Veterans I met this past weekend
This is the second year that my friend Carol and I attended the Swing Dance at Sunnybrook Ballroom in Pottstown, this past Friday evening. Back in the thirties and forties, the Big Bands - Glen Miller, Jimmie Dorsey, Harry James and the rest - included Sunnybrook on their tours.
Funds raised by this affair are used by the organizers to transport World War II veterans by bus to Washington D.C. to visit the WWII Memorial. So far, several hundred vets from this area have made the trip, escorted by volunteers. Carol, like me, a little kid during that war, has made the trip via a separate group, Honor Flight.
The music was terrific; the food – covered by the ticket charge - consisted of a tiny handful of chips and pretzels and one soda, not a big deal since I knew what they use the money for.
The music was great, as were the people and the uniforms
Younger folks showed up in period uniforms and clothing but the older crowd showed everyone what good Jitterbugging was all about. Very smooth dancers indeed, most, I gather, still with their lifetime partners. It makes a difference.
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People who made history, in the flesh
The veterans represented all of our services, and were recognized and presented with small tokens of appreciation. Many served in combat, though the fellow at our table played the organ at Fort Lewis for the duration. Fortunes of war.
The woman with the red cross uniform was a college kid at the time; she and others volunteered to roll bandages after school, West Chester State Teachers College, to support the war effort. Nice lady.
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This sailor survived Pearl Harbor and went on to survive many other attacks
This gentleman appeared to be pushing ninety. I had the wonderful experience of conversing with him at some length about what he went through on December 7th and during the rest of the war.
His duty was up in range finder, located higher than anyone else on the ship, the U.S.S. Phoenix, a light, Brooklyn class cruiser of 10,000 tons displacement. “During the entire war, I had a better view of what was happening than anyone else aboard.”
At Pearl, he saw the attack coming in and sounded the alarm. “We’d just come in from patrol a couple days before, and the captain had planned to secure our ready ammo on the next day, Monday, and release us for shore leave.
"We got up steam and began to sortie from the harbor, bombs and strafing all around… but we weren’t hit. Ahead of us, the Nevada (battleship) was also leaving the harbor for the open sea.
"But Nevada took two hits near the stern. One blew a hole you could drive a car through; the other hit but didn’t penetrate or explode; it stuck out of their stern like a cigar. Their skipper decided – or it was decided by HQ – not to chance being sunk in the channel and blocking it, so he ran at full speed into the mud flats, so it couldn’t be sunk.
“As we entered the open sea, I spotted a periscope, reported it, and one of our accompanying destroyers blew it to the surface, then rammed it.”
Phoenix was engaged in many of the major battles and landings in the Pacific. At Surigao Straights, she formed part of Oldendorf’s battle line that formed the crossbar of the “T” that decimated the advancing Jap fleet, causing the surviving Jap warships to turn around and flee.
"Our troops had trouble getting ashore at Leyte, so Phoenix was called in to eliminate the Jap artillery located in some woods. I spotted our guns and our 6-inchers quickly eliminated them, enabling our troops to land.
“We served at McArthur’s flagship or command ship for much of the war, up until the landings on Luzon. He decided to switch to another ship that promptly was bombed, killing many of his staff. McArthur had just left that position moments before.
“Though we were engaged in some of the hottest battles of the war, including numerous kamikaze attacks, we were never hit even once, and our only casualty was a sailor who jumped overboard from fright and was pulled into our screws."
The view below shows Phoenix steaming past Ford Island during the attack. The smoke behind her is from two ships: the Oklahoma, at left, and the Arizona, at right.
For more details on U.S.S. Phoenix, I found many web sites that are fascinating to read. My talk with this gentleman motivated me to look it all up, and I am amazed at what this ship and her crew went through. He told me that he is one of only two Pearl Harbor survivors in this area.
We’ll never again see that type of warfare.
Regards,
Louis of PA
Trying to spot Jap aircraft; life or death. Final post.
U.S.S. Phoenix, off Luzon, trying to identify incoming aircraft as either friendly or kamikaze. Those hanging bags contain floater nets.
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We attend every year but hae not seen the band
Quote:
Originally Posted by
VeeVee
Is this the same band that performs at the Reading WW2 Weekend?
VeeVee, my son and I attend every year and spend our time taking photos of airplanes, talking with vets and trying to avoid heat prostration. You know how hot it gets there.
Below is a man who flew in B-24s; he had three shot out from under him.
And the bottom photo, at left, shows a Pearl Harbor survivor, U.S.S. Arizona I believe, along with his buddy.
Regards,
Louis of PA
