On this page, you will find a list of the people I have interviewed, and a brief description of what they did during the war. The names are in order according to when they were interviewed.
Ralph Ahrens
He Enlisted into the Army as a part of the 87th Infantry division. He was a rifleman in I company, and was sent over to Europe in 1945 as a replacement.
Carl Leichtnam
He Enlisted in 1942 as a part of the 2nd Marine Division. He was sent over to the Pacific. He participated in the invasion of both Saipan and Okinawa.
Ray Lambert
He Enlisted into the Army, and was assigned to be a medic for the 1st Infantry Division. He first saw action during Operation Torch, when he made the invasion of North Africa at Arzew. After fighting through Africa, he made the invasion of Sicily at a place called Gela. Not log after, he was sent to England in order to train for the invasion of France, otherwise known as D-day. On D-day, He went back and forth to the beach, while under heavy fire, to rescue wounded soldiers. After being hit twice by shrapnel, and being crushed by a landing craft door, he passed out and woke up in a British hospital. He is one of only six remaining people from the 1st Infantry Division that made the invasion of all three beachheads.
Dennis Bell
He enlisted into the Navy in 1943, and was assigned to operate landing craft known as the LCVP. He was assigned to the USS Alshain. HE operated landing craft during the battle for Leyte Gulf. He was right beside McArthur's "return" to the Philippines. He later escorted troops to the beachheads during the invasion of Okinawa.
Edward Stever
He was drafted into the Army Air Corp in 1943. He became a radio operator on various types of aircraft, and was sent over to the Assam Valley. His job was to fly aboard aircraft as a radio operator as supplies were flown between India an China.
Robert Romberger
He was drafted into the Army Air Corp in July of 1943. He later became a top side gunner on a B-24 in the 15th Air Force. While stationed in Italy, his aircraft was assigned to bomb areas of lower Germany.
Rufus Livingston
He enlisted into the Army Air Corp in November of 1941. He was assigned to be a bomber, and after training became the pilot of a B-29. After flying to his base in Saipan, he was assigned to a plane named the "Shirley-Dee". His aircraft flew 13 missions over Japan. He mostly dropped incendiary bombs on Japanese cities, but on three occasions dropped supplies to POW camps.
Ed Theobald
He enlisted into the Army Air Corp as a high speed Morse code operator. He was assigned to an island in the Philippines called Samara. His job was to send Morse code messages to incoming and outgoing aircraft.
Lloyd Crouse
He was drafted into the Army as a medic in December of 1942. he ended up in New Guinea and worked at a station hospital on the island. He typically saw injured soldiers that had been wounded by the remaining Japanese soldiers on the island. He later worked in a Field Hospital in Tokyo following the Japanese surrender.
Eugene Deibler
He enlisted into the Army in 1942, and joined the 101st Airborne as a part of the 501st PIR. He made the jump into Normandy several hours prior to D-day, and was later involved in the attack on the French town of Carentan. In September of 1944, he jumped into Holland during Operation Market Garden. From Holland, he was sent to France, and then to Bastogne, Belgium during the winter of 1944 and 1945. He then went to Berchtesgaden, and later to the Bavarian Alps. He was then sent home.
Niles Maroney
He enlisted into the 106th infantry division in 1944. He was sent over to an area in Luxembourg, and encountered fierce fighting with the Germans. His division was forced to surrender, and was taken to a German POW camp called Stalag IX B. After surviving near starvation, he was liberated and sent back to the states.
Donald Strait
He enlisted into the Army Air Corp in 1940, and became a fighter pilot in the 8th Air Force as part of the 361st Fighter group. He was sent overseas to a base in England named Martlesham Heath. He started off flying the p-47, and in October of 1944, started flying the P-51 Mustang. His plane was name the "Jersey Jerk". During his time as a fighter pilot, he hand a total of 13 1/2 air victories. He soon became a squadron commander, and the leading ace in his squadron. He retired in 1978 as a Major General. To this day, there are more painting by world class artists of the Jersey Jerk than any other P-51 in the world.
Edwin Persons
He enlisted into the Army as a combat medic, and was sent over to England prior to the Normandy invasion. While in England he joined the 101st Airborne and became a part of the 502nd PIR. He made the jump into Normandy with the objective to capture the town of St. Mere Eglise, and then Carentan. He then jumped into Holland during Operation Market Garden, survived the winter in Bastogne, and occupied Berchtesgaden.
Al Alvarez
He enlisted into the Army in 1943, and joined the U.S. First Infantry Division, and worked in the field of communications. His job was to set up telephone and radio wires in captured areas. He made the Normandy invasion on June 6th, fought through the Hurtgen Forest, and was involved in the Battle of The Bulge. In addition, he served during Korea, Vietnam, and took part in various conflicts in the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, and Baltimore (riots). He now is a volunteer at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, NC.
Robert Johnson
He originally enlisted into a National Guard horse artillery unit. His unit was put on active duty in January of 1941, and when the war started, he joined the 11th Airborne and was sent to the Philippines. He made seaborne invasions in Leyte and Manilla. He made an air jump in southern Luzon to rescue 2,100 P.O.W.s from a Japanese prison camp, and later a jump in northern Luzon to make a final push to rid the Philippines of Japanese forces. He ended his time during the war on occupation duty in Japan. He retired from the Army as a Brigadier General.
John Mims
Originally sneaking into the service at age 15, he was caught for being underage and was forced out of the military until he became 17. After re-joining the military, he was sent to the Philippines in early 1941. After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, he and his unit fought invading Japanese force for three months until finally being given the order to surrender. He and roughly 75,000 Philippino and U.S. soldiers were marched 60 miles to Camp O'Donnell on what later became known as the Bataan Death March. He was held captive by the Japanese for four years, until the war ended and the prisoners took over the camp. After surviving near starvation and brutal beatings, he remained in the military until his retirement.
Fred P. Dallas
He was drafted in October of 1943, and was sent to the 65th Infantry Division. After being sent to Italy, he was reassigned to the 45th Infantry Division. He made the invasion of Southern France at Marseilles. Several days later his division made an attack on the town of Mulhouse. His division was attacked by German tanks and forced to surrender. He spent the rest of the war between different POW camps until he was liberated by the Russians at the end of the war.
Edward Batte
He joined the 1st Infantry Division in 1942 and was put in the 16th Infantry Regiment. In November of 1942, he participated in the invasion of North Africa. During the battle of the Kasserine Pass, his Jeep was hit by enemy fired, and he was taken as a prisoner by the Germans. He was then sent to various POW camps, and eventually ended up in Oflag 64. At the end of the war the camp was liberated, and he was sent home, where he received an honorable discharge.
Charles Lunney
He joined the Army Air Corps and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. He trained in B-29s, and was sent to Guam to be a weather reconnaissance pilot. On August 6, 1945, he flew a weather mission over the city of Hiroshima. After landing back in Guam, he found out that he had just taken part in the dropping of the first atomic bomb. On August 9th, he flew around the atomic bomb mushroom cloud to take pictures with high ranking generals. He flew a total of 37 missions during the war. He remained the in reserves after the war and retired as a Captain.
Ed Cottrell
He joined the Army Air Corps and became a 2nd Lieutenant. He began flying the P-47 Thunderbolt and joined the 493rd Fighter Squadron. He began combat flying in France, and later moved to St. Trond, Belgium. He flew 65 missions during the war, and continued his service in the reserves for 28 years and retired as a Lt. Colonel.
Frank De Maine
He joined the Army Air Corps in 1942, and joined the 392nd Bomb Group flying B-24s. On February 22, 1944, his plane was shot down near Germany and he was taken as a prisoner. He was transferred through several POW camps, and ended up in Stalag Luft VI. He stayed there the entire camp was moved to Stalag VIIA. The camp was liberated by the 14th Armored Division, and he was sent home and discharged.
Charles Clay
He joined the Navy in 1938, and became a crew-member of the USS West Virginia. He was a witness to the attacks on Pearl Harbor, and later joined the crew of the USS Minneapolis. While serving on the Minneapolis, he was seriously injured while being attacked by Japanese planes and sent home for the remainder of the war. He joined the reserves after the war.
Jack Dauner
He enlisted into the Army in 1943. He was sent to France and joined the 9th Infantry Division. He was wounded in the battle for the Hurtgen Forest, and was transferred to the Army Air Corps, where he worked at a control tower in England. He later went to an airfield in St. Trond and stayed there until November of 1945. He was sent home and was discharged.
Lloyd Paris
He was drafted into the Army in 1943. He volunteered for the Airborne while in England, and joined the 529th Glider Battalion in the 101 Airborne Division. He flew his glider during Operation Market Garden, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. He was injured in Bastogne and stayed in the hospital until he was sent to an Air Corp supply station for supply work. He was sent home in December of 1945, and continued his service until 1952.
W. Scott Shepherd
He joined the NAvy in February of 1945, and served on the USS Kalinin Bay. He served as a gunnery officer until the end of the war, when his ship began transporting supplies back to the United States. His ship was decommissioned in 1946, and he was discharged at the same time.
Richard Page
He joined the Army Air Corps in 1942, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. He began flying P-39s to Alaska until he was transferred to Burma to fly a C-46 transport plane. HE flew a total of 750 hours transporting supplies and people over the "hump". After the war he continued to served, and had a total of 26 years in the military.
Dillard Colvin
He joined the Army Air Corps in 1942, and became a tail gunner in a bomber. He was sent to Port Moresby, New Guinea and joined the 5th Air Force, 90th Bomb Group, 400th Squadron, also known as the "Jolly Rogers". After reaching 300 hours of flying, he was sent home, and discharged. He rejoined the military and retired with a total of 22 years of service.
Joyce Baker
She joined the Navy as a WAVE in October of 1942. She was assigned to the Navy Bureau of Ordinance in Washington, D.C. She worked in the office of personnel for all of the enlisted WAVES. She was discharged in November of 1945.
Virginia Service
She joined the Navy as a WAVE in June of 1944. She was commissioned as an officer, and began her service in Key West, Florida. She was later transferred to the Navy Supply Office in Bayonne, New Jersey. Her job was to keep records for the supply corps. She was discharged shortly after the war ended.
Wyatt Potter
He was drafted into the Army in 1943, and sent to England with the 66th Infantry Division. On December 24, 1944, he boarded the SS Leopoldville to go across the English Channel. While sailing over, the ship was torpedoed by a U-boat and began to sink. He jumped over to a destroyer and escaped the sinking ship. After making it to France, his unit relieved the 94th Division at U-boat pens near Lorient, France. He stayed there until the war ended, and spent some occupation duty in Austria. He was sent home and discharged in April of 1946.