Page 36 - Voices.June.2016final
P. 36
Tell Me A Story
Dad’s Purple Heart
by Bob Niemeyer, CC
Later in my father’s life, I thought it would Oregon coast, Dad started to tell some stories
be a good idea to make a shadow box to I am sure my mom was unaware of. He started
display the medals he received in WWII. After to tell the story about why he did not have his
contacting the Veterans Administration, we first Purple Heart Medal from the war. When
received a set of medals and built the display dad abruptly stopped and stood up, we could
for a Christmas present in 2004. all sense that story time was over and that it was
probably the best time to go to bed.
Dad told us many stories about being in
the Navy as a torpedoman, aboard a PT boat Dad had told the story on the previous
tender, in the South Pacific. The storytelling camping trip about how he was wounded the
became an important part of our camping first time. There was not much call for a torpe-
trips as well. Soon as dinner was over and we doman to assemble a torpedo during battle
had made our last s’mores of the evening, stations. So he was part of the on-deck crew
we would turn to Dad and ask about what firing an anti-aircraft gun when a Kamikaze was
he had done during the war. bearing down on his ship. It was heading right
at his section of the ship when they managed
He would sit back, think for bit, and then to fire at the last possible moment and cut the
get into some of the stories that would make left wing off the plane. The Kamikaze spiraled
me think there was no way some of the things into the water forty feet from the side of the
he told us could be true—but they were still ship and exploded. A thousand pound bomb
all fun to hear. exploded forty feet away from the side of his
ship! The entire ship rocked to one side and
One story in particular always stuck in my Dad was hit by some shrapnel. His left hand
mind. It was about a Kamikaze attack on his was smashed to bits. At the time of the attack,
ship and how he got his first Purple Heart. there were ten or so PT boats tethered to his
I was the oldest of four siblings, so I tended ship. Somehow only one of the boats received
to remember more than my brothers and any damage.
sister. On one of our camping trips to the
In 2005, I took Dad to see the PT boat
36 Volume 2 Issue 12 - JUNE 2016
