During the attacks, he helped batten down the hatches and carried 5-inch shells to the gun on the fantail (rear of the ship). The Hull received credit for shooting down two and a half enemy planes during the attacks.
After the attack, Decker served three and a half years on the Hull during which the ship earned Battle Stars for participating in actions against the Japanese. After being promoted to Pharmacist Mate 2nd Class, he was transferred to the Naval Hospital at Great Lakes for awhile.
Then, it was back to action on the LST-321 where, on D-Day, he assisted in the landing at Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy. During this time, he was in charge of 30 HMCs who picked up the DMS 35.
He completed his Naval service at St. Louis, Missouri on October 31, 1945.
He joined the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association in 1966 and was President of Illinois Chapter 1 in 1968 and National President in from 1980-1982.
He said there are still two chapters of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association in Illinois and one meets at Lamb's Farm in Libertyville twice a year. The other chapter meets in Springfield. Only six or seven Pearl Harbor Survivors remain in Illinois now, down from 91 at one time.
Quite a Coincidence. --DaCoot
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