Leonard F. Kinney
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Navy
Leonard F. Kinney entered the Navy in February of 1945.
He was a Seaman 1st Class and served with a boat crew of a landing craft vehicle, personnel (LCVP), of ComServRon 10, Amphibious Forces, aboard the USS Gasconade (APA 85) in the Pacific Theater.
He arrived in the Philippines in June and recalls, "We were on deck one evening watching a movie...from atop a building all hell broke loose. All the ships in Leyte lit up, horns blowing, flares and Roman candles... fired in the air and searchlight shining all over like a huge July 4th fireworks display. They informed us...the war ended.
"We then went to Mindinao, picked up MacArthur's 1st Cavalry and headed for Tokyo Bay...a few days before the peace treaty was to be signed. We stayed and were anchored off the starboard side of the battleship Missouri. I had watch duty in the aft crows nest and I got to watch the signing...from up there. Our ship made a special stamp and stamped all outgoing mail that day with 'Sept. 2, 1945, Tokyo Bay' with a ship in the foreground and Mt. Fuji in background."
He was separated from the service in June of 1946.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 145.
