Chapter 36 - 1945 Stanley & Henry Return from the Pacific

Chapter 36 Version 1

1945

Numbers are important. The military is a highly analytical organization devoted to numbers, hierarchies and plans. Squadrons, platoons, battalions, assault groups, armies and navies have functions that are coordinated by exacting plans at least before the shooting starts. In September 1945, one of the largest sets of war plans, Operation Downfall, had two parts. Operation Olympic was to have established air bases on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu in October of 1945. The assault on the island of Honshu would bring about the fall of Tokyo in the spring of 1946. When Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945 these plans were no longer needed. The plan that was activated was Operation Magic Carpet, a demobilization plan for millions of American servicemen in a very short period of time. Enlistment times had been for a specific number of years, usually two or four. But in the national emergency that was World War II enlistments were extended for the duration of the national emergency. If you were in the armed services, you were in until the war ended. When the Japanese accepted the terms of the unconditional surrender on August 15, 1945 and the signing was done on September 2 in Tokyo harbor on the deck of the USS Missouri, Operation Magic Carpet was already being unrolled. Utmost on every serviceman’s mind was “When do I get to go home?”.

In August Operation Magic Carpet started a trickle of servicemen being repatriated followed by a torrent in September and a flash flood in October and beyond. All manner of ships from aircraft carriers to troop transports to LST’s were used to ferry lucky POWs, soldiers, sailors and marines back to the west coast so they could be discharged and go home. Sometimes the ships themselves were making the last trip to the US west coast or east coast for retirement from service. Sometimes the ships returned to the far east for an additional cargo of men who had seen enough.

“I do not want to reenlist. Do I have enough points to go home now?” asked Stanley. All of the men on the Rocky Mount were finding out if they had enough points to be sent home immediately. Operation Magic Carpet had a point system that would determine if you could go home. Stanley’s math was pretty straight forward:

            .5 x months of service                                 29 = 14.5

            .5 x years of age                                          28 = 14.0

            .25 x months of overseas deployment         24 =   6.0

            10 x dependents                                             1 = 10.0

            Total                                                                     44.5

Stanley’s marriage to Jeanette didn’t stop him from getting drafted but it helped to get him back a little sooner than other bachelors on the crew.  Before the Rocky Mount departed Manila for Korea, a few crewmen were selected by lottery for a quick exit back to the States and the sailor with the most points was allowed to go home immediately.

After picking up Admiral Kincaid in Korea on September 9th, the Rocky Mount steamed across the East China Sea heading for Shanghai, China. When the ship reached the mouth of the Yangtze River it was forced to go back out to sea for a few days to ride out an approaching typhoon. After the rivers were cleared of mines, the Rocky Mount was the lead ship in a procession up the Whangpoo River to the Bund in Shanghai’s waterfront. The Rocky Mount, followed by the cruiser Nashville anchored off the Bund to the great welcome of the Chinese on September 19th. The wartime service of ACG-3, the Rocky Mount was nearly over. On November 2^nd, Admiral Kincaid transferred his command to ACG-12 USS Estes and the Rocky Mount prepared to come home.

                                                                                                

On September 8^th, the transport ship USS Cambria delivered its cargo of occupation troops to Nagasaki, Japan. The next mission was to pick up three groups of returning servicemen first in Manila, then in Shanghai where Stanley boarded on October 23^rd. The Cambria then picked up its last contingent of retirees on Okinawa on October 29^th where his brother Joe was still stationed. On November 12^th, the Cambria steamed into San Francisco Bay. The Rocky Mount had been scheduled back to San Francisco a number of times but there was always another assault to be trained for and Stanley had gone for over two years without leave in the States.

On the 21^st of November, Stanley was received into the Boston Separation Center. The next day, Thanksgiving Day appropriately, Stanley signed his discharge papers and the left for the open arms of his wife Jeanette.

Henry’s repatriation was even swifter than Stanley’s. Henry boarded the USS Alderamin on August 17 at Okinawa just two days after the Japanese agreed to their unconditional surrender and two days before the Japanese surrender delegation flew into Ie Shima on their way to Manila. After Henry left, the VMF (N) 533 squadron was deployed to Peiping China in October 1945 before heading back to Pearl Harbor. Henry’s final cruise took him back to familiar territory stopping at Eniwetok in the Marshalls, and Pearl Harbor before landing in San Francisco on September 22^nd. On October 23^rd, Henry was heading back to the Discharge Section of SS-48 MASG-51 in Bainbridge MD. Henry had earned 54 points in his nearly three year enlistment:

            Service Credits                            = 33

            Sea & Foreign Service Credits    = 16

            Combat Credits                            =   5

              Total                                              54

Henry had thought about writing to a girl he had seen back in Easthampton named Aurelia. Now that the war was over, a letter might be a way to be introduced to her. She lived on Ferry Street where Henry had worked before he enlisted in the war. Aurelia would walk with her girlfriend near Ward Avenue where he lived. Henry was a 19 year old recruit when he left. He was returning as a 22 year old marine staff sergeant on December 7, 1945.

Both Stanley and Henry had come and gone from Okinawa. Joe remained on the island reminding himself of what he had learned in the service “Hurry up and wait”.