My uncle Frank was a torpedo man on DD619 the Edwards, a destroyer. At the end of the war they where given a cruise book, something like a high school year book. My father read it and said that it was like reading a fiction story. The ship was blessed by not losing one man the entire war. He gave that book to someone lost to time. I wish I had it! Uncle Frank was a happy go lucky guy and also didn't talk about the war. I tried to get some stories out of him but all I got was "Yea I was there". The ship certainly saw a lot of action and received 13 battle stars. A jap plane dropped a torpedo meant for them and as it got close to the ship a wave broke and lifted the torpedo so that it came out of the water went OVER the bow and kept on going. They almost bought it that time. A kamikazi attacked them and the wing hit the radar antenna, broke the wing off leaving it hanging on the antenna. The rest of the plane dropped harmlessly into the ocean. He did tell me that he was lucky to have a dry bunk and good meals and felt bad for the marines that they where supporting during their landings knowing they where sleeping in the mud and eating K rations. I said to him that was true but they where losing people on land as individuals and that could add up to quite a few casualties. When they take a ship out you lose hundreds at one time. They had it rough. The bomber crews, submarine crews, infantry and Marines, and all the rest. If they didn't lose life or limb they all lost their youth with some years of their life stolen from them. God bless them all!
