Flashback Friday

Veteran's Day was the 14th and I wanted to honor our Vet's closer to that date, but other things got in the way.  This series of pictures are of Herb while having landed somewhere in the South Pacific with some crew members.  He was the captain of a gunboat during World War II, a 90-day wonder is what they were called.  

 

He joined the Navy while in college and went to Columbia University in New York to take a three month course on navigation and other nautical elements, and graduated a Lieutenant JG (Junior Grade).  When the skipper of the ship was transferred, he became its captain.  His gunboat travelled around the Philippine Islands specifically Mindanao.  

These pictures had no information on the back so we can only guess as to what was going on here, but it would seem that they fell amongst the natives wherever they landed and posed for these shots.   

Herb is in the middle in what looks to be some lush forested ground.  It almost looks like there is a river or creek to the right and are those people in the water swimming?  

Herb (rear right) and his shipmate seem to be enjoying themselves in this picture.  They must have just learned that they would not be the main course in the evening meal.

Here is Herb kneeling down with some native children.  I'm not real fluent on my WWII history but I recall hearing that the native population in the remote areas of he Philippine Islands aided the Allies in their fight against Japan.  The Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1941 and retained control until 1944.  That probably makes these pictures somewhere in that year, give or take, and would make Herb around 22-23 years old.  This would have been when we took back the Islands and from what I remember Herb saying, there was still plenty of action in the area.

I recall seeing a picture of old Gunboat 61 but I don't have it, so I will be checking with the brothers to see if they do.  If so, I'll post someday.  A gunboat was smaller than a destroyer but bigger than a PT boat.  They were good for going in and out of inlets around the islands of the south Pacific. 

I am still amazed at how the citizen-soldier, or in this case the student-soldier, of World War II could be studying a business class  in Monmouth College one day and in New York studying navigation the next.  And in a few short weeks commanding a ship in the Pacific Ocean, and getting fired upon by Japanese torpedoes (true).  

As always, thanks to the Vets I know who sacrificed to secure our freedoms.