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My Story By: Ed Smith U.S. 7th Naval Beach Battalion Many of you can relate to either landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day and staying for about three weeks or doing duty on an APA in the Pacific Ocean for approximately a year. Some of you can relate to
both. One of my happiest days on APA#225 happened about mid-afternoon when we had finished maneuvering and practicing landing for the invasion of Japan. We were informed that our good president, Mr. Harry (the buck stops here) Truman had given permission for the A-Bomb to be dropped on Japan. All of us on board our ship were extremely happy because our future didn’t look too bright until this event happened. The Japanese had fought bravely to defend many islands in the Pacific so we could only imagine how they would fight to defend their homeland. Shortly after this, our ship was assigned to pick up a group of ambulatory patients in Guam and take them to Hawaii. Just before we were to get underway our orders were changed to take these patients to San Francisco. Oh Happy Day! Shortly before getting underway someone announced over the P.A.
system that “the following eight men be prepared to leave the ship in 30 minutes”. My name was #1. We were to replace men aboard other ships who had enough points to qualify for discharges. On a scale of 1-10 concerning happy days, I rate this day 0. On Guam I was informed that I was to replace a Ph/M on an LCI which had left early that morning but its destination wouldn’t be known until it reached its destination. I caught a ride on a C-47 as soon as possible to the next island and managed to miss the LCI which had just moved to another island. I finally came aboard this LCI in Japan. It, plus 7 move were to travel as a flotilla to San Diego to be decommissioned. Those of you who think that the L means Luxury were badly misinformed. This LCI would do between 11 and 12 knots/hour but it lacked a lot, being new. Across its bridge showed credit for 2 planes and 4 battles. Our crew consisted of 26 men, 2 officers and a dog named Be-No. Our skipper constantly threatened us that there would Bo No beer parties or shore time unless our ship was shipshape. Our ship docked near Pearl Harbor on Christmas Eve 1945. We finally arrived in San Diego the first week of February, 1946 about 2-1/2 months after leaving Japan. I was discharged in the Norfolk area February 14, 1946. In 1951 I graduated from University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy and married Doris Blue on June 10, 1951. She had already graduated from
UT College of Nursing. When we had our first disagreement, Doris asked me why I didn’t marry until I was 28. (She was almost 21.) I explained that it just took time to find the perfect one. With only a slight hesitation she said, “I think I’m the only one who would have you”. On certain days happiness is hard to come by. It can be like trying to win a hot-rod race on a pogo stick or like trying to nail Jello to the wall. Doris has done more than her fair share to bring happiness into my life.
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