The US Navy Armed Guard

[barcelonablom]

The U.S. Navy Armed Guard was a service branch of the United States Navy that was responsible for defending U.S. and Allied merchant ships from attack by enemy aircraft, submarines and surface ships during World War II. The men of the Armed Guard served primarily as gunners, signal men and radio operators on cargo ships, tankers, troop ships and other merchant vessels. Disbanded following the end of the war, the Armed Guard is today little known or remembered by the general public, or even within the Navy. But without the courage and sacrifice of the men of the Armed Guard, victory in World War II would have been much more difficult and taken much longer.

Here's some links to a few resources about the Armed Guard:
www.armed-guard.com/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy_Armed_Guard
www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq104-1.htm

Why would the Armed Guard matter?

My grandfather, Charles Dale, is in the hospital. He was brought to a local hospital for difficulty breathing, and they found his condition much worse and transferred him to one across the river to receive treatment from an endocrinologist and his condition deteriorated and he had to be put in the ICU. He's finally out of the ICU but last Friday he went into cardiac arrest for some unknown amount of time, between 3-15 minutes. Obviously, a scale of Okay to brain damaged. Physically, he's in outstanding shape for a 77 year old, but from what my dad says, he's almost vegetative. He only gets a few moments of lucidity a day but even then he doesn't respond to the commands of the medical staff but he does recognize members of the family.

I'm praying, I'm hoping for everything to be all right but the doubts have settled and as a family we settled on a DNR. Its hard but the options are worse (and I'm surprised hospitals offer them, starvation is just horrid and inhumane and is NOT an option we even want to think about).

I should be coming home in about a week on emergency leave once I pin down a loan from either the Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society or an additional loan from my bank. Recent world events have made international travel quite expensive all of a sudden.

I just needed somewhere to vent as the gravity of everything has suddenly settled and you guys are one of the major sources of empowerment outside of my family, who are in tatters as my Aunt is spending every waking hour she can at his side and my dad and brother are barely holding together after a messy divorce. I'm sure my presence will help solidify things for them. It hasn't sunk in with me being removed and working one of the highest constant operations tempos I've ever had to deal with. And as a Sergeant, I have to remain professional, so I don't put much thought to it.

But now that I must think about it and my options for getting home, its sunk in and I'm wanting to get angry, be sad, call home, anything, but its way too late for that. I understand its a part of life and have come to terms with that for sure, but one of the most treasured things in my life has been shattered repeatedly in the last decade and things only look dimmer and only get worse. Its hard to hang in there over a long period of time like that, even as a family.

But, I think of positives. That emblem, when I saw it years ago, has come to personify my grandfather. He was a stubborn old war eagle, I still have a copy of his picture after graduating Great Lakes, Dixie Cup on head, Springfield in hand. And it makes me proud to say that I know and was raised by a great man, who sailed around the world on Tin Can Destroyers, shoddy merchant vessels, and Lord knows what else from the South Pacific to the Atlantic, to the Mediterranean. He taught me to work with wood and metal and the rule of "measuring twice and cutting once", the finer points of baseball (White Sox) and football (Bears), and that any man can earn his keep with hard work. He's been a stubborn man from his youth and I think thats where me and Dad and my brother get it (a stubborn grandmother helps too), but we believe from the reactions he's giving, he's ready to follow the winds and seas to his next posting, sea bag on his shoulder...

We all hope and pray that I can make it home in time to see him one more time. Thanks for letting me vent, but I just don't know what to do apart from doing what needs to be done to get home, and ensure I get my job done until then.

~Richard

[kanowarrior]

I'm sorry to hear that Richard. It does get better, but at least you had time with and memories can't be taken from you.

Sounds like he was quite a guy. I'm sure he sure appreciates when family comes and it's great they care. That's what a real family is all about. Dysfunctional happens, it's not normal to have a normal family.

I got a great picture of a Great Lakes training station. I should dig it up and post it, I bet your grandfather may have been there. Up to my ears in the battle though, leaving tomorrow for Roberts.

[barcelonablom]

He passed away 9:55AM CST Sunday.

It hasn't hit home yet, and I doubt it will until I am physically home, but we plan on getting a veteran's group together and rendering him his honors as a WW2 vet. He deserves that much. I'm upset I couldn't see him once more and I'm slightly angry with myself for not trying harder, but things went as they went and he chose his time and place and we believe it was best for him. Not many can make their choice so I think in that respect we were all blessed.

But I will celebrate and remember his wartime service:



Great Lakes, 1943



Marseilles, France Dec 1944

Something I did not know until now, my grandfather and other Armed Guard Sailors, his buddies, would try and rescue an orphan from every port they went to and find them a home in the States.

I dunno if we have anymore photos from his wartime but I would like to share photos of exactly how I remember him:





My grandparents absolutely loved reenacting and my grandfather's major impression was a Union Doctor. I have his Doctor's kit at home, he put it together over a decade (even made some of the tools himself from period drawings) and had all the tools of the trade. I spent most of my childhood living with my grandparents until we got our own house and even then I was only a block away. So they were my closest friends, advisors, family, confidants, and of course grandparents.

But things are okay because they're most certainly together again and that thought does make me happy.

Fair winds and following seas Sailor you'll be missed.

[kanowarrior]

I'm sorry to hear this Richard. At least he is now at peace and like my father, what a life he led. I wish I could say I lived my life half as well as my dad did and although I still have time to accomplish that, I doubt i will come as close.

I had my time with him, but now its time for me to live mine. As much as we miss them its part of growing up. Not easy, never easy.

Always here if you need a friend to talk to.

[barcelonablom]

Took me awhile to find the words but Tim's well researched history of his father helped me put some of my grandpa's story into words...

My aunt asked me to accept his flag at the burial from the Navy Honor Guard. It was mind numbing to have those words "On behalf of a grateful nation..." spoken to me at this age and being passed my grandfather's flag.

My brother learned to play "Taps" on a bugle that grandpa had bought for Civil War reenacting in the hopes that someone would learn to play it. Other than a vicious cold he was suffering from (which had him coughing a lot) he played it beautifully and only had one off-key note. It was haunting and I was extremely proud of Drew.

But the night before I left my dad sat us down before we left work to go over a few boxes of trinkets and tchotchkes of my grandpa's. Among some basic this and thats, his favorite pocketknife, some Caterpillar belt buckles, tie clasps, and pins, we found some bits of his war history.

One of the things he did was every port he went to he'd make a ring. From the looks of them they were fashioned from machine nuts and he scratched the name of the port on the face of it.

A very emotional piece was his broken metal ID bracelet.

We also found my great-grandfather's pocket watch he used when he worked in the train yard (as judged by individual minutes being marked out on the face of it). Sadly it was broken, but we're looking at getting it fixed.

Another piece was a 20mm round for an Oerlikon that he had carefully disarmed but left it visually intact.

Just a few pieces that open a door to a past I never really knew...

[barcelonablom]

Also while I was home I visited a great friend of the family, Ray Krey Sr.

Ray is a great man and one of many people I reenacted with. I was surprised to learn that he and his wife collect antiques and I mean A LOT of antiques, many of which are from the 19th century (of course), including original flax and wool spinning wheels. And Ray's impressive ORIGINAL Civil War rifle collection (including a real Kentucky Rifle and a pair of Tower Enfields, each usually go for at least 2-3 thousand).

But he started talking about his experience in WW2. Some of which even his wife nor my dad had heard him talk about. He brought out some of the things he managed to bring home, fieldgear mostly but also his wintergreen coat and 2 overcoats (he didn't bring the uniforms out).

He was with the 6th Defense Battalion (on Midway, during the battle) before being transferred to the 1st Marines in time to go to Guadalcanal. He was with the 1st MarDiv for all their campaigns until he was transferred to Fox Company, 22nd Marines, 6th MarDiv for Okinawa. He served from 1942-1946.

Some interesting stories he had was his homecoming in '46. Him and about twenty other Marines came back on a transport ship on their own and had orders to report to Camp Lejeune. But they had a months worth of travel. Only they were carrying ALL their gear. So he hopped a train to Chicago and further on to home, with his rifle, ammo, and field gear, still in his utilities. He managed to leave his haversack/knapsack, some war trophies (including a Nambu and a Knee Mortar, which his brother talked him out of), pistol belt, kbar and canteens/pouches/canteen cup and first aid pouch, as well as his compass and whistle (the latter he was issued when he became a Sergeant). He made it to Lejeune and told them they left him with his rifle and ammo to turn in, but they tried to stick him into the Brig because they thought he'd stolen the rifle and ammo.

His belt and canteens and covers and cup were all WWI holdovers, the canteens and cup dated 1918, he said he had them through the entire war.

His KA-BAR scabbard was unusual in that he had "embossed" it. By using a mechanical pencil (by pressing the metal tip into the leather after soaking it in his helmet for a day) he'd put a raised border and textured pattern as well as his initials in gothic lettering. Said he ended up doing it for pretty much his whole platoon.

He also showed me a Raider Stiletto, he'd traded a regular small bowie knife for. It was a real deal and it felt amazing to hold one like that. He claimed his knife was lost and they issued him another knife (most likely from a knife drive of some sort.

Among some other things he had, he showed us two more trophies he'd brought back: A katana and a officer's sword. The katana appeared to be a mass-produced NCO variety (it lacked the patterns in the steel that identify a folded blade) and the Officer's sword was well interesting as it looked quite like an American Officer's sword with a fancy hilt.

Amazing pieces of history. Ray turns 90 this or next month. Still an amazing guy and he gets around pretty great.

Sadly I didn't get to speak to Junior who is a Marine Vietnam veteran (Khe-Sanh and later stages of Hue City where he was seriously wounded), as he and his wife travel a lot now that he's retired.

It was great to see these amazing guys again even in the tone of the world at the time.

And Ray Sr. was amazed at pictures of my Marine impression and was glad to assist in helping me out with some of the little things the Marines did in the PTO.