OH 1449 | Oral History

OH 1449

Artist, sculptor, potter. His experiences as a PBJ (B-25) co-pilot in the Southwest Pacific Theater during World War II. His pre-war art career; enlistment in the Navy Aviation Cadet Program, 1942; pre-flight training, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1942; primary flight training, Grosse Isle, Michigan, 1942; basic and advanced flight training, Pensacola, Florida, 1943; training in multi-engine aircraft and his decision to transfer to the Marine Corps; navigation school, Hollywood, Florida, 1943; assignment to VMB-433 in Cherry Point, North Carolina, 1943; crew formation and PBJ training; advanced training, El Centro, California, 1943-44; stationing to Green Island, July, 1944; “night heckling” missions to Rabaul; his designing of the squadron’s insignia; base living conditions; assignment to Emirau, August, 1944; daylight medium-altitude bombing missions against Rabaul and Kavieng; low-level strafing tactics; Japanese resistance to air raids; his experiences on a PT boat mission; comments about the contributions of the ground crews; rest and relaxation in Australia; return to the States, July, 1945; his postwar art career.

About this Oral History

Physical Description 105 pp.
Terms of Use Open
Interviewer(s) Ronald E. Marcello
Date of Interview May 28, 2002

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