This photo was taken in Havana, Cuba, circa 1942 - 1944.
The man with the very dark sailor's cap, tilted forward towards his
eyes, was my Uncle "Bud". Everyone called him
Bud. I do not know the names of the other sailors in the photo. From Pekin?
[If you can identify any of the other sailors, please
contact the society]
My uncle's name was
Ralph William
Joerger
721 Hillyer Street
Pekin, Illinois
After training at Great Lakes Naval Center, he was
shipped out to fight in the North Atlantic. On the way back, they stopped
over in Havana, Cuba and then New Orleans, Louisiana. They went on to
fight in the Pacific Theatre.
Perhaps they are having a bit of Rum
& Coke?
My
Dad said his brother was on "shore leave" in Havana after
fighting in the North Atlantic. He said the bar
was "Sloppy Joe's", a bar frequented by Ernest
Hemingway. The two blonde-haired sailors were from his ship
but are unidentified.
Bud had told my Dad that liquor was very cheap in Cuba. So whenever the
crew returned to the ships, the Shore Patrol, would check the men for
hidden liquor bottles they might put within the waistbands of their
trousers. If found, the Shore Patrol would take their billy clubs and
smash the bottles right on their person!
I
don't know how long they docked in Havana.
He
went on to New Orleans where he trained to be an Armed Guard.
(April 29, 1943) He then went to serve in the Pacific theatre
leaving May 3rd,
1943 - the Solomon Islands campaign, I believe.
They returned to San Bruno, California in
January, 1944.
Upon returning to
Pekin,
he became a fireman for the
Chicago
& Northwestern Rail Road in South Pekin. Later
(I don't know the year), his major career in life was with Standard
Brands, until retirement.
I
wish I could relay "war stories" to you but my Dad said my Uncle would
never talk about the War too much, at all. We don't know all that he
really went through. So the photo in
Havana
is a treasure to see a "good time" during the war when they are relaxing
and having fun.
It would be great
if someone could fill in the history of these ships
Bud Joerger Service
Record
WWII - U.S.
Navy
Dates of Service: 28 August 1942 - 6 October 1944
Enlisted - Reported to Great Lakes
Earned $66.00 a month from US Navy during
WWII
Seaman 1st Class; an Armed guard; a gunner
Honorably discharged with physical
disability
broken ear drums from being a gunner and diving under ships
some hearing loss
Discharged at Great Lakes
The Navy paid $9.65 for a train ticket for him
to take "The Rocket" from Glenview, Illinois to
Peoria
to get home after service!
Ships:
USS Sonora
served: 6 November 1942 - 29 April 1943
(I can't find any info. on this ship's name for WWII)
USS Sabine
served: 3 May 1943 - 21 January 1944
( I think this was a fueler for other war ships....?)
Jimmy Doolittle used it during a raid on Tokyo
in 1942
