The Quiet Hero - Carl Pritchard

Postscript

2007-12-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

A distinguished Navy officer, a devoted husband and father, and a man whose world view was forged in World War II; Carl Jesse Pritchard is all these things and more. Born in humble surroundings, he rose through the military ranks to a senior position; but for Carl, family was just as important as career and he often made choices that kept him closer to his family.

To start reading his story, scroll down to the next entry and start reading - I've posted his story sequentially.

Carl was involved with the many details of writing of this story, both in five taped interviews I conducted from 1986 to 2001, and in follow-up conversations which started in Sept 2003 and continued for months after.

Jim Pritchard also contributed heavily to this work; providing stories, timelines and brotherly advice.

I did significant research work on the Navy History website and noticed that Carl’s name is not mentioned anywhere. This bothers me, but I recognize that nearly all the men who are mentioned have stories of bravery in combat. Someone who wasn’t on the front-lines or in the highest ranks, but nonetheless distinguished themselves during their career, doesn’t carry the same weight when history is recorded.

In the span of Carl’s 30-year Navy career, he rose to the highest rank possible. Though he was given a severe setback early in his career, he overcame it and excelled in his new pursuit. While always a military man, Carl put high importance on his family and often made career choices that kept him closer to his family.

This project compelled me to take a comprehensive look at my father. While I had been intending to consolidate his taped recollections into a story; this project forced me to go deeper and analyze his life. When I dug to find the emotional moments that affected him, Carl revealed some stories he had never shared before, including the surprising admission that he was the only man to survive his flight training class.

Those emotional moments truly affected me and gave me a more profound appreciation for his life. I saw what a hero my father was during wartime and what a hero he remains for me today.

Finally, I welcome stories, photos, memories and contributions of all kinds, because I want to update this document periodically. My contact info is listed in the sidebar.

Thanks for sharing in a part of the Pritchard family history.

Born in a New Century

2007-12-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

Carl’s parents, Roy Arthur Pritchard and Junie Layfayette McCourt met in Fayetteville, Tennessee in 1902. Junie’s parents lived in a large house and since money was tight, they ran a men’s boarding house. The McCourts may have had an ulterior motive in running a boarding house… they had four daughters to marry off!

Roy had just moved from his family’s Tennessee farm to the big city of Fayetteville. He found a place to stay at the McCourt’s boarding house. Roy soon took a liking to Junie, the youngest and prettiest of the girls. Roy was working 6 days a week at the local cotton mill. He started in the Gin Room, where the cotton seed was separated from the fibers; but soon advanced to equipment engineer, where his job was to keep the machines running. It was loud, dirty and difficult work.

Roy courted Junie in the slow, deliberate style typical of the South; by accompanying her to church on Sunday and having talks on the porch. Because Junie’s parents were strict Christians, he probably didn’t take her to dances. After months of courtship, they were married on October 8, 1903. As a new husband, Roy was anxious to find a better job, so he moved his bride “out west” to Little Rock, Arkansas.

Roy quickly found a job in Little Rock as streetcar conductor with the Capital Transportation Co. Roy and Junie’s first child, Carl, was born on Feb 11, 1905. Like his brothers and sisters, Carl was born in the family home at 9^th & Maple. He didn’t have a birth certificate; so years later, when Carl enlisted, Roy had to go to the courthouse and fill out a post-dated Certificate of Birth

Except for one year, Roy worked for the streetcar company for the rest of his life. Junie was a full-time mom devoted to the family and church. The children (in order) were Carl, Casey, Jeanette, Arthur, Alvie, Ruth, Roy and June. Their son June died at 18 months and son Alvie died in an auto accident at 15 years old. Since Carl and Casey were close in age, they played together and their fraternal bond continued as they got older.

One of Carl’s first memories (at 3 years old) was walking out to the outhouse in the backyard. Another childhood memory was when Junie took Carl and Casey to the steps of the State Capitol to see Haley’s Comet in 1910.

Carl attended Peabody Elementary School. Typical for the South at the time, it was a whites-only school; blacks attended a separate school. The classrooms held about 20 students and the teachers weren’t shy about punishing children for bad behavior.

The family attended regular church services at the Church of God. Interestingly, Carl didn’t get baptized in the church until 1959 when the family was living in San Diego.

When Carl was 6, before he even started school, Roy took him down to the newspaper office and got him a job selling papers on the street corner. When Carl was old enough, he moved up to a paper route. Initially Carl had to deliver his papers on foot, but saved up his money to buy a bicycle, which made delivering papers much easier.

In 1916, when Carl was 11, Roy decided to quit the streetcar company and be a tenant farmer on the Crystal Farm Dairy. Since Roy was raised on a farm, it was one of his dreams to return to farm life and be his own boss. Roy & Junie loaded all their belongings on a horse & wagon (with Carl & Casey riding up on top) and moved out to the farm, 12 miles west of Little Rock.

Working the dairy was hard work for the entire family, 7 days a week. Before school, Carl rode in the milk truck with his Dad, making milk deliveries in town. After school, he washed the milk bottles and cleaned the barn. Carl also spent many evenings in front of the fireplace, helping his Dad balance the books and doing customer billing.

Carl attended a country school with all the grades in one room. The teacher used to challenge the students to solve arithmetic problems on the blackboard. Carl usually won, even when the older students competed.

Roy had struck a deal with the dairy owner, J.T. Tunnah, to get a percentage of the dairy’s profits. Over the course of a year, Roy doubled the revenue, but the owner reneged on his agreement and refused to pay the extra money. Disappointed, Roy decided the dairy job wasn’t enough to support his family, so he quit the dairy and returned his family to town.

The streetcar company offered Roy his job back with his previous pay and seniority (which was highly unusual), so he returned to being a streetcar conductor. The family initially rented a house and, after a year, bought the house at 1612 Woodrow (which remained the family house until Roy and Junie died)

As a boy, Carl was fascinated by electrical gadgets. Roy would occasionally bring home the latest inventions, like an electric fan or a gramophone (which probably played a 10-in disk at 78rpm). Carl’s parents weren’t inclined to buy records, so he and Casey had to buy the music for the family. Carl was fond of “A Long Way to Tipperary” (1912) and he bought the record:

It's a long way to Tip-per-ar-y, It's a long way to go.
It's a long way to Tip-per-ar-y, To the sweet-est girl I know!
Good-bye Pic-ca-dil-ly, Fare-well Leice-ster Square!
It's a long long way to Tip-per-ar-y, But my heart's right there.

While in Junior High School, Carl got a job at Tennenbaum’s Junk Shop. Although the business was owned by Jews, they didn’t suffer the discrimination that blacks did. Jews (at least those who assimilated) were considered to be white enough for the “whites only” Jim Crow laws prevalent in the South at the time. Carl started out by helping in the office (changing the typewriter ribbon for the secretary, so she wouldn’t get her hands dirty) and soon began making pick-ups and deliveries.

The owners, Abraham and Julius Tennenbaum, liked Carl and he eventually moved up to driver, helping pick up materials. With his promotion, Abraham requested that Carl wear long pants, rather than his usual knickers, because it looked more professional. This required a major shift at home, because Carl’s mom made most of his clothes.

Hanging around with the guys on the loading dock behind the junk shop, Carl heard that there was a good position available at the American Wholesale Grocery Company. He walked over after work and immediately got the job. He started as a billing clerk and helped load the trucks. Carl made considerably more money at the new job, especially since he worked full time. Carl made $20/mo part-time at the Junk Shop and $100/mo full-time at the Grocery Supply. It’s likely Carl was urged by his father to work full-time to bring in more money for the family. So although Carl excelled in school, he only completed the 10^th grade.

In the early 1920s, the first radio broadcasts were starting around the country. The first radios cost a fortune, so at the age of 17, Carl built a crystal radio set, which was the first radio his family ever heard. He used household parts like an oatmeal box and copper wire. Carl remembers hearing the broadcasts from WLW in Cincinnati, OH. He also figured out how to make and install a doorbell in the family house. His fascination with electricity continued throughout his life.

As a young man, Carl was a bit of a rebel. Though his strict Christian parents disapproved of smoking, drinking and dancing; Carl did a bit of all three. When he attended dances, he didn’t tell his parents…even when he brought his sister Casey. This was during Prohibition (which lasted from Jan 1920 to Dec 1933), so Carl would occasionally sneak in a flask of “white mule” (or “white lightning”) into the dances. Carl emphasized that the booze was for his own enjoyment, not for getting his dates drunk!

The National Guard

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When Carl was 19, he joined the National Guard and he quickly distinguished himself with his marksman abilities. He went to the Guard’s summer training camps at Fort Sill, Oklahoma four years in a row and twice qualified to attend the national rifle matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. These trips were his first travels out of the Little Rock area.

At least once, Carl’s boss at the Grocery Company, refused to give Carl time off from his job to attend the camps, so the Guard had to send a Sergeant over (with a pistol on his hip) and demand that that Carl be released for duty. The boss argued with the Sergeant and told Carl that, duty or not, if he left he was fired! Upon his return from camp, Carl had to go back to his boss and grovel to get his job back.

Carl enjoyed socializing with his National Guard buddies and became good friends with Johnson Harmon. The slightly-older Harmon exuded confidence and style. Harmon owned a Harley motorcycle and Carl decided to buy a used Harley ($65) so they could ride together. The boys took a week trip down to Baton Rouge, camping along the way.

One night, Carl and Harmon were riding their motorcycles in the hills around Little Rock, looking for prohibition booze. As they rode down a dark country road, a cow appeared in front of them. Harmon swerved, but Carl slammed right into it. Fearing that a farmer might come after them; Carl and Harmon quickly left the scene. Carl’s motorcycle didn’t appear to be damaged, except for a burned-out headlight. The next day, Carl discovered his headlight wasn’t burnt out… it was just covered with a circle of cowhide, punched out of the side of the cow!

Riding the motorcycle was a problem when Carl had a date with his girlfriend, Ester Singleton, so he would rent a car for those occasions. He had to be careful not to drive too far though, the mileage costs could really add up!

At the 1928 training camp, Carl and Harmon convinced their Guard Commander to let them take their motorcycles with them on the troop train to Fort Sill. When training camp was over in July, they jumped on their motorcycles and headed west. The trip was initially Harmon’s idea (his parents had worked the fruit harvest in Colorado) but Carl had the idea of loading the bikes on the train.

The boys rode from Oklahoma out to Colorado. They camped out, often sleeping under the bleachers at local baseball fields. When they arrived in Grand Junction, they had a couple weeks to kill until the harvest, so they did some sightseeing and a little hustling in the pool halls. Soon they found jobs picking peaches and apples. They mostly camped in barns and fruit sheds, but at one point they found a closed-for-the-season motel to sleep in. The owner was suspicious at first, but decided the boys could stay if they watched over the place. They boys liked it, because they would stay in a room until it got dirty, then they moved to the next room.

The boys made about $5-$7 a day, picking about 100 to 150 bushels of fruit a day. In the evenings, Harmon and Carl would dress up and go to dances or do a little hustling at the pool hall. They had to be careful not to win too much money playing pool, because they didn’t want to anger the locals. No one bothered them much, including the cops, because the boys looked official wearing their Guard outfits.

The boys worked 4 months and the day after the apples froze on the trees in late November, they headed back home. The boys made slow progress across the Great Plains as they rode their motorcycles thru the freezing rain and snow. They would buy gas at every gas station they passed, just so they could warm up inside.

When Carl returned home, he thought about what he wanted to do next. For 3 years in a row, Carl had groveled to get his job back at American Grocery and this time he decided he wasn’t going to beg to get his job back any more. Since Carl was unemployed and not going to school, it wasn’t long until Roy said, “If you’re going to sit around the house, come down to the streetcar company, and I’ll put you to work”. So Carl got a job running the streetcar.

Although Carl enjoyed working as a conductor, he realized that he could end up working the rest of his life in Little Rock and not see the world. Carl had read some recruiting materials and thought about enlisting in the Navy. He also knew that his Uncle Earl worked in naval aviation in California and the idea of being a Navy pilot appealed to him. Carl had a desire to discover what possibilities were out there and the Navy seemed like a good way to do that.

Those recruiting materials that Carl was reading didn’t just appear in the mail by magic! In an effort to get Carl out of the house and “make something of himself”, Roy would stop by the recruiting office and address a batch of recruiting literature to Carl! Carl wasn’t fooled, because he recognized his Dad’s handwriting on the envelope.

When Carl inquired at the recruiting office in Nov. 1928, he found out that recruits were being sent to Great Lakes training center. Carl didn’t want to do boot camp in the snow, so he told the officer to call him when recruits were being sent to California.

The call came on Feb 4, 1929 and, a few days shy of his 24^th birthday, Carl joined the Navy. This was just 8 months before “Black Thursday”, which triggered the Great Depression. During the Depression, quotas for recruits were curtailed significantly. In that sense, Carl got in under the wire.

Enlisting in the Navy

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Carl rode the train with his fellow recruits out to basic training in California. When he stepped off the train in San Diego, he was overwhelmed. It was the first time he had seen the ocean, palm trees and California sun. He loved it!

After getting processed at the base, one of the first things Carl did was stow his good civilian clothes in a YMCA locker downtown. Carl didn’t want to be identified as “just a sailor”. He prided himself on dressing nice and keeping a civilian identity.

Just days into boot camp, the drill sergeant found out that Carl had 4 years of National Guard experience and he made Carl troop leader. Even though his fellow recruits teased him, Carl enjoyed the experience and found he gravitated to being a leader.

When Carl enlisted, he told the officer he was interested in flight training school. Carl had been fascinated by aviation since he was a boy; reading stories of the Wright Brothers and newspaper accounts of barnstormers and air shows. This interest was all academic though, Carl didn’t actually see an airplane until he arrived in California!

Immediately after boot camp, Carl was approved for flight training and was sent across San Diego bay to North Island. Carl didn’t complete high school, so this was his higher learning. The trainees studied aeronautics and took flying lessons. With the prospect of following his dream of flying and the close camaraderie of his class, this was one of Carl’s favorite times. After six weeks of training, Carl soloed and completed his training. He was sent to Aviation General Utility School at Great Lakes, Illinois for 3 months to train with sea planes.

After flight training, in Oct 1929, Carl was assigned to the carrier Saratoga, where he performed aircraft engine maintenance. The Saratoga was one of the first aircraft carriers. Naval aviation was so new that the Saratoga was initially built as a cruiser, but in mid-construction, was converted to a carrier. In fact, the first time a plane had landed on a moving carrier occurred just 15 years before Carl’s arrival!

Since aviation was still developing, there were some brutal accidents aboard ship. Carl witnessed a terrible mishap where an airplane that was landing on the deck broke the steel cable that was supposed to hook the aircraft and slow it down. The cable snapped with such force that it lashed out and severed the legs of a dozen men standing on the deck.

Many planes erred on takeoff or landing and plunged into the ocean. One airplane hooked the cable, but veered off the landing platform and went over the side. The plane was suspended against the side of the ship with the cockpit underwater. The pilot couldn’t open his hatch against the force of the water and was drowned.

Carl proved to be a quick study and was anxious to start flying missions, but unfortunately Navy Command issued orders that profoundly affected Carl’s career. They decided that new aviation recruits shouldn’t go directly into flight training after boot camp because they weren’t qualified to do any other job, so they changed pilot qualifications. In late Feb 1930, all pilots-in-training, including Carl, were disqualified and removed from the program.

But the disqualifications happened in an indirect way. In Carl’s case, a routine physical exam revealed that he had a “deviated nasal septum” and was he was disqualified from flying. This was a major disappointment for Carl. He was demoralized and bitterly disappointed. Adding insult to injury, he was reassigned to mess duty on the Saratoga and had to serve food to the very guys he used to work and fly with! Carl considered leaving the Navy when his term expired. But as disappointing as this was, it would have profound implications later in his career.

Carl threw himself into acquiring other training. When a Chief on the Saratoga realized Carl was available, he put Carl to organizing the office files. When he wrapped up the task in short order, the Chief told Carl that he had the makings of a yeoman. In June, 1931 Carl qualified as Gun Range Operator and was promoted to Yeoman 3^rd class. Soon after, he qualified as an Expert Rifleman. The next few years Carl divided his time between the Saratoga and the base in San Diego.

In 1932, the Saratoga stopped in the territory of Hawaii (which became a state in 1959). The men were anxious to go ashore in Honolulu, but the commanding officer had a problem. It was dangerous for the men because, just a week before, a sailor had caught his Hawaiian wife and her lover in bed together and killed them both. The natives in Honolulu were so upset that it was dangerous for any sailors to go into town. The captain decided to let his men go ashore in Maui instead. Maui was so underdeveloped, there wasn’t even a pier to dock at, so Carl and his shipmates had to swim to shore!

Carl remembers there was only the small town of Kihei and lots of sugar cane and pineapple fields. It may have been boring for most of the men, but Carl enjoyed the pristine beaches.

Making the Navy a Career

2007-12-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

Carl’s enlistment was up in Feb. 1933 and he left the Navy to seek a civilian career. It was during the Depression and the few jobs Carl found paid the same or less than the military (and didn’t include room and board). In those days Navy policy allowed men to re-enlist without any loss of grade or seniority if they did it within 60 days of their release. On the 59^th day, Carl re-upped for a 2-year term. After 2 more years Carl was released again, but he had the same job-hunting experience; so Carl re-enlisted, this time for a mandatory 4 years. When that stint was over, he had 12 years and some rank, so he committed to a Navy career.

Carl was in the Saratoga squadron from 1930 to 1935 and was promoted to Chief Yeoman when he transferred to the battleship Pennsylvania in June 1938.

When Carl was on the Pennsylvania in the South Pacific, he had an eerie experience. He was alone on morning watch, scanning the horizon for ship or aircraft sightings. This was before radar, so watchmen were the most reliable early warning system the Navy had. It was during one of these lonely watches that Carl spotted something bright on the horizon flying toward him… FAST! It approached very quickly and flew overhead at tremendous speed. This was before long before jets were developed and the craft made little or no sound. Carl didn’t know what to make of the sighting and didn’t report it. It was probably a meteorite, but years later Carl wondered if it was a UFO.

As a young sailor, Carl did some amateur boxing, which was a popular sport aboard ship. But unlike most of his shipmates, Carl didn’t like to hang out in bars when he went ashore. Instead, Carl’s liked to go to the beach or drive around and explore. Perhaps his favorite activity was dancing.

Carl liked to dress up in civilian clothes and go to dances. When he was in Long Beach, he would go to the Cinderella Ballroom on the Pike. The Majestic Dance Hall nearby attracted a lot of the sailors, so Carl avoided that. If you wore your uniform to the Cinderella, you couldn’t even get a girl to dance with you!

It was at one of these Cinderella dances that Carl met Maxine Sayer in 1933. The 18-year-old Maxine lived in Paramount with her parents. She and Carl hit it off immediately. After several months of dating, Carl proposed to her. Maxine’s parents wanted her to graduate junior college before she got married; so the marriage was postponed for a year. While they were dating, the parents often let Carl sleep on the couch when he was visiting (very trusting parents!). They finally married in 1934 at the Sayer’s house at 1212 Jackson St in Paramount.

Because he was newly married, Carl requested shore duty. He soon got orders to report to Newport, RI. It took about a week for Carl & Maxine to drive his 1934 V8 Ford back East. While working in Newport, Carl really honed the organizational skills he would need for future promotions.

It turned out that Maxine was more interested in other men than being married. Events culminated dramatically when she wrecked Carl’s car while out with another man. By the summer of 1937, Maxine requested a divorce, which Carl didn’t contest. After the divorce, Carl worked another year in Newport. He met some new women; the most memorable was Margaret Gordon of Greenwich, CT. Carl enjoyed driving his 1936 Plymouth up to Connecticut to see her.

In 1937, Roosevelt had selected Admiral Claude C Block (from Newport) to command the US Fleet aboard the Pennsylvania in Long Beach. Block selected Lt Thomas J Ryan as his flag secretary and Ryan summoned Carl for duty in the office of the Flag of the Commander in Chief, US Fleet (and that time the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets were combined).

When Carl reported to Ryan, his first order was: “Pritchard, these files are a mess, I need you to straighten them out”. Carl quickly organized the files and made a favorable impression. Initially Carl was 3rd class rank but he soon got promoted to 1^st class. Carl was the senior enlisted man in an office about 15 guys, so a lot of duties fell to Carl.

In June 1938, Carl was transferred to the Pennsylvania. Because Carl was now assigned aboard a ship, he didn’t need a car, so he turned his Plymouth in to the Ford dealership for credit. Among the ports-of-call were San Francisco, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Long Beach. Some of Carl’s duties were working for the ship’s chaplain and assisting in the library.

Falling in Love

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On one of Carl’s excursions in Long Beach, he again put on his best suit and went to the Cinderella Ballroom. Carl saw 2 attractive girls on the dance floor and approached them. Carl first asked Lorraine to dance, which they did. Carl then asked her friend Velma for the next dance, but Velma said her next dance was already taken. Carl returned for the next dance, but Lorraine and Velma had disappeared. Disappointed, Carl realized he didn’t even know the girls names.

Carl was shipped out soon after the dance. The ship’s first stop was San Francisco. Carl attended the World’s Fair on Treasure Island and attended concerts by Benny Goodman and Sammy Kaye. The next stop was Bremerton for several weeks. Three months later, the Pennsylvania returned to Long Beach. Carl again put on his civilian clothes and walked around the Pike.

As luck would have it, he passed Lorraine and Velma walking the other way. Carl thought to himself: “I’m not gonna miss a second chance” so he spun around and caught up with them. He introduced himself and although Lorraine was friendly, she didn’t remember him. Carl asked the girls to join him for a drink at the nearby Skyroom Lounge, atop the Breakers Hotel.

While they were in the Skyroom, the threesome was joined by a comrade of Carl’s, Lt Commander Young, who sat down next to Velma. After several rounds, Young suggested the four of them take his car and adjourn to another bar (possibly in Belmont Shore). At the end of the evening, Carl asked for another date and Lorraine said yes. A romance was born.

Carl realized that he now needed a car, so he went down the dealership and used his credit for a 1939 Dodge. On the first date, Carl did a little test. He wanted to know if Lorraine would go out with him if he didn’t have a car; so he parked his car about a block away so they would have to walk for a bit. Little did Carl realize that he was also being tested. Velma and Lorraine decided that if Carl didn’t show up to the house exactly on time, they were going to leave and go out by themselves.

Luckily Carl showed up to Lorraine’s apartment (at 1615 E 2^nd St, Long Beach) on time, but how did Lorraine do in the car test? As they left Lorraine’s apartment, Carl said “let’s walk downtown”, and they started walking down the street. Lorraine didn’t seem to have any objection. Since she passed the test with flying colors, Carl said “Well, let’s go ahead and drive”.

Lorraine had just completed her cosmetician training the year before and was working as a hairdresser. She had moved out to Long Beach from Minnesota because her cousins, Helen & Mickey McDonnell, invited her to live with them… and it was warmer than Minnesota! Although Lorraine knew Carl was in the military, Carl didn’t tell her cousins his occupation. Since he always dressed in civilian clothes, it was his secret… until a Navy visitor to the house recognized Carl.

Early in the relationship, Carl knew that Lorraine was the one for him. He asked her to marry him several times, but she wouldn’t say yes. One day Carl was waiting for Lorraine to return to her apartment and he was talking to her friends, the Fort sisters Carol and Florence. They teased Carl by saying that Lorraine had recently made a big decision and that he should ask her “an important question”. When Lorraine returned to the apartment, he popped the question and Lorraine finally said yes. They were so excited, they got married the next day. Lorraine’s sister Millie was the bridesmaid and her husband John was Carl’s best man.

This was a fast romance! Carl & Lorraine met for the first time at the Cinderella in July 1939. They saw one another again on the Pike in September and they were married on Nov 6, 1939 at the Long Beach courthouse.

Right after the ceremony, the newlyweds left on their honeymoon to San Francisco. Since the Bay Area was a long 2-day journey by car, they spent their wedding night at a motel at the top of the Grapevine on Highway 5. They spent 3 beautiful days in San Francisco seeing all the sights (Coit Tower, Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf) and stayed at the Cartwright Hotel.

Upon their return, Lorraine stayed in her apartment until Carl could find a place. He found an apartment behind a big house near downtown Long Beach. It was tiny, but private. Not long after, Carl was ordered to go to sea and separated from his new bride.

A few months after they married, Lorraine’s dad, August, died back in St Paul. Lorraine and her cousin, Mickey, drove back east. Initially Mickey did most of the driving, because Lorraine didn’t know how to drive yet, but she quickly learned.

Carl returned to Long Beach and his new bride for a few months and then, in June 1940, Carl was ordered out to Hawaii for a six-week cruise on the Pennsylvania. This was an uneasy time for

America

; Hitler was on the move in Europe and

Japan

was seizing territory in Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the Pacific. Would

America

go to war? No one knew, but Carl and Lorraine knew the possibility of war was in the air as Carl shipped out.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

2007-12-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

The Japanese, engaged in a war it had waged against China since 1937, badly needed oil and other raw materials. Commercial access to these materials was curtailed by the West, but the Japanese conquests continued. President Roosevelt needed to send a stronger message.

The Pacific Fleet was Roosevelt’s “big stick” to keep Japanese aggression in check. En route to Hawaii, Carl’s fleet was ordered to stay indefinitely in Pearl Harbor to act as a warning to the Japanese.

When Carl arrived in Pearl Harbor in July 1940, he was assigned to the flag office of Admiral Kimmel (Commander In Chief, US Fleet) where he reported to the Flag Secretary, Commander Crosley. As Chief Yeoman, Carl’s duties included overseeing personnel and tracking ship movements. When he first got to the office, everybody was running around trying to figure out what to do. Carl knew the Navy had definite regulations regarding paperwork during wartime, so he suggested to Crosley that they decide it was “wartime” and break out the special regulations and get going.

After he got established, Carl had Lorraine sell the car and move out to Hawaii. She shipped over on the Navy vessel, Lurleen. Carl and Lorraine rented a little apartment on Beachwalk Drive in Waikiki Beach. They were a half-block from the beach and this was when Waikiki was quiet, undeveloped and romantic. Carl describes this as one of the most wonderful times in their marriage. They loved exploring the island by car; Lorraine was especially fond of visiting Diamond Head.

Their wedded bliss was shattered in Dec 1941 by the attack at Pearl Harbor. Carl was awakened that morning by neighbors talking outside their bedroom window. Carl heard one of them say, “I don’t think it’s a drill, because the ships and oil tank are on fire”. Carl jumped out of bed and looked out the window. Across the bay, he could see the Navy base in flames. He turned on the radio and heard that the base was under attack and all military personnel were to report for duty immediately.

Carl kissed Lorraine goodbye and rushed to the base. The traffic was so bad, that police were ordering people to park their cars and ride together. As Carl and his new passengers were heading to the base, Carl’s car hood was strafed by machine-gun fire from the Japanese Zeroes flying overhead. Fortunately Carl and his passengers were unhurt. This was the first that Carl was shot at directly by the enemy. When asked if he was scared, Carl says simply “I didn’t have time to be scared”.

When he arrived at the base, Carl was devastated by the destruction. Fires were raging, ships were sinking and the dead and wounded were everywhere. No one knew if the attack was over or if more planes were coming. Carl hurried to Fleet Headquarters, which was undamaged. His very first task was coordinating the incoming damage reports and outgoing orders for the Flag Office.

In the end, 2,403 men were killed in the attack and thousands more were wounded. 21 ships were sunk or damaged and 188 airplanes were destroyed. Of the 8 battleships that were docked in Pearl Harbor, only the Pennsylvania (Carl’s ship) survived the attack. It was in dry dock at the time and although it was struck by a bomb, it was not heavily damaged. Judged seaworthy, the Pennsylvania was immediately put to sea to act as the Flag Office. Carl moved the Flag Office on board and didn’t leave the ship for many days.

Carl’s duties after the attack were fatality and casualty lists, damage reports, unit transfers and research. One of Carl’s most important assignments was compiling the War Diary. Carl and his staff took the diaries from every ship and every command & combat unit on the base and compiled them into a Master Diary. Each minute was noted with everything that happened. The entries for 7:58am and 7:59am only had a paragraph or two. The entries for 8:00am and each minute thereafter had many pages of entries from all the attacked ships and combat units.

After the attack all military personnel were confined to the base; so once men reported for duty, they weren’t allowed to leave. Since all non-military communications were restricted, Carl was unable to call Lorraine for days after the attack. Lorraine was in agony, not knowing if Carl had survived the attack. After 3 or 4 days, Carl was finally able to call Lorraine and assure her that he was fine.

Carl remembers listening to Roosevelt’s stirring “Infamy Speech” on Dec 8. The president’s words gave much-needed encouragement to Americans, particularly those in uniform. Carl greatly admired Roosevelt and considered him one of our greatest presidents.

Commander Crosley knew that Carl was concerned about Lorraine, so about 2 weeks after the attack, he said to Carl, “We don’t have an atlas, I need you to go into town and buy one”. Carl didn’t need to be told twice. He took the boat to shore and stopped at several stores before he could find an atlas. When he finally found the book, he was free to see Lorraine for the afternoon. Carl remembers this emotional reunion fondly.

Many of Carl’s old classmates from Flight Training school were on the aircraft carriers stationed in Pearl Harbor and were killed in the attack. The few who survived were killed 6 months later in the Battle of Midway. After Midway, Carl found out (since he had access to personnel records) that he was the only man from the class still alive. Carl realized that being disqualified as a pilot 11 years before, as painful as it was, was the reason he was still alive.

Four days after the raid, on December 11, the Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox, arrived at Pearl Harbor for a personal inspection. On his return to Washington, Knox recommended to Roosevelt that Admiral Kimmel be relieved. Kimmel was temporarily replaced by the Battle Force commander, Vice Admiral William S. Pye.

Working for Adm Nimitz

2007-12-07T12:18:00.000-08:00

When Roosevelt called the Navy’s Personnel Chief, Chester Nimitz, to ask for candidates to replace Kimmel, Nimitz said “I’m your man”. Roosevelt readily agreed and Nimitz arrived in Pearl Harbor on Christmas 1941 to relieve Kimmel. The meeting was confidential, but when it ended, Nimitz was the new Commander In Chief. Kimmel left the office, never to return. Crosley was transferred soon after. Carl then reported to Nimitz and he continued to advance in the Flag office.

The style of both leaders was very different. The entire time that Carl worked for Admiral Kimmel, he never actually met the man; but Carl worked closely with Admiral Nimitz. Carl shared a bond with his new boss, since they both worked in Personnel, and Nimitz was a much more fraternal leader.

Officials feared another Japanese attack on Hawaii. Lookouts and anti-aircraft guns were posted and barbed wire was strung along the beach. People living on the coast were moving inland. Lorraine moved in with her cousin Helen McDonnell (Lorraine’s roommate when she met Carl), who lived several miles from the beach.

Lorraine stayed about 4 more months in Hawaii and then was evacuated in April 1942. She moved back to Long Beach. Jim was born at St Mary’s Hospital on Oct 27, 1942. In April 1943, Carl finally got leave to see the family. It was the first time he saw his new baby Jim, who was 6 months old. The separation made him resolve to plan his career so he could spend as much time with his family as possible.

Carl’s old boss, Crosley, was transferred back to the Navy Dept. in Washington. Crosley was ordered to transform the antiquated Navy Post Office into a modern Postal Affairs office, capable of sending top secret orders quickly and confidentially. During wartime, there needed to be a coded system for forwarding mail to ships without revealing their position.

After Crosley arrived in DC, he was desperate for experienced officers. He called Carl and said “Whenever you can make yourself available to me, I can use you here at Navy Headquarters”. Crosley couldn’t pull any strings to get Carl transferred, because in wartime no officer could be transferred out of Fleet Command unless the Admiral in charge released him.

Carl wanted the assignment for two reasons: he wanted to be closer to his family and he knew that he would learn a lot working at HQ, so he decided to find someone to replace him. Carl ran into Frenchie Brussard, one of his old shipmates on the Saratoga, and Brussard expressed interest in Carl’s position. Carl orchestrated having him reassigned to the office. Carl spent a month training Brussard, got permission for reassignment and then got orders to report to Wash DC.

In December 1943, Carl took the ship to Long Beach and the train back to DC (very hectic travel during wartime) and reported for duty. One of the guys in the office helped Carl find an apartment (3916 Elbert Ave) and the family moved out soon thereafter.

Along with assisting in setting up the Postal Affairs office, one of Carl’s duties was to find candidates for Navy post offices around the world. He would visit the Bureau of Naval Personnel and go through their applications to find candidates. Initially Carl worked at the old Navy Dept headquarters, but after several months, he was among the first wave of workers to move into the newly-built Pentagon.

The Pentagon and a Tour of Korea

2007-12-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

Construction on the Pentagon commenced on Sept 11, 1941. An average of 4,000 men labored on the building in 3 shifts round the clock. One section was completed by the end of April 1942 and the first tenants moved in. The building was completed on Jan 15, 1943. The Pentagon was the largest office building in the country at that time, covering 29 acres and housing 17 miles of corridors. Design and construction of such a building would normally have taken four years, but the Army Corps of Engineers took only 16 months. Carl worked in the same area of the Pentagon that was struck 50 years later in the Sept 11 terrorist attacks.

After saving money for years, in Feb 1951, Carl & Lorraine finally bought their first home; a row house on Mt Vernon Ave in Alexandria, VA. Unfortunately, they had to immediately sell it, because Carl was ordered to rotate out of the office. Carl went to his friends in Personnel to see if they could help him. They had 2 possibilities: an assignment in Alaska or re-commission the battleship Iowa out of San Francisco. Since California would be easier on the family, Carl took the Iowa assignment.

Carl took the train out to San Francisco and reported for duty. Lorraine and Jim stayed in St. Paul until Carl got situated with an apartment in San Bruno. Carl was the Chief of Staff for the Captain on the Iowa. It was quite a job because he was responsible for welding a disparate group of men into a well-honed team.

Eventually the ship was reassigned from San Francisco to Long Beach. Carl moved the family down to Long Beach and eventually bought a house in the 3600 block of Gardenia. In Feb 1952, the orders came through for Carl to sail to Korea.

After Korea's liberation from Japanese occupation at the end of WWII, the US and Soviet Union each sought post-war influence in Korea. To administer the surrender of Japanese troops in Korea, American and Soviet negotiators hastily agreed, in August 1945, to an administrative division of Korea at the 38th parallel. As tensions between the two superpowers intensified, this hardened into a political division of the peninsula. In June 1950, North Korea invaded the South. The UN voted to denounce the hostilities and demanded a withdrawal. In July, President Truman ordered US air and sea forces to give the South Korean troops cover and support.

The Iowa’s mission was to man the bomb-line along the Korean coast between Inchon and North Korea. Carl spent many hours on the bridge, with the temperature near zero and the windows wide-open (in case an explosion shattered them). Carl describes this time as one of the worst periods of his life. He was away from his new family and since it was wartime, he wasn’t sure when he would see them again. But soon a stroke of luck occurred.

While patrolling the Korean coast, Carl saw an admiral’s vessel approaching. He instructed the yeoman to render the proper honors. The visitor was Admiral Dyer, visiting the Iowa’s Capt Smedburg. After boarding, Dyer recognized Carl and came over to talk to him. It was a fortuitous meeting, because Dyer needed a flag secretary back in San Diego.

Navy Life After the War

2007-12-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

In summer 1953 Carl was assigned to Admiral Dyer as his Flag Secretary and reported to San Diego. Carl assisted Dyer in running the 11^th Naval District, which encompassed the San Diego area. Carl’s administrative assistant during this time was William Buhler. Buhler says that Carl was unflappable on the job and never lost his cool, even though their boss Capt Williams was quite demanding and temperamental. To relax, Carl and Bill often went to lunch in San Diego’s Old Town or at the landmark Anthony’s restaurant.

Carl and Lorraine bought a new home with a beautiful view of Point Loma. But when they found out the lot next door would soon have a house built that would block their view, they sold the house and rented a house at 3529 Jewell near Crown Point.

Mark was born in July 1954 and Carl’s assignment ended, because of a mandatory 2-year rotation. He was transferred to the shipyard in Bremerton as Superintendent of Personnel. Carl loaded up the 1953 Buick with their belongings and a crib in back for Mark and moved to Bremerton. The family spent 2 years Washington and visited a lot of the local sights.

In 1956, Carl was ordered to duty in Guam, where he oversaw personnel for Ship Repair, Navy Station and Supply Depot. On Nov 1, 1957, Carl was notified by the Secretary of the Navy that he had attained the rank of Commander, the highest rank attainable for an enlisted man.

Guam was still quite a wild place, where natives rode water buffalo on the side of the road. Lorraine enjoyed living in Guam. She loved that fact that she could play Hawaiian music on the record-player and with the view from the house, it seemed like Hawaii. The next day, she would put on Greek music and it seemed like Greece; then Italian music for the Italian Riviera.

The family home on Nimitz Hill overlooked a large wild valley that was famous at the time for occasional brush fires that would explode buried Japanese ordinance. It was also the same valley where Shoichi Yokoi, a “holdout” WWII Japanese soldier, who had been living in the wild for 26 years, was discovered in 1972. Jim actually saw Shoichi sometime in 1957. Jim was playing with some friends in the valley when they spotted Shoichi nearby; but the soldier quickly cut across a ridge and disappeared. Most of the neighborhood kids knew a Japanese holdout was out there somewhere, but no one worried about him being dangerous.

Jim attended grades 9 and 10 at the all-boys Catholic Seminary on the island. When the boys misbehaved, the priests had them cut “boonies” in the field with a machete for a couple hours. This punishment usually had the desired effect on the miscreants. Jim liked Guam except for the lack of pop music on the radio.

Like a lot of teen boys on the base, Jim tried out for the local baseball league. Carl went to the opening meeting with Jim, and since he was the senior officer present, Carl was appointed League Commissioner. Unfortunately, Jim’s baseball abilities were lacking, so he soon quit playing… but Carl was stuck with being Commissioner for the rest of the season!

In early 1958 Carl requested a transfer to San Diego. HQ was reluctant to transfer him, because he had less than a year before his retirement; but when Carl insisted, they relented. This was important to Carl, because he wanted to be settled in California – with a house, a car and Jim in school – when he retired. He knew that finding a job would be hard enough, without having to worry about getting settled.

Suddenly Civilian

2007-12-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

The family moved to San Diego in August 1958. Pondering his post-Navy career, Carl thought that real estate sounded interesting, so he took a night-class in real estate and became a licensed broker. But an agent warned Carl that living by commissions was tough and that Carl would be much better off with a salaried position, so Carl decided he would focus on finding a regular job.

Carl retired from the Navy on March 1, 1959. There was no ceremony or party; Carl just handed in his papers, picked up his briefcase and left the office. Carl was disappointed, but attributed the lack of ceremony to the fact that his commanding officer was a humorless and impersonal man. Carl and Lorraine went out for a congratulatory dinner and Carl felt both relieved and nervous about leaving the Navy.

Carl looked for a job in San Diego for 3 months. He interviewed with defense companies like Hughs and Convair, but since San Diego was so saturated with retired military, finding a job was difficult. Carl even tried selling cars, be he didn’t like the work and only lasted a week. Carl finally decided to look for a job in LA.

Lorraine’s sister, Dolores had a boyfriend, Ed Lattner, who got Carl got a job at the Organ Center on Wilshire. Carl worked as a sales and stock person for organs and pianos. It wasn’t a job that Carl relished, but it was enough to move the family up to the LA area. Carl and Lorraine rented a house on Arlington Ave in Torrance.

Carl went to the State Employment Office to see what jobs were available. The interviewer told Carl that he was qualified to be working for the Employment Office and he encouraged Carl to take the state test, which he did. There was nothing available at the time, so Carl was put on the waiting list.

Meanwhile, Lorraine’s cousin, Mickey D’Onofrio, told Carl that the Torrance Fire Dept was looking for a dispatcher, so Carl interviewed and got the job. The rotating day and night shift was difficult, so Carl was glad when the Employment Office called and said they wanted to hire him in the Torrance office. Carl’s pay was less than half of what he was making in the Navy, but he was glad to have the job. Within a year, Carl had become a Supervisor.

In 1960, the family bought a house at 1609 Post in Torrance. That same year, Mark started 1^st grade at Nativity Catholic School and Jim graduated from Torrance High School. Sitting in the audience at Jim’s graduation, Carl looked around at all the young fathers and remarked on how old he felt (he was 55). Lorraine didn’t miss a beat when she said “wait until you go to Mark’s graduation… in 12 years!”

Jim immediately enlisted in the Air Force after high school. He attended basic training in San Antonio, Texas and was eventually transferred to Wakkanai, Japan. Carl and Lorraine wanted a bigger house, so they bought a newly-built home on 230^th Place in Torrance. In 1964 Jim finished the Air Force and lived at home for a time while starting his new career as a disc jockey. Within a few months, he moved to a new job in Butte, Montana.

Carl and Lorraine decided that they would rather live in Long Beach and in Sept 1965 they bought a house at 3511 Marna. Carl traveled back and forth to work at the Torrance employment office for a year and then transferred to the Long Beach office. The same year, Mark entered junior high, which was his first exposure to public education.

Nearly every summer in the early 1960s, the family would take a car trip back east to visit Little Rock to see Carl’s family or St. Paul to visit Lorraine’s family.

In 1966 the family took a memorable 3-week trip down South. After visiting Carl’s mother and Casey in Little Rock, the family visited New Orleans and then looked up a distant relative who lived on the bayou near Mobile, Alabama. They drove down to Pensacola to visit Carl’s old boss, Commander Crosley, then headed up to Kansas to see Casey’s daughter Ann and her family.

The trip back across the country took them through the scenic wonders of the Rocky Mountains and the small town of Gunnison, Colorado. One of Carl’s favorite stories was how Mark, in his eagerness to go swimming, jumped into the motel pool without checking the temperature. The water was so cold, that Mark shot out of the pool in a split-second. Mark swore he felt the ice break when he jumped in.

Later that year, Carl’s father passed away and the family went back to Little Rock for the funeral. The following year, his mother passed away and Carl drove back to Little Rock with his cousin Lloyd to attend the funeral. Carl had often visited his parents, so he felt there was nothing left unsaid and no regrets. He admired the fact that he never saw his parents argue. The fatherly advice that Carl remembers most was that Roy often told Carl to get a job with a pension. For all the years that Roy worked at the streetcar company, he didn’t get much of a pension and money was tight in his retirement.

In the mid-60s, Mark had the opportunity of spending several summer vacations on Johnny Keys’ ranch near Joshua Tree, California. Johnny and his wife Adda were among the first settlers in the area in the early part of the 1900s and were very colorful characters. Carl’s cousin, Leo, sent his boy Darryl to work on their ranch and Carl and Lorraine thought that Mark would enjoy it too. The families would drop the boys off and Carl and Leo loved wearing their wide-brim hats and being cowboys for the day. Carl, Leo and the boys got a big kick out of riding horses and listening to Johnny tell his tales of the Old West. Johnny had stories about Gene Autry and all the Western movies that had been filmed on Johnny’s ranch in the ‘40s.

In 1969, after visiting Little Rock, the family drove up to St Paul and Chicago to visit Lorraine’s family. The trip continued east to Albany, New York to visit Jim and his new wife Linda. Jim tried to interview his brother on his radio show, but Mark was shy and Jim had to do most of the talking.

Grandfather - Lorraine's passing

2007-12-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

In 1973, Carl and Lorraine became grandparents; not just once, but twice! While living in Evanston, WY, Jim and Linda had their first child, Cory on August 18. At the same time, Mark met Debbie Arrington and they had a son, Jason, who was born on July 13. Mark and Debbie married in 1976.

In anticipation of his retirement from the State, Carl bought his first RV (1970 Bravo) in 1972 and he and Lorraine took many short trips, including Death Valley and Pt Mugu in Ventura. Carl retired in spring 1973 (at the age of 68). Carl’s office threw a big party and sent him off in style.

Within days he and Lorraine embarked on their first extended RV road adventure. They drove across the southern part of the country, visiting every little town they had rushed through when Carl was working. They went as far as Pensacola and visited friends. They were on their way back when they discovered the coastal town of Gulfport, MS. It was love at first sight. They spent several days there, made some wonderful friends and vowed to return.

Carl and Lorraine started going on Princess Cruises in 1972 to destinations like Mexico and Alaska. But Feb 1978, when they went on the Holland America Line on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera, they were truly impressed and Carl remained a loyal seafarer with Holland America from then on. Carl and Lorraine enjoyed destinations like the Caribbean in 1981 and Bermuda in 1982.

In 1973, Carl and Lorraine decided that with travel taking up more of their time (and Mark out of the house) they would sell the house on Marna and move into a smaller place in the nearby condo community of Sovereign Park.

Carl also decided they need a substantially larger RV to travel in, so he bought a Ford pickup truck and 23-ft Terry trailer. Later on, as Carl’s vision deteriorated, Lorraine took on the driving duties while Carl would navigate. With his excellent memory of the roads, he seldom needed to look at the map with his magnifying glass.

On their cross-country trips, Carl always carried a loaded .45 pistol, just in case they encountered someone with bad intentions. During one of their trips across the California desert, Carl pulled over to check the oil. He then decided to do a little target practice with his gun. As Carl was shooting, the CHP drove by and became suspicious. The officer asked Carl a few questions, but let him off with a warning to restrict his shooting to areas more removed from the main highway.

In spring 1975, Carl and Lorraine took their longest trailer trip yet. They spent 10 weeks on the road… staying in Gulfport, visiting Ann & Richard Strawn in Kansas, and seeing Jim & Linda in Aztec NM. Linda was quite pregnant and just a few weeks later she gave birth to their second child, Teri Lynn on July 7. Kelly was born 2 years later on April 6, 1977 after Jim and Linda moved to Eugene, Oregon.

For the next 12 years, Carl and Lorraine traveled extensively, but their favorite destination remained Gulfport. They appreciated the slower pace and warm hospitality of the Gulf, especially their beloved San Beach Trailer Park, which was right on the beach. Lorraine loved to visit with the neighboring ladies or pick berries. Carl liked to putter around the trailer or go with one of the guys on an errand into town. In the evening, the couples would take turns hosting a BBQ or cocktail party.

One of Carl’s favorite stories was the time he and Lorraine were driving across Arizona. Lorraine was eating an orange and throwing the peels out the window. A Highway Patrolman saw them littering and pulled them over. The officer reminded them that littering was against the law and ordered them to pick up the peels. With that, the officer left. They turned around and Carl had to pick up each orange peel on the road. Carl felt silly picking up the peels when the Patrolman wasn’t even around. But as they got underway again and drove up the side of the mountain, Carl passed the Patrolman. The officer waved to them as they drove by and Carl realized he had been watching them from above… making sure they picked up the peels.

Although they never encountered a full-fledged hurricane down south, in 1976 they experienced a huge tropical storm that wreaked havoc along the Gulf coast. Carl had the foresight to park the trailer behind a cinder-block bathhouse and they comfortably rode out the storm while tree branches and torn aluminum siding blew past them.

On Feb 4, 1979, Carl’s brother Art passed away. Carl and Lorraine immediately drove up to Oakland and stayed with Evelyn while arrangements were made for the funeral. Afterwards Carl and Lorraine brought Evelyn back to stay with them in Long Beach, so she wouldn’t have to be alone.

The trip that Carl and Lorraine took in 1983 was a trying one. While in Corpus Christi, Lorraine complained of pain in her chest. Carl brought her to the Navy hospital in Biloxi and Lorraine stayed there for two weeks while they conducted tests. The doctors detected a growth in her chest, but were unsure if it was malignant.

On May 26, Carl and Lorraine set off for the drive home and 3 days later, outside of Albuquerque NM, they had an auto accident. As they drove down into a gully, a gust of wind blasted them. Lorraine was unable to control the fishtailing trailer and it turned over on its side. The trailer was destroyed, but Carl and Lorraine were unhurt and the truck was not damaged. More bad news greeted them when they returned to Long Beach. Lorraine’s growth was diagnosed as malignant and she had to begin chemo and radiation treatments.

After a year of treatment, Lorraine’s condition improved. They still wanted to travel, so in 1984 Carl bought a more stable “Fifth Wheel” trailer. In 1986, Carl and Lorraine took what turned out to be their final trailer trip down South. They stayed a month in Gulfport and took plenty of side trips on their way back.

They stopped in Cimarron and picked up Casey and she rode with them back to California. They visited Evelyn and her husband Bill on their ranch near Auburn. Carl and Lorraine lingered at the ranch several days longer than usual, but finally said goodbye. Casey remained at the ranch and flew home later. As if knowing that this was their final long trip, the closer they got to home, the slower Lorraine drove.

Lorraine’s sickness got progressively worse the next year and spent most of her time in the hospital. One of Lorraine’s last excursions was when she attended the marriage of Mark and his second wife, Ivonne, in June 1988. Though she was in severe pain, Lorraine remained cheerful and involved with her family. By fall 1988, Lorraine went into the hospital for further treatments. Carl visited her every day. Eventually she was transferred to the Care West Rest Home in Long Beach, where she died on Oct 3, 1988. Carl was devastated by the loss. He went into a depression and lost considerable weight.

Carl was further grief-stricken when his sister Casey passed away from a stroke in Nov. 1990. The unexpected loss of the kid sister that he shared so much with made another hole in his heart. His was very disappointed that he was unable to travel to Little Rock to attend her funeral.

The Surprise of Love

2007-12-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

Carl gradually emerged from his mourning period and began to socialize. He was particularly fond of his neighbor, Rita Carroll. Over the years, their friendship developed into a close and loving relationship. Carl recognized how lucky he was to find love once again.

In Feb 1995, Carl’s brother Roy and his wife Jordean, initiated the idea of a surprise 90^th birthday party for Carl. Rita kept Carl busy with some chores, while Roy, Jordean and Mark decorated the house. Carl was definitely surprised when he walked in and his friends and family jumped out and yelled “happy birthday”. Carl joked that he was glad he didn’t have a heart attack from the surprise!

In 1996, after a lapse of 14 years, Carl decided he wanted to go on an ocean cruise again. He invited Rita on a 7-day cruise to the Mexican Riviera and they had a delightful time. The following year Carl and Rita went on a cruise through the Panama Canal. Since Carl had traveled through the canal several times in his Navy days, it was a nostalgic trip for him.

After that cruise, Carl and Rita had a profound shock. While they were gone, Mark’s 23-year-old son Jason had committed suicide on April 23, 1997. Even the funeral had occurred while they were gone. Ever strong, Carl provided much needed comfort to Mark.

In April 1998, Rita and Carl took a cruise to Hawaii that was particularly significant. It was the first time Carl had been to Hawaii since he retired from the Navy and the first time he visited the Pearl Harbor memorial. It was an emotional and poignant trip for Carl as he remembered many of his fallen shipmates and the times he had shared with Lorraine. Mark had arranged a tour with Navy officials beforehand, so Carl and Rita received an official guided tour of the base and the memorial.

Being a sailor, Carl really enjoyed the cruises, particularly on the Holland America lines; because he knew the ships by heart and could get around, even with his failing eyesight. In 2000 Mark joined Carl and Rita for a 1-week cruise to Alaska. In 2001, they all took a 10-day cruise to the Caribbean and in 2002, Mark and Rita joined Carl on his final cruise with a 1-week trip to the Mexican Riviera.

Carl had an accident with bizarre consequences in mid 1999. While walking in the apartment without his walker, Carl fell and hit his head. He began suffering from excruciating headaches and went to see the doctor. After an exam, Carl was given a series of spinal shots, which did little for his headaches, but had the effect of completely disorienting him. When the doctors inquired how he was doing, Carl caustically responded that he was “looking for bullets for his gun”. The doctor didn’t appreciate the dark humor and wouldn’t let Carl leave his office. Instead the doctor called for a wheelchair and immediately transferred Carl to the psychiatric unit at St Mary’s.

Carl spent 5 long weeks in the “Cuckoo’s Nest” before Rita and Mark were able to convince the doctors to release him. It was a chilling episode, because after being in the psychiatric unit for several weeks, Carl began to question his sanity. However, once he returned home, Carl quickly put the episode behind him; even looking at the event philosophically by saying ”I learned a lot from it”.

On Aug 18, 2000, grandson Cory and his wife Julie gave birth to daughter Reyan, Carl’s first great grandchild. Kelly and wife Heidi followed suit on July 5, 2001 when their daughter Madison Marie was born. Teri’s daughter Taylor Nicole was born 2 days later on July 7.

In Jan 2003, just before his 98^th birthday, Carl suffered a mild stroke and fell, breaking his hip (his first broken bone ever). The hip and subsequent pneumonia caused Carl to be in and out of the hospital for 5 months and Carl remains bed-ridden today. The stroke caused his larynx to become incapacitated and Carl is on a stomach-feeding tube. His strength to recovery stunned his family. His doctor thought what Carl had been through would have killed most other people.

After 18-months of being bed-ridden and unable to eat, Carl passed away in his sleep at the age of 99 on Dec. 11, 2004. His sons arranged a service that included a grave-side military 9-gun salute and an honor guard stood nearby and played "Taps" on the bugle. It was a profoundly emotiona moment. Son Jim officiated at the service. Speakers included son Mark and Carl's friends Eric David, Ann Hastings , Debbie Nichols and Lisa Adkins.