I served in the Navy from 1938 to 1946 and my highest rating was CTC. I served on the USS SLC from Feb. 1942 to Dec. 1943, in the 4th Division, Turret #4.

After about two hours the girls went home and we went back to the station house to go off patrol and return to the ship. The officer of patrol was a Lt. from Chicago. He made some snide remarks about us and the ship and I told him I wished we could have it out "man to man". He put me on report and it was sent to the SLC.

I was to go to Captains Mast but Lt. Lyle D. 'Ace' Ramsey told the Captain that I had spoke up and defended the SLC. So, Captain E. M. Zacharias said "good for him" and tore up the report.

This is one of the things that this Captain did that shows what a good man he was and why he was so well thought of.

Another incident, I think this happened in 1943, I was a GM1c in the 4th Division assigned to Turret 4 along with Max Stewart, Turret Captain, C. C. Hilton, Thomas J. Huth, GM2c, Luther "Ray" Ricker, GM1c & ?Uncle Pud Bennett and others I have forgotten.

There was several private coffee pots at various locations, turrets, gun stations, engine rooms and etc. We could get ground coffee from supply. A new supply officer said we could not get any more coffee. We had to get our coffee from the galley. We got one of our crew on the stores working party to bring stores to the galley. Somehow one sack of coffee beans was dropped off in Turret 4. The Master of Arms and his crew searched high and low, but the sack was well hidden, so it was not found.

After a few days we wondered how we could grind these beans. The sail makers made us a heavy canvas tube about 4' long using a rawhide mallet we had some of the best coffee ever made.