1936: At age 13 joined Jr. Naval Reserve in Freeport, NY, worked my way up to Aviation Machinist Mate 3/c.
Jan. 6, 1941: enlisted Navy, sent to boot camp, Newport, RI for 3 months. Last weeks spent on board USS Constellation, slept in hammocks.
Sent to Great Lakes (IL) Service School for machinist, decked a chief petty officer, spent 5 days in brig on bread & water, fined $10, demoted to apprentice seaman and sent to sea.
Battleship USS WYOMING BB-32, battle station, second loader on 5 in antiaircraft gun and made captain of petty officer’s head (latrine).
USS RAVEN AM-55 and my first battle, dropping 300 lb. depth charges on German U-boats sinking our ships up/down the East Coast: this was before the war, where I learned seamanship, was helmsman (steering the ship), coxswain on the motor launch and battle station 50 cal. machine gun.
Transferred to Navy squadron of Grumman F4-F Wildcat fighter airplanes and squadron trained on aircraft carrier USS RANGER, then to aircraft carrier USS CHARGER to Kindley Field, Bermuda, where we boarded aircraft carrier USS SUWANNEE, headed for invasion of French West Africa.
Transferred to aircraft carrier USS CHENANGO, passed through Panama Canal to island of New Caledonia to protect convoys to/from GUADALCANAL and invasions of Solomon Islands.
Transferred to Army on island of New Hebrides while my squadron moved to Henderson Field on GUADALCANAL to relieve exhausted aircraft carrier Enterprise squadrons.
Transferred to Seattle, trained on aircraft carrier USS KALININ BAY, then on aircraft carrier USS CASABLANCA, then was transferred to USS TULAGI CVE-72 & headed for invasion of south France.
Headed back to Pacific through Panama Canal for invasions of LINGAYEN GULF, LUZON, PHILIPPINES, IWO JIMA, RYUKYUS, OKINAWA.
TULAGI was ordered back to States for repair/training a new squadron; while there, the war ended, TULAGI got underway to Philippines and stopped at Hawaii.
Transferred to Hawaii, then a week later to USS CHLORIS, an aviation engine repair ship, steamed through Panama Canal to Norfolk, VA, where I was transferred to Brooklyn Receiving Station where I drove a full size bus, truck and command car.
In 1945 I was transferred to Atlantic City, NJ airport; reported to VPB-101, a Navy squadron of B-17s with radar mounted in the bomb bay that flew into the eyes of hurricanes. After moves to NY and RI, on Jan. 22, 1947 I was honorably discharged.