USS SLC...Enlisted Navy...Glenn E. Vandre, CY
Glenn E. Vandre passed away on August 30th, 1989
July 30th, 2004
My dad, Glenn E. Vandre, was aboard the USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbor and my mom was on the hill overlooking Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Has she got a story to tell. He was then shipped out on the USS Salt Lake City.
My brother in Ohio sent me the USS SLC website and low and behold, I clicked on my father's name and up came a Picture and sure enough it was him. The picture is of my mother and my older brother Glenn E. Vandre, Jr. I shared this with my family. [Insert from Sandy Eskew - I made copies of the picture for the SLC memorabilia and sent the original picture to the family.]
My mom says, my dad and his brother Darwin Vandre were both aboard the West Virginia on Dec. 7, 1941. My dad worked in the ships store and had just come back aboard the ship, went into the ships store, took his wallet and keys out of his pocket and placed them on the counter behind him. His brother Darwin then came by and was headed for the laundry and asked my dad to go down to the laundry with him. He did. As soon as they both left the ship store, the torpedo came right through the ship store. God certainly had a bigger plan for both my dad and his brother that day.
Darwin was killed in an accident in 1944 patrolling the coast between San Diego and Long Beach.
My 12 year old grandson, Robert Bowman, is an avid WWII, "Pearl Harbor" buff. He wants a military (Navy) career and has collected quite a bit of memorabilia... like ribbons, pins, hats, etc. He has the picture of his great grandfather from the SLC Memorabilia in his collection now.
Thanks for the Memories
Dau. Linda L. Vandre Bowman
SLC Deck Logs Dec. 1941
Tidbits from 1944 Saltshaker
Mar. 5, 1944 Saltshaker Newsletter: advanced in rate to Chief
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