OH 1465 | Oral History

OH 1465

Textile businessman. His experiences as a PBJ (B-25) pilot in the Southwest Pacific Theater during World War II. Prewar experience at Clemson University in ROTC at Citizen’s Military Training, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Civilian Pilot Training Program, 1940-41; decision to enter the Navy V-5 Program, December, 1941; pre-flight training, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 1941-42; elementary flight training, Lambert Field, Saint Louis, Missouri, 1942; advanced flight training, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, 1942-43; decision to opt for multi-engine aircraft training and transfer to the Marine Corps, 1943; assignment to Cherry Point, North Carolina, and placement in Operational Training Squadron 8; training in the PBJ; assignment to VMB-433 and crew formation at Peterfield Point, North Carolina, 1943-44; his close friendship with co-pilot Dick Graves; combat training, El Centro, California, 1944; voyage to Espiritu Santo, May, 1944; assignment to Green Island, August, 1944; his first mission to Rabaul; thoughts about combat; “night-heckling” missions; his experiences on a PT boat mission; transfer to Emirau, August, 1944; mission to Paluwet in the Truk Group; rest and relaxation in Australia; his evacuation from Emirau in February, 1945, because of combat fatigue and psychological problems due to Graves’s death; his postwar career.

About this Oral History

Physical Description 79 pp.
Terms of Use Open
Interviewer(s) Ronald E. Marcello
Date of Interview May 28, 2002

Additional Resources

The following lists of links include general-purpose research sites that may have materials related to oral history research methodolgies, or the topic you are interested in.