Robert J. Nelson
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Navy
Robert enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and was put in the 35th Battalion (Construction Battalion, also known as the SeaBees.)
After a rough and stormy voyage his first stop was Scotland and then Coventry, England. During his stay there they helped the Army post during the Christmas rush and “had a big party for local children, which I enjoyed very much.” He then went on to Sierra Leone and worked at the Naval Base there for 6 months. When that area was demilitarized his troop was sent back to the United States via the S.S. America (a converted luxury liner). “We stayed in very nice staterooms and enjoyed good Navy food.” Once in the United States he had station duty in Florida and eventually ended up in Tinian where they built airstrips for B29’s.
Next Robert worked on a naval base in Okinawa, living in tents till a typhoon struck with winds approaching 200mph. They survived this by staying in a cave. The camp and the Naval Base were destroyed. “After this we lived in makeshift shacks cobbled together with scraps of old lumber, cardboard and canvas until the war was over.”
“When the wonderful news came that the war was over all the ships in the harbor below celebrated by firing all their guns into the air. It looked like the 4th of July. Also our guys were doing the same until our skipper got on the horn and ordered it stopped. The next day all of our guns and ammo were confiscated.”
Robert was discharged on January 1st, 1947.
