In late June, 1945 I asked my mother if I could volunteer for the U. S. Navy. One brother had been in the Navy since 1943, another in the Marines since 1944.
She said I could. She told me later she didn’t believe I could pass the physical. I was six-foot, four-inches and weighed 152 pounds.
I was graduated from high school, had a year of college and my buddies were already in the service.
Quickly, I was off to Great Lakes Training Center boot camp, then equally quickly to Norfolk, VA for more training, to Brooklyn to board the new USS Woodford (AKA86), through the Panama Canal and on to Hawaii, to get a load of 5-inch cannon shells.
We got to Kerama Retto, a few miles from Okinawa, the last battle before ‘The Bomb,? June 24, 1945. Again, later, my brother told me he was in Okinawa while I was 20 miles away.
We went through one night air raid. All lights were off and a dense oily fog was spread over the harbor, which was full of ships. We didn’t hear any planes.
The atom bomb was dropped on Japan while we sat there. A couple weeks later our mission was cancelled and we were told to go to Saipan to unload the ammo, then head to Guam, Saipan, to Leyte and Cebu in the Philippines, then to Yokohama on Honshu island.
We’d visit each of Japan’s islands carrying Marines and Army personnel. Then, October 31, 1946 we lifted the 32nd CBs to Tientsin area of China.
Along that route through the East China Sea our gunnery boys had some fun shooting at mines bobbing in the waves.
It was when we were leaving Tientsin that a Chinese mother held her baby up over her head and begged us to take her child. Even for an 18-year-old, that’s tough.
We lifted the 5th Marines back to San Diego.
We finally saw a soft spot in our captain when he told us we crossed the International Date Line and we could have two Christmas dinners.
Captain kind of lost us in Guam. The war was over and we could have movies shown on deck. Captain and a couple other officers brought some nurses aboard. We watched them on their deck from our lower deck.
And, we displayed sailor manners by yelling obscenities, giving gestures and otherwise being naughty.
The next day, Captain’s message to the crew was quite direct. ‘From now on, when there are women on board you will refrain from using words that rhyme with ditch, etc.? There were several matching words.
Hell, we were sailors! What did he expect?
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In my 1945 notes, is a name and address of a Joan Miller in the Bronx. ‘Take the Times Square shuttle to Grand Central Station, get off at 241st St.?
I don’t remember if I did or not. I don’t think Hazel saw this note, or if she did and shook her head.
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This column is not the one I’ve been thinking of writing this Veteran’s Day. I was going to start with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
I was going to give you some of my Dad’s WWI diary writings while he was in the U.S. Army in 1918.
I was going to recall some flag raising events such as we had at Great Lakes Naval Station, or aboard ship, or during services in our park on Memorial Day.
I was planning to recall for you my feelings, chills and heartfelt excitement at standing and militarily saluting the greatest symbol in the free world.
And, reciting with the crowd, ‘I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.?
Please forgive my earlier ramblings.