On the road

On the road

Monday, February 10, 2014

Profiles Honor Flight DFW Spring-Summer 2014


 

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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