Hi there - I've been watching The War all week and have been just awestruck with the reality of that war. This led me to seek out more info about my grandfathers' service in the military.
Found out my granddaddy, James Collins (from Harriman, TN), was in the Navy in the Pacific Theater. Mom said he enlisted in '44, and was in or did some kind of work in the Phillipines? Well, he went AWOL at one point, and the ship he was supposed to be on was "blown to bits". He went back though.
Anyway I was watching The War last night and there was the story of the USS Indianapolis... and when my Mom mentioned about the ship getting blown to bits, and the Phillipines, I remembered this ship was headed to the Phillipines when it was struck and sank.
I just so happened to look at the ussindianapolis.com website at the crew list... Lo and behold I see a James Collins STM1 on the crew list. Now, if he was AWOL, would his name still have been on the crew list? I have been trying to find out what the "STM1" means on the end of that name to see if that might have been him... because if that's really him, then there's a good chance I wouldn't have been here today if he had been on that ship...
the end of that name to see if that might have been him... because if that's really him, then there's a good chance I wouldn't have been here today if he had been on that ship...
This statement makes me wonder. Either he was on board or he wasnt. If he was your grandmother collected his life insurance or didnt. (most of us did have G.I. insurance.) If you have his rateing, what else can you supply? Give us a break. Surely his discharge (?) or letters from the Navy should help. And please get a "name" not a list of numbers for yourself. This seems to be a new "fad here". Why?
Hi - when you sign up to post you are automatically assigned a number until you change your profile. My name is Brooke Hammel - the War is on so I will do that later.
Granddaddy lived on to have my mom and her sisters and thus here I am. So she didn't collect life insurance.
I don't know anything else about him, though I am working on it - my Grandmama is looking at old pics and info on him because he was there before they married. I will let you know as soon as I know more, I promise!
What I want to know is - was the ship that he was SUPPOSED to be on the Indianapolis, because all we know is when he went AWOL that the ship he was supposed to be on was blown to bits.
What can the rating tell us? I know nothing about the military but I am intrigued, and so immensely respectful of those that did serve after learning more about WWII.
Originally posted by 15902516: ...What can the rating tell us? I know nothing about the military but I am intrigued, and so immensely respectful of those that did serve after learning more about WWII.
Steward's mates were cooks, waiters, and personal servants for the officers. U.S. armed forces were segregated during WWII and I believe it is correct that all Navy stewards and steward's mates were either Negroes or Asians until the Navy was fully desegregated several years later. Here is a recent post by MastersMate that touches on this subject.
Wow... okay, well this helps me out a bit. I just talked to my cousin who is a Marine and has been doing research on his own father and grandfather and told me how I can get my granddaddy's DD214.
I also found my great grandfather's name on the WWI roster!!
I almost forgot about this wonderful forum.HAHA. Maybe your granddaddy was a Japanese or a German or a Italian... HAHAHA. Maybe thats why you cant find him. Stinks to be you. My granddaddy faught nobily in pearl harbor. Maybe yours did too for the wrong side.
Originally posted by 15712754: I almost forgot about this wonderful forum.HAHA. Maybe your granddaddy was a Japanese or a German or a Italian... HAHAHA. Maybe thats why you cant find him. Stinks to be you. My granddaddy faught nobily in pearl harbor. Maybe yours did too for the wrong side.
Maybe you should save your feeble attempts at juvenile humor for your fellow specimens in the petri dish.
Originally posted by 15712754: oh usn you are so brilliant. I bet you dont even know what a petri dish is for. its for growing BACTERIA... do i look like a bacteria?! Duh
Your posts definetly look like some form of bacterial growth. This forum is for civil discussions, debate, and questions surrounding the events of World War 2, not your personal playpen for juvenile and snide remarks towards other posters. If you can't (or won't) follow the rules of the TOS for the site, then you need to go somewhere else.
Be thankful I'm not the moderator for the forum; you would already be gone.
