Wallace enlisted into the United States Naval Reserve on
March 11, 1945 at the age of 17.
He was assigned to the newly launched U.S.S. Telamon (ARB-8)
which was only one of twelve “Aristaeus Class” battle damage repair ships built
during WWII. Wallace and the Telamon were then sent to the Pacific Theater and
were part of the U.S. Navy’s Asiatic-Pacific 7th Fleet.
Wallace’s job on the Telamon was that of mailman. The
mailman was an important and popular position since he was the link between the
sailors on the ship and home!
Some of Wallace’s most memorable memories were surviving storms
and much feared Typhoon’s that plagued the fleet during the spring and summer
of 1945. In the Spring of 1946 the Telamon participated in “Operation
Crossroads.” This was the navy’s role in testing nuclear weapons at Bikini
Atoll in the South Pacific.
Wallace says that he is very proud of his service with the Navy
and that he was able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill. He graduated from
Baylor University in 1952.
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