Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

COMBAT STORIES FROM World War II

B.J. Miller | U.S. Navy - Navy

7:27 | B.J. Miller shares his experiences during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941.

Share

Share to email

More From B.J. Miller

Videos ( 1 )

WWII

B.J. Miller | WWII | U.S. Navy | 7:27

B.J. Miller shares his experiences during the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941.

Showing : WWII Videos

Jack Houston - Marines +10 Total Videos

G Company, 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division

Jack Houston had just helped his buddy dress a wound when he volunteered to return to the Okinawa hilltop where they were getting the enemy cleared out. When he got the jump on three of them, his muzzle flash gave him away and he had to leave in a hurry. He flung himself off the hill where he came face to face with a rifle. Part 5 of 6. (This interview made possible with the support of JOHN & BARBARA MCCOY.)
Jack Lemonds - Army Air Corps/Air Force +9 Total Videos

567th Bomb Squadron, 389th Bomb Group

The Russians were close enough that the American POW's could hear the fire in the distance. Their guards roused them all and put them on the road in a forced march, leaving their camp in Poland and heading for Germany. It was seventy nine days of freezing cold out in the open, with very little food. (This interview made possible with the support of PHILIP J. O'NEILL.)
Ed Harrell - Marines +12 Total Videos

USS Indianapolis

Ed Harrell describes in detail the sinking of the USS Indianapolis from Japanese torpedoes, which left nearly 900 Sailors and Marines in shark-infested Pacific waters. Part 1 of 4.
LtGen Lawrence Snowden - Marines +16 Total Videos

23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division

The first operation for the 4th Division was the landing on Roi-Namur. Lawrence Snowden remembers that, though it was an easy victory, valuable combat experience and important lessons were imparted on the Marines.
Don Scott - Army Air Corps/Air Force +8 Total Videos

560th Squadron, 388th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force

Two engines were out, a third smoking, and they were were losing airspeed and altitude, but they were flying level and pointed home. Then time ran out for the B-17 and Don Scott had to slip down the hatch into the slipstream. Part 2 of 3.
Clyde Burnette - Army Air Corps/Air Force +13 Total Videos

713th Squadron, 448th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force

It was their third mission over Berlin and they were heading home. Four German fighters pounced on the B-24 and it was engulfed in flame and going down. Clyde Burnette fought for consciousness as the other crew in the back of the plane bailed out. He woke in free fall with no idea how he had made it out, and soon he was in German custody. Everyone made it out of the plane except George "Danny" Daneau, the nose turret gunner, who went down with the aircraft.
B.E. Vaughan - Navy +9 Total Videos

USS O'Brien (DD-725)

After a nerve-wracking mission to bomb Tokyo and a typhoon, B.E. Vaughan and the destroyer O'Brien suffered a second kamikaze attack which killed all three of his hometown pals who served with him on board. Then, began the grim task of collecting the personal belongings of the dead and preparing them for burial at sea.
Lyle Bercier - Navy +7 Total Videos

Multiple Ships and Units

As a 20 year old sailor, Lyle Bercier had survived an adventure in a small boat on the open sea, when men from the USS Quail fled the Philippines rather than surrender. Safely ashore in Australia, the Navy tested his mettle in different ways. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Frank Fancher - Army +10 Total Videos

Troop A, 32nd Cavalry Squadron, 14th Cavalry Group

They had to take the hill. Patton needed to cross the Moselle River where the German guns were targeted and Frank "Lindy" Fancher's platoon was pinned down. He was so mad that he grabbed a 30 cal machine gun and some ammo belts and charged the hill. When it was over, the crossing was secure and Fancher had won a battlefield commission. (This interview made possible with the support of RICHARD & BARBARA ROSENBERG.)
Albert Sturgess, Jr. - Navy +12 Total Videos

USS Radford (DD-446)

During one battle, the destroyer USS Radford was guarding some small carriers when a Japanese submarine got in close and sank one. Soon, Hank Sturgess picked up a blip on SONAR and the fast ship closed in to seek revenge. On another occasion, a well known pilot was missing and the men of the Radford joined the search. (This interview made possible with the support of ALBERT SMALL.)
Frank Harris - Army Air Corps/Air Force +3 Total Videos

416th Bomb Group, 668th Bomb Squadron

After going overseas on a troop transport ship, Frank Harris recounts his first mission, his memories over France after D-Day, and the event that led up to his being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Frank Noonan - Navy +14 Total Videos

USS Oklahoma (BB-37)

Frank Noonan was trapped with two others below deck on the USS Oklahoma after eight torpedoes ripped into her hull. A savvy junior petty officer figured a way out, but it was no picnic in Pearl Harbor when he broke the surface of the water. Coated with oil and sick from swallowing it, he wondered what his next step would be. Part 2 of 2. (This interview made possible with the support of JANIS HAUSER In Memory Of Alfred W. Hauser, Army Air Corps.)
P.G. Caudell - Navy +6 Total Videos

USS Adair (APA-91)

Navy gunner P.G. Caudell recalls his experience with two hazards to ships in the Pacific, mines and kamikazes. (This interview made possible with the support of Vietnam Veteran, Capt. GRAHAM G. KYLE, JR.)
Lyle Bercier - Navy +7 Total Videos

USS Quail (AM-15)

During their escape from the Philippines, the men of the USS Quail faced a harrowing voyage on the open sea in their tiny motor launch. Their skipper was highly capable, even devising a homemade sextant. The sun and salt water caused painful blisters on young Lyle Bercier. They were twenty days out and headed for safety in Australia. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
P.G. Caudell - Navy +6 Total Videos

USS Adair (APA-91)

There was a lot of gunfire during an amphibious landing, recalls Navy gunner P.G. Caudell. One night, they were stuck on a beach and were under the sights of a hidden Japanese artillery piece that was targeting them. (This interview made possible with the support of Vietnam Veteran, Capt. GRAHAM G. KYLE, JR.)
John Black - Army Air Corps/Air Force +5 Total Videos

9th Air Force

John Black flew a few gliders during the war and learned about the challenges that come with flying them. After that, he was discharged from the military.
Nathan Radin - Army +7 Total Videos

929th Quartermaster Petroleum Products Laboratory

He's not sure, but Nathan Radin thinks he saw some sumo wrestling going on in the Japanese POW camp across the way. He was in New Guinea and his job was to test the loads of fuel tankers for quality and contamination. The men in the unit had to scrounge for the lumber and build the lab themselves, but at least the Japanese never bothered them. (This interview made possible with the support of KETURAH THUNDER-HAAB.)
P.G. Caudell - Navy +6 Total Videos

USS Adair (APA-91)

You were not supposed to have a camera aboard ship, but P.G. Caudell had a miniature novelty camera that he broke down and brought with him anyway. He was wondering if the little thing would work, so he and a buddy gave it a try. (This interview made possible with the support of Vietnam Veteran, Capt. GRAHAM G. KYLE, JR.)
Malhon Shoemake - Army +5 Total Videos

Company H, 306th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division

Malhon Shoemake had a sergeant who's gunsmith father sent his son to war with a custom made .45 pistol. As they fought their way across the Pacific, they made good use of "Old Betsy." It was added protection during their souvenir hunts, which were dangerous because of booby traps. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Frank Fancher - Army +10 Total Videos

Troop A, 32nd Cavalry Squadron, 14th Cavalry Group

His battlefield commission from Stromberg Hill finally caught up with Frank "Lindy" Fancher and he received his Lieutenant bars. By this time, the Battle of the Bulge was on and he was in several firefights in Belgium where the Germans had superior numbers. It was during this time that he spotted an idle tank and took off in it to help a pinned down unit. (This interview made possible with the support of RICHARD & BARBARA ROSENBERG.)
Jack Rodin - Army Air Corps/Air Force +8 Total Videos

458th Bomb Squadron, 330th Bomb Group, 314th Bomb Wing

Being raised patriotic, Jack Rodin is very proud to be an American and maintains that it is the greatest place on earth. Serving his country was very important to him and he's glad he did it.
Roy Scribner - Navy +11 Total Videos

USS Dorsey (DD-117/DMS-1)

Before Roy Scribner headed home from the Pacific, he had to watch his ship, the USS Dorsey demolished and scuttled after being slammed by a typhoon. Back home, he was sent to Camp Shoemaker, a place he knew very well.
Jack Litchfield - Merchant Marine +7 Total Videos

Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)

His father was a captain in the British Merchant Navy and Jack Litchfield was determined to follow in his footsteps. He left behind the air raids in Liverpool and went to sea as a radioman, but his third voyage turned to disaster when a German torpedo slammed into the freighter.
George McLaughlin - Army

Multiple Units

In 1938, twenty one dollars a month made a real difference. That's what George McLaughlin received when he joined the National Guard. His unit was activated in early 1941 and he rapidly became a very young Master Sergeant. When he was sent to Alaska, it was decided that the tents they were assigned were not adequate, so they milled the lumber to build barracks.
Hank Sawicki - Navy +5 Total Videos

U.S.S. Kalinin

Hank Sawicki remembers growing up as the son of Polish immigrants in America. After joining the service in high school, he remembers starting training and deploying onto the U.S.S. Kalinin in the Pacific Ocean.
Jack Litchfield - Merchant Marine +7 Total Videos

Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)

The British prisoners were well treated on board the German cruiser that sank their cargo ship. This came to an end when they were sent to Japan to be imprisoned there. Jack Litchfield watched as the first group of men went down the gangplank and promptly received a beating. When they arrived at the prison camp, the Japanese commander had some sobering words for them.
Hal Puett - Navy +4 Total Videos

US Navy Pre-Flight School

The classrooms and the headquarters were on different parts of the sprawling University of Georgia campus, so the instructors at the Navy's Pre-Flight School were issued a motorcycle and sidecar to get around. Hal Puett recalls a couple of times that this arrangement went a little sideways. (This interview made possible with the support of T. RICHARD BARBER, JR.)
Charles York - Army +10 Total Videos

Battery B, 375th Field Artillery Battalion, 100th Infantry Division, 7th Army

Charles York was fortunate to be assigned to the 100th Infantry Division. It was being filled at the same time as the 106th, which was decimated at the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge. His first job in the artillery battalion was just carrying shells, but they needed more forward observers and he was glad to move into that job. That outlook was soon modified. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Malhon Shoemake - Army +5 Total Videos

Company H, 306th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division

The Marines were bogged down on Leyte and Malhon Shoemake's Army unit was sent to help after their first trial on Guam. It was a difficult battle in the island hopping push toward Tokyo. On one of these Japanese held islands, among the freed prisoners, he saw a sight he will never forget. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Albert Sturgess, Jr. - Navy +12 Total Videos

USS Radford (DD-446)

Hank Sturgess was trained as a torpedo officer, but when he joined the crew of the destroyer USS Radford, the skipper said what he needed was a radar officer. The new technology was secret and destined to be highly important for the rest of the war. It was on the job training for the young ensign, who helped convince a skeptical admiral that it would work. (This interview made possible with the support of ALBERT SMALL.)