Profiles Spring-Summer 2014 HFDFW

 

John joined the Navy on February 13, 1943 at the age of 18. He joined partly because his older brother was already serving in the Navy during World War II.

 After basic training, John was assigned to the Destroyer Escort U.S.S. Barr as Fire Control Officer. Serving in the Atlantic, John was serving aboard the Barr on May 29, 1944 when a German U-boat 549 torpedoed the Barr. The ship was hit aft of the number 2 funnel. John dreams to this day of a fellow crewman strapped to a 20mm anti-aircraft gun flying through the air after the explosion of the torpedo. During this engagement, the jeep carrier U.S.S. Block Island was also hit and eventually sunk.  

Before the Barr was hit John was in Casablanca, Morocco in North Africa while the Barr was in port. There John and a couple of shipmates went to a local Moroccan café. John asked the waiter if he had anything like steak and eggs since everything on the menu was in French. John then was asked to talk to the cook, and he tried to explain what he was wanting.  After the Barr was torpedoed and was towed to Casablanca for repairs, John and four fellow crewman went back to the café. On the menu was written in English “Steak and Eggs American Style.’

John accompanied the Barr as she was towed back to the states for further repairs. He was then transferred to the Attack Transport, U.S.S. Crescent City. The Crescent City served off Okinawa in the spring of 1945 receiving casualties from the battle and transferring them to nearby hospital ships. The ship stayed off Okinawa until the end of the war, then was sent to China. There the Crescent City carried troops up and down the china coast to fight the communists fighting the Chinese Nationalist’s.

At the end of the war, John had been awarded the European-African Campaign medal with two stars. He also was awarded the American Campaign medal, Asiatic –Pacific Campaign medal with two stars, the American Campaign medal, Good Conduct and China Service medals.