Ellie Buell recalls World War II service by three relatives
From our weekly issue dated November 5, 2008
Ellie Buell recalls World War II service by three relatives John, Charles and Eugene Cavell (Photo provided)
With three brothers and a cousin in military service during World War II, Cave Junction resident Ellie Buell had a lot on her mind. Now, just in time for Veterans Day 2008, she offers the following story:
Charles enlisted in the U.S. Navy in June 1941 as a Seaman 2nd Class. He was made Seaman 2nd Class due to his experience in the Civilian Conservation Corps, and was discharged in 1953 as a Quartermaster 1st Class.
He served aboard the U.S.S. Pennsylvania from 1941 to ‘44, the U.S.S. Springfield ‘44 to ‘45, the U.S.S. South Dakota ‘45 to ‘47, the U.S.S. Montray ‘50 to ‘52, and from ‘47 to ‘50 he was an administrator for the Navy Reserve.
In December 1941 Charles was aboard a passenger ship on the way to the Philippines when it arrived in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 8. Orders were changed. His ship saw a lot of action in the Marshall Islands, Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, Kwajalen, Enewetak, New Caledonia The Philippines, Australia and two months before Japan surrendered off the coast of Japan. After the surrender his ship was in Tokyo Bay. While in Tarawa he saw a aircraft carrier sink. In 1943 his ship sailed into the Alutian Islands.
Charles’ brother, Eugene, was aboard the U.S.S. Fayte A.K.A. 43, a troop transport cargo ship which operated in the same task force. Eugene was a Cook 1st Class. He enlisted in the Navy right after Pearl Harbor, and several times the brothers were able to meet when their ships were in Hawaii.
Charles and Eugene had another brother, John, who was also in the Navy. He was a cook assigned to the Seabees. John served in the Philippines and New Guinea. The brothers were not able to meet up with John until after the war.
Charles was sent to the East Coast where he helped put into commission a cruiser which escorted President Roosevelt to Gibraltar. Then turning back it went through the Panama Canal on its way to the South Pacific, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Philippines.
I asked Charles what was the most outstanding memory of those years, without hesitation he said “April 1, 1945, 4 a.m.” Early in the morning he awoke with severe stomach pains, taken to sick bay, and the doctor told him his appendix had to be removed right away.
As he was being prepared for surgery, the general alarm sounded. The doctors aboard went directly to battle stations, the water-tight doors were locked; no one could enter or leave. The ship was being attacked by Kamikaze. This left Charles alone in the infirmary with the ships pharmacist mate, who performed the surgery.
Charles said, “He must have done a good job, I’m still here.” The next day he was put into a wire body carrier and a life jacket, and taken up on deck to get some sun. He was told the reason for the life jacket and carrier was if the ship was attacked he would be one of the first ones to be thrown overboard.
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Another outstanding memory comes from when he was a mail orderly and received a letter from his sister, Mary, with a photo of her.
Two of his shipmates saw the photo and asked if they could write to her. When Mary wrote back, the letter was addressed with the first name of one sailor and the last name of the other. Charles told the men, “I don’t know who to give this to, you figure it out.”
The men flipped a coin and the winner got the letter. After the war Mary married one lucky sailor.
Charles said that he saw a lot, but he looks on the good memories, not the bad.
These brothers also had a cousin, William Kelly, who served in the U.S. Army as a corpsman in Europe. He was a POW captured by the Germans in January 1945.
I am sure there is much more he could tell me. I am just so grateful that these three brothers of mine and my cousin all came home safe.
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