My uncle was a machinist mate on a hospital ship during Korea. Never really talked about it. Just said he saw an ol' boy commit suicide by walking into the rotor on a helicopter.
My grandfather was a ship's surgeon from pre-WW1 through WW2.
With a personal gift of land from the queen of the Maoris, he established the first American Military cemetery in New Zealand to bury dead service members on his ship. He later served as the medical commander of Naval hospital ships in the Pacific theater during WW2. IIRC, he sailed on the USNS Solace in to Pearl Harbor a week or two after the Japanese December 7 attack.
In my youth, he would modestly recount his experiences to me. It was only long after he was gone that the significance of his history left me thirsty for more facts, but alas, his were pre-Google times and those tales are lost forever.
Mercy & Comfort were built in the 70s as San Clemente class oil tankers. I was an engineer on Comfort when she was the tanker, Rose City. I was asked to help a US Navy engineer survey the vessel. When he told me the government was thinking of converting a couple of tankers to hospital ships I replied you've got to be sh__ting me. I guess it worked out.
My uncle was a machinist mate on a hospital ship during Korea. Never really talked about it. Just said he saw an ol' boy commit suicide by walking into the rotor on a helicopter.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather was a ship's surgeon from pre-WW1 through WW2.
ReplyDeleteWith a personal gift of land from the queen of the Maoris, he established the first American Military cemetery in New Zealand to bury dead service members on his ship. He later served as the medical commander of Naval hospital ships in the Pacific theater during WW2. IIRC, he sailed on the USNS Solace in to Pearl Harbor a week or two after the Japanese December 7 attack.
In my youth, he would modestly recount his experiences to me. It was only long after he was gone that the significance of his history left me thirsty for more facts, but alas, his were pre-Google times and those tales are lost forever.
Mercy & Comfort were built in the 70s as San Clemente class oil tankers. I was an engineer on Comfort when she was the tanker, Rose City. I was asked to help a US Navy engineer survey the vessel. When he told me the government was thinking of converting a couple of tankers to hospital ships I replied you've got to be sh__ting me. I guess it worked out.
ReplyDelete