A World War II Marine Comes Home-- Part 2: Howard E. Miller, Killed on Betio in the Pacific

Howard Miller was born  May 6, 1921, and died on November 22, 1942, the third day of the hard-fought battle for Betio, Tarawa while serving  with Company A, 1st Battalion,  6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force.  Almost 6,400 Japanese, Koreans and Americans died in the fight for Betio.

Miller attended San Mateo High School and was a football player.  After graduation, he worked at Bethlehem Steel in San Francisco.  He was on a four-day furlough from Marine boot camp, when he married Elizabeth Bettinger. She learned he had died on New Year's Day, 1944.

His body was found after nearly a decade of excavations by History Flight, a Florida non-profit that researches and recovers missing U.S. service members.  This group has accounted for most of the lost Marines on Betio.

The Marines were buried, but the location of those sites was lost.  Mr. Miller's boots had bone fragments in it and DNA on those led to his identification.  They also found his dog tags nearby.

A World War II Marine Comes Home, A Fitting Veterans Day Story-- Part 1

From the November 10, 2020, East Bay Times by Peter Hagarty.  San Mateo, California.

A U.S. Marine  has come to his final resting place decades after gunfire cut him down as he was defending this nation thousands of miles  from home.

Howard Miller died during the grueling Island Hopping Campaign across the Pacific as Americans moved closer and closer to striking distance against Japan. Back then, his brothers in arms lowered the 22-year-old  private first class into  an unmarked grave on Betio, a little-known island that is part of the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands.

His remains were flown into San Francisco where active-duty Marines in full dress blues moved the casket and it was then transported  to San Mateo for burial.

The 41st President, George H.K. Bush: Shot Down Over Chichijima

Since President Bush's burial will take place today in College Station, Texas, where his presidential and vice presidential libraries are located (as well as his vice president during his term, Dan Quayle).

From Wikipedia.

GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH

While he was president, he was called just George Bush, but after his son was elected, he was referred to as George H.W. Bush, Bush 41, or George Bush Sr..

I am writing about his World War II service in most of my blogs today.

George Bush piloted one of his torpedo squadron's Grumman TBM Avengers when they attacked Japanese installations on Chichijima on September 2, 1944.  His crew included  Radioman 2nd Class John Delaney and Lt. (jg) William White.  His aircraft was hit by flak during the attack, but Bush successfully released bombs and had several hits.

With his engines ablaze, he flew several miles from the island where he and one of the other crewmen bailed out.  The other one's parachute did not open.

Death of Ruth Ann Steinhagen in 2012-- Part 4: Her Original Plans

She used to go to all of the Chicago Cubs home games while Eddie Waitkus was with them.  But, when he was traded to the Phillies, she didn't get to see him as much.  This led to a mental breakdown.

She moved into a small apartment and turned it into a shrine to Eddie Waitkus.

Her original plan for after killing him was to commit suicide.

Eddie Waitkus fought in the Pacific Theater during World War II and saw especially heavy action in the Philippines.  For three years he braved Japanese bullets without a scratch.  he then came home and was almost killed by Ruth Ann's bullet as a civilian.

--DaCoot

A Look At Some of Hampton Roads' Most Famous Ships-- Part 4: The "Big E"

**  The United States' most-decorated aircraft carrier, the second of two Yorktown-class carriers completed at Newport News in the late 1930s. the USS Enterprise (CV-6).  It was longer and faster than the USS Ranger and called "The Big E," it earned 20 battle stars during World War II.

**  The Backbone of the Fleet, the first of the new longer, wider and more powerfully armed aircraft carriers, the USS Essex (CV-9) was completed at Newport News in July 1942.  It won 12 battle stars in 68 combat operations in the Pacific.  It and its 20 sister ships became the backbone of the U.S. Navy.

--CooterCraft

"Submarine Killer" Remembers

From the Oct. 6, 2010 Wisconsin Rapids (Wi) Tribune.

Will Lehner of Stevens Point, Wisconsin was on an honor flight along with 103 World War II veterans to Washington, DC, to view the World War II Memorial. He got his nickname in the opening moments of the war.

Just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, Lehner's ship, the USS Ward spotted the cunning tower and periscope of a submarine and attacked it immediately. Lehner was an ammunition handler on one of the ship's guns and on their second shot, hit the mini sub where the cunning tower joins the hull.

Sadly, the message the Ward sent off did not reach the proper authorities until later in the morning when it was too late.

"Nobody believed the story for 60 years. They wanted proof, and that was at the bottom of the ocean," according to Lehner. Later, he joined a National Geographic-sponsored search for the submarine with Bob Ballard. Two years later, a University of Hawaii team found it.

First at Pearl Harbor. --Cooter

I Heard Tell: Japanese Thanks for the Atom Bomb-- Pacific Bomber

1. JAPANESE THANKS FOR THE ATOM BOMB-- Wednesday, a friend of mine was talking about a trip he'd made to the USS Missouri Memorial at Pearl Harbor. being a historian himself, he had lots of questions to ask of the tour guide.

Afterwards, the guide called my friend aside to tell him a story. A few weeks earlier, an elderly Japanese man and his family were on the tour. Afterwards, the man had called the guide aside and thanked the United States for dropping the atomic bombs.

Now this would absolutely be one of the last things you'd expect a Japanese person to say.

The man said he had been a kamikaze pilot and scheduled to fly a few days after the surrender. he then pointed to his family and said that if Japan had not surrendered, they would not be there.

2. PACIFIC BOMBER-- Earlier today, we were at Popeye's in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and had one of the best fish fries you'll find anywhere. On the way out, I stopped at a giant map of the world and saw two other gentlemen closely inspecting it and talking about the Marianas Islands and World War II.

The older one had been a tail gunner on an American bomber and had been on raids over Japanese cities. He said that the planes were actually hot from all the fires and destruction below during their bombing runs.

Plus, there was a certain smell that bombers got after missions, that they were never able to clean away.

Talk to Those World War II Vets. --Cooter

USS Rigel (AD-13)

The Rigel was a destroyer tender built in 1918 as the SS Edgecombe and transferred to the US Navy in 1922.

In April 1941, it was redesignated as AR-11 and overhauled in Bremerton, Washington and then sailed to Pearl harbor for more repairs.

It was still there on December 7th during the attack and unarmed. It received slight damage and the crew later took part in rescue and salvage operations.

It later participated in Pacific operations for the rest of the war before decommissioning in 1946.

The Day of Infamy. --DaCoot

USCGC Taney (WHEC-37)

From Wikipedia.

Back on December 5th, I wrote about Charles Sellentin who was aboard the USCGS Taney at Pearl Harbor. I'd never heard of it so looked it up.

The Taney has the honor to be the last ship floating that was at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. However, it was not at Pearl itself, but in nearby Honolulu Harbor. It is also one of the few ships to participate in both the European and Pacific Theaters. In addition, it served during the Vietnam War.

The ship was named after Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court Roger B. Taney.

The Taney was launched at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1936. It was 327 feet long, had a 41 foot beam and in 1941, had 16 officers, 5 warrant officers and 200 enlisted.

On December 7th, it was at Pier 7 in Honolulu Harbor and was only able to fire at stray aircraft.

The vessel was decommissioned in 1986 and today serves as museum ship.

The Coast Guard. --Cooter

Aboard the USS Maryland That Day

From the Dec. 5th Denver Post by AP.

Clarence Pfundheller was on the USS Maryland Dec. 7, 1941, and in front of his locker when a fellow sailor yelled that Japanese planes were bombing. At first they didn't know whether to believe him, "We never did call him a liar but he could stretch the truth pretty good. But once you seen him, you knew he wasn't lying.

Mr. Pfundheller was 21 and manned a 5-inch antiaircraft gun and tried shooting at the low-flying planes. They had problems with all the thick black smoke, "This was the worst thing about it--yeah, your eyes--it bothered your throat too, because there was so much black smoke rolling around that a lot of times you could barely see."

He is now 91 and will be in Pearl Harbor for the 70th anniversary. He enlisted in the Navy in 1939.

The ammunition for the 5-inch gun was locked away. After they got it open, they fired the 3-foot long, 75 pound shells, but the enemy planes were too close to aim, "You could see them pumping their fists and laughing at you."

The crew of the Maryland scrambled when the USS Oklahoma, berthed next to it, capsized. "We had to cut the lines tied up to us because it was pulling us away."

He came back to Iowa after the war.

"What Happened That Day Is Tattooed On Your Soul": Pearl Harbor-- Part 2

"All those who could started picking them [bodies] up as soon as they could. We're going to get in the barges and help them and pick up bodies out in the water.

One of them come up and approached a young man in the water and as he approached him, the young man severely burned and everything, he said , 'Do not touch me.' He said, 'I got to touch you, I got to get you medical help." And, when he reached out to help the boy in, what he grabbed ahold of came right off in his hand just like that boy had been cooked on a stove."

There was a long pause, and Mr. Curre cleared his voice.

"I still have nightmares, never got over the nightmares and with God as my witness, I read the paper this morning. Right now, I can't tell you what I read. I can't remember it. But what happened on that day is tattooed on your soul.

"There is no way I can forget that. I wish to God I could."

Chilling Words.

Real Sad and Even Sadder: Pearl Harbor Survivor Dies on the Anniversary of It

I came across an article from the Dec. 7th NPR "Veteran of Pearl Harbor Dies on Anniversary of Attack" by Bill Chappell.

Frank Curre, 88, died around noon, December 7, 2011, seventy years to the day he was under attack at Pearl Harbor after suffering from mesothelioma, a form of cancer for many years. He had given his story just last month at the Story Corps site on Veterans Day.

At this point, I am starting to realize that I had listened to his story many times trying to transcribe it as he had some quotes that really hit home. I had not yet posted his story, but will do so on the very next entry.

He had been living at the home of a daughter in Waco, Texas.

Hits Home Too Hard.

A Pearl Harbor Survivor Remembered-- Part 2

On the USS Oklahoma, Finch Stowell became the chief fire controller and an expert on artillery.

He was sleeping below deck that fateful day. His ship was hit by three torpedoes. The loudspeaker blared "Air Raid! Air Raid! This is a real attack, real planes, real bombs."

Lights went out and men were scrambling blindly. Two more torpedoes slammed into the stricken ship and it began to list (turn) over.

Finch's widow recalls him saying, "The planes were so low, they could see the Japanese pilots waving at them just taunting them."

The Oklahoma continued to list. Stowell was outside a porthole, pulling sailors to safety, while another sailor was inside the ship pushing. Stowell remembered Petty officer 1st Class Stephen Pepe being too big to get through the porthole. The petty officer gave up and left and was never seen again.

Twelve minutes after the first torpedoes struck, te Oklahoma stopped listing with its superstructure in the harbor mud. Stowell and the others dived into the oil-covered water and were picked up by a craft. then he helped pull others out.

He was later assigned to the USS Mayford.

Just One of the Vanishing Stories. --DaCoot

A Pearl Harbor Survivor Remembered-- Part 1

And there certainly will be a lot of that as we get near tomorrow, the 70th anniversary of the "Day of Infamy."

From the Peoria (Il) Journal Star "Luciano: Pearl Harbor survivor wanted others to remember" by James Luciano.

Finch Stowell remembers the final twelve minutes of the USS Oklahoma when he and others rushed to rescue shipmates. Many died inside the ship as it capsized.

Mr. Stowell died last summer at age 91, something that is happening to more and more Pearl Harbor survivors and World War II veterans as well.

Of 60,000 survivors of the attack, only some 3,000 are alive now.

Stowell had just turned 22 four days before the attack. He had not planned on being a sailor. Raised on a farm outside Peoria, his family ad wanted him to go to college, but the Depression was on and they couldn't afford the tuition.

He couldn't find any regular job in two years after high school, so did what many did, joined the military. In Stowell's case, he enlisted in the Navy in 1939.

More to Come. --Cooter

Central Oregon's Pearl Harbor Survivors-- Part 2

Charles Sellentin was in the US Coast Guard that day on board the USS Taney in its engine room when General Quarters sounded. There had been so many drills that he figured it was just another one until someone rushed down the stairs yelling that this was no drill.

Rushing topside, he could see the Japanese planes coming in so low he could see the faces of the pilots. He went to his battle station under the bridge coordinating damage control personnel.

It usually would take the Taney four hours to get steam up, but this day that was accomplished in just one hour. It wasn't until 0400 the next morning that the captain got back on board and the ship was ordered to help the USS Ward looking for subs outside the harbor.

The Taney dropped so many depth charges on suspected targets that they had to be resupplied. Later in the war, he transferred to the USS Scott, a troopship operating in the Pacific.

Just Some More of the Stories We Will be Losing Before Long. --DaCoot

Central Oregon's Pearl Harbor Survivors-- Part 1

From KTVZ, Central Oregon's News Leader, Dec. 1st.

Two of the area's Pearl Harbor survivors, Charles Sellentin, 89, 0f LaPine and Harvey Waldron, 91, representing the US Navy and the Coast Guard are going back to the place for their first and perhaps last time along with 22 other survivors. They left this past Friday.

Each of these 24 will visit the exact spot where they were stationed on December 7, 1941. In two days we will be marking the 70th anniversary of the event as the survivors continue to grow older.

Harvey Waldron enlisted March 8, 1939 and was sent to Ford Island to serve in Utility Squadron One, a non-combat patrol group providing services to the fleet, aerial reconnaissance and passenger service. When the attack came, he was at Hangar 37.

He remembers that at 3 am, Dec. 8th, he took off in an unarmed Sikorski JRS-1 twin engine aircraft to patrol the island and look for the Japanese fleet. For the remainder of December, he served as radio operator on the plane.

Charles Sellentin Next. --Cooter

Al Zelent: USS Princeton Survivor-- Part 4

Unfortunately, when the bomb hit, the flight deck was full of torpedo planes, fully loaded and ready for take off. He remembers seeing men burned over most of their bodies. Others were crying.

The ship's commander, and later admiral, John Hoskins, lost his leg.

National Geographic magazine had an article about the Princeton in the August 1945, Vol. 88 #2.

It was really an honor to get to talk to a hero like Mr. Zelent and I sure could have spent longer, but I wanted others to get an opportunity as well.

The Greatest Generation.

Al Zelent: USS Princeton Survivor

According to Mr. Zelent, the Princeton was one of the "Nine Sisters." These were nine cruisers that were converted into aircraft carriers during World War II.

The Japanese plane that dropped the bomb which caused his ship to sink, came in with a return flight of planes coming to the Princeton, which is how it slipped in through the anti-aircraft defenses.

The Princeton did not sink from the bomb itself, but rather from a series of explosions of the aircraft bombs and fuel that doomed the ship and damaged nearby vessels attempting to keep it afloat.

He was scared. When he saw his best friend from Hamilton, Ohio, jump into the ocean from the flight deck, he thought he was seeing his friend for the last time. He was greatly relieved to see that his friend was picked up by the same destroyer that saved him. His first words to his friend were, "I never thought I'd see you again, Earl." They kept in touch after the war, even after Earl moved to California. Unfortunately, Earl died several years ago.

Mr. Zelent still has the life preserver he wore after jumping overboard (and had it at the Meet-A-Vet). He was not afraid for himself, but worried about how hard his death might be on his mother.

More to Come. --Cooter

Al Zelent: USS Princeton Survivor-- Part 2

Al Zelent today keeps the newsletter of the Princeton going out. Of the 1500 aboard when the ship sank, around 100 died. If the survivors, today he sends out 182 mailings of the newsletter and figures that at least half go to widows. He estimates about 88 crew still alive. Mr. Zelent is 88 now and was 21 when the ship sank. It is sad to see how fast this Greatest Generation is dying, but they are getting very old.

He was born and raised in Chicago and raised his family in Deerfield where he is a member of the Deerfield American Legion.

Another friend from the Deerfield Post was there who was aboard the USS Franklin, an aircraft carrier hit by a kamikaze.

There is a book about the his ship's sinking "Carrier Down: The Sinking of the USS Princeton (CVL 23)." He donated two copies to the Great Lakes Naval Library.

In 2006, the survivors had a reunion in San Diego, the home port of the newest USS Princeton. A memorial service was held and they were able to tour the ship and had lunch aboard. That had to be some meeting between the new crew and old crew of the Princetons.

More Yet to Come. --DaCoot

Al Zelent: USS Princeton Survivor-- Part 1

This past Saturday, I attended the 2nd Annual Fox Lake American Legion Meet-A-Vet event.

I spoke at length with Mr. Al Zelent, who was aboard the aircraft carrier USS Princeton CVL 23, when it was sunk by Japanese bombs at the Battle of the Philippines.

The Princeton was one of the famed "Nine Sisters" which were cruisers converted into aircraft carriers.

He enlisted in the Navy in September 1943 and received his training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. he was assigned to the Princeton and participated in seven major battles in the Pacific, until his ship was sunk by a Japanese bomb. He and other sailors spent several hours in the water before they were rescued by destroyers.

Then, it was to Pearl Harbor for 30 days of survival leave and then to San Diego where he served until the end of the war.

More to Come. --Cooter