Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Hughes Davault

WWII | 339th Fighter Squadron

Hughes Davault talks about the dangers of flying home after World War II was over, after the aircraft mechanics had already left. (Interview contributed by Russell Gray) (2:57)
Hugo Parkman

WWII | USS Finback

After getting fast-tracked into on-the-job training aboard the USS Finback submarine in the East China Sea, Hugo Parkman recalls rescuing downed aircraft pilots, including one future president, in September of 1944. (3:15)
Hugo Parkman recounts, in detail, the rescue of downed aircraft pilot George H. W. Bush on Sept. 2, 1944, and befriending the future president. (4:40)
As a submarine officer in the East China Sea in 1944, Hugo Parkman remembers an airstrike on the islands of ChiChi Jima and Iwo Jima, and the grizzly fates of seven downed pilots. (1:39)
Hugo Parkman, a submarine officer, describes a close call with an enemy bomb on March 8, 1944. (1:38)
Hugo Parkman retells the story of a fellow submarine crew on a clandestine mission into Japanese territory during World War II. (:59)
Hugo Riva

WWII | 367th Bomb Squadron, 306th Bomb Group

Hugo Riva was facing the draft like everyone and he didn't like the idea of walking very much. Luckily, he was accepted in the Army Air Corps and began the long training regimen. (5:52)
B-17 flight engineer Hugo Riva recalls his buddies on the crew and the camaraderie they shared. He also praises the airplane they flew, the Boeing B-17. It could withstand unbelievable damage and still return from a mission. (4:54)
The people in the English town near the air base were very friendly. Hugo Riva recalls how they provided the flight crews with real eggs, a nice luxury. He was the flight engineer on a B-17, a sturdy and reliable aircraft which brought him back safely from every mission. (5:52)
After a bombing mission, there was always brandy and a debriefing. Hugo Riva reveals that every B-17 at that point in the war had cameras aboard. That put a stop to gunners inflating their numbers. When new fighters were brought in as escorts, the bomber crews could breathe a little bit easier. (4:29)