Lachler - Powell

KARL LACHLER, Private First Class Cadet, USA

I enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943 in my junior year in Pottsville High School, Pottsville PA. They did not call me until I graduated in 1944. I did basic training in Waco Texas, then a radio course in Big Springs, Texas. While there the U.S. government knew the war was coming to an end.

In January 1945 I was transferred to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for "on- the line-training" which consisted in general maintenance of aircraft. That was a short three months and then we were shipped out to Truax Air base in Madison, Wisconsin. Once again there was no consistent training related to the fact we were candidates for pilot training. The A-bomb had been deployed and we celebrated but did not know that our "Aviation Career" was about to come to an end.

While in Madison, with a class A pass, I had the good fortune to visit a Christian Servicemen's Center downtown Madison and in a deep conversation with a retired minister came to experience Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. That became the fork in the road that led me to chose the career of missionary service, a career I had never before contemplated.

I still have a stack of old letters sent to my folks and saved by them. Each envelope has the word "Free" where the stamp should be, because no postage was charged to military personnel.

Late in September or October of 1945 I was discharged from Scott Air Base in Illinois as a Private First class Cadet and rode the train to my home. I hung around Pottsville until January of 1946 and then took off for Sioux Falls college, again riding the train. There I did a year and a half of college before transferring to Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I finished with a major in Philosophy.

My going to college was breaking the mold, since no one in the family had a college education. And the GI Bill of Rights gave me three years paid and with extra curricular work I was able to graduate without any debt.

All in all, that short military career helped me to grow up and embark on a fruitful and fulfilling missionary career in Brazil that lasted for 32 years.

KURT LEGAIT, PFC, USA

Buffalo State Teachers College had no ROTC, and I was not eligible during graduate work at the University of Buffalo. I enlisted in the U.S. Army on August 20, 1958, in Buffalo, NY, choosing Artillery, Europe. I received basic training at Fort Dix, NJ, including 17 days in the hospital with pneumonia. My "second eight" training was at Fort Chaffee, AK. It was during this period that I received my Master's Degree in Education in absentia. I was immediately placed in "Fire Direction Center" (FDC) training, which was great because it was classroom training.

I was assigned to the 3rd Howitzer Bn. 17th Artillery in Schwaebish Gmuend, Germany (near Stuttgart). This was a 7th Army unit and was stationed in an old SS Kaserne at the top of a hill. The exterior walls were still pockmarked with bullet hits. However, the town was spared because the city officials went out to meet the oncoming Americans and surrendered. The old cathedral was 11th century. The new cathedral was 14th century. It is and was known as the gold and silver city of Germany with many jewelry firms. It was a very charming location in the Schwaebian Albs, foothills to the Alps. I had the advantage of speaking a reasonable amount of German being a 1st generation American. Upon arrival, I was immediately sent on a field training exercise in Grafenwehr, a huge military training area. Upon return to base, I learned that a slot was open in the Education Center and would be working under a Dept. of Army civilian employee, thereby forgoing any chance of promotion. I applied and was selected. I had to get a secret security clearance since I would be handling and administering GED tests. I spent the next 27 months in this position. It was very rewarding in terms of teaching opportunities, counseling and administering GED tests. During this period, the Army accepted people who had not finished high school, so the GED was a way for these guys to catch up.

I was my own boss since my civilian boss was located in Goepingen, about 15 miles away. I got to go to the Oktoberfest in Munich, the University of Maryland Graduation in Heidelberg (U of M had extensive educational opportunities for GI's in Europe including correspondence courses). I had dinner with the families. In addition, I spent 78 days of leave traveling throughout Europe.

I was able to meet my aunt, a nurse in Hanover. My last few days of leave were in Garmish- Partenkirchen where my aunt was taking her annual holiday. It was great and I know my folks were thankful that it worked out this way. This aunt had fled with my grandparents from East Prussia to escape the Russians and had some sorrowful tales to tell, including the death of my grandmother en route. I corresponded with my parents via tape recording. I also managed to send home a few treasures, such as Hummel figures for Mother, a cuckoo clock to the folks as well as Sharon.

I received an Honorable Discharge on August 8, 1961 as a Private First Class. I did have veterans' preference for federal hiring. While I served in the cold war in Europe, the last few months of my enlistment overlapped the beginning of the Vietnam War, so I was eligible and did join the American Legion and am a member-at-large in Kentucky.

FREDERICK N. "RED" LONBERG, BMCM, USN RET

My arrival on God's good earth in a chicken house during a January rainstorm in Miami, Oklahoma was just the beginning of my life's adventure. As the son of an itinerant preacher, I was raised in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri with 7 siblings in our log home built by the family. This provided me with a strong foundation in resourcefulness and a firm faith in God, both quite necessary for my future career in the United States Navy. After leaving home at age 15, I survived with jobs of hard labor, bridge building, ditch digging and fruit packing before connecting with an older sister living in northern California. We returned to the Midwest and I landed a job with Boeing building B-29 airplanes needed for the war. Nearing my 17th birthday, a need for job security and the patriotic pull to become more involved in our war effort led me to the recruiting station where I enlisted in the US Navy. Thus began my 28 years of service to USN from 2/14/1944 to 2/26/1971. Highlights of my career include:

2/14/1944-Enlisted in Wichita, Kansas followed by Boot Camp in Farragut, Idaho; 1944-45 - Aleutian Islands, Alaska stationed aboard a steel-hulled submarine chaser, PC780

1945-47 - NAS Green Cove Springs Lee Field duty with the 600+ ship "Mothball Fleet" - met and married a local girl, Mary Eugenia Arenburg and first awareness of Penney Retirement Community;

1947-49 - sea duty aboard a tanker hauling oil out of Arabia to the Pacific and the Far East; 1950-53 - stationed in Japan with Fleet Air Wing 6 during the Korean War

1953-59 - attached to VP-50 Sea Plane Squadron, Alameda, CA and then relocated to Whidbey Island, WA; included 4 trips to Japan ; 1960-61 - sea duty on USS Coral Sea(CVB 43) with the 7th Fleet in the Far East; 1961-63 - Recruiting Duty - Montgomery, Alabama; promotion to E-8

1963-64 - Served as Leading Chief on the USS Long Beach (CGN-9), nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser. Along with the USS Enterprise and USS Bainbridge we completed Operation Sea Orbit, a two -month unrefueled cruise around the world. It was the first all-nuclear battle formation in the history of naval operations. Promoted to Master Chief, 1 of only 3 in the Navy qualifying that year.

1965-66 - Served as Leading Chief on USS Saratoga (CVA-60), Mayport, FL; 1967-69 - Dockmaster at Mayport Naval Station, FL; 1969-71 - Served as Command Master Chief aboard USS Albany (CG- 10), Mayport, FL; final duty station; February 26, 1971 - Retired, Mayport, FL; Master Chief Boatswains' Mate; received 8th Good Conduct Medal.

Greatest Personal Accomplishment: While serving with VP-50 in Whidbey Island at the seaplane base, I was charged with a daunting task when a new seaplane ran out of gas and performed an emergency landing in a Flood Control Reservoir northwest of Eugene, Oregon. Upon take-off after refueling, the plane hit a submerged object in the lake putting 3 holes in their hull. My role as Beachmaster at the base made me part of the rescue crew called upon to assess the damage. Evaluation by the senior member of the team led to the conclusion "this is impossible". However, when the Commander sought my opinion I responded "If it was my $3 million plane, Sir, I'd get it out!" With that, I devised a plan to drain the reservoir, dig a workable access to the damaged area under the plane and patch it from below - all in 14° temperatures with snow and ice and frozen mud. With the involvement of the Army Corps of Engineers, bulldozers, ramps and many challenges along the way, the plane was in the air 19 days after commencement of my plan! In addition to saving the $3 M aircraft, I was promoted from E-6 to E-7 with commendations.

EUGENE L. MADEIRA, PVT, USA

I was given a draft deferment on January 7, 1945 so I could finish high school before entering the US Army. On June 12, 1945, I was inducted into the Army at Camp Cumberland, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I remember the train ride to Harrisburg with a bunch of other draftees. From Camp Cumberland, I went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training. Unfortunately I was hurt in basic training. I bent my knee carrying a soldier on my back so I had to be on crutches for several weeks. My Dad died July 3, and my family was shocked when I arrived at his funeral on crutches.

After basic training, I was assigned to type discharge papers for thousands of GI's being released from the Army. Then I was sent to Camp Beal, California, where I awaited orders for Korean occupation Those orders never came through. Then I was on a cross continental train to New Jersey, where I awaited orders for the Army occupation in Germany. I arrived in Germany, crossing the Atlantic Ocean on a Liberty ship. I got seasick with many other soldiers. I was assigned to Rosenheim, Bavaria, which was beautiful country. I had to provide guard duty for some German prisoners occasionally. But since I knew how to type, my office skills pulled me off of guard duty to an assignment in Berlin, Germany, American Zone. Berlin was an interesting city. I made many young teenage friends there. My office duty was to take care of the coal rations so each barracks had heat during the winter. It was interesting duty. I got to travel in the Russian Zone, where I saw the Reich's Chancellery where Hitler committed suicide in an underground bunker. The Russians later destroyed the site lest it become a memorial for Hitler.

I finished my duty on October 30, 1946, and took a train overnight to Bremen, Germany, where I got a ship back to the USA. It was great to see the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. I was Honorably Discharged at Fort Lee, New Jersey. I went to Columbia Bible College the next year in 1947 on the GI Bill. That was the best investment the United States ever made in her military retirees.

I sent care parcels to my German friends and visited them twice: in 1977 and 1992 after the Berlin Wall came down. Did you know it was prayer by thousands of Berliners that brought down the wall?

WILLIAM MARSCHALL, SEAMAN 1st CLASS YEOMAN, USCG

I was born and grew up in Chicago. Not long before my 18th birthday, my Dad urged me to volunteer for the Navy to avoid the draft. Several times I took the trolley 11 miles to the Navy Recruiting Station but found it closed. I went into the Coast Guard Recruiting Office and after he told me about the service, he handed me a paper and said, "If your Dad will sign this release, come back tomorrow morning before 7 and you can join a group of 30 recruits who are shipping out for boot camp." My Dad signed the released immediately and woke me up at 5 am to make sure I got there in time. It was February 8, 1945.

While at boot camp in Brooklyn, NY, I developed shingles and was in sick bay for a week. I learned I wouldn't be able to ship out with my Chicago area classmates, but a letter from my Mother changed the Commander's mind. One day in camp I joined a group of black guys boxing with each other. We had a good time boxing as my Dad taught me how to box.

We were assigned to the Coast Guard cutter USCGC Duane (WPG-33) 327 feet long, berthed in Charleston, SC. It had been a communications vessel in Europe, but that equipment was stripped and the ship was being outfitted with guns, preparing to invade Japan. On the train to Charleston, I looked around for the fellows I had boxed with and finally found them in the last car. I asked, "What are you doing way back here?" They laughed and said, "Haven't you ever heard of the Mason Dixon line?" That troubled me as I'd never known segregation in Chicago.

Our shakedown cruise on the Duane was to Boston. I was assigned as secretary to the ship's engineer because I could type 30 words a minute. Since the war was over, the Lieutenant asked if I was going to "ship over." I said "I guess so," not knowing it mean re-enlist. One morning in port an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Anyone who wants to go home be on the fantail at ten-hundred hours tomorrow." The fantail was crowded! With apologies to the Lieutenant, I said I was going home. I was terminated "at the convenience of the government" after a year and three months of service, on May 16, 1946, with the rank of Seaman 1st class rating: Yeoman. I was issued train fare to my home in Chicago.

I used the GI Bill and football scholarships to attend Valparaiso University and Texas A&M, but after three years I was restless and discontented. Quitting college, I got a job on an oil tanker at Baton Rouge, LA. I had never touched the helm of a ship, but as Seaman 1st class, my first assignment on that ship was to be the helmsman. The wheelhouse officer came up and gave me some valuable tips on how to manage a course.

I finally earned a B.A. in Criminal Justice and Business and ended up with the Chicago Police Department for 29 years, the last 15 as a Patrol Division Captain. I was also in the

Illinois National Guard for 2 years.

M. SIDNEY McCOLLUM, LT, USN

I served in the Navy as a member of the "Hurricane Hunter" squadron-officially known as Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Four or VW-4. We flew WC-121s, and were based at NAS Jacksonville, FL. I was a Naval Flight Officer (NFO), and my primary flight crew responsibility was to guide the plane safely into and out of a storm using the plane's radar.

Hurricanes show up well on radar. The EC-121 was a modified version of the commercial airliner known as the "Super Constellation." It had a powerful search radar which was designed to provide distant early warning of approaching enemy aircraft. With only slight modifications, this platform was well suited to do weather reconnaissance and track hurricanes. This version was designated the WC-121.

Patterns of temperature and pressure inside the eye of the hurricane help forecasters predict where the storm is likely to go. To get those patterns, we flew through the weakest side of the eye wall of the storm, then mapped the temperature and pressure variations. After exiting the eye, we flew around the outside of the storm and mapped the pattern of its winds. This information was sent to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, and was foundational to the predictions the center issued.

Penetrating the eye of the hurricane was guided by radar, but during daylight, it was done at very low level-800 feet above the ocean. One reason for this was because in the event of equipment failure, the crew could guide themselves out by looking at the sea surface to tell the wind direction, and thus the direction away from the storm.

The squadron performed a variety of other weather reconnaissance and radar search missions, but this was our identity and reason for being. It was interesting and exciting for me, and I'm grateful for having served in this way.

A civilian pilot friend enjoyed teasing me about my flying towards hurricanes rather than away from them. You would think that hurricane reconnaissance would be dangerous-and you'd be right. But with danger, everyone does his job very carefully, so that in the roughly 30 years the squadron existed, we lost only one aircraft that I know of!

I began active duty in the Navy in January 1966. The training command--Aviation OCS and NFO training--took slightly over a year. I did well in the training command, so I had my choice of the available duty stations--one of which was VW-4. In addition to being drawn to what the squadron did, I was dating Jennie Jordan, whom I had met at the University of Florida, and who was then working as a nurse in Gainesville. My being in Jacksonville enabled us to continue our relationship. We were married in November of 1967, and spent our first two years of marriage as a Navy couple. I was released from active duty in October of 1969, having attained the rank of Lieutenant and received the National Defense Service Medal. We headed for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in January, 1970. We were grateful for the help of the GI bill. 43

HAROLD S. McGAY, JR., PHM2, USN

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in December 1943. I received an Honorable Discharge in June 1946.

I was sent to Sampson, NY for 6 weeks of boot camp. Upon completion of Boot Camp, I was sent to the U.S. Navy Hospital in Philadelphia, where I did ward duty taking care of patients. Finding this work undesirable, I applied to attend Physical Therapy School. Upon completion, I became a Physical Therapy Technician. This involved administering to patients, i.e., diathermy, infrared and massage. After a period of time, I was transferred to Swarthmore, PA, where I teamed up with two other corpsmen. We administered to Marine and Navy personnel recovering from service wounds.

From Swarthmore, I was transferred back to Philadelphia Hospital expecting to be placed on the new Princeton Aircraft Carrier. After a short period, I was sent to the U.S. Navy Hospital in Long Beach, Long Island. Here I was Honorably Discharged in June 1946 as a Pharmacist Mate 2nd Class Petty Officer. The Philadelphia Hospital was also a Veteran's Hospital. My off duty work involved driving a Navy ambulance around Philadelphia to pick up the wounded servicemen and also veterans.

WILLIAM McKAY, CORPORAL, USA

I enlisted in the US Army Air Force on December 12, 1942. After I was sworn in, my parents, my sister Ruth and girlfriend Jackie and I all went to lunch. I left Broad Street train station in Philadelphia and headed for New Cumberland, PA. I arrived at Camp around 9 pm and had my first Army meal, cold hot dogs, potatoes and coffee. I got my summer uniform on the 14th and thought I was a real soldier. We left New Cumberland on the 15th for a 3 day train trip heading for Miami, FL. All the military men stayed at the Betsy Ross Hotel right on the beach. On December 24, I got two shots that afternoon and at the retreat I passed out. We had a very good Christmas meal. I served KP twice, once at the Poinciana Hotel and the Moritz Hotel, where our military men were staying. Six days after we arrived we packed all our gear and off again on the Atlantic Coast Line train heading to Seymour Johnson field, Goldsboro, NC. On January 11, 1943, I started airplane mechanics school. Topics covered were structures, props, engine, carburetion, hydraulics, instruments, ignitions, blocks and pre-flight inspection procedures. I graduated on May 12.

Payday was a big day - $47.50. I was made barracks chief and flight leader for our group in the review for our new Commanding Officer. I managed to pick up some spending money sewing patches and buttons on uniforms for the fellows. I learned this from my grandmother. I attended church every Sunday. My next duty assignment was Glenn L. Martin bomber plant in Maryland. I arrived by a one day train trip on May 13. Our camp consisted of about 20 barracks set up next to the plant. The Martin Company managed the dining room and the food was excellent. Most of our time was spend attending classes and working in the plant. I got my certificate on June 16. I then took a train on June 17 heading for Haines City, FL by train. From the station we went by truck to the camp in Avon Park. I was assigned to the 317th Airdrome Squadron. One of my first jobs was to install a carburetor on a B-26. Some days we spent as many 18 hours on the line.

On August 13, I was heading on the Seaboard railroad for Chanute Field to become a prop specialist. My buddy and I had 3 free days in Chicago, where everything was free for servicemen, meals, tickets to shows, baseball games and museums. When I reported on August 18, my first detail was to pull weeds around the barracks but I was having trouble with my asthma. I attended school and learned how to remove scratches and bullet holes from a prop. My asthma flared up and since I couldn't breathe, I was admitted to the hospital. While in the hospital, I helped the nurse take temperatures in the morning, ran the wax and polishing machine in the ward and washed windows. On September 6, they gave me 6 shots in a 24 hour period. The next day the doctor tried a new shot and I passed out. When I woke up, 2 doctors and 4 nurses were working on me. The doctor told me I would probably be discharged. I tried to convince the Chaplain to get me a job as a Chaplains' Assistant but he wasn't able to do this. On September 29, I went before a medical board and was Honorably Discharged on October 27, 1943.

Even though I only served 10 months in the military, I was thankful for the opportunity to serve my country. As a veteran, I am also thankful for VA benefits as I am now receiving prescriptions at a reduced rate and able to see a VA doctor in Palatka.

WINIFRED K. (GOODHART) MILLS SGT, WOMEN'S ARMY CORPS (WAC)

My father invited a WAAC Captain from Harrisburg, PA to talk to me. Needless to say, I was recruited that weekend. I enlisted in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on February 25, 1943. I traveled by train to Fort Oglethorpe, GA, where I completed basic training. They didn't even have uniforms for us at that time.

Upon graduating from Recruiting School at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, I was promoted to Tech 3. Recruiting duty in Texas included Dallas, Forth Worth, Breckinridge and Abilene. When the Women's Army Corps (WAC) was officially established, I enlisted on August 16, 1943 and continued on recruiting duty. I reported for overseas training on August 21, 1944.

Our unit of 154 women was assigned to the Signal Intelligence Service and was sent to New Guinea in the Southwest Pacific area, arriving there October 10, 1944, after zigzagging across the Pacific. During the crossing, we were allowed to go on deck after guard duty, but could not light a cigarette or flashlight. In New Guinea, we lived in 6-man tents with wooden floors, inherited from the Australian Army, who had moved further north. I attended cryptology school and served as a cryptanalyst, initially decoding intercepted Japanese messages manually and later on a keypunch machine. We had only one machine and took turns, rotating eight- hour shifts around the clock. The motto "A slip of the lip sinks ships" precluded any discussion of our duties, even with our tentmates.

On June 16, 1945, I was transferred to San Miguel, Philippines, in the "boonies," about 75 miles north of Manila. Before the Japanese occupied the area, it had been a resort. We lived in windowless wooden buildings with screens at the top. The war in the Pacific ended in August 1945. While waiting for a ship to bring us home, we lived in tents in a holding area, leaving finally on a converted Matson liner, November 4, 1945.

I was honorably discharged at Fort Des Moines on November 26, 1945. My awards included the following medals: American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal, two overseas service bars, WAC Service Medal, Asiatic Pacific Medal with two bronze service stars, and Good Conduct Medal. I was glad that I served in the WAC, entering at age 21, where I matured and contributed to the war effort.

My parents, Wilbur and Mildred Goodhart, served in the military during WWI. My father served in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), stationed in England, where he met my mother who was in the Women's Royal Air Force. They were married after the war on September 30, 1919 at the Little Church Around the Corner in New York City. My brother, W. Edward Goodhart, served in the Amphibian Corps during the Korean Conflict. My husband, Harley A. Mills, retired from the U.S. Air Force after 26 years of honorable service. He died January 23, 1994.

GEORGE OESTREICH, CAPT, USA, CHAPLAIN

After graduating from the Texas Theological Seminary, I was recruited as an Army Chaplain by the Independent Fundamental Church of America. The Army had a great need for chaplains, as the war was increasing in Europe and the South Pacific. I entered the Army on October 6, 1944 as a First Lieutenant. I was sent to Fort Devens near Boston, MA for Officers Training. I was then attached to the 8th Service Command in Dallas, TX, where I attended chaplaincy training at Dallas Theological Seminary. While there, my book, The Suffering of Believers under Grace, was published. Then I was attached to the 1880th Services Unit at Camp Polk, LA, where I served as Chaplain to the Black Troop Artillery.

Then I was sent to Marysville, CA, to the 25th Infantry Division, 3rd Battalion, which I met up with in Hawaii. I was with several thousand troops headed to the South Pacific. First we landed in New Guinea, and then headed for the fighting under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, near Manila on Luzon. We were engaged in a horrific battle with the Japanese army. As soon as I disembarked at Luzon, a sergeant in a jeep took me as far as he could where my unit was in battle. I walked up the mountain to join them. My first task was to dig my foxhole, but the ground was too hard to make it deep enough. The Communications Officer offered to share his larger shelter. Our units were under constant attack by the Japanese. As the mortars hit the trees, the rounds exploded, sending white hot shrapnel raining down on us. The Japanese using the darkness as cover to infiltrate our line, killed and maimed all they fought. Our soldiers knew it was "kill, or be killed." I did my best to help the frightened, exhausted, and wounded men.

I set up my chapel and held services for our men. During one service, air raid sirens went off, and I jumped into the first foxhole I saw. I landed on my Commanding Officer, so I finally reported to him in that foxhole. A General came out to survey the battlefield from the top of the mountain. He was felled by a sniper. I performed the memorial service for him. We were relieved when the Japanese surrendered. I was a chaplain of the "Tropic Lightning Division" of the 25th Infantry Division, and was assigned to units in several bombed out communities along the Tokaido Line, the major highway along the east coast of Japan. I set up chapels south of Osaka for our troops. Soon, their families and civilian workers, American and Japanese, came. I had good crowds in the church, but I didn't speak any Japanese. We didn't have an organist. I learned of a woman with a silk shop in the town of Gifu, who played the organ. I found her in her shop, speaking English and witnessing the Gospel to the soldiers. An American missionary taught me Japanese. I had a station wagon. Every Sunday I would load up Japanese men who were studying to be Christians, and take them out to the villages to share the Gospel. I returned to the States in 1947, to Valley Forge General Hospital in Pennsylvania as a chaplain. I was Honorably Discharged as a Captain in the Army Reserves on July 2, 1947. My awards include: Occupation Medal Japan, American Theatre Ribbon, Asiatic Pacific Theatre Ribbon, and the WWII Victory Medal. Frances and I were soon married and returned to Japan as missionaries.

GEORGE H. PARK, SSGT, USMC

I enlisted in the US Marine Corps right out of high school in July of 1946. My Dad figured out I would be eligible for the GI Bill. I traveled by bus from St. Petersburg, FL with 3 high school friends to Parris Island, SC for boot camp, which was about 12 or 13 weeks. That was an experience I shall never forget. I really began to grow up through the efforts of the drill instructors. We learned quickly what the Marine Corps was all about.

My next assignment was to Camp Pendleton in Southern California for further travel arrangements. We boarded a troop transport ship at San Diego and went to Pearl Harbor. The damage had not been cleaned up thoroughly after the Japanese attack earlier. From there, we went to Manila - same sort of ship damage though they were merchant ships.

Then we went to Shanghai, China - up the coast to Taku Bar, seaport for Town of Tangu, China. I was stationed in Tangu with "C" Charlie Co. 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division late Fall 1946 to Spring 1947. Our job was to guard an ammunition supply point that contained everything from hand grenades to 500 lb. bombs. The Communists tried to take these supplies from us in April 1947. We repulsed the attack but a number of Marines were killed and also a number were wounded.

China was extremely poor with the exception of several major cities I visited in late 1946 or early 1947 in Tiensin and Peking (now Bejing). On one trip to Tiensin, the Communists hauled off a piece of the railroad track. We got an extra day of liberty before the nationals got the track back and we could return to base. During the Peking trip, a small number of Marines guarded a train. One car had a supply of officer's whiskey.

We were all glad to leave China and our next assignment was in Guam. We were in a constant training mode for over a year before we returned to the U.S. I was honorably discharged in July 1948 in Jacksonville, FL and I was transferred to the inactive USMC Reserves. During the Korean War, I was recalled to active duty and served from October 1950 to December 1951. In the Spring of 1952, I was released from active duty. I used the GI Bill for college that I earned by serving in both WWII and Korean War. After the Korean War, I went back to the University of Florida and finished my last 2 years of Forestry. I graduated on January 30, 1954 with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry. Both of my sons served in the US Marine Corps. Both served in areas where they were in harm's way. We all call each other on November 10, celebrating the Marine Corps Birthday.

SEMPER FIDELIS--ALWAYS FAITHFUL (That is GOD is always faithful).

RICHARD W. PARKER, JR. LCDR, USN (RET)

I enlisted in the Navy Officer Candidate School (OCS) on 13 July 1951. Since I had a Bachelors Degree in Physics, I was eligible for the OCS. I reported in August 1951 to the Naval Training Station (NTS), Newport, RI as a Seaman Recruit for the OCS. We were issued untailored uniforms, as they were to be used by future classes and the whites looked like pajamas on us. Our quarters were old WW II enlisted barracks. When not in class, we were scrubbing floors, painting walls, chipping paint around windows, doing our laundry, cleaning toilets and standing inspection every day. Some "fond" memories were fighting oil fires against the wind or trying to shore up bulkheads below decks in a leaking training ship as it listed and water was pouring in. On Labor Day we marched in a parade in downtown Newport with rifles, puttees and sheathed bayonets in untailored blues wearing the last of Navy's ugly blue flat hats.

I graduated from OCS in November 1951 as an Ensign, designated as a Naval Aviation Officer, 1 of 15 out of 400 classmates. My orders were to the Combat Information Center (CIC) School at NAS Glenview, IL to be an Air Control Officer. That is, to control carrier based fighter aircraft to intercept suspicious air or surface targets by long range radar from a Navy ship or aircraft. In March 1952 I was ordered to ComAirLant at NAS Norfolk, VA for direction to Airborne Early Warning Squadron Two, (VW-2) and then to NAS Patuxent River, MD to be assigned to VX-4, a development squadron. VX-4 was developing the operational requirements for a new top secret air defense concept, Airborne CIC and was to be recommissioned as an operational squadron, VW-2, the first Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron (AWACS) in the world. VW-2 was commissioned in June 1952. The squadron had three types of aircraft, modified by the Navy to have airborne CICs and a powerful long range radar: PB-1Ws (B-17Gs), Lockheed Constellations (WV-1s) and Super Constellations (WV-2s). Two of my OCS and CIC School classmates joined me at VX-4 and we three Ensigns were welcomed with open arms by the Squadron CIC staff. Lucky us, we got to do the PB-1W flights, which were slow, unpressurized, uninsulated, unheated, no toilet, no galley, no bunks, cramped and on 8 to 10 hour patrols but they were very reliable. I flew 1032 hours in the squadron in 28 months on flight status, 732 in PB-1Ws and 264 in Connies, which were plush.

The Squadron's mission was to support Atlantic Fleet naval operations, done through participation in NATO Naval exercises in the East Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. We were part of a secret Cold War effort to pressure the Russians. This was done through making four to six week detachments to NATO bases near the exercise areas near Russian defense perimeters. I volunteered for every detachment and spent time in Oslo, Norway; Naples, Italy; Scampton, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Lorient, France; Keflavik ,Iceland and the Azores Islands. It was rough duty. We also flew to NTS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba many times to assist in training Navy ships and submarines in the use of Airborne Early Warning and made many training flights to Bermuda. A very interesting flight was a research flight above the Artic Circle. We were to obtain data on search radar operations over ice. In March-April 1953 we spent ten days flying over northern Canada and Greenland, including a flight up a narrow and deep fiord to an airfield at the end of it. In May of 1953 I took some additional training in airborne radar operations at NAS Key West, FL, I went over to Miami Beach, FL on several weekends and met a young lady that I found very appealing. We married in September of 1954.

I concluded my Active Duty obligation in November 1954. I used the GI Bill to complete a Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering which opened doors to a satisfying career, completed 20 more years service in the Ready Reserve which led to a pension and the availability of a lifetime Medicare supplement, had a Top Secret clearance which also enhanced my career opportunities and it gave me opportunities to travel throughout Europe and North Africa. I retired in July 1974 as a Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy.

JOHN PETERSEN, 1st LT, USAF

I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in January 1950. I thought I would be drafted because of the Korean War. I was sent from Grand Island, Nebraska to Omaha, Nebraska where I was sworn in. Then I was sent to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas for basic training. Travel at that time was by steam powered locomotive train.

My duty stations included: Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas; Fort Frances E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne Wyoming; Forbes AFB, Topeka, Kansas; Lockbourne AFB, Columbus Ohio.

My greatest accomplishment while serving was to graduate from Officer Candidate School, Lakeland AFB, San Antonio, Texas in March 1953. The Korean War was over and the Air Force had a "reduction in force." I was discharged at Lockbourne AFB, Columbus, Ohio.

I wrote letters to the love of my life for the time I was in the Air Force. We agreed on portions of scripture that we would each read each night no matter how tired we were. We were married on June 19, 1954.

I did not serve overseas. I was in training almost all of my time while serving in the military. My rank at the time of discharge was 2nd LT. While serving in the Reserves, I was promoted to 1st LT.

I'm the youngest of 6 boys in my family. Four of us have served our country: one in the Army, two in the Air Force and one in the Merchant Marine.

TALMADGE E. PITTMAN, RM2(SS), USN

I enlisted in the U. S. Navy on February 13, 1962, and attended military training at USNTC, Great Lakes, IL, from February 14, to May 1, 1962. I went to Radio School in Norfolk, Va., May 17, 1962, to October 4, 1962. My next training was Submarine School, in New London, Conn, October 15, to December 21, 1962. I attended Basic Electronics School, San Diego, CA., October 28 to November 5, 1965.

I was assigned to the USS TANG - SS-563, (see photo below) Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on January 12, 1963, where I served the rest of my enlistment. My assignment on the submarine, after seaman duties, was a Radioman. While at sea on radio watch (a 4 hour watch), every two hours a schedule of messages had to be copied, which was sent in 5 letter coded groups. These messages were encrypted by confidential methods and from these messages it was determined if there were any messages pertaining to the TANG or Squadron 7. This was the communications system for the sub. The radioman had to keep up with all changes in publications pertaining to communications. Any person assigned to a sub had to qualify for that sub after coming aboard. I had to demonstrate to a qualified person how to operate all equipment, machinery, etc., and explain to him where everything was located in each of the seven compartments.

During my assignment on the TANG, the sub made two Western Pacific runs. On those runs we went into ports at Sasebo, Yokosuka, Tokyo, and Okinawa, Japan, Hong Kong, Subic Bay and Manila Philippines, Guam, Taiwan, and Midway Island. Also went into ports at Seattle, WA., Alaska, and Vancouver, Canada.

I was transferred from the TANG to the USN Station, San Francisco, CA. for separation from the Navy and received an Honorable Discharge from active duty on May 24, 1966. I served my reserve duty in Jacksonville, FL, from May 25, 1966, to February 12, 1968, at which time I received an Honorable Discharge. Medals received, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and National Defense Service Medal (Vietnam).

I am proud of my service to my country. I will always remember the time I spent serving with my shipmates. I enjoyed seeing other countries, people and cultures. Because of my time in the service, I was able to purchase our first home under the GI Bill.

LYLE H. POWELL, JR., LTJG, USN

My military story begins with my decision to apply for a college training program of the U.S. Navy called the V-12 program. I was a freshman at West Virginia University (WVU) and was directed to undergo a physical examination at the Navy base in Charleston, WV. I passed and was sworn in as an Apprentice Seaman on December 12, 1943. My parents had given their written consent as I was only 17 years old. I returned to WVU and was able to complete a half of that semester.

My Navy military schools were completed as follows: Bates College in Lewiston, ME (52 weeks); Princeton University (4 week pre- midshipman); Northwestern University Midshipman School, Chicago (16 weeks). After graduation, I was commissioned an Ensign and sent to Fort Schuyler in upper Bronx, NY, pending assignment to a ship. I was there when the Japanese surrendered and a need for new officers to participate in an invasion of Japan ended. I was sent to Gulfport, MI for school for recognition of naval vessel ships and planes.

I was then sent to San Francisco for travel to my assigned ship, the USS PANAMINT (AGC-13) located in the Harbor of Sasebo on the southern island of Japan. During that month, I was assigned to the Coast Guard office at the Golden Gate Bridge. My office window allowed me to see the bridge. After receiving a phone call from the Coast Guard station that a ship was approaching full of returning troops near the Farrallon Islands 10 miles out, I would put a record of welcome home to play as the ship passed under the bridge.

I arrived in Sasebo after Thanksgiving and replaced another officer who had enough points to be discharged. It was the command ship for the Minecraft ships cleaning out the many Japanese harbors. We had one rear admiral and staff in addition to the ship's crew. I was in charge of the first deck division of about 20 men who handled the small boats, the 2 anti-aircraft guns and 1 five inch gun. I stood Junior of the Deck (JOD) in turn. During my stay, the ship went to Shanghai for a week. Then the ship was called back to San Francisco to be refitted for the upcoming atomic bomb tests. Then I was assigned to be the second officer on a landing ship to be mothballed in San Diego. From there I went to Los Angeles for discharge into the Naval Reserve on August 2, 1946. I earned the following medals: American Area, Asiatic-Pacific Area, and World War II Victory. I remained in the Reserve for about 10 years without training and was finally discharged as a Lieutenant Junior Grade, while serving as a Methodist missionary in India.

I returned to WVU and completed my pre-law degree in the fall of 1946, changed to WVU Graduate School, then the Hartford Seminary Kennedy School of Missions, where I was commissioned a lay missionary, married Willine and went to India in July 1952.