Quote:
Originally Posted by Aloha1
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.
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Had dinner with my brother yesterday and learned that our dad, in fact, spent a couple of years sailing in the Atlantic followed by a couple years in the Pacific. Shows you what I know!
k.