I was just wondering if any of you had a grandfather/great grandfather/etc. who fought or served in the Pacific Theater of the war?
My own grandfather on my dad’s side, Vernon, served in the Merchant Marines during the war, and if I remember what he told me, he was sent to the Pacific Theater during the war. He joined in March 1945 (when he turned 17), and I don’t believe he saw combat (which Merchant Marines don’t fight anyway). However, he’s still a WW2 vet in my eyes.
My father was a USN fighter pilot. Was in VF-42 operating off USS Yorktown from June 1941 through the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 42. Was attached (as were 15 other VF-42 pilots) to VF-3 for the Battle of Midway, again off USS Yorktown where he was the squadron Exec. Was one of the last to take off as the Japanese B5N torpedo planes were coming in; shot one of them down, raising his score to four (two F2Ms earlier near Tulagi and one D3A at Coral Sea). Landed on Enterprise after Yorktown was torpedoed. A year later he was in the Solomons flying missions out of Guadalcanal in VF-11, picked off two A6Ms on 15 June 43, leaving him with a final score of six. Spent about a year as director of fighter training with ComFAirWest out of North Island NAS and then back out to TF38 where he was assistant ops officer on the TF38 staff until the end of the war. Retired in 1971 a Rear Admiral.
Regards
@Leonard- Wow! That’s pretty amazing!
My grandfather, as I stated, did not see combat (to my knowledge). I need to talk to him and get him to tell me more of his experiences.
My father was in the 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division.
He fought on Bouganville, Guam, and Iwo Jima (were wounded).
Unfortunately he doesn’t do much talking about the war except for the “good” times. Leaving ship to spend one last day in New Zealand, unloading army transports and pilfering beef, etc.
He ended the war in Bremerton, Washington where he was doing guard duty when the a-bombs werer dropped.
-Cary
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My Grandfather, on the other hand, enlisted in the 1st DC Infantry for the Spanish-American War, decided he liked the Army and switched to the regulars. Went out to the PI as a corporal in the 21st US Infantry, was commissioned a 2LT in 1901 and assigned to the 22d Infantry, still in the PI. Knocked around the Army until he retired, a Colonel, in 1935. In between, he was signal officer for the 5th Div in WWI, PMS at Ohio State, and commanded the 13th US Infantry. Oddly enough, my father’s next younger brother was assigned to the 2d Battalion, 13th Infantry in WW2. Was a pre-war platoon leader and began the regiment’s walking tour of the European countryside as a company commander; then to battalion ops officer, to battalion exec, and ended the war as 2d Battalion commander. He retired in the late 60’s as a Colonel.
My grandfather groused how it took him 10 years to get from lieutenant to captain and his sons were moving up an order of magnitude faster. His youngest son graduated from USMA in May 42, went in the Air Corps, became a P-47 driver and when he was killed over Germany in January 1945 was a Lieutenant Colonel.
Regards
My Dad was part of part of a group called the “Tokyo Trolley” I belive he was billetted in Japan as well.
My father, William A. Anderton, was a Rm1c on the USS Detroit, CL-8, from June '42 until Dec '45. The Detroit, a Pearl Harbor survivor, was anchored right next to the USS Missouri for the surrender, so Dad had a good seat for that.
He’s 86 years young, and still going strong.
My dad’s father had five children at the start of the war and was therefore exempt from military service during WWII. But, dad had several uncles that served in the Pacific during the war. One was a US Navy Corpsman (medic) and was wounded while serving alongside the Marines. Another was in the US Army Air Force in the South Pacific. Dad had mentioned another, but I can’t remember his branch of service.
My mom’s father was an Onderluitenant in the KNIL (Dutch colonial army) in the Netherlands East Indies. He was stationed in Bandung on the island of Java at the start of the war. Java fell to the Japanese in March 1942, so my grandfather became a POW. He died at the POW camp in Tjimahi 24 January 1945. Two of mom’s brothers were also in the KNIL and became POW’s. One survived the infamous Burma railway. The other, the hell ships that carried POW’s to Japan. Both survived the war, but have since passed away.
My grandfather was a ‘lil ways from your grandfathers, in a theater of WW2 often relegated to the back of most Americans’ memories, but yet still so critical…
Being from Guangdong, China, my grandfather, like most Cantonese, was pro Chiang Kaishek and the Nationalists. He was an enlisted man with the Chinese Army Air Corps who fought the Japanese in Northern Burma, mainly by maintaining and defending the supply lines into China, either the Burma Road system or the Ledo Road system (I’m not sure which). I know this is the “American Military” section, but my grandfather someone qualified, as he worked closely with Americans (and probably British as well).
After WW2, he remained in the Chinese Army and fought the communists in the civil war. He was participated in the Nationalist offensive that reached southern portions of Manchuria before the communist counter-offensive drove them back.
Upon withdrawing to Taiwan, he retired from the Chinese Army and worked for an American airline company.
My father enlisted in the Army. His first enlistment was at Schofield Barracks, the 11 Field Artillery Batter C from 1937 to 1940.
He immediately re enlisted in the 11 Bomber Group Heavy Bombers from 1940 to 1945. He was stationed at Hickam in Hawaii. Pop was present at the Attack on 12/7/1941.
After the Attack he went into the Pacific and was with the Air Corp at Midway and the Solomon Islands and other smaller things in between. Until he finally was discharged he was in over 8 years and 6 months.
The husband of one of my father cousins was working as a divsion admin clerk on Okinawa. Towards the end of the battle he saw the name of another of my family on the list of a replacement group joining that day. He made plans to locate and talk to ‘cousin Bob’. But, the following afternoon Bob’s name appeared on a list of casualtys being evacuated… Fortunatly the wound was not serious & both returned home.
My Grandfather on my mother’s side was a vet from a medical detachment based in the Philipinnes. He has the most amazing photos from that time, like buckets of amputated limbs…
I can picture the buckets of limbs.
There is a famous American Civil War photo at Gettysburg after the battle.
Outside the window of one of the surgical location is a large pile of amputated limbs. I can see it now, some of the legs still had their shoes on them.
I remembered reading how the South had come up this way into the part PA. to try to raid a town that made badly needed shoes. Some of the Confederates were in bare feet.
Then you have this pile of legs and their shoes still tied to the limbs in the pile of legs.
The 13 uncles who served in WWII. One in the AF. One with Patton, one killed in the Battle of the Bulge. One was in the army, due to be discharged in 5 months, was at Pearl Harbor. Who was in the 25th Div from Island to Island up the Pacific where he was wounded on Guadalcanal.
Our family, which is very large has always had a military History. Just one ancestor had 11 sons of Levi Osborne who served in Army and Navy in the Revolution. Two who served in the Civil War, were awarded the MOH, William Osborne, and Benjamin Flag on my grandmothers side. We never knew about them, until about 7 years ago, when a cousin researching the genealogy discovered the records in my grandparents papers.
My grandfather enlisted in the army in 1935 and served a year in Fort Shafter TH. He was in the field artillery and was around long enough to see Amelia Earhart. His enlistment ended and he reenlisted but they put him in the ordanance and he hated that. He got out 7 days after war started in Europe. He enlisted in the navy in early 1944. He served on a destroyer escort and was in the battle and invasion of Okinawa. His father died while he was over there and he was given 20 days to go home. after he left his ship was hit so he may have been lucky (it didn’t sink and is technically still in service today under a slightly different name). He served on USS Knudson APD 101. He died when I was 11 and was a big contributor to my love of history.
My Cousin Capt Don C. Owen USMC scored 5 kills flying F4F-4s and F4U-1Ds.
He scored 2.5 with VMF-121 on Guadalcanal in 1942 and later scored 2.5 over Japan with VMF-112 under Hap Hansen on the USS Bennington. He was KIA in May 1945. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Gold Stars, Purple Heart, Air Medal with 3 Gold Stars, 3 PUCs and 4 battle service stars.