World War II Central Illinois Stories

Oral History Interview: Jim Fisher of Springfield

 
                                    

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Transcript for file: jimfisher2008-03-20.mp3

00:00:00

today is Thursday March 20th 2008 I am HF Williamson
son I am interviewing Tim Fisher for the veterans history project of the library
Library of Congress American Folklife Center where at Studio X Campbell Hall
call on me University of Illinois campus in Urbana Illinois
director of lighting sound and camera
Jim I like you to start out

00:00:30

start out tell me where you are what you were doing before you were called up and how you came to join the Navy
well I was working in Chicago
machine shop what’s up where my brother in law work
workd in hi
my wife’s cousin was my wife in the time with her
her cousin and I decided to join the Navy one day
whatever what year was whatever it was in 42 okay so I

00:01:05

so I join the Navy on June 1st 1942
how so how quickly after join Wii U setup
who are your basic training yearbook in right away
why do I want to sing like s Great Lakes boot camp
then after that I went to school
Iowa State electrical school in your choice
electro well I want to go to Gunners mate school but I want to

00:01:40

I want to find a big gun but then they send me the electricians mate school
school how long was that program that was so more than
more than 4 months from like from August and Tony samba
December I think it was NFLN
I think it went in SC
I want to
I want to gyro compass school in San Francisco

00:02:15


nothing like I want to another school to win anyway where you been framed
to be on a particular type of s*** for this was just general training for all types of s***
Associates general training what is that
is that time they needed a bunch of guys c** in her a******
that’s how I became an LST crewman
hello but let’s put the tranny with General Lee was a specific

00:02:50

Pharrell is the only answer or you could have gone on any oil service necessary
so he’s not finished your school saying Where are you assigned to join your
crafts to Vancouver Washington
and I want to board a ship pier Hill SC for sale
8475 and I wait until
commissioned I put it in commission okay you were young
how are the plank on right now and I was on that ship for

00:03:25

rusty from March 17th
1943 until December
until September 1945
Wow two and a half years
so how long did you train as a crew
waffles and waffles United States before a long trip
Raiders truck to shift on the Columbia River first trip

00:04:00

go make sure everything was alright and then we were going to leave right away but girl
big storm in the Pacific and they didn’t wanna let us go house
Intel at storms out over so I stayed in a story Oregon for
torture in the ass Hnin Yee Lwin on downer
San Diego and Taylors young men came back up the Frisco
whats a gun under water show more guns
we had a lot of guns on a ship what is worth installed on your show

00:04:35

scary at Work cargo they were part of your arm yeah
isarel will 07 legacy 3
7 720 s at that time
send anywhere trench gun in Sayreville fifties
50 caliber sealant for some of those anti aircraft fire with a all
girlfriend IR craft how is a specific alarm
logical but I think we had a few more than

00:05:10

some of the other LSTs ruixing well armed
how to play never none of those kamikaze planes are about the US
you’ll have to tell us more about that will we get food we are out on the Pacific Theater in New York
you’re finally arrived Ramadan and your getting ready to take off my resume
Modesto May 2nd from France
from Frisco when you go are you by yourself or are you with with other ships
remind me in a couple other LS

00:05:45

save a 2001 maniacs Court Pearl Harbor
that was a pretty safe place to go in between Pearl Harbor
faith wasn’t much
risk of submarines 3930k how long were at Pearl Harbor
what a wake when we when Waker last night from
not for much trade in just there get ready to go yeah we had we had a cargo van
that damn no dropped off of Pearl Harbor

00:06:20

vanilla reload it
o I don’t remember rolling much stuff on a probe
Pearl Harbor Live Fit the only one for me
from there to 92 Samoa Ave
photos for a 2000 mile trip never married
Mary went to the New Hebrides how in your training that you practice landings
girl no really oh my gosh

00:06:55

no they said it’s over there without ever even
Chippenham place
Road n1 to get it over there okay
actually it’s not that hard to run a ship on it up on a bitch
the main thing is that you don’t rub the striker 2 quick
fracas
where is one time we lost the cursor

00:07:30

Android get the order to drop the star n***** in Italian
do you have to obey orders ship kept going and going and going
going to never hit the beach in cable come on the cable room and we still heading
so we lost it and that was a big job getting
Mac boy 24 hours before we go
for we got it all all the cable back nine hundred feet of cable
plot of cable is people that’s around you have a good man

00:08:05

well they took a boat small boat in
what is grappling hook in a quart the cable about in the middle of it
what’s this some kind of bad things to do in secret
what’s a good I got the end of a tube in a miller lite is your cousin we could of or could write to the drummer
wrap it up we have to take that cable
in laying out on the deck 900 fever
hello finally OC attic over 24

00:08:40

24 hours this about the whole crew
back and then wrapped it up on the run
henna that was it that the anchorman
everything back but just took a lot of time a day you didn’t want to spend again
why do I dry up with you so you view you travel from frozen
and then further on an what were you beat with stick shift the same to do in those days
well from what city

00:09:15

New Hebrides who went to the Brisbane Australia
and then from Brisbane reload it up over
4000 cases of beer in Brisbane thang thang
and some other stuff from Coca Cola and then we went to

girl August 13th & 4
143 Annette we got there we had a elf

00:09:50

LC TN on our main deck left we got a pair 2
can I leave a reporter from degree list
list of the ship is starboard
Linden el sitio who look like Arizona
hit the water it went way a nun
NYC after that then we repeat
prepared to make some landings I don’t know I don’t know remembering

00:10:25

practice landings since September 1st
first invasion in Maine in May New Guinea that’s about the first landing
every member of under fire well I was your
how was your practice landing was a real one what we want we you caring
tearing up on the beach I think we had some pancakes and love trucks
not army equipment in which way was your shipping
roughly which way what which wave weather

00:11:00

are there other ships ahead of you or we will first one it was only six of us
when we all win in the same inch LCD I
that done those guys at
where I don’t know if he is really bad cramps on both sides of the show
the soldiers came out for those rims friend on ramps
they were perfect targets got killed
red panda how did your ships to

00:11:35

Rainism banished
I missed landing on me where any what brand of yore
ships damaged by the enemy fire on your landing or no
No Reagan even good
reloaded and got off to meet soon
what this thing that happened before we got to this landing
we were attacked by about 30 Japanese planes that was in the afternoon

00:12:10

afternoon The Midnight landing
midnight with for the bad thing and after that we never landed
ed Edd n dark anymore rolling in the daytime
safest city in Illinois
so how many you said that they Japanese airplanes attacked you
who won the other six or seven ships and yeah friendly guy killed on the other
how to ship love ship about 300 feet away in on that

00:12:45

on that ship one of the guys got the Congressional Medal of Honor
there only 300 feet away from those on this invasion
hey this is this is in the afternoon before
the mid night invasion thats when does planes attacked us
cactus where they station on that island or a friend of the family I loosen
jobs in Jackson al Facebook
what is playing the sea they came in an attack the convoy before we ever got there

00:13:20

Dr Cozzi knew they had a pretty good idea what we’re going to do so I did all the damage
musica do before we got there convoy includes other realities
is the loss of a crew destroyers are cruisers are any capital ships dwell
destroy Earth in couple of them
where is really wasn’t a big invasion Motel
vandalism of Babylon as far as I’m concerned because it really
yo friendly guy killing the other one of the other

00:13:55

ships
so that was the first invasion of your craft in Benin
what happens after that do you continue taking things to the beach after the first waiver
well I just went on in an unloaded and got off of the beach
so you don’t there’s no there’s no additional tracks for the beach well
why don’t women run back up there again
familiy made up the leg what’s this about 300

00:14:30

hundred or 400 mile run Waze
I don’t remember freeway to resupply runner
what does 473 the Godhead neighbors live
fm.radio in Melbourne Australia for over a year and getting fixed up
that’s how many gun deaths so when your
now that this invasion is your job and what would you do next
yo pre made several more New Guinea and Lucy

00:15:05

women invasion at the New Britain island
that was a madman we got stuck on the beach and couldn’t get off
you’re under fire at this time yeah
can you fire back with your 50 calibers are I don’t remember I’m doing that so much
so much but what happened they were tryna pull aside for the single income
ringtone Australian sea going tug and they had a
cable see they have the dark able Archer naked

00:15:40

if tired of trying to pull saw
off and we had our angels going full speed astern first one on the other
shipping a car to go back and forth like that kind of wigger law firm
how often b****** what we’re trying to do if a snake didn’t work
finally when they were pulling on a sweetheart like that
Lebanon cable broke
can I run the fan to buy with my station fan to connect cable

00:16:15

why have I got that far I guess come on over red
Reptar gotta know that are right now in the next morning when the tide came in
can we got off the bitch
that was Lennie were never even lanes in lines on tinder
before we can get into the beach pyraminds in the water
did any of them any of the ships at the mines no not that I know of
but you know its kinda watching out for him

00:16:50

free Christmas Faith Hill
how many is a little under Vegas 10 day hold light on the beach with under fire
yeah that’s what’s under fire but the Jeffster we got it
hookah report Jett Jackson broken screw the Marines
airlines coming for the ships so then they should everybody a gun
gun like a 45 just in case
where to try to keep them off

00:17:25

but they never did. They never did make it
get on board the ship and the next day
next morning later in the morning we got off on the beach
hell survivors are your first 2 invasions
I got the whole story about that
the captain wrote about it the night that will never end
thats was a title loan without a title it was a long night

00:18:00

night will I see when you’ve been told the Japanese have broken trail
reliance oil help how much time do you have to recover
rafter that invasion well sometimes
maybe a week or so women in nude
in New Guinea Sara luvv
probably Elise 800m landings
d-day invasion for everyone to call him

00:18:35

I don’t think the people realize how much weight on a new kitty because
early on and they were Japanese far right
getting ready to get in Australia from Port Moresby they were going to go on in Australia
what were some of the other aspects of those who remain
dream meaning of Asians in New Guinea you remember you like to talk about m***
male 1 anniversary of its coming up pretty quick 20 seconds
Arizona

00:19:10

lyrics posed to make a landing at Helenium New Guinea
Anna I heard the news
love Minister talking to all the soldiers on the fan tail whip
which was my station General Quarters station they were
they were telling them and that there was going to be probably at least 70 casualties
yeah that’s a lot of the truth you are caring yeah
yeah yeah we probably had chair 400 on the shelf

00:19:45

America when
Mercedes 560 in the morning rear shell in the beach
and we went in about 7
henna hair when I need answer video rental
into the hills one guy got the pussy
Chatham self in the foot another guy drowned
actually that was only one

00:20:20

casualty death Annette landing
what they were they really when we thought that was really going to be banned
and landing do you ever get
Aleve for restoration in the Sun during this period
where is it continuous 44
before February 44 we want a stray Leah that was a year
are more later yeah let’s see well

00:20:55

yeah we win after 9:43
just leaving February 44 after continuously for 9 months
mouth whats the New Guinea campaign is completed
are there some additional invasions of Europe is involved in
New Britain listen to type on New Britain Ave
no I didn’t talk about New Britain that’s that’s where we got stuck on a beach
bitch New Britain God talk about that

00:21:30

for the night that never ended it would never end in Co
seriously just went on at the coast of New Guinea
after Holi India what say what one was that
I got a list of all of them at home in the order of what
which food in 30 century were there
of the island
and after we got done with zucchini that’s why I went up to the Philippines

00:22:05

bands and landed on October 20th 44
44 which was my 20th birthday
you would even old enough to vote yet I don’t think so
you were 21
well you’re doing these aren’t are the invasions of some of the other islands like he would Jima
Guadalcanal taking place are there other love water canal was over with
before I ever got gold candle answer the phone im not over there

00:22:40

Central Pacific unit that was making lamington
Central Pacific like one places like that
recipe creator you’re in a different area
Riverview theater I was in was a gentleman
the kingpin head muscle anterior
pretty well planning and women suffer like it feels like the desert Tarawa
words that never

00:23:15

4000 Marines killed in Tarawa that was a different command
command center right that was was that the Navy command over there Central Pacific
I don’t know if it was Nimitz halls with someone you wear
thats that they didn’t get the Marines ensure
I have to wait to water retention
Laura doing that they were going to finance from the depths of the mission
1000 casually get the crafts up on the beach because of the coral reef

00:23:50

whats your IQ drop if you when you said you were you are landing in the Philippines
what was tells more about then yeah that’s
well you heard of Tokyo Rose yes
where are you might you might explain briefly who she is and ksthy Sheena Easton
pride of demoralize all of us sailors
sailors and soldiers over there and he would say that
saying that the lady golfer

00:24:25

it was a graveyard for LSTs which kind of
what kind of turned out for us because when we went in there we hit a sandbar
I f*** on a sandbar at all how far away from where
probably maybe half an hour maybe longer than that
Anna but we were lucky we got off
and then we went on into the meeting on loaded but before all this happened
happened one Japanese plane came over dam ship with shooting of an era

00:25:00

airplane nobody ever hit him
this ship’s pendant Gunners just found them right on
live sex chat in Chandler AZ
was wondering yeah pussy striping you arrest
fooling around I think I’ll fire in a new wedding
what day did Ben Scott the shifter fire into each other
never gonna hit her anything I want out of sight

00:25:35

but later on we found out that the 38 gun
but they must have been the million dollars for the ammunition fired at him
what are your shift yeah sure
help sore after that ship came then then then then
and then the landing occur after you get off the beach without a very hot
free hot beach with a wonderful hello okay no but
Riverton Pingu some sites that that bleach

00:26:10

I didn’t go to see guys are on a Bauer telling me
telling me that there had been a pill box right there
where we be judged and there were
I guess it is and sustained the direct hit
because there were some legs standing up in there yet
is it from the bump the bum bum bar Madrid record of them I didn’t even go up
what to see at the cuz that was enough for me I guess

00:26:45

so anyway we got out of that are right by the month
what a month later when we went up there to resupply the
learn the truth that was when they start
started using kamikaze planes what was the first ones
Anna I saw 2 hospital ships got hit that nae nae
what’s kamikaze plane Anna Lynn
I think that there was shot no more

00:27:20

Thor 3 planes that came in us you’re a list a dude
LSTs were targets for the Kamikaze planes
sure then they were none go after anything
what finger does we heard that
pilot in North plains or half drunk 18
180 Goff ranking Raider game stocking and flying
order target that’s why I am

00:27:55

I want a reason why we didn’t get hit but we did shoot down today
release some of them were successful in attacking ships of
say something song tell me last season
so he sucks and destroyers with kamikaze planes
hello there a
pictures of the new s*** talking somebody larger type of Shih Tzu’s
the devastating aircraft carriers

00:28:30

who is this is this one of your last invasions
no we had another bigger one
Wingate in golf that was a Villas at that time
convoy the wind up their invasion Conway I was over 30 miles Leung
we did get hit up there in about doors
do a whole lot a Bear Run what do you think it’s you water show
Motor Show 2014 Street soldiers that were right there

00:29:05

here come the Sun then up there they were
we had the the coolest apps for a swimming underneath
boxes in coming up to the ships in putting charges on the ship
ups Bona mop LA Boxing
boxes
I don’t have anybody up
YouTube you ever heard of the ship actually being attacked by a swimmer

00:29:40

was it real no really but they said they seen it
do they put online information like that can keep me on the ball
what smart in over there in in later on in moon
no one to destroy or cool calm and
over and Yemen
demon watching for a thing like that
Hostel part the day were and nothing happens like this

00:30:15

despotism bad blue 17 foot hole in a shoe
little little inflatable boat or whatever it was hell
is he there in during war you don’t you don’t know anything like that go by
goldmine if anything like that was coming at us we just shoot first
better be safe
so that this month how long how long a beach was this invasion if it was a 30 mile
30 mile long Conway owe

00:30:50

I don’t know it windy in goal for the Sun from the north

tips for landing all around in their size in bed
lol
can I go to guys Atlanta dare they went on down
workaway south towards Manila
Atlanta dare before you get to them how big how much is oppositional restaurant

00:31:25

Beach hair for your craft well as far as
where is lyrica good hit but it didn’t seem to me
Kennedy’s that mature a position as far as we were concerned
guns are right out all I do
couples couple steps away from us it
shallana dinner in a foreign Gangnam
yeah I don’t know if those guys jumped on allure or if they were born on

00:32:00

but it all went out at the same time
I don’t know what really happened and I never did find out
but they were hits girl couple steps away from us
so you were under under significant fire Yoshi land
your shipping in the cargo where the men go off to come back again
supplies or what is your duty not right away you don’t hear from
from Leyte Leyte Gulf battle in Game of Death

00:32:35

that’s it I talking about live album
708 hundred miles or more so I got off the beach
the beach Lia anchored in the bay for a while
kept watching out for boxes
and then after that we went back down to earth
I think we went back down to let it go
why do they supply the beach at 700 mile trip to supply the beach

00:33:10

other Beach health I don’t have large craft picture of a big ship
what supplies that you can transfer to the beach for them but that’s not the case I guess

ShopRite app on the beachfront s*** for talking about cargo ships
they had to put the rear cargo on like one of these
sell LCD TVs LCVP s 3
36 foot boat ok and that’s how they have to unload their stomach

00:33:45

could not load to an LCD from a cargo ship they couldn’t
I don’t never see what your remember saying we do that
is there usually done that morning when I think but I understand this is not
does not something that your shift was assigned to do no no
Noah Hathaway Garden Road and why we go right back to where we can
where we came from usually during the
during this period starting in New Guinea when your going from place to place are you in

00:34:20

risk of submarine attacks well how do you avoid data do things in a girl
well you have a lot of guys watching guys
rumors say what’s up periscope over there
are there over here but see that’s good because ID keeps
the kitchen people on a ball
rice yeah do you know any stories
storage for less LCPs rounder attack from submarines without a target

00:34:55

percolone well I am yours
USMLE first one move up to us over to Australia
NLST 7 hit by torpedo
just as it was late in Richmond
ohmygosh boy that that was really blowing up the tank
the background story of the ship with bone up like that running
the deck was running like that blowing up like a balloon

00:35:30

did the sink ship ships sink right away or did it all again
kill a lot of guy who got hit right in the crews quarters
Oh nuts in the African how many guys got killed
they never would tell you anything like that over there later on
since I belong to the Illinois RC Association
I found out a lot of things that I didn’t know before
you know the guys guys write letters to the paper Intelli how many guys got killed in

00:36:05

holding on okay so
hey so we’re in Rockford you again when you would finish that invasion return back
700 miles to home base what happens next
well and get ready for another 10 my gosh run
that’s how you had your rest and recreation in
Australia this point I forgot yeah yeah how long was that how long.did you
if you got 10 days 10 days

00:36:40

where you were you receive favorably by the Australias today host you well or
well yeah but friend of mine was
some funny things happen to me in Australia to this friend of mine
we were together the time with some other came up to him
phora
first cigarette I think
Richton is pocket I get a cigarette for him that’s what I got

00:37:15

no Pokemon I guess
Rocky Mount stolen money
no problem where I was walking along a sidewalk on Oddie
18 year old had a bottle
barely went into a little lesson I learned from a store
Alaska how much in Houston 10 pounds
bones what’s it like about 30 bucks 10

00:37:50

10 pound note and boy just a minute I gave it to him he took off running
what’s when I open a bottle of Pinot or then
T
question why do you think there was such an animosity
is it against the people who were helping them what is the wave some people are
just like I live in the same thing going on there
these guys Rolex

00:38:25

easy way to make some money today
yeah okay but other than that I hope you had a
a good 10 days of out of the theater yeah I just remembered that
Petco course remarkable I was in Big Sucker
yea nice guy you’re finished
arrest you’re leaving your back on
station what’s happening next scene

00:39:00

that was in Seawind
we went down there in 40 for February Noah came back up the middle name Ann
Anna
whats a good leave me some more landings in New Guinea OIGs in in in October
Tober 44th and Suleiman death delete tango invasion
I got us out of sequence and then what happens after that
after that well then not too long after that and then we need

00:39:35

who made the landing at Lincoln golf henna
later on after that was over with
Leah pussy we
we went into Manila cuz I had insecure
secured by the soldiers you say lesbian in limo
that was that baby is full of sunken ships
is 300 of them all together

00:40:10

which Navy what’s a Japanese
this we went right over top of someone
free able to land legal to go with your yeah yeah we went
we went right up to knocking in door
outdoors and after a friend on the dock we’re just maybe just short of the night
what did you get time Victor to see Manila tall or hell
little man my man

00:40:45

I got pictures of that
this is mostly the bombing that the Americans have done
to return or had that occurred when the Japanese for taken over
I think that’s how it is
biotech jobs functional in Illinois too much for TV
4108 think I sent here I didn’t know that I was somewhere
hello

00:41:20

did Jax really treated those people in the Philippines terrible

where’s your ship

no we must have taken something in there some kind of Carnival
I forget now just what the
we want we want that they can cause we were in a sentence

00:41:55

I had something cargo ship to take up in their supporting the troops
yo so what happens next
text well that’s kind of getting to order
the city that was a ronin
April Roshe run April 45
7 n gate golf invasion was in January 45
Dennis Miller this happened after that

00:42:30

couple months afterwards and then
current number it wasn’t too much that we had
had to do after that we’re going pretty well
the world is going pretty well over I know that’s our plans
plans being made for the invasion of the mainland Yelp Japanese numbers
your shift going to be part of that planned invasion well yeah that’s
that’s where we went back down in New Guinea and liver loading up

00:43:05

bunch of it all stuff for the army
about that time is when they drop the bomb on her
Hiroshima so after that way
why I think we went up the hill in Great Lakes
Leyte Gulf in this in the bay
and that’s about the time I got my orders to come back home
show the world ended but the one thing the bombs hit on Willis

00:43:40

make sure you didn’t have to be part of an invasion of the Japanese mainland
health so you are one of the early got enough points to go
how to get out among the first people yeah because those CI
I signed up for what they call a minority Cruz letra
until you’re 21 LCI when and when I was 17
I just about got out when I was 21 my birthday is in October
October 20th and I got out December 5th so pretty good

00:44:15

prepaid payment how did you get back how to
how did they get you back for the face o pen vape in Dennys transport
passport chip on my gosh 20 days
the comeback pregnant pussy
from the 10th of September to the 1st of October
yahoo. Shippers about 20 minutes on time
I can go straight I didn’t have to worry about some reason it longer

00:44:50

help and what part is this did it land on the states will end
we were supposed to go in Frisco but he came back
into of Seattle and that’s where
we got off phone then I got to come back to the
good semi Beck St Louis in
where to Chicago and St Louis I didn’t get a travel pay come
come back home because I join in St Louis City

00:45:25

this guy is insane
free father and where was your home
Michigan to get from st. Louis to Michigan well at the time
go to Michigan I went to my brother in laws place
what place in Chicago where my aunt’s place I forgot which
mouse have been that was with that where you’re working
yo where you started out this is this thing

00:46:00

I want to go back to work for one of my older superintendents
but I didn’t work every long couple weeks and I quit
that started something else how was it
what was it like to return your late teens in your early
early twenties is in the Navy
senior rigger human baby
where is what kind of

00:46:35

no I don’t know Chicago weather
what’s a pretty good place to go to hey we’re going to worry I didn’t even have to pay to ride
registry card Chicago Dr Serena Sara
feel good did you ever consider
staying in the Navy real
Robert glad to get home
what I don’t know if I want to stay in

00:47:10

I don’t think so are you done well you were a
you told me your rank is it when you go first class and I got on the flight
chief
you not you not girl
you don’t have much liberty I know I’m not so amazing so much you can go on
going in go out tonight or weekend or something like that
what difference in life you can go out every night if you want

00:47:45

baby when you’re bored shipping out in the main seal get to come home every night
exactly I can understand it this is such a farmer
formative part of your life hurtful people
do people have spent a year from 17 to 21
in the battle situation
airline benefits from being in the Navy a good trade
electrical training

00:48:20

was there any other things you’d like to tell us about your memories of those years
NAB well that’s pretty much
how much sums it up pretty good
left some stuff out but its pretty good
when you had a chance to save part of the world you might not have never seen the other wise if you
if you owe ya yeah I never would have gone over there
I never would have gone to Australia in the Philippines her

00:48:55

anyplace Alto weather
well I thank you for the interview and we thank you for your service
will Meijer have mire that an appreciating what you doing
I’m glad you could join us yeah yeah thank you
Google give me for
Shih Tzu

00:49:30

movie Finding Nemo
today is

Jim Fisher served in the U.S. Navy on Landing Ship Tank 475. He fought in the battles of New Britain, Leyte Gulf, Lingayen Gulf and others in the South Pacific, Philippines, Borneo and New Guinea.