I am Jerry Bowen and I am from Nevada, MO. I joined the Navy on Dec. 12th, 1940. The picture above was taken in the fall of 1945 when I was on the Cassin Young.

I went to Boot Camp at Great Lakes. From there I went to San Francisco and reported onboard the USS Salt Lake City at Mare Island Naval Yard. I served on her until Oct. 1943.

We went to Australia in 1941 and one thing I have always remembered very clearly is when Captain Zacharias addressed the crew and told us that the Japanese would attack us and it would be on a Sunday. He had been the Naval Attaché in Japan and knew their language.

One particular time I remember was during the Battle of Komandorskis. My battle station was on the shell deck of the number four, 8" turret, which was the furthest aft. We fired all the shells we had including the dummy practice shells. When I told the turret officer we had run out of shells he couldn't believe it and came down to the shell deck to look for more. We had to drag shells on life jacket from the forward turrets so we could keep firing.

In October of 1943 I was among the many Salt Lake City sailors who were transferred to put the new destroyer USS CASSIN YOUNG, DD793, in commission. I served on her the rest of the war and didn't come back to the States until after we were damaged by kamikazes off Okinawa at the end of July, 1945.

Jerry Bowen

The above picture & information was gathered and sent to me by James A. Marrs from the USS CASSIN YOUNG, DD793. He and Jerry Bowen are shipmates and life long friends. James says that Jerry must have at least 15 battle stars on his Asiatic-Pacific ribbon and that he has seen a lot of action.

USS CASSIN YOUNG DD793 Website... http://www.maritime.org/hnsa-casyng.htm