Veteran Interviews
If
you are a Pacific veteran or relative, and would like to be interviewed, contact us.
| 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 |
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| 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
13th AF, 307th BG, 371st 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. |
Edwards Park
5th AF, 35th FG, 41st FS
Author of two books on his experiences in New Guinea |
SSgt George Prezioso
Radio Operator
Served with
43rd BG, 63rd BS and also service with 317th TCG, 39th TCS |
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| 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. |
|
Ken
Coffman
Yank Photographer
Drinking coffee at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Guadalcanal
and New Guinea |
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| USMC |
Jack
Morris
F4U Pilot
Shot down and resucued by PBY, reunited with
his former aircraft in 1991. |
Howard Fuller
VMTB-131
Ordanance & Engineering |
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 |
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| 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. |
|
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
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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. |
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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. |
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Saburo Sakai
Japanese Navy Fighter Ace
This famous ace who passed away, September 22,
2000 |
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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 |
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