I was born in a small town about 16 miles west of Rochester, NY. At the age of 10, I lost my mother and I went to live with my grandparents who gave me a wonderful home. I attended school and graduated from high school at Churchville, NY, 1939 I was hired by Kodak.

About 18 months after being hired, realizing by reasoning we would sooner or later be involved in a war that existed in Europe with Germany, I applied to join the U. S. Navy. In the year of 1940, President Roosevelt saw fit to declare an extra Thanksgiving so the people in service would be sure to celebrate a Thanksgiving dinner. My entry into the Navy was scheduled to be on November 27, 1940 and my grandmother scheduled a Thanksgiving Dinner at home before I was to leave for Buffalo, NY. I arrived in Buffalo on schedule and we were sworn in to the Navy on Nov. 27, 1940 after we had our second Thanksgiving dinner that year. Soon after we were sworn in, the group was loaded aboard the train for boot camp at Newport, RI.

After boot camp training, we were sent to different schools and stations. I was lucky to receive orders to Ordinance School in San Diego where graduates were qualified for Fire Controlman, Gunners Mate, Torpedoman, or Electrician. Lt. Lyle D. Ramsey persuaded me to strike for a Firecontrol rating when I arrived aboard ship in Pear Harbor about June 22, 1941. The ship held gunnery exercises in the Hawaiian Islands and many training exercises.

Early in July of 1941, we left Pearl Harbor for places unknown with another cruiser, I believe it was the Northampton. A day or two out, a Dutch merchant ship joined us and we headed southwest. On July 21st we crossed the equator and became Shell Backs. After a while the Dutch merchant ship proceeded onward to, we believed to a Dutch Island to deliver some airplanes it had aboard. We proceeded south heading toward Brisbane, Australia on a good will tour for a few days. We marched and were fed big banquets by the Australians. We returned to Pearl and then to San Diego where I asked for leave to go home to visit my ill grandparents.

Those of you aboard ship at that time may remember about the Japanese changing their War Cabinet (I think in October), while I was on my way home to see my grandparents. My grandfather had experienced some strokes after I arrived in San Diego to go to school, but would not let anyone tell me until I had finished school. Having agreed to fly back to the ship if it were necessary, I was on my way back to San Diego after about 36 hours. War was soon to start. Those of you aboard ship at that time know what transpired in the following years. I was one of the lucky ones aboard to avoid getting hurt.

In June of 1944, I was very fortunate to have chance to go to advanced Fire Control School in Washington, DC. The Navy gave me a chance to experience some civilian life and gave me a months duty operating the movie projector in a gunnery training school on base. After a month of that light duty, I started my classes in F. C. school. Having completed school in Dec. of 1944, I was assigned to a destroyer USS Hawkins DD873 for commissioning of Feb. 24, 1945 in Orange, TX. After shake down, we went to Norfolk, VA. to be converted to a Radar Picket ship with the expectation we would be going to Okinawa for duty. After having an enjoyable trip through the Canal on our way to Pearl, we had some gunnery exercises and just before the squadron was to leave Pearl, we had a fire in a hold off Pearl Harbor. We had to be repaired, replace lost parts and food and we were on our way again, expecting a pause to practice bombarding Wake Island on the way. On that scheduled day the Japanese saw fit to surrender, much to our pleasure.

We proceeded to Saipan where we picked up fleet mail, surrendering supplies, and then delivering them to the USS Missouri and the mail to the fleet. After delivering the supplies to the Missouri we anchored near the Missouri for the night. After the surrender and the fleet was to enter Tokyo Harbor, we led the fleet into the Harbor towing parvenus. This put me near the front or at the front at both the start and end of the Pacific part of the war.

The FC chief at the commissioning of the ship was due for discharge as soon after the end of the war which made an opening for me which I gratefully received in the month of Feb. In April, we received orders to return to the states with a stop at Pearl Harbor on the way to San Diego. On our arrival at San Diego I received delayed orders to Boston, Mass. for the commissioning of the Charles H. Roan DD853, arriving there in May of 1946.

The Charles H. Roan was commissioned Sept. 12, 1946 and I was finishing up my hitch when the ship was ready for its shakedown. They released me for discharge which only extended my enlistment for about a one month.

I was inclined to ship over, but already had one child and another on the way. I felt the children deserved the presence of a father. Having worked for Eastman Kodak prior to enlisting in the Navy, I went back and was given my old job back in the electric shop. They soon discovered I was familiar with some electronic recorders the instrument group needed some rush help on. They soon offered me a transfer into that group. My work was permanent until the last 10 years when I was transferred to an Electronic experimental group in the Engineering Dep. I decided it would be convenient to retire to the type of weather I had experienced in the Navy and with my accumulated years at Kodak and my six years in the Navy, for a total of 37 years. I took an early retirement and moved to Dunedin, FL, then moved two times more into the city of Clearwater.

This brings my life to the current time and generalizes my experiences in the Navy. I feel my life has been rewarding and complete. Meeting so many people who became good friends was the most rewarding. Hopefully the picture of me will help someone to remember me in the FC group on the main battery aft and mainly at the main battery switchboard. Three years on the SLC was very rewarding to me.

Yours truly,
Gordon E. Hill