Gender

Male

Birth date

1932-7-12

Place of birth

Gallup NM, U.S.A.

Inducted

1952-4-14, Chicago IL

Enlistment type

Volunteer

Service branch

Navy

Service type

War,peacetime

Unit type

Support

Units served

USS Eversole DD 789

Military specialty

Radioman - morse code - teletype operator aboard ship

Stationed

U.S.A. - Great Lakes, IL; San Diego, CA; Yokosuka, Japan

Separated

Long Beach CA

Unit responsibility

Attached to the 7th fleet in the Pacific.

Personal responsibility

Radio operator including hand operated code, teletype.

Major battles (if served in a war zone)

Our ship was part of Task Force 77 providing support for the land forces and to escort our carriers while they launched their planes. I was only on one tour of patrolling the coast of Korea.

Awards, medals, citations (individual or unit)

National Defense Service Medal; Good Conduct Medal; Korean Service Medal; United Nations Service Medal; China Service Medal

Living conditions

Life aboard ship was not bad. We slept in bunks usually 2 bunks with lockers under the lower bunk. We ate in a mess hall and our real entertainment were movies shown on deck when the weather was good and in the mess hall when weather was not good.

Most vivid memory of military experience

During one of our tour of duty in the Pacific: our ship was part of a task force to escort a mock invasion force of marines. The destination was the island of Iwo Jima. We were not allowed to go ashore but we were able to see the marines comb the island and establish a beach head.

Missed most whilst in the military

Home cooking. Most of my friends were in the service and my brother was away from home.

Most important thing, personally, to come from military experience?

The military training helped me to understand the meaning of discipline, to be able to take orders. to be able to live among 300 men. The feeling of being loyal to the government and the U.S. Navy. Of course, the opportunity to learning Morse code and learning to type.

Additional information

Military history: Enlisted in Chicago, Illinois and was sent to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center for 12 weeks of basic training. After basics, I was sent to San Diego Naval Training Center for Radioman School for 16 weeks. I was sent to Japan to serve aboard a frigate which was scheduled for decommissioningt in Yokosuka, Japan at the shipyard there. I was then transferred to the USS Eversole DD 789 (destroyer) assigned to the Pacific 7th fleet. After spending a couple of months off the shores of Korea as part of Task Force 77 we were sent home and the Peace Treaty was signed during that time. During my final 3 year tour was spent patrolling the waters off Korea and Formosa.