STORY BEHIND THE PLAQUE
Service Reflections of ATC Walter Willey, U.S. Navy (1944-1986)

I was just 18 at the time and qualified to enlist at the enlistment center in Manchester, NH in Nov 1944. My father Charles H. Willey, was Navy all the way. Dad received the Medal of Honor in 1932. He was born in East Boston, MA on March 31, 1889. At the age of 19, he enlisted in the US Navy. As a Machinist Mate 2nd Class and he sailed all over the world on his first hitch. During Dad’s 2nd hitch he made Warrant Machinist in 1914. He was awarded the Medal Of Honor for exceptional heroism performed aboard the USS Memphis during a hurricane off Santa Domingo City in 1916. He received many other medals.

Now, you can bet that certainly influenced my decision to join the Navy. I was a 139 lb boy at that time. I went to Boot Camp as the Pacific war was still raging.

I went to Boot Camp in Sampson, NY and turned 18 the day I entered. After I finished Boot Camp I was assigned to Unit X in Norfolk, VA. From Norfolk, I was assigned to the brand new USS Beatty DD-756. She was about to be commissioned out of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and we were mixed in with a group of experienced Sailors and a lot of recruits just out of Boot. She was one of the new Sumner class 2200 ton, twin 5-inch gun mounts, and torpedo tubes. From there we went to Gitmo for a shakedown.

I was a Fire Controlman striker and duty station was the Mk 37 gun director for the main battery. We spent some time on the South Atlantic chasing subs and finally got the assignment that we were headed for Okinawa picket line. When we sailed out of Pearl we were halfway to Okinawa and the war ended. June 1946 I was discharged as an FC 3rd Class.

I was called back to duty in 1951 and went to Boston and we recommissioned the USS Bache, DDE-470. (Fletcher Class). I spent about two more years on her and was discharged as FC2.

I later changed over to the Air Force as a Staff Sergeant about late 1954. I flew with the Air Force for about 10 years and went to Denver Colorado to live. There, I joined the Naval Air group and worked my way up to Chief Avionics Tech and retired in November 1986.

Mostly it was anti-sub patrol and we tracked and depth charged a few targets on the way to Panama Canal. My Korean War experience was training reservists out of Norfolk for two-week cruises, etc.

I was at O’Hare field in Chicago and a member of a troop carrier squadron during the Cuban Missile Crisis. We sat on the runway with carbines issued to the aircrew with props spinning for thirty minutes until we received the notice that President Kennedy had backed the Russians down.

Naturally, it was aboard the USS Beatty DD-756. Our Skipper was nicknamed 500-yard Munger. That name was due to the fact that when assigned shore bombardment duties he would bring the ship into 500 yards from the shore and commenced firing from that dangerous point.

I can still remember when we were in Pearl Harbor and had Christmas trees tied to the front radar tower for Christmas.

I can also remember when we refueled from Aircraft Carriers how we were bouncing around while refueling and looking up at the carrier Sailors that were dry and clean.

Making jato rocket take-off on an SA16 Albatross out of San Diego Bay. I was flying air-rescue as a radio operator at that time.

The Asiatic Pacific medal as we were certainly headed out to Okinawa for picket duty against the suicide planes that were killing our destroyers.

My Gunnery Officer on the USS Bache. He was a really good Officer and stood by all of the fire-control gang. He even offered me 50 weeks of fire control school in Washington, DC and said he would recommend me. This was at the end of the Korean War. His name was Lt Pringle.

Oh, yes, there were many. I guess it was at the times that I stood Petty Officer watch at the gangway. We were in Damansara (near Gitmo) for R&R for one day and night.

I watched our illustrious crew members come back on board from liberty and that, my friend, was a circus. It wasn’t too funny when a few fell off the gangplank and had to be rescued.

Also, I was on shore patrol duty all day and most of the ladies of the night looked quite rough to me. That night it was my turn to go ashore and after a few beers, all the ladies looked beautiful! Hah!

I always was in love with the printing industry. I left NH for Escondido California and became a Linotype machinist at the local Newspaper. I followed that career over a few states and settled in Denver, Colorado and worked at the Rocky Mountain News.

I went through all phases of the progress of electro-mechanical advancement in the late ’80s to the cyber world of new computer-oriented equipment. I did well with my Navy electronic background and eventually headed the Tech Services department.

I retired in Feb 1992.

Now, I go to South Texas and winter out in McAllen, Texas. Just to keep busy. I have now reached the age of 84 and still, am hanging in there with my memories.

I am presently a member of The American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign War’s (VFW).

For one thing, it makes you darned proud and to make me prouder, my grandson Manuel just joined the Navy a year ago and is in munitions crew at a squadron out of Lemoore in California.

So far he has seen quite a bit of the world on the Carrier USS Carl Vinson CVN- 70 and was aboard when Osama was buried at sea. It was from his carrier and he witnessed it!

I am proud that I talked him into it so we have at least three generations of Navy.

Stand strong and we all back you and are proud of you all.

Well, it seems to be a real Navy site for remembering our service. It seems to be run with dignity and with an air of officialness and not tacky. It is nice to read your Reflections on Your Service. Quite interesting.

OVER THE SEAS, LET’S GO MEN. WE’RE SHOVING RIGHT OFF AGAIN. NOBODY KNOWS WHERE OR WHEN. How true.

Thanks.