Reuben always loved the water so it was a good match that in
1944 he enlisted into the U.S. Navy at the age of 17.
After basic training he was assigned to the destroyer, U.S.S.
Guest, DD-472 that had already seen action in the South Pacific by the time
Reuben joined the crew.
Reuben’s job on the Guest was that of Fireman and also a
gunner on a 40MM anti-aircraft gun.
The Guest was part of the fleet that was off Iwo Jima on the
opening day and a few months later saw action off the island of Okinawa. It was
on May 25, 1945 that a Japanese kamikaze aircraft got through the ship’s
anti-aircraft screen and hit the Guest’s mast. The plane bounced off and hit
the ship’s stack before crashing into the sea.
The Guest also saw occupation duty after the Japanese
surrender and took up station near Alaska at one point.
After the war, Reuben enlisted into the Naval Reserve after
college and became a Lieutenant J.G.
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