Jimmie was a freshman at the University of Texas on Sunday December 7, 1941 when, over the radio came the news that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. Jimmie and his brother, also a student at U.T. had already joined the universities ROTC program in September 1941.
Fast forward to July 1943 and Jimmie was in the Navy (like his father in 1917-18)and was commissioned an Ensign in January 1944. He then began six month training in destroyer escorts in the Atlantic, making at least one trip to Africa. Jimmie was trained in an early form of computers, where sailors would enter data into ship board computers for fire missions.
In late 1944 Jimmie was assigned to the destroyer escort, USS Sands and was off the coast of the Philippines. The ship was part of a naval force that was preparing for the invasion of the Philippine Islands. The Sands had the very hazardous duty of sailing into Lyngayen Gulf before the invasion. The ship entered the Japanese held area to deliver frogman to search for underwater mines under the very noses of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The mission went off without a hitch, and mines were found and charted.
The Sands then sailed for Iwo Jima and participated in that campaign. Later Jimmie was off Okinawa and witnessed navy ships in his squadron being hit by Kamikaze pilots and naval craft. An interesting story is one where the crew of the Sands, including Jimmie, fired at a suicide boat that was attempting to ram the Sands. The boat was destroyed, Jimmie saying this was the only time in the war that he personally fired a weapon at the enemy.
Jimmie was in San Francisco when he heard of the Japanese surrender. He and his buddies celebrated the victory that day in a style that one only could in San Francisco! He got out of the Navy in July 1946. He eventually got his Masters degree while in San Francisco. Jimmie spent 55 years in San Angelo Texas where he owned a children’s clothing store. Later and up until a few years ago he was in the appraisal business. He now lives in Euless Texas.
Jimmie is a card carrying member of the “Greatest Generation,” and will be a proud man when he finally gets
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