Octa entered service with the U.S. Navy on May 17, 1943 at
the age of 17.
He was sent to Rice University in Houston, Texas in June-November,
1943 for advanced training in the operation of radar. He had further training
in radar in point Loma, California and again in Oahu, Hawaii.
Octa served aboard the U.S.S. Uhlmann which was a destroyer
in Division 34 of Admiral Halsey’s Task Force 38 and Admiral Spruance’s Task
Force 58.
The Uhlmann was involved in the invasion of the island of
Tinian and other operations such as the invasion of Iwo Jima, then the island
of Okinawa, right up until the surrender of Japan in August, 1945.
The Uhlmann received a unit citation for sinking a Japanese
submarine, then shooting down two Japanese aircraft off Kyushu, Japan. Later
the destroyer was patrolling off the island of Formosa and shot down four
Japanese planes.
Octa was discharged from the navy on March 6, 1946 with the
rank of Radarman 2nd class.
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