I was a Navy kid. These are the medals my father was awarded during his 20 years in the Navy. The tiny bronze star in the flight wings is a unit citation for VP-42 protecting the Aleutian islands from Japanese invasion. He was at Dutch Harbor. My mother and I lived in Seattle but I was sent to relatives in Slater Missouri when the Japanese began lofting balloon bombs to the west coast.
When I was going through Canadian Naval officer training, we did a far east cruise and stopped at Dutch Harbor (I think to refuel) in 1984. We got to spend an hour or so walking around.
What’s there?
Bearing in mind that this was 38 years ago, what I recall is a naval facility with an associated desolate-seeming small town on a rock. There was also an orthodox church there as well, which really stood out from everything else.
It’s certainly not the sort of place I would ever want to live though there are probably hardcore outdoorsy folks who would love it.
What’s the story in the Purple Heart.
On June 4 1942 my dad was working on a sea plane tender. He caught a ride back to town on one of the two ships that were operating in the harbor just as the Japanese attacked the port. Not being part of the crew he was just standing on deck when a zero strafed the ship at very low altitude. He drew his side arm and began firing at it. According to him he stepped backward and fell over a hatch skinning his shins.
Some accounts report that two sailors were wounded on ships in the harbor. I assume that he was one of them and that it must have been a flesh wound in the leg. I have his flight logs and he was flying four days later.
He also claimed that the good conduct medal was for going four years without getting caught.
I relate to that. ![]()
That looks like a man who took very little shit in his life. It was a hard life, but whatever incoming shit there was, the outgoing was more/worse for the other guy.