Oral History Interview with Henry Michalak, April 28, 2006

Oral History Interview with Henry Michalak, April 28, 2006

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Track One 1:04:58

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Michalak. Michalak joined the Marine Corps and, after training in San Diego, went to communications school. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division and sailed for the Solomon Islands after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He relates an anecdote about being on Gavutu and having an American dive bomber dorp a bomb near him. He then describes being present on Guadalcanal during the battle. His job during his time on Guadalcanal was making sure the telephone lines were operating and repairing them … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 4 min., 58 sec.)

Creation Information

Michalak, Henry April 28, 2006.

Context

This audio recording is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this recording can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Michalak, Henry

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

Check out our Resources for Educators Site! We've identified this sound as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this recording useful in their work.

Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Henry Michalak. Michalak joined the Marine Corps and, after training in San Diego, went to communications school. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division and sailed for the Solomon Islands after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He relates an anecdote about being on Gavutu and having an American dive bomber dorp a bomb near him. He then describes being present on Guadalcanal during the battle. His job during his time on Guadalcanal was making sure the telephone lines were operating and repairing them when they were down. When Guadalcanal was secure, Michalak and his unit went to New Zealand for R&R. In November, 1943, Michalak headed for Tarawa. He describes his combat experiences there and shares an anecdote about seeing a high school classmate on Tarawa whom he did not know was in the Marines. Michalak also share stories about his combat experiences on Saipan. He was wounded on Saipan and evacuated to a hospital ship. When he was recovered, he was sent to a naval ammunition depot in Oklahoma where he remained for the duration of his time in the service. He was discharged in November, 1945. Despite being separated from the service, Michalak served in the Korean War for one year, too.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 4 min., 58 sec.)

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Sound

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH01610
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1608766

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Henry Michalak, April 28, 2006, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1604960

Collections

This recording is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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