2:26 | Will Crawford tells the story behing the formation of Foxy 29, an armed medical corps.
The USS Stephen Potter played a pivotal role in defending the American fleet from Japanese aircraft. Bill Minor was below deck helping direct fire, and the development and implementation of a proximity fuse enhanced his ability to counter the threat in the skies.
It was their third mission over Berlin and they were heading home. Four German fighters pounced on the B-24 and it was engulfed in flame and going down. Clyde Burnette fought for consciousness as the other crew in the back of the plane bailed out. He woke in free fall with no idea how he had made it out, and soon he was in German custody. Everyone made it out of the plane except George "Danny" Daneau, the nose turret gunner, who went down with the aircraft.
After a nerve-wracking mission to bomb Tokyo and a typhoon, B.E. Vaughan and the destroyer O'Brien suffered a second kamikaze attack which killed all three of his hometown pals who served with him on board. Then, began the grim task of collecting the personal belongings of the dead and preparing them for burial at sea.
During his time in ROTC before the war, Bill Minor had an exercise that took him up to New York City. Being a small town guy from rural Louisiana, he was blown away by the size and scope of the city, and got to see some musical legends during his brief time there; a highlight of his youth.
The first operation for the 4th Division was the landing on Roi-Namur. Lawrence Snowden remembers that, though it was an easy victory, valuable combat experience and important lessons were imparted on the Marines.
Two engines were out, a third smoking, and they were were losing airspeed and altitude, but they were flying level and pointed home. Then time ran out for the B-17 and Don Scott had to slip down the hatch into the slipstream. Part 2 of 3.
Ed Harrell describes in detail the sinking of the USS Indianapolis from Japanese torpedoes, which left nearly 900 Sailors and Marines in shark-infested Pacific waters. Part 1 of 4.
Bill Minor discusses his assignment to Task Force 58 and their initial days entering the Pacific Theater to fight the Japanese. His destroyer was responsible for defending the fleet’s air craft carriers while they provided air support for Marines landing on the islands.
Harper Brame recalls a couple other tales from his time at sea, including seeing a blue whale and a potential close call with the on-board torpedo's.
Navy Seamen during the war would often be at sea for months at a time, and to sustain their presence in the Pacific they would need a steady supply of fuel. During a refueling stop, Bill Minor’s fleet was hit by a devastating typhoon which claimed the lives of hundreds of seamen.
Harper Brame moved around a lot during High School, but he was still involved in a multitude of sports. After WWII came to an end, Harper found himself in line to enlist in the Navy. He was slated to be a Navy Corpsman, but wound up getting a duty he never expected.
Captain Crichton told the men to prepare for the worst, and through some miracle Bill Minor didn’t have to suffer through a direct hit from a torpedo. Sadly, the USS Intrepid wasn’t as fortunate.
War is not all gory details. Artilleryman Bob Polich remembers some other things, like the Stage Door Canteen in New York City, a much anticipated shower in Belgium and a tense encounter on guard duty.
Growing up during WWII as a young man, Harper Brame describes what he could do to support himself and his family. Young men all over the country had left home and that meant there was work to be done. As a teen he got involved in making model planes and became and honorary Ensign before even joining the service.
After the war ended, B-24 mechanic Russell Vaudrey was prepping the planes to fly home when a monstrous typhoon hit. It lasted three days and, as they were repairing planes, a second typhoon swept in. Finally, the crews began flying what was left of their aircraft home.
Before the war, Bill Minor was seeking a degree in Journalism at Tulane and was a member of one of the few Naval ROTC programs in the country. When the war broke out, things became gravely serious and he and others knew they were on their way to fight as commissioned officers.
Jesse Oxendine never really had any close calls with the Germans in combat, but he came close to getting injured by his own comrades. He recalls the time a buddy got shot because of carelessness. The enemy did have a clear shot at him when he was helping some civilians recover their belongings. They didn't take it.
Once aboard the USS Besugo they made their way across the Pacific Ocean to visit many places that were once the fields of battle. For a few months, they performed exercises in China where massive changes were underway on the mainland. Harper Brame describes his time aboard ship, some of the submarine’s history, and some of the duties they had at sea as well as the people he saw on land.
It was eerie when Tokyo Rose told you where you were and what unit you were in. Harry McMahon says he and his fellow Marines grew to hate her. After the war, when he was on occupation duty, he toured the A-Bomb site in Nagasaki. It's safe, he was told.
Transferring people across ships at sea was made simple with the implantation of a breeches buoy. Bill Minor recalls when Admiral McCain was on board ship and refused to remove his lifejacket while they were delivering him to his next destination.
The day before he reported to Fort Dix, Dick Arnold took a date to see Benny Goodman play in New York City. He didn't have reservations but when they heard that he was shipping out the next day, they gave him a table right on the stage. After his ordeals on the battlefield, as he was waiting to leave the hospital, he watched a newsreel that had a special music segment. Hey guys, that's me on the stage!
It was tough but boot camp would turn out to be easiest part of Frank Pomroy's time in the Marine Corps. After that, there was six weeks of training at New River and then straight to the Pacific. He and a buddy had volunteered to crew the 37mm anti-tank gun but it didn't work out the way they wanted. (Second interview)
Bill Minor recalls the few luxuries that could be afforded at sea, and with the USS Bunker Hill nearby they were sometimes lucky enough to get some ice cream. However, the aircraft carrier would be the target of two kamikazes and the USS Stephen Potter would take as many survivors as they could.
Newly liberated POW Clayton Nattier arrived at Camp Lucky Strike, where thousands of men like him waited for passage home. When his turn came, he rode in a Liberty ship, fighting seasickness all the way. He was soon in a luxury hotel in Miami Beach.
It was a wonderful childhood for Elizabeth Tilston in Southport, which was near Liverpool. When the air raids began, her father built an underground bunker for his family, complete with plumbing and beds.
While Bill Minor was operating in the Pacific, they had to worry about not only the threats from above but also the threats down below. Japanese submarines were patrolling all over, and he recalls one instance where they encountered one.
Jim Sharp was working his father's farm when he found out that he wouldn't be drafted because of that. So he got his father to sell the farm and he entered the Army in 1944. His training was hurried because more troops were badly needed. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
When Pearl Harbor was attacked, Fred Eichenbrenner couldn't believe it. He and all his friends were eager to serve and he got into the Army Air Corps as a result of his test scores. After his training as a mechanic, he languished in a unit training pilots. He began to think he would never get to some combat.
Not a lot of ships were lucky enough to have a mascot, but the USS Steven Potter had a beloved canine, Potts, to keep morale up.
He remembers hearing President Roosevelt on the radio in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. Alan Kinder had two more years until he was draft age. During that time, he and his mom and dad were part of the great outpouring of can-do spirit that swept the nation. Everybody pitched in to do what they could.
