Add to ORKGThe National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Paul Hilliard. Hilliard was 17 years old when he joined the Marine Corps in February 1943. Upon completion of aviation radio and gunnery training, he joined Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 341 (VMSB-341), as an SBD rear-seat replacement. There he had an opportunity to chat with pilot and Yankee infielder Jerry Coleman. En route to Luzon, he was terrified by a typhoon as nearby ammunition barges were being tossed around by the waves. Once in the Philippines, Hilliard flew over 50 missions as support for the Army. At night he slept in a tent or took cover in a foxhole. When the war ended, Hilliard was reassigned to a C-47 squadron as a radio operator, flying with actor and p...