The Albert L. Raithel Oral History, dated 2001-2002 and 2009, contains audio recordings and transcripts of the interview between Raithel and Brian Shoemaker of the American Polar Society conducted on October 28, 2001, and correspondence from 2009 about the transcripts of the interview. This interview was a part of a series of polar oral histories sponsored by the American Polar Society and Ohio State University’s Byrd Polar Center Archival Program, with funding from the National Science Foundation. Major topics discussed include Raithel’s career in the United States Navy, his interest in Antarctic exploration starting from when he was a child, his involvement with the Boy Scouts of America, Operation Deep Freeze II, ski-equipped Lockheed P2V "Neptune" aircraft, and his experience flying Lockheed P2V "Neptune" aircraft to Antarctica and the South Pole.