Oral History Interview with Ray Brashear, February 6, 1998

Oral History Interview with Ray Brashear, February 6, 1998

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Track One 1:20:06

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ray Brashear. Upon completion of the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP), Brashear joined the Army Air Corps and earned his wings in 1941. He then spent three years at Merced Army Flying Field as a flight instructor and was promoted to director of training. He joined the 499th Bomb Group, 878th Bomb Squadron in 1944 as a B-29 pilot. In June 1945, he led 500 planes on a raid over Kobe. His horizontal stabilizer was shot by a Gekko, and the plane limped seven hours back to Saipan … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 20 min., 5 sec.)

Creation Information

Brashear, Ray February 6, 1998.

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. It has been viewed 13 times. More information about this recording can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Brashear, Ray

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 Ray Brashear. Upon completion of the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP), Brashear joined the Army Air Corps and earned his wings in 1941. He then spent three years at Merced Army Flying Field as a flight instructor and was promoted to director of training. He joined the 499th Bomb Group, 878th Bomb Squadron in 1944 as a B-29 pilot. In June 1945, he led 500 planes on a raid over Kobe. His horizontal stabilizer was shot by a Gekko, and the plane limped seven hours back to Saipan as the Iwo Jima strip was overcrowded. He participated in the first incendiary raids on Japan. Upon returning, his plane was covered in soot and he smelled of burning flesh. Rotated out before the war ended, Brashear was in Honolulu on V-J Day. Discharged into the reserves, he flew a crop duster for a few years before returning to active duty with the Air Force, performing weather reconnaissance in the Korean War and radar bomb scoring during the Cold War.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 20 min., 5 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: OH00551
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1607838

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Ray Brashear, February 6, 1998, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1604026

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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