The Independent-News, Volume 121, Number 8, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 6 July 1995 — Page 7

Veterans Recall World War II 50 Years Later Victory In Europe VE Day May 8, 1945 Victory In Japan VJ Day August 14, 1945 We started printing the experince of World War II veterans on pout VE Day. We will be planing to end these stories about VJ lay. Therefore, since we have everal yet to be printed, we will be unning the every week throughout le month of July and until the riddle of August. If you have not bt sent in your story — please call 36-3450. WARNER CLARK USS California st Gass Petty Officer, Shipfitter I enlisted in the US Navy in bvember 1942 and took boot camp aining at the Great Lakes Naval raining Station in Chicago. I was ten sent to Dearborn, Michigan to Shipfitters school. While at earbom I met and talked to Henry ord, Jim Thorpe and Joe Louis ho mingled with the workers as lorale boosters during the war. fter graduation from the Shipfitirs school I was assinged to the SS California, a battle wagon. The USS California had been ink at Pearl Harbor on December , 1941. There she lost about 100 len killed with about another 100 ijured. The ship suffered extenve battle damage and despite iper human efforts it came to rest 1 16 ft. of soft mud. After the ship as raised, it was brought back to 'remerton, Washington for overpul and reconditioning. It was at lat time that I joined the ship and e left the US for the South Pacific, larshal Islands, then on to the farianas where we immediately igaged the Japanese at Saipan. iDUAN^RAKE'S I TREE SERVICE I TREE REMOVAL TREE TRIMMING STUMP REMOVAL j Estimates | Phone (219) 936-6546 I Plymouth |

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We were hit the first day by shells from a railroad cannon, which was a cannon mounted on rails and hidden in a mountainside cave. We sustained five casualties and 14 wounded. The next morning at daybreak the dead were buried at sea in a very solemn and emotional ceremony. The non-believers, or ‘atheists’ on board became instant believers when the ship’s Chaplain asked everyone to kneel in prayer. In two days time, there were about 100 enemy killed and 71 light tanks were destroyed. We were gaged in the Mirianas Turkey Shoot with over 350 planes shot down. This action seriously crippled the Japanese Imperial Navy. After spending some time at Eniwetok for the ship repair we returned to Guam for bombardment and invasion duties. We bombarded Tinian Island for invasion and occupation. The task force Admiral released the USS California and its sister ship the USS Tennessee for a well-deserved rest and relaxation. We headed for Espiritus Santo, which was south of the equator. Crossing over the equator was an elaborate initiation for those of us who had never crossed before. We were the ‘pollywogs’ and those who had made previous crossings were the ‘shellbacks’. The pollywogs had to march slowly between two lines of shellbacks who reaped various indignities upon us. Some shellbacks gave us ‘unauthorized’ haircuts using electric shears to cut our hair ‘every which way’. Others would grab us and plunge us head first into huge cans of mustard or catsup, this was known as the ‘Royal Shampoo!’ But it was all in fun, meant to help us forget the horrors of war, even for a short time. And it was only for a very short time, for the next morning the USS Tennessee collided with the USS California in a fog just before reveille. It tore a hole 30 foot by 30 foot into the side of our ship. Being in enemy territory we had only 30 minutes to evacuate the dead and injured. Can you imagine hearing the cries of one for his mother; others just to save them; holding a head just above the water while a shipmate amputates an arm to release him. This has haunted me every day for life. War is hell. No one really wins. I was not a Second Gass Petty Officer with no future aboard ship for advancement of rating. So I got to come back to the States. The year was 1944 — I got married.

Then I spent the next 16 weeks in San Diego at an advanced welding school. I was then assigned to the APL 45, which was a seagoing hotel or Auxiliary Personnel Living Quarters. It housed 800 Seabees going to work in the Islands but to sleep and eat on board ship. Then in August 1945, while in Portland, Oregon, we got word that Japan has surrendered and the war was over! Everyone was celebrating VJ Day. I thought I would stay in the U.S. since I was already here — but no, I had to go back aboard the APL 45. It took 21 days for a seagoing tug to pull us from the U.S. to Pearl Harbor. At Pearl, sailors by the thousands were being sent back to the States by the point system — I had 44‘/a points by that time — so I came back to the States and was discharged at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in November 1945. I still attend the reunions of the USS California every two years. There are not many left of the crew, probably 250 out of 2200 men that were on it. Only 14 left out of the 80 that were in my division. We Communicate each year at Christmas time by writing or calling each other. Tucson, Arizona, was the site of the last reunion in March of 1995. There had been 64 of 250 (out of 2200) crew members aboard the USS California that had died in the last two years. The next reunion will be in September of 1997 at Savannah, Georgia. MORRIS SEARFOSS U. S. Army Airforce I was inducted into the U.S. Army Airforce on February 19, 1943, and took basic training at St. Petersburg, Florida. From basic training I was sent to California, Camp Pinedale at Fresno for radio training. I took radio training at Yosemite in a place called Camp Wawona. After I completed my radio training I was sent to Camp Houze, Texas, for some advanced training with forced marches and survivial training as the primary objective. I was then assigned to the 1023 Engineer Bridge Com-

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JULY 6, 1995 - THE INDEPENDENT-NEWS -

pany for more training with Treadway Bridges at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. After completion of all this intensive training our unit was shipped to Europe with all of our Bridge equipment, for the sole pupose of repairing and constructing bridges that had been blown away during the fighting that had taken place. When the war in Europe was over our unit was loaded aboard ships and directed to go to the Far East. We left Marseilles, France, throught he Mediterranean, across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal across the Pacific to Luzon, then into the Philippine Islands. We remained there until late 1945, repairing and reconstructing the damaged cities. On the way home we encountered a typhoon near Hawaii which blew us about 200 miles off course. It wa a terrific storm, the likes of which I shall never forget I Mere survival was a miracle!

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I was discharged on August 31, 1964 at El Paso, Texas. I had spent 22 years in military service. LEVI KEMP 743th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion I was inducted into the Army on March 22, 1945, and was assigned to the Infantry Training Center at Camp Croft in South Carolina from April 2, 1945 until July 28, 1945. After intensive training I qualified as a Rifleman. I was sent overseas in August of 1945 to Manila in the Philippines. At this time I was assigned to the Anti-Aircraft Battalion as a truck driver. The war against Japan ended in August of 1945, very soon after I had been sent overseas. I was discharged at the Separation Center at Camp Beale, California on . December 7, 1946. Read our Classified Ads!

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