The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Gunner From USS Maryland-- Part 2: Fewer Veterans Now

Scott Ott told Frank that his dad was at Normandy and fought through to the Battle of the Bulge.  he and his brother Bud were waiting in Paris for orders to ship out for the invasion of Japan when word that Japan had surrendered came through, something they were very happy to gear.

World War II veteran Frank said he was grateful for Scott's father's service and also those that served in the Korean War.

Recently the Navy commissioned a new USS California, a submarine, and Frank sat in the front row at it.  His California was scrapped in 1959 and had been used in the atom bomb tests at Eniwetok Atoll.

Scott related that Sunday, at church, they had a Memorial Day service and afterwards at the recepption, he went around the room talking to as many older veterans as he could.  None were from World War II. but some from the Korean War.

When his father was alive, he said he remembered that they still had Civil War veterans who visited schools and rode in parades.  Someday Scott will tell his grandkids that there were still World War and Korean War veterans around when he was young.

--GreGen

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