Oral History Interview with John Ley, February 9, 2015

Oral History Interview with John Ley, February 9, 2015

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with John Ley. Ley was born in Joliet, Illinois in 1925. When he completed boot training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, he then trained as a radio operator. In April 1943 he completed his training and was assigned to the USS Murphy (DD-603). In March 1944 they took on provisions and sailed to Londonderry, England. On 5 June 1944 the ship put to sea to lay a smoke screen during the Normandy landings. On D-Day, the ship was stationed off Omaha Beach and Ley saw masses of … continued below

Physical Description

67 p.

Creation Information

Ley, John J. February 9, 2015.

Context

This text 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 24 times, with 13 in the last month. More information about this text can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Ley, John J.

Interviewer

Cox, Floyd

Publisher

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

Audiences

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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 John Ley. Ley was born in Joliet, Illinois in 1925. When he completed boot training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, he then trained as a radio operator. In April 1943 he completed his training and was assigned to the USS Murphy (DD-603). In March 1944 they took on provisions and sailed to Londonderry, England. On 5 June 1944 the ship put to sea to lay a smoke screen during the Normandy landings. On D-Day, the ship was stationed off Omaha Beach and Ley saw masses of dead and wounded. He also saw the Army Rangers assaulting the cliffs of Point du Hoc, France. Ten days after the Normandy invasion, the Murphy returned to England for resupply. On 26 June they accompanied the USS Texas (BB-35) and participated in the bombardment of Cherbourg. Returning to England the ship took on a cargo of artillery shells affixed with a proximity fuse for delivery to Mers-el-Kebir, Algeria where Allied forces were gathering in preparation for Operation Dragoon. Ley describes picking up three German Luftwaffe personnel at sea. In 1945, King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia came aboard to meet with President Franklin D. Roosevelt at Malta. He recalls the livestock and special cooking utensils brought aboard for benefit of the king. Following the surrender of Japan, the Murphy was sent to Nagasaki. Ley saw the destruction and numerous urns stacked on the docks that had dog tags affixed identifying American prisoner of war casualties. The ship returned to the United States in November 1945. Ley was discharged in 1946 and then attended college. He joined the US Air Force, became an officer and retired in 1968.

Physical Description

67 p.

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

Text

Identifier

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

Accession or Local Control No: OH04322
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1606803

Relationships

Oral History Interview with John Ley, February 9, 2015 - ark:/67531/metapth1610449

Collections

This text 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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