Lt. Floyd Childs              
BY:  Dave Childs                                     

Background

Floyd was born in Barton County , Kansas near Hoisington.  At the age of 9 his family moved to Orange County in southern Indiana where he grew up.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy Oct 11, 1918.  WW I ended a month later.  He was released from active duty December 20, 1918 but was retained in the Naval Reserve.  In October 1922 he was given his honorable discharge from the reserves.  He graduated from Indiana University in 1926.  He married Eudora Madge Chafin in Bloomington, IN and they raised three boys.

World War II

In 1942 at the age of 44 he felt a calling as patriot to defend his country.  Although he was married with three children he applied for a Navy Commission.  He was commissioned a Lieutenant.  He was trained at Cornell and Harvard Universities .  He did a short tour of duty in Key West , Florida before being sent to Norfolk Va. from where he was shipped to the European Theatre.  He was assigned to Company A, Fourth Beach Battalion, The Amphibious Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.  Company A had 47 enlisted men and 4 officers consisting of 3 Ensigns and Lt. Childs.  On July 2, 1943 he wrote a letter to his brother Nathaniel Childs which read, “I’m in North Africa and feeling fine.  Can’t tell you of my many experiences since coming over.  I have seen and talked to General Patton more than once and have talked to and with other General’s not so high on many occasions.  On one occasion I found myself standing before Generals and addressing them without even being conscious of the fact they were high officials.”

On July 10, 1943 the Allied Forces invaded Sicily .  The Fourth Beach Battalion participated in this invasion.  On Sept. 9, 1943 the Allies landed at Salerno , Italy .  The first waves hit the beaches about 3:30 AM.  Company A, Fourth Beach Battalion landed at Red 2 at dawn under a barrage of 88’s and worked on the beach until 1500 when it was sent to Red 1.  Enemy air raids occurred day and night until Sept. 18.  On Sept. 23, with the beach secured,  most of the Battalion was evacuated by naval transport and a skeleton force of 70 men and 6 officers was left behind to maintain naval control of the 4 beaches.  Besides Lt. Floyd Childs, who was placed in command with headquarters of Red 2, there was Lt. John R. Riley on Yellow, Lt. (jg) Stanley Linton on Green, Lt (jg) Robert H. Burch Jr. on Red 1 and Lt Comdr. Harvey B. Savage Jr. and Lt. (jg) Eugene T. Gleason in charge of communications.  On Oct. 16th with the ports of Naples and Salerno open the sailors were relieved. 

In the spring of 1944 Floyd was sent back to the states for treatment of a stomach ailment.  Later that year he was assigned to the Naval Beach Battalion School in Oceanside , CA.  The picture at right is from training exercise in California.   He was promoted to Lt. Commander in October of 1944.   

In August of 1945, 10 days after the first atomic bomb, Floyd was assigned to Transport Squadron 24, Pacific Fleet.  He reported to the USS Dade (APA-99), an attack transport, at Saipan on August 25, 1945.  He also served on Commodore Short’s staff as Beach Master Commander of the 22nd Squadron.

After the war Floyd remained in the Naval Reserves.  He eventually retired from the Naval Reserves as a full Commander.           

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