Lawrence Frederick Sever
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Navy
Lawrence Frederick Sever served in World War II.
He served in the U.S. Navy. He joined the Navy on November 15, 1944. After boot camp, his unit boarded a YO tank hulk bound for the Pacific Theater. As they passed through the Panama Canal, they received word that the war had ended. Their orders changed, and Mr. Sever’s unit was re-assigned to Treasure Island, San Francisco. Their assignment was refueling ships. Mr. Sever was discharged on July 27, 1946.
Mr. Sever’s rank was Fireman 1st Class.
He was born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1926, the son of Frank and Anna Sever.
Source: Veterans’ Memorial Hall veteran history form; veteran’s account (below)
“After boot camp, we stopped first in Chicago, then New Orleans. From there, we went up to Jeffersonville, Indiana, to get our refueling ship. We went down the Ohio River, the Mississippi River, and then to the Panama Canal on our way to the Pacific arena. As we passed through the canal we received tremendous news of VE day, and our orders changed. Ultimately, we spent the remainder of our time in San Francisco based out of Treasure Island, refueling ships until we received our orders for separation.”
