Eugene enlisted in the U.S.Navy on October 15, 1940 at the
age of 20 years old. An uncle had served in the Navy and Eugene thought this
would be a good fit for him. Obviously it was!
He had a long and distinguished career in the Navy, retiring
in 1980.
After basic training, Eugene was assigned to the U.S.S. Salt
Lake City. This was a heavy cruiser, launched in 1927. This ship has the (unofficial)
record of being in more hostile engagements than any other ship in the
U.S.Navy. She served gloriously before and during WWII. Unfortunately she met her
unglamorous end as a target ship in 1948, by then hopelessly outdated.
During the war, Eugene and the Salt Lake City saw action in
the South, Central and North Pacific. The ship was present during the action
around the Soloman Island chain, including Guadalcanal. She participated in the
Battle of Cape Esperance for instance fighting the Japanese for control of that
island chain.
In 1943, the ship saw action in the North Pacific, specifically
the Aleutian Islands, where the Salt Lake City operated out of the island of
Adak. The ship participated in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands in an
attempt to keep the Japanese from occupying Kiska and Attu islands. In one
particular fight in these islands, Eugene states that his ship was involved in a
three and one half hour sea battle without air cover. Luckily, Eugene and the
ship survived!
Eugene retired from the U.S.Navy on January 11, 1940 with an
amazing 40 year career! His rank was that of Senior Chief Boatswains Mate.
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