Honolulu Harbor, T.H. Hawaii, January 25, 1945

My naval career all began on December 11, 1942, when I joined the Navy at Vancouver, Washington. I was sent to Seattle the same day, where I was officially sworn in, then returned to my home in Camas, Washington, to await orders to report to boot camp. Those came on December 27, 1942, and I was told to report to Farragut, Idaho. Went through boot camp, graduating in the later part of February, 1943, 8 weeks and 2 days after entering.

I was then sent to radio school (at Farragut), and graduated the 3rd of July as a Radioman 3rd Class. I was honor man of my class, and was "requested" to stay as an instructor. Did not exactly want to stay, but had to have an operation taken care of (I had suffered a varicocele injury while playing football my senior year in high school). Soon after I knew I wasn't cut out to be an instructor, but was frozen (in my job). Had my operation, and made 2nd Class on May 1st, 1944. Got home a lot as it was only 400 miles. Had a leave in September of 1943, in which I went to Bad Axe, Michigan to visit. Got another in February of 1944, I went home to Camas, Wash. Kept pleading to get out of the school. I wanted sea duty so bad that I could taste the salt. Fellows who had come in from sea told me I was a fool, but I couldn't see it. Finally, in September of 1944, they came in (my orders to go to sea). It was Friday, September 29, 1944. Quit teaching there as an instructor, checked out and left the next day, Saturday, at 3:30 P.M., for home, Camas, Wash. Was to report into receiving ship, San Francisco at 2400 Tuesday, October 10.

I arrived home Sunday morning, October 1st, spent one week there, and left for San Francisco on Monday night at 10:30, out of Portland. Arrived at Oakland the following night at 10:20, took the ferry to Frisco. Reported into the Market Street annex at 11:30 but was told I had to go out to Treasure Island. Took a train across the Oakland Bay Bridge and arrived at the Rec. Barracks at 2400, right on time. Was assigned to a barracks, stayed in T.I. for 3 days then was transferred to Yerba Buena Island, technically the same piece of land as T.I. was on. The Oakland Bay Bridge is anchored on this island. On Wednesday the 18th got orders to report to Seattle Receiving station for further assignment to the U.S.S. McCracken, APA 198, for duty on the flag staff. Saw my folks who happened to be in Frisco then, that same night. Went back to T.I. and left from there Thursday evening after waiting around all day. Was put on a troop sleeper with about 200 others. There are 7 of us going on the same draft to the same ship. They are Stacy, QM 3/c who was also at Farragut; Christensen, RM 2/c, who was at NPG radio Frisco; McDougal, Y3/c, who had been on a converted aircraft carrier for 14 months; Reynolds, SM 3/c who had just returned from sea duty and two negro cooks.

We arrived in Seattle on Saturday, the 26th, and left two days later for Astoria, Oregon, where we boarded our ship. Our flag officers were not aboard yet, so we had no duties to perform. Except I was put on Shore Patrol one evening, and went into all the Astoria bars looking for any sailors who might be "in trouble". The ship did leave Astoria for Seattle at 1200 noon, on Monday, October 30th, 1944. We arrived at the anchoring spot near Bremerton, Washington, at 0800 Tuesday, the next day. Took on ammunition all day and late into the night. Went into Seattle the next day and docked. Tuesday evening we got liberty and then shoved off Sunday evening for San Francisco, arriving there on Wednesday morning. Had a fairly rough sea coming down the coast. Got sea sick, but the last day out, Tuesday, it cleared up and I was O.K. Got liberty Wednesday night, had to go into the dock in an LCM (Landing Craft, Men). We had about a week there. We arrived then in San Pedro, California, around the 20th of November. Laid to in the bay for a day and then tied up to a dock in Terminal Island.

Had liberty the first night we were there, took the train from Long Beach to Los Angeles, and met my Dad at the Biltmore Hotel. He was down there looking for a newspaper to buy (He later purchased the Rosemead Review in Rosemead, CA). We went out to Hollywood and looked around, then I went back to Long Beach and the ship. The next day orders came through to transfer our flag staff to the U.S.S. Talladega, APA 208. That was at night, and the next morning found out that they had all the flag, but needed one Radioman 2/c, to fill in a vacancy. So I was it! The rest of the fellows went to the Receiving Station, San Pedro, and I have never heard anything since. This ship is the same as the McCracken, which was built in Vancouver, Washington. The Talladega was built in Richmond, Calif. On November 29th, we left San Pedro for San Francisco, arrived there on December 1, 1944. We tied up at Pier 48 and took on supplies. Left on December 5th for Pearl Harbor, along with the USS Dickens, APA 211. This was my first taste of real sea life. Had General Quarters both morning and night, and most of the day, when we had firing practice of our guns. They would send balloons up and fired at them. The first day out of San Francisco we had a target sleeve towed by a plane, and using the radio to talk with them was my first experience with actual voice communications. On the way over we were the lead ship of the two and controlled the maneuvering. Arrived in Pearl Harbor on December 11th. Tied up in the stream (actually the entrance) the first night, then went into a dock and unloaded our supplies. We also had a few sailors and soldiers that we carried over from the states, who also got off. After a couple of days of unloading, we moved to an anchorage and stayed there. Made a few liberties in Honolulu.

Pearl Harbor is about 5 miles from Honolulu, which is a town of about the size of Long Beach, but crowded with service men, mostly sailors. Most of the people you see are Japanese and Chinese, plus Filipinos. Went out to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, a very beautiful place that has been taken over by the Navy for the rest and relaxation of the submarine crews, who had returned from combat. Waikiki beach is small, but a swell place to swim. The island is volcanic-like, having low lying, green covered mountains. On December 18th we left Pearl and went on maneuvers. Had no troops, but each day we would lower our landing boats and make a mock invasion. There were 11 APA's in on it. On December 26th we returned to Pearl Harbor. Spent Christmas at sea, lying off the islands. Made our invasions in the morning and had the afternoons off. Had our Christmas dinner at night, turkey and all the trimmings. Then we left for Pearl. Stayed in Pearl for a week, then left for Hilo, to pick up troops. Arrived on January 2nd, 1945. Took on our 1500 troops (28th Regimental Combat Team--RCT, 5th Marine Division), and left 2 days later, came to Pearl where we docked, this time in Honolulu at the Matson Line Docks, Pier 10. Stayed there about 4 days, then went on maneuvers, this time with most of our task force. Stayed out a week, then came back to the same Pier 10 berth, right alongside Aloha Tower on Jan. 18th. Got liberty every 4th day, but actually got more than that. Spent most of it on Waikiki Beach. That is where this daily diary takes up, as of January 25, 1945.