[Annotator's Note: The interview begins with the interviewer and Arnold Spielberg mid-conversation]. Spielberg was in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] during the war. He has only been back three times, one of which was for the dedication of the D-Day Museum [Annotator's Note: The D-Day Museum became The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2003] with Tom Hanks [Annotator's Note: Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, American actor, filmmaker] and his son, Steven [Annotator's Note: Steven Allen Spielberg, American film director, producer, and screenwriter]. Spielberg was born and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He worked for a relative in a department store after high school graduation. The deferment [Annotator's Note: postponement of military service] he had due to his father's illness was dropped after the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He opted to enlist and join the Signal Corps [Annotator's Note: US Army Signal Corps] where his ham radio [Annotator's Note: amateur radio] operator knowledge could be used. All that was available to him was the Air Force [Annotator's Note: US Army Air Force], but he had his sights set on the Signal Corps and communications. He enlisted at another location and after several stops, he ended up in New Orleans with the 422nd Signal Company of the Army Air Forces at Lake Pontchartrain. He was part of an A-20 [Annotator's Note: Douglas A-20 Havoc medium bomber] squadron based there. He was there from February to April [Annotator's Note: 1942]. The weather was not bad. He lived in tents with mosquito netting. His Boy Scout [Annotator's Note: Boy Scouts of America, scouting and youth organization founded in 1910] training led to him being selected as an acting corporal. Since he knew code, he became an instructor in its use. He taught the recruits by telling dirty stories in code. They would goof off a lot until an officer appeared then act busy. He learned to eat raw oysters on Canal Street in New Orleans. He enjoyed jazz and the French Quarter. He went to USO clubs [Annotator's Note: United Service Organizations, Inc.]. A local family took him in and gave him fancy meals on Sundays. Spielberg had a nice time in New Orleans. He was going to attempt to get into Officer Candidate School but was transferred to Air Corps-unassigned at Jefferson Barracks [Annotator's Note: Jefferson Barracks Military Post in Lemay, Missouri]. He went into overseas training there. Then he was shipped to Charleston, South Carolina to board a troopship named the Santa Paula [Annotator's Note: the SS Santa Paula (1932)]. Boarding the ship was a desolate feeling. About 3,000 troops were crowded into the holds. Spielberg and some buddies managed to find a couple of empty cabins which they locked themselves into and never answered the door. The ship sailed with a large liner named the Mariposa [Annotator's Note: SS Mariposa]. There were 6,000 troops on the Mariposa. The two ships joined a huge convoy of 80 to 100 ships with an escort of a few destroyers and a couple larger warships. They voyaged to Africa where someone got sick. The food was terrible and moldy. The officers had much better food and mess arrangements. Complaints and a small mutiny by the enlisted men improved the food for three days. A drunken officer talked the men down but after the three days, the food went back as it was. The ship landed in Durbin, South Africa for a day of shore leave. The men went to a restaurant and gorged themselves with food. They bought a large bag of delicious oranges and hid wine in the bag. They had wine for a few days along with the oranges. The ship reached Karachi [Annotator's Note: Karachi, India, now Karachi, Pakistan] after 60 days. Spielberg was glad to reach land and get off that ship. There were six submarine scares. The men were given busy work as guards and forbidden to sunbathe. Spielberg was put in the brig [Annotator's Note: military prison aboard a Naval vessel or base; slang for jail] for not following the order, but an officer bailed him out.

Arnold Spielberg landed in Karachi [Annotator's Note: in July 1942, Karachi, India, now Karāchi, Pakistan]. He was stationed at the Classification Depot there. He opened boxes of airplane parts and prepared them for shipment to China and northern India. He was there for four months. He drove a forklift after injuring his back. He knew little about airplane parts and had to ask for help in determining what he was seeing. When he heard there was a squadron forming, he went for an interview as a radio man. The 490th was just forming [Annotator's Note: 490th Bombardment Squadron, 341st Bombardment Group]. The squadron did not yet have any planes. Just a few of the officers and enlisted men were there. Spielberg was going to be sent to a fighter squadron before he specified that he wanted to be in bomber squadron as a radioman-gunner. He wanted to get his missions in and return home. He thus managed to join the 490th squadron which soon started receiving its airplanes. Three quarters of the planes that flew from the United States eventually arrived after a southerly route across South America and Africa with multiple refueling stops before reaching India. Spielberg became a PFC [Annotator's Note: private first class] and then a corporal. He worked the tower as the planes arrived. A simple communications system was set up. The squadron of 16 planes was established. The CO [Annotator's Note: commanding officer] was a former commercial pilot and a good flyer. He was a swashbuckler with two pearl handled pistols who liked to take risks. In September, the squadron was ordered to a small town on the east coast of India about 100 miles from Calcutta [Annotator's Note: Calcutta (Kolkata), India] in what is now Bangladesh. The base had a crude runway and missions were started over Burma to bomb supply lines. The ground crews had two days to relax while the squadron flew a mission and landed remotely for refueling and returned a day later after hitting another target. While the planes were gone, there was time to go to Calcutta and goof off. No one was punished for that. Things did tighten up later. Orders came for communications men to go to a base being set up for B-29s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers] to bomb Japan. Spielberg was sent to help with the communications problems there. He fixed the problem easily despite some objections by the man there. After returning to base, Spielberg was made Communications Chief while the communications man at the new B-29 base was busted. Every two months, Spielberg received a promotion through the ranks of sergeant until he reached master sergeant. The squadron, meanwhile, was relocated to Dhaka in the northeast portion of India [Annotator's Note: now Dhaka, Bangladesh]. The 490th got closer to the action with that move.

Arnold Spielberg was stationed at Kurmitola [Annotator's Note: Kurmitola Airfield near Dhaka, India, now Dhaka, Bangladesh] which has now been enlarged and is the international airport for Dhaka [Annotator's Note: now Shahjalal International Airport]. Spielberg enjoyed going to Calcutta [Annotator's Note: Calcutta (Kolkata), India] and staying in hotels and going to restaurants. He did a lot of repair work on the planes communications systems. His group had a good reputation because their planes were always ready. There was never a failed radio on any missions. The squadron [Annotator's Note: 490th Bombardment Squadron, 341st Bombardment Group] was not only the operational squadron but the base squadron maintaining the communications equipment, support services, and operating the tower. The ACS—Army Communications Service - eventually came and took over the tower. The 490th was one of four squadrons in the 341st Bomb Group. The three other squadrons were stationed remote from the 490th. One was in India about 100 miles away and the other two were in China near Kunming. The 490th operated in Burma [Annotator's Note: now Myanmar] and became famed as bridge destroyers. They evolved a technique combining skip bombing with dive bombing. It was far more effective than using the Norden bombsight [Annotator's Note: Norden Mk. XV tachometric bombsight] on high altitude runs. The method was so successful that the squadron received citations and became known as the Burma [Annotator's Note: now Myanmar] Bridge Busters. At first, Spielberg wanted to be a radioman-gunner and fly missions but when his aptitude for repairing communications equipment was discovered, he was grounded to take on a more important role. Spielberg did fly two volunteer missions as a radioman-gunner to bring in supplies and take out wounded when the British and Burmese troops were surrounded by the Japanese at Imphal [Annotator's Note: Imphal, India]. He manned the waist gun and looked for enemy Zeros [Annotator's Note: Japanese Mitsubishi A6M fighter aircraft, referred to as the Zeke or Zero] which never appeared. Besides being the Communications Chief and keeping the radios working, Spielberg also fixed the projector when there was a problem plus, he devised a public address system that allowed music to be piped into barracks remote from his base. His brother assisted him in doing so. He loved classical music, but the troops wanted swing to be played. Spielberg was with a good group. The weather was bad, he got fungus all other his body, and malaria [Annotator's Note: mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite], but he enjoyed doing his work. He learned to scrounge and make do with what was available. He and his group innovated techniques to make things happen. It helped that he had a good mechanic working with him to rebuild a working generator out of the parts of two that did not function. Eventually, a supply officer shipped a new generator to his outfit. After a year in Kurmitola, his squadron was transferred to Assam [Annotator's Note: Assam, India] which was closer to Burma [Annotator's Note: now Myanmar].

Arnold Spielberg [Annotator's Note: as a Communications Chief in the 490th Bombardment Squadron, 341st Bombardment Group] moved to Dergaon in Assam [Annotator's Note: Dergaon, Assam, India] near a tea plantation. The weather was terrible with heavy rains. The showers did cool the men off. After two months there, he was ordered home. He had been in the China-Burma [Annotator's Note: now Myanmar]-India theater for two and a half years. He smoked his only cigarettes upon his departure. It was due to a commitment he had made to a friend, Lee Cresca [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling]. He remains in touch with his friend as well as the squadron which still has reunions. The veterans stay in touch with each other. They look forward to a reunion in New Orleans in the World War II Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museumin New Orleans, Louisiana]. A master sergeant was sent to replace Spielberg prior to his departure. The new man was bitter because he had been running things at Scott Field [Annotator's Note: now Scott Air Force Base in Saint Clair County, Illinois]. He was so resentful that he would not allow Spielberg to aid him in transferring the responsibilities. Spielberg left within two weeks and took a train to Bombay [Annotator's Note: now Mumbai, India]. He departed by ship, the General Anderson [Annotator's Note: USS General A. E. Anderson (AP-111)], for the Pacific voyage to the United States. There was a brief stop in Australia, but shore leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] was not allowed. Some men jumped ship and left. The captain said they could not reboard. They were going to have to stay in Australia. A pier side officer outranked the ship captain and ordered him to take the men back aboard. The men slept in the hold of the ship in multi-tier bunks. There was another stop at New Caledonia [Annotator's Note: New Caledonia, Oceania] before the ship reached San Pedro [Annotator's Note: San Pedro, California]. At that point, Spielberg was put in charge of 40 men who were being discharged because they could neither read nor write. After that assignment, Spielberg was sent to Miami, Florida because of his lack of points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home]. He had three weeks at home before Miami. He showed up unannounced. His parents were delighted. His brother had been drafted three times but released twice due to his wartime critical work at Wright Field [Annotator's Note: Wilbur Wright Field is near Riverside, Ohio] on military aircraft vibration analysis. The third time drafted, Spielberg's brother was sent overseas to be a flight engineer on a B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber] bombing Japan. Spielberg ended up at Wright Field [Annotator's Note: now part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio] after being ordered to the Pacific Theater. He worked with PhDs [Annotator's Note: Doctor of Philosophy] who were corporals. One of his assignments at Wright Field was to develop a radio operated guided bomb. Spielberg had experience with building radios that, along with the guidance of a mentor, helped him complete the task. When he completed the device design, the war ended, and it was shelved. He decided to attend the University of Cincinnati [Annotator's Note: in Cincinnati, Ohio] on the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment]. He graduated second in his class. He married and had two children while in college. He worked co-op training to assist him in college. Following graduation, he worked for RCA [Annotator's Note: Radio Corporation of America] and eventually learned computers. He retired in 1991.

Arnold Spielberg worked for RCA [Annotator's Note: Radio Corporation of America] and was in charge of designing the first electronic cash register. He received a Computer Pioneer Award for the work he accomplished in 1954. Later, he worked for General Electric [Annotator's Note: General Electric Corporation] in computers. He had a good career working for multiple companies until he retired at 75 years of age. He did systems and design work. He worked on graphical design software, but it was outpaced by PCs [Annotator's Note: personal computers]. He started in Detroit [Annotator's Note: Detroit, Michigan] doing planning and budgeting and salary reviews for six plants. He loved electronics as a child. He played with design work early in his life. He heard about ham radios [Annotator's Note: amateur radio] as he rebuilt a crystal radio set that had been discarded. He had the help of Roger Darity [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] who lived next door. Darity had a ham radio set and showed it to Spielberg who showed an interest. At 15 years of age, he got his ham radio license. At school, Spielberg was in charge of the ham radio club. He copies ten words a minute in Morse Code [Annotator's Note: a method of telecommunication encoding characters in a system of dots and dashes]. He flunked his first test in Code but prepared for the next time and passed it. He had friends who loved their ham radios. He was dedicated to it. Now, Spielberg loves photography. He is mostly uses digital and is the squadron [Annotator's Note: 490th Bombardment Squadron, 341st Bombardment Group] reunion photographer. They have a ceremony at the reunion to recognize those no longer living. The Burma [Annotator's Note: now Myanmar] Bridge Busters [Annotator's Note: the nickname given the 490th Bombardment Squadron in the China-Burma [Annotator's Note: now Myanmar]-India Theater] are the veterans at the reunion. [Annotator's Note: A discussion ensues briefly on the intent of the interview.] Rutgers University [Annotator's Note: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey] has put Spielberg in their archives as has Brigham Young University [Annotator's Note: in Provo, Utah] and the University of Cincinnati [Annotator's Note: in Cincinnati, Ohio] where he graduated in 1949. He had two children at the time. Steve [Annotator's Note: Steven Allen Spielberg, American film director, producer, and screenwriter] was born in 1946 and Anne [Annotator's Note: Anne Spielberg, American screenwriter] was born in 1949 soon after his graduation. The youngest child, Nancy [Annotator's Note: Nancy Spielberg, writer and film producer], loves computers. His wife is not as interested in computers. Spielberg prefers Mac computers [Annotator's Note: Macintosh computers sold by Apple, Incorporated]. Although offered a promotion, Spielberg left the Army as a master sergeant. Two and a half years in India had been enough for him.

Arnold Spielberg was not depressed or unhappy being a communications guy [Annotator's Note: in the 490th Bombardment Squadron, 341st Bombardment Group in China-Burma [Annotator's Note: now Myanmar]-India Theater]. His outfit helped rescue planes and aided ships after they broke radio silence. For perseverance of duty, he and an assistant were each awarded the Bronze Star commendation [Annotator's Note: the Bronze Star Medal is the fourth-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy]. Both of the men had nearly lost their life while attempting to rescue a downed B-24 [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber] in the Bay of Bengal [Annotator's Note: off the coast of India]. In the stormy weather, lightning struck the antenna twice and knocked the operator off his position the first time. Spielberg held him back the second time but not before aid was directed to the downed plane crew. Spielberg repaired the transmitter and reestablished contact. In the process, Spielberg redesigned the communication system for better efficiency and safety. Spielberg also received the Good Conduct Medal [Annotator's Note: Good Conduct Medal is given to enlisted military personnel for exemplary behavior, efficiency, and fidelity in active Federal Military service] and the China-Burma [Annotator's Note: now Myanmar]-India Medal [Annotator's Note: unable to identify]. The flyers received the Distinguished Flying Cross [Annotator's Note: the Distinguished Flying Cross, or DFC, is awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight] and the Air Medal [Annotator's Note: US Armed Forces medal for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while in aerial flight] for putting their lives in danger in a B-25 [Annotator's Note: North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber]. They flew over perilous terrain with two engines. A lot of planes were lost to weather. A woodsman from Maine managed to survive in the wilderness after bailing out. He made his way to the British lines. The back of his jacket carried a message that he was an Allied flyer who needed help and the local would be rewarded upon his return. A reunion brings out all those stories. It was a good squadron with members who helped each other. Spielberg knows them better now. Only one or two communications men ever attended the reunions. Spielberg was born in February 1917 during World War 1. Spielberg has no regard for the president [Annotator's Note: President George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States] during the war in Iraq [Annotator's Note: Iraq War, 2003 to 2011].