Billie was in the 8th grade in Plainview Texas when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He was in the last year of Junior High School.
He joined the US Navy and was inducted on June 26, 1946 at the age of 18.
He started boot camp at San Diego California on June 6, 1946 and finished three months later. Then he was sent to electronics school at Treasure Island California, finishing that training on September 14, 1947.
Billie was assigned to the USS Comstock (LSD-19) at Pearl Harbor Hawaii and was transferred onboard in October 1947.
Billie’s responsibilities on the Comstock included such duties as maintenance and repair of shipboard radios, and the repair of the ships sonar and radar units. He also worked on Loran, which was a highly secret navigation system on the ship.
His most memorable experience was his ship’s participation in Operation Sandstone between October 1947 and May 1948. These were the atomic bomb tests off Eniwetok Atoll in the South Pacific. He feels that this experience as well as the rest of his time in the Navy contributed to a strong base for his future adult maturity.
The USS Comstock also was deployed to China with Billie on-board in October 1948.
After his discharge with the rank of Electronics Technician 2nd Class in 1949, Billie earned electronics degree from Texas Technical College.
His awards included the China Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.
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