Mr. Nelson entered the U.S. Navy in September 1942, and served as a motor-mechinist on PT boats in the South Pacific. The bulk of the interview involves his recollections of the details of PT boat operations, how patrols were conducted, the hazards involved, the performance capabilities of PT boats, and how boats and engines were maintained under adverse conditions.

Mr. St. George, a native of Simpsonm, MN., served in the U.S. Army from January 1945. He was sent to Australia with the 32nd Divison, then assigned the staff of Yank, an Army publication distributed to U.S. servicemen overseas during much of the war. He covered troup loadings in New Guinea and the Phillipines for Yank, and also contributed catroons. After the war he remained in the field of journalism and at the time of the interview was a columnist with the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The interview is focused on Mr. St. George's somewhat unusual wartime role as a news reporter in uniform.

Mr. Van Horn worked for many years as a locomotive fireman and engineer, primarily for the Chicago and Northwestern railway before retiring in 1969. As a hobby, for over 40 years, he took railroad photographs, mainly of steam locomotives, in many parts of the U.S.
In this interview, he discusses his career in railroading, the difficulties and hazards involved in his work, and the changes that took place in the railroad industry and in the engineer's job over several decades. Mr. Van Horn also describes his interest in photographing locomotives, his involvement with teh Mid-Continent Railroad Museum at North Freedom, Wis., and tells something of the history of various rail lines in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including some now abanded lines in western Wisconsin.