He entered this world in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on August 31, 1923. It was here that Mr.
Watson also enlisted in the navy on December 1, 1943, while beforehand, he had
worked as a carpenter. He says that he enlisted because he knew he would be
drafted within the next year. “I didn't want to be in the army, so I enlisted in
the navy.” From there he was sent to a boot camp at Newport, Rhode Island, where
he was trained in first aid and learned navy drills and how the navy operates.
It is here that he reports he nearly froze to death. After five days leave in
February, he was sent to a school in Key West, Florida and was trained to be a
sonar operator, so he could learn how to locate and detect enemy submarines with
certain equipment he would be using. He graduated as a sonar operator
3rdclass in April of 1943. He was then assigned to the U.S.S. Isherwood,
DD520, a brand new destroyer, in the Brooklyn Navy Yard with a crew of 300 men
and 20 officers. The ship was put in commission on April 12, 1943 and Easter
Sunday was spent loading ammunition and supplies onto the ship and they left for
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He found during his service that “officers that went
through the major military schools, such as West Point Army, were much better
prepared than the rest of us.” He also found that his training, on a scale of 1
to 10, was about an 8 or 9. “They couldn't quite train us for the experiences
we encountered. I guess it can be compared to taking a test. Sometimes, you
just can't answer all the questions.”
Watson also enlisted in the navy on December 1, 1943, while beforehand, he had
worked as a carpenter. He says that he enlisted because he knew he would be
drafted within the next year. “I didn't want to be in the army, so I enlisted in
the navy.” From there he was sent to a boot camp at Newport, Rhode Island, where
he was trained in first aid and learned navy drills and how the navy operates.
It is here that he reports he nearly froze to death. After five days leave in
February, he was sent to a school in Key West, Florida and was trained to be a
sonar operator, so he could learn how to locate and detect enemy submarines with
certain equipment he would be using. He graduated as a sonar operator
3rdclass in April of 1943. He was then assigned to the U.S.S. Isherwood,
DD520, a brand new destroyer, in the Brooklyn Navy Yard with a crew of 300 men
and 20 officers. The ship was put in commission on April 12, 1943 and Easter
Sunday was spent loading ammunition and supplies onto the ship and they left for
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He found during his service that “officers that went
through the major military schools, such as West Point Army, were much better
prepared than the rest of us.” He also found that his training, on a scale of 1
to 10, was about an 8 or 9. “They couldn't quite train us for the experiences
we encountered. I guess it can be compared to taking a test. Sometimes, you
just can't answer all the questions.”
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