1 00:00:00,270 --> 00:00:02,119 (camera shutters) 2 00:00:02,119 --> 00:00:05,202 (projector whirring) 3 00:00:08,050 --> 00:00:09,840 - My name is Joe Renteria. 4 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:14,303 I was born in Emporia, Kansas, July 17, 1917. 5 00:00:15,550 --> 00:00:18,730 I served 20 years in the United States Navy 6 00:00:18,730 --> 00:00:21,010 and retired as a chief photographers mate 7 00:00:21,010 --> 00:00:23,783 and I am a member of the Cherokee Nation. 8 00:00:25,770 --> 00:00:28,160 My life has been quite a journey 9 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,560 filled with so many experiences 10 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:33,939 that I would have never dreamt possible. 11 00:00:33,939 --> 00:00:37,950 (Anchors Aweigh plays) 12 00:00:37,950 --> 00:00:40,200 The bombs was dropping around and everything. 13 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,230 We just went ahead and ducked down 14 00:00:42,230 --> 00:00:44,840 into the gully that we had here. 15 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:46,620 I went ahead and took the photographs. 16 00:00:46,620 --> 00:00:49,150 You can see there's a plane coming over. 17 00:00:49,150 --> 00:00:52,280 I couldn't get to the ditch yet. 18 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,284 And oh yeah, you're scared, that's for sure. 19 00:00:55,284 --> 00:00:57,367 (sirens) 20 00:01:03,787 --> 00:01:06,143 (camera shutter) 21 00:01:06,143 --> 00:01:09,130 (joyful music) 22 00:01:09,130 --> 00:01:10,480 Oh boy, this is an old one. 23 00:01:12,382 --> 00:01:15,215 (camera shutters) 24 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:23,933 I'm only allowed to work till 10 o'clock my union says. 25 00:01:24,811 --> 00:01:25,820 (laughter) 26 00:01:25,820 --> 00:01:26,653 Oh boy. 27 00:01:28,787 --> 00:01:31,620 (camera shutters) 28 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,830 During World War II after Pearl Harbor was bombed, 29 00:01:44,830 --> 00:01:48,800 as we took over one island, before we went to the next one, 30 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:52,083 we went ahead and photographed it completely. 31 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,200 We didn't know nothing about these islands. 32 00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:00,000 When we came in afterwards, we had photographs. 33 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,030 We knew the time the tide would come up, 34 00:02:03,030 --> 00:02:05,500 when to drop our landing gear, 35 00:02:05,500 --> 00:02:08,533 so we could also get our tanks and everything else in there. 36 00:02:10,526 --> 00:02:11,930 The first time I went up 37 00:02:11,930 --> 00:02:14,870 and I was standing there at attention, 38 00:02:14,870 --> 00:02:17,380 handing the pictures to the lieutenant to give 'em to him. 39 00:02:17,380 --> 00:02:19,580 I wasn't supposed to talk to the Admiral. 40 00:02:19,580 --> 00:02:21,560 And the officer says, "Well bring 'em." 41 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:23,810 Well, forgot about protocol. 42 00:02:23,810 --> 00:02:26,310 I just turned around and walked to the Admiral. 43 00:02:26,310 --> 00:02:29,340 The Admiral says, "From now on you bring them to me." 44 00:02:29,340 --> 00:02:31,240 That was Admiral Halsey, 45 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:33,290 and I worked throughout the war with him. 46 00:02:35,330 --> 00:02:37,490 There was a lot of times that they would see us coming in. 47 00:02:37,490 --> 00:02:38,943 We were fired on, definitely. 48 00:02:40,992 --> 00:02:42,347 And flak is coming at you, 49 00:02:43,380 --> 00:02:46,020 and my pilot is moving and diving. 50 00:02:46,020 --> 00:02:48,437 Yes, there was many, many times I said, 51 00:02:48,437 --> 00:02:50,710 "Lord you gotta get me through this 52 00:02:50,710 --> 00:02:54,860 because I wanna go back to see my wife and all my children." 53 00:02:54,860 --> 00:02:57,897 You know, at times like that you start thinking about, 54 00:02:57,897 --> 00:02:59,737 "You know I never did pray much." 55 00:03:02,450 --> 00:03:04,197 You'd try to tell somebody that. 56 00:03:04,197 --> 00:03:07,520 "No I wasn't scared," I was running gung ho. 57 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:09,410 Yeah, you were gung ho all right, 58 00:03:09,410 --> 00:03:12,750 but you better believe it, you were also scared. 59 00:03:12,750 --> 00:03:14,270 You did your job. 60 00:03:14,270 --> 00:03:17,410 Many, many men did a good job out there. 61 00:03:17,410 --> 00:03:19,040 Many, many of them got killed 62 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:21,390 because they did a dog gone good job. 63 00:03:24,610 --> 00:03:27,210 Have you ever had somebody open a door 64 00:03:27,210 --> 00:03:30,480 or something behind you and slam it? 65 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:32,831 You didn't know they were back there and everything, 66 00:03:32,831 --> 00:03:36,403 and the hair on the back of your neck stood up? 67 00:03:37,750 --> 00:03:40,090 That's the way this was. 68 00:03:40,090 --> 00:03:42,763 You're scared, but you got a job to do. 69 00:03:43,810 --> 00:03:46,470 Your emotions and your body 70 00:03:46,470 --> 00:03:49,370 are overruled by the job that you're doing. 71 00:03:49,370 --> 00:03:51,280 You evade everything else in your mind, 72 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,773 but get that picture, period.