Australia, Queensland, Ipswich, RAAF Base Amberley, -27.64056, 152.71194Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal, Henderson Field, -9.42944175, 160.049876046523United States, Florida, Miami-Dade County, Miami Beach, 25.79065, -80.13005United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018United States, Georgia, Atlanta Metropolitan Area, 33.8498, 84.4383United States, Hawaii, Honolulu County, Hickam Air Force Base, 21.3254, -157.93662United States, Hawaii, Honolulu County, Waikīkī, 21.2855, -157.83594Glustrom, AlexCohen, Walter, 1924-2003-09-27In this interview, Walter Cohen describes his life as a USAAF pilot in the Pacific during World War II. He was a freshman in college when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and recruiters offered deals to sign up but still allow recruits to finish college. Two months later, he was in the service. After he completed his pilot training, he flew student navigators so they could complete their training, which he described as dangerous duty since the navigators didn't always know where they were going. He vividly describes their flight to Hawaii, where they landed with only 30 minutes of fuel remaining. In the Pacific, he flew personnel and supplies throughout various destinations such as New Guinea, Townsville (N. Qnslnd); and Sydney (NSW). While he was still in the Pacific, his mother spotted his cousin on Fox Movietone news and wrote to him to see if he could find his cousin. After locating him, he took him to Australia for some R&R; there the cousin met the woman who would become his wife. When they flew passengers, they did not take parachutes, as there would not be room enough for everyone to have one. After rotating home, he became a flight instructor as a 19-year-old, and found it frightening to sit in the right seat. When he was discharged at Fort Dix, he took the train home, as he had had enough of flying. He discusses the atmosphere in the nation during the war as being very patriotic, and how the living was better in the USAAF than in the infantry.Walter Cohen was a USAAF pilot in the Pacific during World War II.video/quicktimehttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Veterans History Project oral history recordingsVeterans History Project collection, MSS 1010, Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History CenterWorld War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, AmericanDouglas DC-3 (Transport plane)MacArthur, Douglas, 1880-1964Lindbergh, Charles A. (Charles Augustus), 1902-1974University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of FloridaSan Antonio Aviation Cadet Center (Tex.)United States. Air Force. Air Transport CommandUnited States. Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944Hickam Field (Hawaii)C-47 SkytrainOral history interview of Walter CohenMovingImage