Veterans Day

I joined the Navy at age 17 and was enlisted from 1952 until 1960. They were drafting boys in high school and I decided to enlist so I could choose which branch I wanted to serve in. After boot camp ended, my orders hadn’t come in yet, so I served aboard a troop carrier. We became a small part of a massive effort to support the launching of aircraft. Most of the troops that we helped launch would eventually wind up in Korea.

During my first deployment to Korea, I helped load ammunition and food, shoveled snow for plane landings and helped launch jets that bombed enemy targets. Everyone had a job to do, and I was a part of it.

When my orders finally came in, I was in Japan at the time. I was supposed to report back to the United States but I missed the ship that was going back. Instead, I boarded the carrier General Gaffey and made stops in the islands and ports in the Pacific before finally arriving in San Diego to a hero’s welcome.

After the war, I took a job as an elevator mechanic and as a city inspector for Seattle. I retired after 23 years.