundreds of planes left by the Japanese"	William Smith 38th BG, 71st BS B-25 Pilot recounts serivce in New Guinea, including ditching off Kavieng, and being rescued by PBY pilot Nate Gordon.
Eric Kyro 5th AF, 35th FG, 41st FS P-39 pilot divebombing shaggy ridge	Richard DeBaugh 5th AF, 35th FG, 41st FS P-47 pilot recollections of New Guinea and Gusap with his essay titled "Island"	James Hilburn 5th AF, 35th FG, 41st FS Recollections about war in New Guinea served
Patricia Gaffney-Ansel Daughter MIA 41st FS Pilot Search to find father's P-47, which was discovered and returned home.	John L. Fabale B-25 Crash Landed in jungle A five-day, 50 mile journey through the New Guinea jungle to return back to his base	Victor Grimes 5th Bomber Command By Daughter Leslie about father's service.
Harry Nelson 22nd BG 408th BS B-26 Missions to Timor and returning to search for target of his mission	Earle W. Painter 13^th AF, 307^th BG, 371^st BS B-24 Ball Turret Gunner. The Final Flight Of The "Rum Dum"	Richard E. Smith 5th AF, 35th FG, 39th FS 7 Victory Ace who flew P-38's and P-47's in the Pacific. Visited his former plane
Richard Oliver 5th AF, 7th BG Tells the story of two crashed on the 23rd, one in a B-24 in Hawaii, and one in B-17E in New Guinea.	Ed Hambleton 312th BG A-20 Pilot Service in New Guinea and the Philippines.	Joel Thorvaldson 49th FG, 8th FS P-40 pilot, survived crash near Lae, served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Postwar involvment with A-10.
John O'Neill 49th FG 8 Victory Ace His son shares recollections of his father's legacy and life	Godron Manuel 43rd BG, 64th BS Bombardier shot down & rescued from behind enemy lines.	Carl Silber, Jr. Son of Carl H. Silber 8th FG Adjutant who crased on Hinchinbrook Island in Queensland, Australia
Gus Breymann Uncle Flew B-25 As a crew member during the daring Royce Mission against the Philippines.	Eliot R. Young, Jr. Son of 312th A-20 Pilot Story of his father's crash landing at Bountiful Island off Queensland.	Jose Holguin 43rd BG Navigator, POW Shot down over Rabaul, searched for his crew's plane in 1980s and found the wreck.
John Dunbar 5th AF, 35th FG, 39th FS 151 combat missions, P-38 Pilot who flew in New Guinea	Robert Giesige 27th Air Depot Group Service record in New Guinea, Biak and Japan	Jeff English Great -Nephew B-25 MIA MIA pilot of a B-25 that has just been tentatively ID'ed outside of Wewak.

US Marine Corps

Don Huebner 1st Marines Australia, Goodenough, Finchafen, Cape Glouster, Guad, Peleliu, Okinawa	Bill Coggin 1st Marines Guadalcanal recollections, friendly fire, Tenaru, raids.	Chris Merillat Marine Correspondent Guadalcanal journal entries and recollections
Ed Foley 1st Marines Guadalcanal Landing, Airraids combat and dogfights.	Bob Allan 28th Marines Iwo Jima casualties and fighting.	Aubrey Buser Signal Corps Guadalcanal recollections
Ken Coffman Yank Photographer Drinking coffee at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Guadalcanal and New Guinea	Jack Morris F4U Pilot Shot down and resucued by PBY, reunited with his former aircraft in 1991.	Ron Schneider Seeking Purple Heart One of three to get the Navy Cross on the night of September 13th -14th 1942 Battle of Bloody Ridge
Howard Fuller VMTB-131 Ordanance & Engineering

US Navy

Nate Gordon PBY Pilot Medal of Honor Rescued 15 ditech crews off Kavieng February 11, 1944	John Richter Navy Corpsmen Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester with a 75mm gun	John A. Mair, Jr USS Mississinewa Sinking on November 20, 1944 by a Kaiten submarine
Jack Clark Lunga boat pool Describes actions on Guadalcanal from his diary	Don Strating USS Randolph Japanese Kamikaze attack at Ulithi damaged carrier.	William Strong 140th SeaBees WWII service on Pitylou and Manus recollections.

Australian

Jack Wong Sue Z Force Special forces inserted behind Japanese lines on Boreno to fight Guerilla warfare and report movements to Allies	John Grey Gorton RAAF Pilot Survived four harrowing incidents during WWII, went on to become Australian Prime Minister	George Silk Comat Photographer Participaed in photographing the Battle of Buna. Later he worked for LIFE magazine in the United States.
Sir Jack Brabham RAAF No. 5 OTU Post war racing champion

British

Robert Fraser
Cre of HMS Electra
22 year old crew member who died in the sinking of the ship during the Battle of the Java Sea.

Coastwatchers & Civilians

Martin Clemens
Guadalcanal Coastwatcher
Famous coastwatcher who evaded the Japanese and worked with the USMC to provide local scouts and knowledge to the Marines.

Allan Champion
Resident Magistrate, Buna
Witnessed Japanese landing at Buna and assisted B-17 crew to safety.

Japanese Veterans

Saburo Sakai
Japanese Navy Fighter Ace
This famous ace who passed away, September 22, 2000

Lt. Hitsuji
Shootout of H6K and B-17
Amazing account of action of combat off Guadalcanal.

Zenji Abe
The Bombing of Dutch Harbor
Zero pilot that attacked Alaska

Byung Mook Chang
Korea-Japanese Division
Forcefully conscripted and served in New Guinea. Tells of atrocities committed by Japanese Army.

Shigetoshi Kuda
J1N1 Irving Pilot
Ace night fighter pilot over Rabaul and Solomons.

Kokichi Nishamura
144th Infantry Regiment
Survived Kokoda Trail and Battle of Sanananda, returned to PNG to search for war dead.

Terushige Ishimoto
Army as interpreter
Rabaul, Shortlands and Guadalcanal operations

Lt. Commander Kenji Mitsui
Japanese Coastwatcher
Landed on Guadalcanal and evacuated

Lt. Toshio Kojima
228th Infanty Regiment
KIA January 1943 atop Hil 27 and discovery of remains

Keizo Kondo
701 Kokutai G3M2 Nell Pilot
Rabaul & Solomons

Ensign Satoshi Yoshino
Chitose / 4th Kokutai