Oral History Interview with Jack Gilbreath, August 19, 2005

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jack Gilbreath. Born in 1925, he was drafted into the Marine Corps in 1943. As a member of a mortar team in the 4th Division, he first saw military action on Roi-Namur. He describes a mortar and his role on a mortar team. He relates an incident in which LSTs, including his own USS LST-39, caught fire and exploded in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He describes action on Saipan, including landing; combat; friendly fire; Japanese Banzai attacks; and civilian suicides. He also recounts an incident on Saipan in which the Japanese soldiers used civilians to draw fire in order to locate U. S. military positions at night. He talks about living conditions on Saipan after the invasion and mentions radio broadcasts of Tokyo Rose. After the invasions of Saipan and Tinian, he went to Hawaii to prepare for the invasion of Iwo Jima. He talks about seasickness and refueling an LST while at sea en route to Iwo Jima. He describes landing and combat on Iwo Jima. He sustained a shrapnel wound, but was treated and sent back to his unit. He speaks about the living conditions in various locations as well as the mail system. He shares anecdotes about damage to his pack during a Japanese attack that resulted in not getting liberty and about the comfort women on Saipan. After the Japanese surrender, he returned to the United States and mustered out