John enlisted in the US Navy at the age of 18. He was inducted on May 29, 1944.
He was in the Pacific theater and was assigned to an LSM. LSM stood for Landing Ship Medium. They were built between the years 1944-45. 478 were completed by war’s end.
These ships were the workhorses of the Navy in WWII. The ships transported men and material all over the South Pacific. They were frequent targets of Japanese kamikaze attacks off Iwo Jima and Okinawa. John was a Seaman First Class and participated in various invasions during his time in the Navy.
At one point his ship was caught in a Typhoon which what a hurricane is called in the Pacific. John’s ship was sunk and he spent 19 hours in shark infested waters, 23 miles from the nearest shoreline.
John was awarded the WWII Victory Medal, and the American Campaign Medal. He was discharged from the Navy on June 7, 1946.
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