Oral History Interview with Raymond F. Hasker, April 3, 2003

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Raymond F. Hasker. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on October 22, 1922 and enlisted in the Navy on December 11, 1940. After graduating from Aviation Machinist School in May 1941, he sailed on the USS Wharton (AP-7) to Pearl Harbor. During the Japanese attack on December 7, he recalls removing wounded sailors from the water near the USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) to the Mobile Hospital at Landing A and pulling damaged PBYs from the airfield with a tractor. He also recounts that he and other sailors spent the night on the roof of the Operations Building at Hickham Airfield armed with antiquated machine guns in anticipation of a Japanese troop landing. He describes taking photos of Eleanor Roosevelt during a visit to Honolulu. He also recounts a flight with an admiral in a new model aircraft that was known to be problematic. He describes how the plane crash landed in the water and the admiral telling him he was grounding all future flights in that model. He recalls that he got so bored while stationed at Pearl Harbor that he volunteered for Parachute Rigging school and graduated with a new rating, Parachute Rigger First Class, and was transferred back to the US in 1944. He next describes being stationed on Ulithi flying remote controlled aircraft used in target practice. He recalls being on a launch heading to the anchored out USS Randolph (CV-15) when a kamikaze crashed into the Number One Elevator. He says he was on Ulithi on VJ day and was discharged in 1946