Charles Robert Auchmutey, Jr.
• Service Number: 189944
• Enlistment: Rome, GA in May, 1942.
• Receiving station: Naval Operations Base Norfolk
• Elmore start date: 7 Sept. 1943
• Elmore end date: 8 June 1945
• Total days on Elmore: 640
• Initial rank: Lieutenant (jg)
• Final rank: Lieutenant
• Primary duties : Boat Gunnery Officer
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USS Elmore
Remembrance
Forged by the sea and held in our hearts, this page honors the family members who served on USS Elmore or had a connection with the ship. Our goal is to collect photographs of as many of the crew as possible and attach a brief biography of each man. Thus we honor them and make certain that they will never be forgotten.
Fewer than 3 percent of the 16 million American veterans of the war are still alive, and all are in their 90s or beyond. Yielding to the inalterable process of aging, the men and women who fought and won the great conflict are dying quickly—according to US Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, 496,777 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II are alive as of October, 2018. The VA estimates 348 of them die each day.
Above photo: World War II Memorial (Pacific), The Mall, Washington, D.C.
Auchmutey, Charles R., Jr.
Lieutenant
Service
person
Biography
Charles Robert Auchmutey, Jr.
March 13, 1921 – May 8, 2007
Charles Robert Auchmutey, Jr. was born on March 13, 1921, in Bartow County, Georgia. He grew up during the Depression on a farm outside Euharlee, GA., in the Etowah River Valley. He left home to work his way through Berry College in Mt. Berry, GA, where he starred on the basketball team and met his future wife, Janey Estelle Yarbrough of Washington County, GA.
After graduation, he enlisted in the Navy and went to midshipman school at Columbia University in New York. He served a 23-month tour of duty in the Pacific during World War II, leading amphibious landing assaults and taking part in eight major battles from Guam to Okinawa.
After the war, Mr. Auchmutey married and settled in Atlanta, where he and his wife raised four children. He worked for 36 years as an auditor at the General Motors plant in Lakewood. He was active in his sons' Little League, in his daughters' softball league, in Junior Achievement and other civic organizations. He was a member of Midway Presbyterian Church in Decatur for more than half a century, serving as elder and clerk of session and as a commissioner to the denomination's General Assembly. He was an accomplished gardener who fussed over his tomatoes and an avid cook who enjoyed organizing Fourth of July barbecues at his last home in the Williamsburg Apartments. His recipe for authentic Georgia Brunswick stew was published several times in the Atlanta Journal Constitution and in cookbooks.
Mr. Auchmutey is survived by his children, Charles Robert Auchmutey, III of Acworth, Jim Auchmutey of Atlanta, Dawn Brooks of Columbus and Susan Auchmutey of Stone Mountain; by three grandchildren, Benjamin Brooks, Simon Brooks and Marisa Nease; and by his sister, Margaret Kilpatrick of Jacksonville, Fla.
His wife of 54 years, Janey Estelle Yarborough Auchmutey, died on April 30, 2001 at the age of 77. She was born on July 26, 1923 in Washington County, GA.
Charles Robert Auchmutey of Decatur died Tuesday, May 8, 2007 of complications from emphysema at Emory University Hospital at Wesley Woods. He was 86 years old. Mr. Auchmutey is buried at Midway Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia.
Photos
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Source
Public documents and an interview conducted by the Veterans History Project. A video interview was conducted with Mr. Auchmutey by the Atlanta History Center on August 25, 2004. Ironically, USS Elmore had been commissioned on that same date in 1943, 61 years earlier.
Annunziato, Michael
Quartermaster, 1st Class
Service
Michael Annunziato
• Service Number: 8076342
• Enlistment: New Haven, CT on 23 June 1943
• Receiving station: Philadelphia, PA
• Elmore start date: 31 Aug. 1943
• Elmore end date: 15 Feb. 1946
• Total days on Elmore: 899
• Initial rating: Seaman, 2nd Class
• Final rating: Quartermaster, 1st Class
• Departed Elmore: New Orleans, LA
person
Biography
Michael Annunziato
December 21, 1924 – February 18 2017
Michael Annunziato was born on December 22, 1924, in New Haven, CT, to Phillip and Christine (née Luciano) Annunziato. He was the youngest of three siblings.
Immediately upon his graduation from high school, Michael was drafted into the service and was inducted at New Haven, CT on June 23, 1943. Soon after completing basic training, he was assigned to a newly-commissioned attack transport, USS Elmore (APA-42). Michael became a Quartermaster, steering the ship, and was part of the ship’s crew until a few weeks before Elmore was decommissioned on March 13, 1946. He achieved the rank of Quartermaster 1st class and was a member of Elmore's crew for 899 of the ship's 931 days in commission.
After the battle of Okinawa in June 1945, Elmore was ordered to Bremerton, WA for repairs and refitting in preparation for the anticipated invasion of the Japanese home islands. It was there that Michael met his future wife, Margaret Elizabeth Taft, the queen of the local USO. After Michael and Margaret married in 1946, they moved to New Haven, where he started his education degree at the University of Bridgeport. However, his education was interpreted in the 1950s as he was called to serve in the Korean conflict. In a 2015 interview, he recalled: “That was quite an experience. I had started school and was called to reenlist. I had to leave everything, say goodbye and out the door I went.”
Michael moved to Norwalk in 1954 to begin a 31-year career teaching middle-school science for Norwalk Public Schools. He was a founding member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, his church family for nearly six decades. A mentor to students and friend to everyone he met, Michael made people smile with his easy ways and humor. After retiring in 1986, he and Margaret took extended trips across the USA in their beloved motor home to visit family. Michael and Margaret remained married for 64 years, until her death in 2011. She was the love of his life, as he was for her.
Mr. Annunziato was consummately proud of his military service and loved his country with a passion. Aside from family, one of his proudest moments came in 2015 with a one-day VIP Day of Honor monument tour of Washington, D.C. conducted by the American Warrior initiative. This trip was the chance of a lifetime for Michael to revisit Washington landmarks and spend time with 70 other vets on the Flight who shared his wartime experiences.
Michael died on February 18, 2017 at the age of 92. "How lucky I am to have all of you, and I would do it all over again," he said to his family gathered round him on his last day on this earth.
Photos
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Source
Courtesy of his daughter, Catherine "Cat" Michaels from her website and from public documents.
A short audio interview with Mr. Annunziaton (at age 91), at the WWII Memorial on the Day of Honor event in Washington, DC (29 May 2004), can be found here. Click on the link below.
Dudash, Joseph Andrew
Chief Yeoman
person
Biography
Joseph A. Dudash
June 3, 1916 – April 27, 1983
Joseph Andrew Dudash was born on June 3, 1916, in Aliquippa, PA, to Joseph M. and Sophie (née Balluch) Dudash. He was the oldest of eight siblings. Throughout his life, he was known to one and all as “Joe.” The family moved to Farrell, PA a few years after his birth. Joe attended Farrell High School and graduated in 1934. It was in high school that he met the girl of his dreams, Bernice “Birdie” Wansowicz, at a school dance. He would court her for several years thereafter, throughout the disruption caused by the depression and the war. After graduation, Joe became employed at Sharon Steel as a shipping clerk. His father had advised him to develop the skills necessary to get a clerical job in the front office, avoiding work in a hot, sweaty mill. Looking for an opportunity to improve his financial situation, Joe took a job at United States Steel’s new Irvin Works plant in Pittsburgh, PA when it opened in 1939. He continued to drive the 75 miles to Farrell every weekend to visit his family and girlfriend.
The war came on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Joe enlisted in the Navy a few months later and took basic training at Great Lakes, IL. Given his background, he received a rating of Yeoman, 3rd Class. As the country quickly mobilized, more men joined the Navy than the Navy had ships for them. It would take some time for war production to catch up. For that reason, the Navy essentially warehoused sailors who were waiting for a ship assignment. Joe ended up at Gross Ile Naval Air Station outside of Detroit for the next year. With a clerical background, Joe could have taken an office assignment in Washington, D.C. or San Francisco or even Pearl Harbor. But he had not joined the Navy to take a desk job in the states. He wanted to be in the fight and to be assigned to a ship. Finally, in the summer of 1943, he got his wish.
Yeoman Dudash was assigned to USS Elmore (APA-42) and was a ‘plank owner,’ part of the original crew when the ship was commissioned on 25 August 1943. Joe was promoted to Chief Yeoman, a Chief Petty Officer, on 1 October 1944. He stayed with Elmore until 18 January 1946, a few months before the ship was decommissioned at Chickasaw, AL. Chief Dudash was a member of Elmore’s crew for 876 days out of the ship's 931 days in commission. Joe only missed the last 54 days of the Elmore’s commissioned tenure. He departed his ship at San Francisco and took a train back home to Pittsburgh and to his post-Navy life. Joe had never even seen an ocean before he joined the Navy and never again sailed on a ship after he left the service. But his time on USS Elmore was always a part of him.
Joe and Birdie were married in 1947 and raised two sons: Gregg and Mark. Joe returned to US Steel and remained with the company until his retirement in 1976. In his 40 years of employment he only missed one day of work and that was due to extreme winter weather. He never avoided hard work or his responsibilities and always got the job done. That unwavering determination served him well in both his Navy service and later in his career. Throughout his life, he enjoyed gardening and was an avid bowler. After retiring, he and Birdie made several trips to see different parts of the country. The couple remained married for 35 years, until Joe's death on April 27, 1983. He was 66 years old when he passed away. Joe Dudash was always proud of his service to his country and of his two sons. That is his legacy.
Photos
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Source
Prepared by Elmore's historian and Joe Dudash's oldest son, Gregg Dudash [December 13, 2019].
Ermer, Joseph Nicholas
Yeoman, 1st Class
Service
Joseph N. Ermer
• Service Number: 6278880
• Enlistment: New York, NY on 24 April 1942
• Receiving station: Philadelphia, PA
• Elmore start date: 25 Aug. 1943 (Plankowner)
• Elmore end date: 25 May 1945
• Total days on Elmore: 639
• Initial rating: Yeoman, 2nd Class
• Final rating: Yeoman, 1st Class
• Departed Elmore: Bremerton, WA
person
Biography
Joseph N. Ermer
December 26, 1918 – March 28, 2012
Joseph Nicholas Ermer was born on December 26, 1918, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Joseph and Christine (Karstens) Ermer, the parents of both Joe and his brother Robert "Bob" Ermer.
Like many children growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Joe turned to sports as a way to bond, advance and stay out of trouble. Sandlot baseball and football were popular pastimes. Growing up, Joe was very active in scouting, and as an Eagle Scout, once served as honor guard to President Franklin Roosevelt. After high school, Joe worked at the Guaranty Trust Company of New York, while also attending night classes at the Community College of New York.
Mr. Ermer was inducted into the Navy in March, 1942. While stationed in Washington, D.C., Joe married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Augustsen. on August 23, 1942. One year later, Joe was assigned to the USS Elmore (APA-42), and was a part of the original crew when the ship was commissioned on August 25, 1943. Joe served as a yeoman and stayed with the ship until May 25, 1945 (a total of 639 days). After being discharged from the Navy, Joe began working for Horn, Ogilvie and Company, an insurance company in New York City, where he remained until his retirement.
Joe and Ruth lived for over 25 years in Bethpage, N.Y., where Joe was active in several organizations, including as the leader of his daughter’s Girl Scout troop. After being seasonal residents of Ruth’s family home in Tunbridge, Vermont for many years, they moved there full-time in 1976. Joe was a member of the Tunbridge Volunteer Fire Department, and attended the Tunbridge Church, where he sang in the choir. Joe remained married to Ruth for more than 40 years, until her death in 1982.
Joe married Marjorie (Marge) Stockwell Nelson in 1984. The couple lived first in Tunbridge, VT, later retiring to warmer winters in Modesto, CA. At the age of 90, Joe bought his first computer, and enjoyed keeping in touch with his extended family and friends through email and Facebook. He was a multitalented artist, a competitive pool player, and is remembered by many for intense games of Parcheesi. His artistic career spanned more than five decades and includes wood work carvings, oil paintings, essays and drawings.
Joseph Ermer passed away on March 28, 2012 at the age of 93. He was predeceased by a brother, Robert (Bob). Joe was survived by his second wife Marjorie, daughters Susan Ermer (Walt) Locke of Washington State, and Eve-Lynne Ermer (Scott Russell) of Tunbridge; grandchildren: Erik Russell of Underhill, Andrea Russell of Rhode Island, Scott Locke of Washington, and Justin Lacche of Oregon, and their families: stepdaughters Kathy (Tony) Rabbiosi and Joyce Nelson (James Petty, Jr.), and stepson Michael (Annie) Nelson, all of California; and six step-grandchildren and their families.
Joe Ermer represented the very best of the Greatest Generation and, after his military career, dedicated each day to bringing joy and laughter to his family and many, many friends.
Photos
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Source
Courtesy of his grandson, Justin Lacche (at Mike Lacche Boxing, and public documents.
Hert, Robert William
Electrician's Mate, 1st Class
Service
Robert W. Hert
• Service Number: 8638468
• Enlistment: Evansville, IN on 10 May 1943
• Receiving station: Philadelphia, PA
• Elmore start date: 25 Aug. 1943 (Plankowner)
• Elmore end date: 15 November 1945
• Total days on Elmore: 813
• Initial rating: Electrician's Mate, 3rd Class
• Final rating: Electrician's Mate, 1st Class
• Departed Elmore: Receiving Station on West Coast
person
Biography
Robert W. Hert
March 2, 1919 – May 31, 2009
Robert William Hert was born on March 2, 1919 in Jasonville, IN to Kiah and Ruth (Westner) Hert. Bob grew up in Indiana and attended Indiana State University from 1937 to 1940. He married Mildred "Mickie" (Atkinson) in 1940. He enlisted in the Navy on 10 May 1943 and joined USS Elmore immediate prior to her commissioning on 25 August 1943. He stayed with the crew throughout the war and departed the ship on 15 November 1945, after the surrender of Japan.
Mr. Hert lived in Richmond, IN since 1954. He retired from Wabash Fiber Box Company where he worked in sales. Bob was a member of Central United Methodist Church. He was also a member of the Jasonville Lodge F&AM, and Elks Lodge BPOE #649. Bob enjoyed piano, woodworking, fishing and golf. He also enjoyed his yard and gardening, and his dogs.
Bob's wife of 59 years Mildred "Mickie" (Atkinson) Hert died June 18, 1999. Bob passed away on Sunday May 31, 2009 at the age of 90.
Survivors included two children, Becky and husband Chuck Low of Indianapolis, and Mike and wife Debbie Hert of Columbus, four grandchildren Stacey Green, Rob Low, Kimberly Stewart, and David Hert, nine great grandchildren, his brother Richard and wife Helen Hert of Richmond, three nieces and one nephew.
Photos
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Source
Courtesy of his daughter, Becky Low, and various public sources.
Service
Joseph Andrew Dudash
• Service Number: 652 30 26
• Enlistment: Pittsburgh, PA on 2 April 1942
• Receiving station: Philadelphia, PA
• Elmore start date: 25 August 1943
• Elmore end date: 18 January 1946
• Total days on Elmore: 877
• Departed Elmore at: San Francisco, CA
• Initial rank: Yeoman 3rd Class
• Final rank: Chief Yeoman
• Primary duties : Personnel and ship records
McCune, William Grover
Chief Storekeeper
Service
William Grover McCune
• Service Number: 2832921
• Enlistment: Cleveland, OH on 20 September 1939
• Receiving station: ATB, Little Creek, VA
• Elmore start date: 27 August 1943
• Elmore end date: 05 December 1944
• Total days on Elmore: 435
• Initial rating: Chief Storekeeper
• Final rating: Chief Storekeeper
• Departed Elmore: at Hollandia for Pearl Harbor
person
Biography
William Grover McCune
September 5, 1921 – December 25, 2005
William “Bill” Grover McCune was born in Akron, OH on September 5, 1921. He graduated from East High in 1939, then immediately entered the U.S. Navy, enlisting in Cleveland, OH. McCune first served in the Atlantic on the USS Texas (on convoy escort duty). After the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, he was transferred to the Pacific, serving on Attack Transport USS Elmore (APA-42) through five island landings, often under enemy attack.
Lt. McCune served in the Navy Reserve, as a Lt. JG, until 1961. He graduated from Akron University in 1950 and served as an executive with Goodyear International for 30 years.
Mr. McCune died on Christmas Day, December 25, 2005, at the age of 84. Services were held on Friday, January 6, 2006 at Historic First Presbyterian Church in Phoenix, AZ. Funeral arrangements were handled by Allen Funeral Home.
Bill was preceded in death by his first wife, Roberta, and his son Richard E. McCune. He is survived by his wife, Pamela, in Arizona. Also surviving in the Akron area is grandson, Matthew McCune; and his two sons, Russell and Billy; daughter-in-law, Louizette; and granddaughters, Soraya, Roberta, Sou'ad, Kathryn and Cynthia McCune.
Photos
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Source
Source: The Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) - 22 Jan 2006, Sunday edition
Mullen, Carl James
Motor Machinist's Mate, 2nd Class
Service
Carl J. Mullen
• Service Number: 6278880
• Enlistment: Indianapolis, IN on 15 Dec. 1942
• Receiving station: Amphibious Training Base, Little Creek, VA
• Elmore start date: 7 Sept. 1943
• Elmore end date: 6 Oct. 1945
• Total days on Elmore: 760
• Initial rating: Fireman, 1st Class
• Final rating: Motor Machinist's Mate, 2nd Class
• Departed Elmore: Leyte, Philippine Islands.
person
Biography
Carl J. Mullen
December 24, 1912 – July 4, 1989
Carl James Mullen was born on December 24, 1912 on the family farm in Fountain Country, about 2 miles outside of Veedersburg, Indiana. He was the third of six children of Luther E. Mullen and Kate Eunice Songer. Carl always said he had a hard but happy childhood. He would hunt squirrels, rabbits and turkeys. He would walk the woods in the spring in search of mushrooms. He also swam and fished in the clear, cold waters of Coal Creek, bring home sunfish, blue gills and snapping turtles. He spoke of plowing behind a big gray horse named 'Barney'. Carl attended the local schools. In high school he became a very good basketball player. Being six feet two at the time, when the average height was 5 feet 8 inches, gave him a great advantage.
Carl came of age just as the Great Depression was under way. He took whatever work he could find, at one point riding the trains to Texas to harvest wheat. In the late 1930s, he found work in the steel mills outside of Chicago. When the war broke out, Carl could have used the deferment attached to his job. But he did not do so. In late 1942, Carl went back to Veedersburg and met with his mother (his father had died in 1940) and told her he was going to enlist. He told her that he wouldn’t feel right if he failed to do what he felt his country needed.
His initial job on USS Elmore was operating the desalinization tanks, converting sea water to drinking water. He later became a Motor Machinist’s Mate, requiring him to operate, maintain, and repair the propulsion and steering machinery on the nineteen landing craft carried by the ship.
In one of those unanticipated moments in life, Carl was crewing one of Elmore’s landing craft, just offshore of Red (Palo) Beach at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. In the early afternoon of 20 October 1944, Carl was a witness to one of the most famous events in WWII history. This was the day that General Douglas MacArthur made his promised return to the Philippines. There is a picture of the General wading ashore along with his entourage. In the background of this famous photograph [located in the Photos Tab above], a tall and slender Carl Mullen, wearing an open shirt, can be seen standing on the left side of his landing craft. From his vantage point, Carl watched General MacArthur make good on his promise to return to liberate the Philippine Islands.
When the war was over, Carl came back to Veedersburg and married Genieve Stuart in 1947. After 9 years and two children, they divorced. He would work a few different jobs until he became an electrician's helper at the Veterans Hospital in Danville, IL. He worked there until retirement. During this time, Carl was a member of New Century Church and the America Legion Post 228, both in Veedersburg. He was also a member of the VFW in Covington, the Low 12 Club in Wallace, Park County, and the Veedersburg Masonic Lodge. He also tended bar in two different towns. On Tuesday and Thursday nights, he worked at Red’s in Veedersburg. On Friday and Saturday nights he worked at Clair’s in Covington a town about 7 miles from Veedersburg.
In 1966, he married Vivnia Carr. They would winter in Florida and travel back to Veedersburg during the warmer months. In 1982, he had the first of many strokes which would keep them in Veedersburg year-round. Carl passed away on July 4, 1989 at the same VA hospital where he had worked. He is buried in the Waynetown (Indiana) Masonic Cemetery. He was 76 years old when he passed away.
Photos
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Source
Courtesy of his son, Carl R. "Dick" Mullen [May 22, 2019].
O'Connor, Michael R.
Boatswain's Mate, 2nd Class
Service
Michael 'Mike' Roland O'Connor
• Service Number: 5567562
• Enlistment: Jacksonville, FL on 12 Dec. 1942
• Receiving station: Amphibious Training Base, Little Creek, VA
• Elmore start date: 7 Sept. 1943
• Elmore end date: 13 Mar. 1946
• Total days on Elmore: 918
• Initial rating: Seaman, 1st Class
• Final rating: Boatswain's Mate, 2nd Class
• Departed Elmore: Alabama at Decommissioning
person
Biography
Michael "Mike" R. O'Connor
December 8, 1923 – January 16 2016
Michael 'Mike' O'Connor was a World War II veteran who commanded a landing craft in seven Pacific invasions. He came aboard USS Elmore (APA-42) a few weeks after the ship had been commissioned and stayed as a member of the crew until the ship was decommissioned on 13 March 1946 – a total of 918 days.
Mike stayed in the Navy and even accompanied Admiral Richard Bird on Operation High Jump (1946-1947) to map and explore Antarctica.
He left the Navy in December 1948 and returned to Tampa where he met Ann, a little girl from his old neighborhood in Honduras where he had grown up. They fell in love and married the next year, in 1949.
With his carpentry skills, O’Connor built homes in the postwar housing boom. But in 1951, he and Ann moved to Lakeland, where he took a job as a trainman for Atlantic Coastline Railroad. He was a conductor for more than 30 years and retired in 1985. Retirement didn’t sit well for Mike O’Connor. To keep busy, he worked for a laundry and then for Walmart, not really retiring until the late 1990s.
Mr. O'Connor was born in Puerto Castillo, Honduras on December 8, 1923, and died of natural causes on January 16, 2016, at Hawthorne Inn ALF located in Lakeland, FL. He was 92.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Sarah Ann O'Connor; father and mother, William Hugh and Petrona O'Connor; brothers, William Hugh Jr. O'Connor; sisters, Alice Young, Mary Louise Rowe; and one grand-child, Ryan Shea O'Connor.
He is survived by his sister, Teresa Cash; sons, Ron O'Connor (Andrea) and Glenn O'Connor (Becky); and six grand-children; Michael O'Connor (Amber), Brittany Finkbeiner (Chris), Jillian Green Nelson (Aaron), Kristin O'Connor, Jordan O'Connor, Jaclyn O'Connor; as well as two great-grandchildren, Robert O'Connor and Harrison Finkbeiner.
Photos
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Source
• Newspaper article in the Ledger (Lakeland, Florida) on May 23, 2010.
• Veterans History Project video of July 10, 2005.
• Obituary published in Ledger from Jan. 17 to Jan. 18, 2016.
Blaschke, Charles F. Jr.
Machinist's Mate, 2nd Class
Service
Charles Francis Blaschke Jr.
• Service Number: 3429104
• Enlistment: Kansas City, MO in 1944
• Receiving station: Hollandia, New Guinea
• Elmore start date: 21 December. 1944
• Elmore end date: 13 March 1946 (Decommissioning)
• Total days on Elmore: 447
• Initial rating: Fireman, 2nd Class
• Final rating: Machinist's Mate, 2nd Class
• Departed Elmore: Chickasaw, AL
person
Biography
Charles Francis Blaschke Jr. May 28, 1926 – October 13, 2017 kdsjaflsdjfl;sdflksdajflsadjflskdjflsdkjfldsjfsldkjflksdjflsdkjflksdjlksjdflksdjflskjdsljslkjlskdjflskdflsdkjlksdflksdjflsdjflskdjflsdkjflsdkjflskdfj
Photos
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Source
Courtesy of his son, Carl R. "Dick" Mullen [May 22, 2019].
Smiley, Walter P.
Lieutenant
Service
Walter Perry Smiley
• File Number: unknown
• Enlistment: unknown
• Receiving station: Philadelphia, PA
• Elmore start date: 25 Aug. 1943 (Plankowner)
• Elmore end date: 1 Feb. 1944
• Total days on Elmore: 160
• Initial rank: Ensign
• Final rank: Lieutenant (jg)
• Departed Elmore: Kwajalein Atoll
person
Biography
Walter Perry Smiley
October 13, 1919 – June 26, 2015
Walter P. Smiley was born on October 13, 1919 on a farm near Orfordville, Wisconsin. He died on June 26, 2015, in Springfield, VA, having lived there with his family since 1957. He was very happily married for 64 years [m. 1947] to Mary Louise Badertscher of Brodhead, WI before she pre-deceased him in 2011.
After graduating from the State Teachers College, Whitewater WI, in 1942, Walter entered the Naval Reserve V-7 Midshipman Program and was commissioned an Ensign that same year. During World War II, he served in amphibious attack transports [such as USS Elmore (APA-42)], participating in the landings at Eniwetok and Iwo Jima. After the war, he transferred to the regular navy and attended the Naval Line School, Newport, RI. Upon graduation, he served in various fleet and onshore assignments in Fargo, ND, San Diego, CA, Seattle, WA, Charleston, SC and Washington, DC.
He served as Commanding Officer of the USS Falgout (DER 324) and USS Robinson (DD 562) and retired in 1964 with the rank of Commander.
Following retirement from the Navy, he was employed with the Vitro Corporation, Silver Spring, MD, retiring in 1982. For seven years after retirement, he was a volunteer docent at the National Archives.
Walter P. Smiley was 95 years old when he passed. He is survived by three children, Stephen (Clara), Nora (Robert Combs) and Paul (Karen) and two grandchildren, Taylor Smiley (Jenny) and Caroline Smiley Bredthauer (Drew) and one great granddaughter, Mary Bredthauer. Deep gratitude was expressed to Griselda Anderson for her loyal service to Mr. Smiley. A memorial service was held at Springfield United Methodist Church, 7047 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield, VA 22150 on Friday, July 17 at 2 p.m.
Commander Smiley is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Photos
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Source
Obituary published in The Washington Post on July 8, 2015. Additional information from Find A Grave.
