WW II
The US won WWII mainly because of my illustrious and valiant service, as follows:
In 1943, at 17 just before end of high school, I enlisted in Navy V-12 program. I was sent to Princeton (where I was headed as freshman anyway). After 18 months there, I went to Midshipman School in Chicago (much fun there). After graduation in June 1945, as a freshly minted young
Ensign, I volunteered for Scouts and Raiders.
On arriving for the training in Florida, I learned that this outfit, which entered and scouted islands in advance of US invasions, was now, because US had run out of islands, training us to be guerillas in China. Hence, we were learning some Mandarin. But mostly it was quite physical, but fun. We sometimes competed with recruits for the Underwater Demolition Team (predecessors to Navy Seals).
Then, the war ended, we disbanded and I was sent to San Francisco for ship assignment.( Had great time there, mostly because I stayed with Merv Griffin and family and Merv showed me the town.) I was then sent to my assigned ship. Since the Navy kept sending me to the port she then was but had departed, I spent a month in the Philippines and a week each in Okinawa,Shanghai (very exciting) and Guam).
Finally caught the ship (small, 150 ft. 3 officers, 11 men) as she was headed back to US. Then a month in Hawaii, 2 weeks in San Diego (where I almost sank the ship by stupidly ordering 144 gross of doughnuts), a month in Galveston, TX, a month in New Orleans, and then discharged August 1946.
Back to Princeton, lucky to have survived the war, and glad to have contributed so much for our victory.
In 1943, at 17 just before end of high school, I enlisted in Navy V-12 program. I was sent to Princeton (where I was headed as freshman anyway). After 18 months there, I went to Midshipman School in Chicago (much fun there). After graduation in June 1945, as a freshly minted young
Ensign, I volunteered for Scouts and Raiders.
On arriving for the training in Florida, I learned that this outfit, which entered and scouted islands in advance of US invasions, was now, because US had run out of islands, training us to be guerillas in China. Hence, we were learning some Mandarin. But mostly it was quite physical, but fun. We sometimes competed with recruits for the Underwater Demolition Team (predecessors to Navy Seals).
Then, the war ended, we disbanded and I was sent to San Francisco for ship assignment.( Had great time there, mostly because I stayed with Merv Griffin and family and Merv showed me the town.) I was then sent to my assigned ship. Since the Navy kept sending me to the port she then was but had departed, I spent a month in the Philippines and a week each in Okinawa,Shanghai (very exciting) and Guam).
Finally caught the ship (small, 150 ft. 3 officers, 11 men) as she was headed back to US. Then a month in Hawaii, 2 weeks in San Diego (where I almost sank the ship by stupidly ordering 144 gross of doughnuts), a month in Galveston, TX, a month in New Orleans, and then discharged August 1946.
Back to Princeton, lucky to have survived the war, and glad to have contributed so much for our victory.
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