Boy Scout & Emergency Corps

The Boy Scouts started what was called the Emergency Corps. Not only did you have to be an Eagle Scout, you had to take and pass the life-saving course. And one of the requirements physically was in the gymnasium, where they had to climb a twenty foot tall rope with the use of our arms only. The first time I tried it I got up two feet,but I finally made it. We had to be physically fit , in order to be in that Emergency Corps. It was to take over in case of emergency and had no one else to work with.

Q. Enlisting with Father

I joined the Navy on December 7, 1942. My father volunteered forty-five days later. He was a carpenter by trade, and carpenters were needed overseas to build landing strips and so on. In the process of qualifying, he had contracted a hernia. My father was disqualified, but they said that he could have this taken care of and come back, then they would take him. When he was healed, he came back, and at the age of 47 he went into the service in the Sea Bees in the 88th Battalion.

While I was overseas, my father was also there in the Pacific, and we came within three or four miles of each other, but didnít know it. When I was in New Hebrides Iíd flown down there to deliver wounded people taken off Saipan.He had come down to Bouganvillea for a rest and saw my ship pull out

Q. Coxís Story

A. I was a junior in high school, and knew that when I reached my 18th birthday I would be drafted. At that time there was the Army and the Navy. The Navy seemed more interesting to me, so I approached the recruiting office.Since I was seventeen, I needed permission from my parents to enlist. I got permission and immediately joined the Navy. After my training, a draft came in for a big carrier, heading for Virginia. We went to Trinidad for a shake down cruise, then went back to Norfolk for three days in dry-dock. Came out of that and went through the Panama Canal, and stopped on the Pacific side. Had liberty one night and then we proceeded to Pearl Harbor.

When we got to Pearl Harbor, we loaded on some equipment. We headed out for the first xxxx raid which was about 1000 miles from Yokohama Bay. And with the Essex, Yorktown, the Independence, a couple cruisers and about six destroyers as a task group. It was a hit and run, action. And on the way back we hit xxx which was the most fortified island. We went back into Pearl Harbor, reloaded and went back out again Ö. Worked up those chain of islands. And then eventually in September í44, we had the last large battle where most of the Japanese carriers were sunk. By then we had command of the seas. The Yorktown returned to the States, and I had an opportunity to get transferred off because I was an original plank worker assigned the ship before it hit commission.

Then I was shipped to Oceana, VA., where I did maintenence work on aircraft. In the meantime, I was asked if wanted to go to school. I volunteered for that. I took a trip by train to Norman, OK., where they had Naval Insti, schools, and I trained as a metalsmith. I returned to Oceana, then was sent to Anacosta D.C.. I was there until March 1st., 1946. I got out on a point discharge system and returned to St. Louis, got my discharge and came home to Kansas City.

Q. USOís & Morale

A. I believe the USO served one of the great purposes of morale. It was a place that an individual who was in a strange area, and knew basically no one could go and relax. They could have food, be entertained or they could entertain. It gave you a period of time when you could dream and relax, and just forget about the present. Bob Hope came to entertain us when we were in the Cordial Islands. Where I was at, there were probably 3,000 people in front of me, and I was probably a distance of at least 2,000 yards from where he was at. And it was at a time when Iíd already been out of the states for almost a year. And the only time I ever saw a woman was when we pulled into Pearl Harbor on a rare, rare occasion, if I happened to go downtown. So, that was real great entertainment. It took your mind off of what was happening, which was very essential. It was like going to your second home.

***Olathe Naval Air Station The Olathe Naval Air Station was very important to Kansas City, because it created a training base to have cadets become pilots. Secondly, it gave the cities of Olathe, Gardner and Kansas City a lot more jobs. The Naval Air Station helped industrially,as well as moralewise.

***PILOT TRAINING AT ONAS The cadets that came here generally were young men, anywhere from 18-22. Their training started with flying to become a pilot, and two-seater bi-wing planes called "Yellow Perils" were what the cadets trained in. They had a approximately 65 of them. There were fourteen auxiliary fields that they could use for take-offs, landings, and whatever other excercises and training that they needed to do. And thatíd give 65of them an opportunity, because it was constant cadets coming. John Glenn, the astronaut was a member of. the first class.He had his private license when he came here, but he didnít have his regular license. Bob Barker, from the "Price is Right" game show went through Naval air training here at ONAS, as well.

***It took about 120 days to get through training, on the average. Now, depending on just exactly what you were training for it could take more time or less time. From this point, they shipped them all over the world, east coast, west coast, wherever they were needed. And we needed pilots-- not only for the Navy, but for the whole military. Fighter, bomber and transport pilots were in great demand.

***WHY WAS THE KANSAS CITY AREA CHOSEN? ***One of the reasons was that it was in the center part of the United States. Obviously if the Japanese had wanted to come in and bomb, they could not have made it from the West Coast to here. Secondly, this was known, at least later, as the greatest recruiting area of all time.

***Women in the Service Women in the service for the Navy were called WAVES. And they were recruited purposely to take and do jobs that men were doing so they could be released to go to other areas of fighting.. We had about 40 of them here, and they did a great job here at this station..

***WASPS WASP were women who were able to fly aircraft. And they were very good at it. To begin with, not only could they pilot airplanes, they had to fly various kinds and then they had to go to various destinations. Sometimes places theyíd never been before. And at night time, and in bad weather. And that takes a great talent to do that.

***Normally when you go out on the landing strip, parking area and here comes a plane and a person jumps out as the pilot, and itís a woman, itís different. Itís unusual, it just something you rarely ever see. But obviously they were talented enough to take the responsibility

***V-J Day I was still in Oceana, and I was on a flight line, working on an aircraft when they announced it. You could start hearing whistles blow and people yelling and noises and excitement. It was like the feeling when youíre getting ready to go somewhere that youíve anticipated for so long, and itís now happening. Itís just a time thatís hard to explain other than itís true happiness, almost. In my eyes it is the flashing back and forth of all the things you think about doing. Itís almost like falling in love. Itís just a great, great feeling emotionally.

***A-Bomb When the atomic bomb news came that it had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki it meant that a lot of people would not be killed. Obviously it did kill those people in that area. Knowing the philosophy and the attitude of the Japanese people we don't know how much longer the war would have gone on, and how many more people would have been killed. It was a tough decision, not only because it was gonna be dropped and kill people but what happens after that. How many more will there be dropped? The navy was glad to hear it. I'm sure the other services felt the same way and many other people did. There were a lot of people who didn't agree with that but they might not have been seeing it from the same point of view as the military. It may have meant all kinds of problems that we can't even consider today. I think all things happen because they're meant to happen. I was glad that it happened.

****Homecoming My shipped pulled in out of the Pacific into Bremerton, WA. The first thing I saw coming up through the channels were evergreens. It was in October, which is a great time of the year, everything is real nice. And the sights were wonderful, knowing that Iím going to be home before long. After we pulled in and got docked, half the ship gets to go home, the other half has to stay there ëtil the other half gets back. I was not on the shift to leave. So, I was assigned to work parties. They had to do a lot of modifications, re-welding and restructuring. And so I would be a fire-watch for the CO2, with the feller thatís welding, make sure thereís no fires. Or I could be helping to load stores on the ship. Thereís always something to be done.

****HOMECOMING . From Bremerton, I went to Seattle, took a train that first stopped in Chicago, and then finally home to Kansas City. I was on a 30 day leave. When I got to Union Station, of course, I was getting more excited. And I took a bus from Union Station that went downtown, then out to NE where I lived. I got off the bus and walked down a couple of blocks to my house, and I really didnít see anyone. It was during the day time, and people were at school or work. We were living at my grandparents at the time. And of course, my grandmother was there but nobody else. My mother was working and all my brothers were gone, as was my dad. I had no clothes, so I had to wear my uniform all the time. The first thing I did was to go back to my high school to see some of my friends. And itís a great thrill, except I didnít see many. After 18 months, they had either gone to another grade, wasnít at school, or whatever. It was a nice experience. And I regretted having to go back, which was inevitable, but it was a great thrill to come home.

***HOME FOR GOOD I didnít get home until 1946. I came through St. Louis and got my official discharge and pay-off. After coming home, I realized I couldnít find anyone I really knew. Things had changed. And I donít think we like change. . It was a change that came about that really was good for me. I didnít realize that at the time. First of all, Iíd been away from home for the first time in my life. Iíd met people. I grew up a little bit. Iíd gotten older. I grew. I went into the Navy at 5í8"" 128 pounds. I came out 6í2" and 165. And so, people that I used to know looked up to me now. Humorously.

*** I was excited to be at home, but I didnít know what to do. I had money and I had time, but didnít know what to do with it. So, probably the first 30,40 days I just hung around, had coffee, saw friends. Finally,I was able to get a part time job. A lot of people were coming home in 1946ÖIt was a tough time. A big adjustmentÖI went away as a different person than I am now