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Originally Posted by kathyspear
I don't usually watch war movies but I am looking forward to the new Tom Hanks film "Greyhound". My dad was the chief radio officer on the SS Ingham during WWII that escorted ships across the Atlantic which is what Hanks' ship does in this movie. Apple paid $70million for the rights to the film so it will only be on Apple+. Not sure when it will be released.
kathy
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My Dad was Navy also, except in the Pacific Theatre. Armed Guard for convoys to Guadalcanal, Vladivostock. Australia and New Zealand. Took him years to talk about it, but I found out he was a war hero and received the Presidential Commendation For Bravery.
On November 11, 1943, the SS Cape San Juan, an Army troop ship carrying over 1400 troops , was torpedoed by a Japanese sub in the South Pacific. The survivors in the water had to contend with a massive shark attack where sharks were literally pulling men off the life rafts. My Dad was on the SS Meredith at the time as Gunners Mate/1c. The Meredith was the first ship on the scene. Without hesitation, he dove into the shark infested water and began pulling injured men up to the Meredith. Many of the troops were from the 5th Air Force, First Fighter Control Squadron.
In 1995, the survivors managed to track down my Mom and Dad to invite him to their Reunion. Sadly, he had passed a few months before. All this was 18 months before the USS Indianapolis.