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Show Thursday, April 27, 2006 NORTH COUNTY NEWSPAPERS Page IS Seeing action on a destroyer in the South Pacif ic A Editor's note: This is the sec- I I i I orM m a two-part scries about (M.wt"ijMmli.iffi)i3 Burch sees more action than he might have wished. YJ AjN M Vn t The skipper of our ammunition am-munition ship wouldn't listen to me, but the executive officer, a Navy man from way back, would I felt I should be on a destroyer, where my rank should have put me. I kept after the executive officer, and finally, when a destroyer was coming in to tie up, he said to me, "Burch, which one of them do you want? I've talked to them. They all want you." "I want the next one that comes in." "Then pack your gear, quick." In early 1943, 1 went on the USS Shaw, a ship that had been sunk at Pearl Harbor in dry dock. She had been rebuilt and eventually was sent to the South Pacific I got on her in New Guinea. We made a landing there, but as we did that run, the ship took a bomb from an airplane that flew over. That put a hole in the bottom, but the skipper was able to beach her. The Shaw's skeleton crew took her back for overhaul, and I went on the Conyngham, another destroyer of the same class. That was the luckiest ship ever! Our first action was in New Guinea, as we worked our way up to the beach. A half dozen destroyers would hide out during dur-ing the day, then go in and blow 2 Utah County I jr wwnxaofon i f I I Major Owta Card tootjned tmaeta free fmmcaf AawlsMe Www Imarmx Phm Accepted Tor Ttitaca!Biig Mmtumitr) Ottoman 198 South Main A lifGtifilG Of memories to treasure. LOSEE Jewelers OnJv la CorrwTittt Sgi it ooooooooooooooo Alfred's JS- 330 South V.z'.n, F!cc;.-1 Crcvo Get 111 Saturday, April 29th aIIb5lpiILb Redeem coupons to enter rafBe for a porch swing up gun emplacements on the beach. At some point, a civilian Australian on the beach would spot the Japanese, then with a little radio hookup tell us where to direct our fire: "Okay, now up about 50 yards to the left," he might say. We'd fire again. "Now open up. You're on target." tar-get." We'd blow up ammunition dumps, stores and supplies. One shore watcher whispered, whis-pered, "They're right next to me. I've got to leave." He slipped away, then later came back on the air. That was pretty close ... Now we're safe again," and he told us where to direct our fire. We were just stepping our way up the islands: San Cristobal, Cris-tobal, Giriwini, Woodlark, Fin-schaf Fin-schaf en, Saipan, Guam, Tinian. Before the last three, we went home and had the ship overhauled over-hauled Back in the South Pacific, it was the darndest feeling. The Japanese bombers were coming com-ing at us, but they'd could not care less about the destroyers. They'd fly overhead and head for the big ships. We would open up our guns, with no fear that those planes would hit us. We chased airplanes for a few weeks and picked up some downed pilots. We had taken one side of Leyte Island in the Philippines. We went around to the back side of the island slipped in. Selling mv home it not a do-it -vourwlf project. Ask if your agent is a REALTOR Association of REALTOPS Heath J. Blake D.D.S. Family and Cosmetic Dentistry 785-8308 FREE EXAM & X-RAYS WITH PAID CLEANING I I Vm tiltd n$ enter ofier Export 431 ttk Pleasant Grove mi) 373-1 i wum6 fat r 1 : QCX y A ins"-i j Bid Burch wo transferred from an and put our LSTs on the beach. As they were pulling back, waves of kamikazes came. Of the six destroyers, five were hit. Four days later, six more destroyers were sent back with more supplies and troops. Again, the kamikazes hit, and only one destroyer came back. Our destroyer couldn't pick up survivors, because we were scrambling to get away from the kamikazes. On the way back to Borneo with a sister ship, the Reid, we were attacked by 10 Japanese Zeros. The Japanese had captured cap-tured an American radio transmitter trans-mitter that signaled "friendlies" to us, but these 10 Zeros were Dizziness & IMBaJance 1 Single Level Luxury! STARTING These exquis'rte communities offers single level homes with wide open floor plans and open space. From the minimal maintenance yard to tfe oversized garages, each home has been carefully designed with you m mind. At Spanish Fields you'll find walking trails and community park within walking distance. Come fall in love with the convenience and luxury of a Desert Point Builders home. ammunition ship to a destroyer all Kamikazes. Five of them went into the Reid. I looked up, and the Reid was gone. The last thing to go down was the mast, with the American flag swirling. swirl-ing. Years later, at a Boy Scout meeting in Spokane, I mentioned men-tioned to a fellow that I had been in the Navy. When I told him I was on the Conyngham, he said, "I was on the Reid." "We left you guys in the ocean," I told him. He vividly remembered his ship going down. A tragedy of combat is that you could never get a night's sleep never. I once stayed on general quarters for three days Life $250's IN THE ...4.,.!lLi that had been rebuilt after being and went for five days with no sleep. I teamed to doze standing stand-ing up. These excerpts from local veterans are courtesy of the Orem Heritage Committee. Complete stories of the veterans will eventually be put on the Orem City Web rnWTTTT - MAY 8 (Mon) PROVO. IFA, MAY 10 (Wed) PLEASANT GROVE, Fir Station, 86 E. 100 S. MAY 11 (Thu) ALPINE, Parking Lot at th Mouth o American ftxV. Canyon, Jet. of Highland Hwy A American Forfc Canyon Rd, , MAY 12(FnTLEHI, South End of th. Nw Legacy Cntf Parting lot, 123 N. Centat St. Animal Prfc i . est $20 rtur tv. ut ,m. ...... Mate to SO 1 40 fw the iuo to 0 lb) S50 f wry otan JOcaf mis' fx !Nm 6 no. 1 TFinng T is better when you're in CU , (J no SPANIS QjBILTBQJESED ' sunk at Pearl Harbor. site, www.orem.org. Readers aware of any veterans who have written about their military service are asked to arrange to have these archives in the Veterans History Project, Library of Congress. Phone Don Norton (225-S050) on how to do this. nlifod.iti.ro 65W. SOO 8. avmut. In art,-,,. ,. NO MORE sro UNWANTCO IfTTrwSf TP1 4 giNDALWGDD 2164 West 410 South PROVO, UT I ELDS 832 S. Spanish Fields Drive SPANISH FORK, UT -. f air- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COPY |