4-10-12
During the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the incredible good fortune to spend time with two men who served on the Boston during the War. (The visits were on opposite sides of the country.) The first visit was with Bob Knight, a plankowner who served in Radio 1 and Radio 2. The second visit was this last weekend, on the other side of the country, with one of the Marines from the ship. Not just any old Marine, but the commanding officer. . .
Oh, and then I drove a little further and spent an afternoon with my new old friend Pat Fedele and his wife Sandy. So I actually spent time with three Boston shipmates during the last few weeks.
I’m finding it amazing that these guys, seventy years removed from the action, still have vivid memories of their lives aboard the ship. I am awestruck by the fact that each one of them had unique experiences and saw and heard and remember different things. Life aboard the ship was different for each guy in some ways, but the same in other ways. The one event where everyone’s divergent experiences become practically an echo of each other is their recounting of Typhoon Cobra.
The one thing that really strikes me the most about talking with these guys is I have had many laughs with each one of them. I have been asking them questions, and while some of them require a “serious” answer, it’s only a matter of time before the chuckles begin.
I have some great material for the new Boston book(s). I am working on the first part. I will see two or three more crewmembers in the next few months, and will happily thread whatever they tell me into what I’m writing. The combination of first-hand accounts and all the materials (photos, captain’s reports, war diaries, etc.) that bill gathered at the National Archives – should make for a pretty good read . . .
I’ll post more about my visits, and will include some pictures (Then and Now).
steve