I have two relatives that gave their lives in the service of our country. Both died during WWII and both died in 1944. One perished on a Destroyer Escort in the Pacific and the other while flying a P-47 Thunderbolt during the Battle of the Bulge. Both of them are true American heroes. My first relative is an Uncle I never knew (I was born in 1949). He married my Moms sister in 1932. His name was JW Chandler. We have never been able to find what the JW stands for. All his military records say JW. He was serving in the Navy on a Destroyer Escort , the USS Meredith DD434. His ship was sunk after a fierce battle on October 15, 1944. Heres a summary of the short life of the Meredith: Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Meredith engaged in escort and antisubmarine patrol between Iceland and the Denmark Straits, until she departed Halfjordur late in January escorting a convoy to Boston. She sailed from Boston for Norfolk 18 February 1942 screening Washington (BB-56), and there joined Hornet (CV-8) in TF 18. The force left Norfolk 4 March on a mission as secret as it was important, passed through the Panama Canal, and reached San Diego 21 March. Departing San Francisco 2 April, the force rendezvoused with TF 16, 13 April and sailed for the famous “Shangri-La” raid on Tokyo. On 18 April, the Army bombers were launched for this first carrier-based attack on Japan, and Meredith made course for Hawaii, arriving 25 April. Between 13 May and 21 June Meredith escorted fleet oilers bound for New Caledonia, patrolled off Bulari Passage, and escorted carrier Tangier (AV-8), returning to Pearl Harbor. Following gunnery and tactical practice, Meredith departed Pearl Harbor Harbor 15 August 1942 for Samoa, arriving Pago Pago 30 August. Meredith next escorted Transport Force 2 to the Solmons with reinforcement landed on Guadalcanal 20 September, then sail for patrol duty in the New Hebrides. Departing Espiritu Santo 12 October to escort a convoy of freighters to Guadalcanal, Meredith engaged Japanese aircraft on the morning of 15 October, then shortly after midday was attacked by a force of 35 bombers and torpedo planes from enemy carrier Zuikaku. Meredith fought fiercely against these terrible odds, and brought down three of her attackers before she sank. Only seven officers and 56 men survived the attack and the three ensuing days of exposure to the open sea and sharks until they were rescued by destroyer Grayson (DD-435) and fleet tug Seminole (AT-65). JW - thank you for your service and your sacrifice. Your granddaughter Peg Shook and I will keep your memory alive.
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 20:14:48 +0000
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