John J. Earley was born November 18, 1924, in Ireland
and was raised in New York, New York. He enlisted in the
U.S. Navy January 7, 1943, and again April 3, 1947.
Following boot training at Great Lakes, Illinois, he went
to the Armed Guard Center, Brooklyn, New York, and
was then assigned to the SS YOMACHICHI from April
8, 1943 until October 8, 1943.
His next ship was the SS GEORGE GERSHWIN from
October 26, 1943, until April 2 l, 1944. Other ships he
served on include the SS THOMAS CRESAP from May
1, 1944, until October 4, 1944; SS BULL RUN, Novem-
ber 8, 1944, to February 2, 1945; the SS HANGING
ROCK, May 8, 1945, to July 31, 1945; and the USS
PHOENIX, September 7, 1945, to September 13, 1945.
On September 14, 1945, he was sent back to the Armed
Guard Center in Brooklyn, New York, and on September
30, 1946, he was discharged at the USN Receiving Sta-
tion, Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
John received medals and awards for the Philippine
Liberation, World'War II Victory, American Campaign,
Good Conduct, European-African-Middle Eastern Cam-
paign, AsiatioPacific Campaign, and Navy Occupation
with Asia Clasp.
On April 3, 1947, he re-enlisted and served his country
until July 30, 1951, earning the Korea Service Medal.
Since that time, he has been manager for F.W. Woolworth
and a store opening manager for Ben Franklin Stores.
He and his wife, Ann, have six children and 11 grand-
children. Ann and John now live at 8 Isabel Road, Orange-
burg, New York 10962.
JOSEPH RICHARD EATON
Joseph Richard "Joe" Eaton enlisted in the U.S. Navy
Reserves the day before his 18th birthday March 22,
1944. He left the following day for boot camp in Farragut,
Idaho, Camp Hill, Group 364. After six weeks in boot
camp, he was sent to San Diego for a month's gunnery
school. He then went to Treasure Island, California, and
was put aboard the ABIGAIL ADAMS.
The ABIGAIL ADAMS headed for Saipan via Honolu-
lu. The first casualty occurred in Saipan when a man was
killed when he went ashore. Joe was a gunner on the 20
mm anti-aircraft machine gun. His second trip was to Eni-
wetok, Marshall Islands, and then to Leyte in the Philip-
pines, a month after the first U.S. strike at regaining the
Philippines. Joe was in several air raids in the Philippines
and experienced a sub alert leaving Eniwetok.
The ABIGAIL ADAMS returned to the U.S. and Joe
and two shipmates were transferred to the JOHN HART.
They sailed to New Guinea for staging and then on to
Manila and San Fernando where they left the ship's cargo.
The JOHN HART then left for Sydney, Australia, where
she ran aground on a reef for five days. Joe had an opportu-
nity to enjoy sightseeing in Sydney while the ship was in
Newcastle for dry dock repairs. After loading in Australia,
they sailed for Manila. The war ended before they got
there. In Manila Joe was put aboard an APA ship and
returned to Treasure Island where he finished his service as
a messenger for the mess hall. He was discharged in Brem-
erton, Washington May 19, 1946.
After discharge, Joe returned to his home in Auburn,
Washington. Joe is a descendant of pioneers who settled
Washington in 1878, including Dr. John Robbins and his
family of 17. Joe was married in 1950 to the girl next door
and had three children, two girls and a boy.
Joe worked in logging and sawmilling for 15 years after
returning from the Navy. Because of trouble with pneu-
monia and asthma he decided to try something a little easi-
er. He drove a school bus in Auburn for 25 years and is cur-
rently retired but leads an active life. He frequently attends
weddings of students he hauled on the bus. He walks every
day, macrames, is a member of a rifle club, fishes in his
rowboat and camps in his camper. Joe still lives on the
same property that his folks owned in 1944. His address
is 3520 53rd Road S.E., Auburn, Washington 98002.
JAMES N. ELLIS, JR.
James N. Ellis, Jr. was born in Rockingham County,
North Carolina July 1 l, 1924, toJ.N. Ellis, Sr., and Annie
Land Ellis. He was drafted into the U.S. Navy April 2,
1943, and took boot training at Bainbridge, Maryland. He
was transferred to Little Creek, Virginia, Armed Guard
School in April for gunnery training and plane recognition
courses. He shipped out of the Armed Guard Centers,
Brooklyn, New York, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Trea-
sure Island, California. He was awarded the Pacific, Amer-
ican, European and the Good Conduct medals. He was
discharged February 6, 1946, at Charleston, South Caroli-
na.
Jim served aboard the SS MATINICOCK in 1943 and
1944, the SS WHITE FALCON in 1944 and 1945, and
the SS WILLIAM C. RALSTON in 1945 and 1946. He
was aboard the RALSTON at Okinawa when the A-bomb
was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His ship once
came under submarine attack off Cape Hatteras, North
Carolina in 1944. The WHITE FALCON outran the sub-
marine. Riding out the typhoon off Okinawa in Septem-
ber 1945 and a storm in Buckner Bay are other experiences
Jim will never forget. Attending the Dawn Club off Mar-
ket Street in San Francisco with coxswain Thomas E.
Edwards and his wife, Polly, and the memories of all ship-
mates are to be treasured a lifetime.
In civilian life, Jim is a born-again believer and was a
representative for the Home Life Insurance Company of
New York from 1951 until retirement in April 1988. He
and his wife, Vail, make their home at 122 Sixth Street
S.E., Long Beach, North Carolina 28465; where the
"King" and "Spanish" mackerels strike and you catch
them from the pier.
Jim and Vail have four daughters: Vail Allen Ellis Cov-
ington of Greenville, South Carolina; Katharine Ellis
Smith of Greensboro, North Carolina; Cam Ellis Solms of
Atlanta, Georgia; June Ellis Curlott of Greensboro, North
Carolina; and a son, James N. Ellis III of Richmond, Vir-
ginia. They have four granddaughters, Vali, Cami, Katha-
rine, Elizabeth, and five grandsons, Josh, Jay, Gavin,
Joseph and Johnny. Another grandchild is expected in
LESTER J. ELLISON
Lester J. Ellison was born February 1, 1917, in Tacoma,
Washington. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy April 21,
1944, and attended boot camp at Farragut, Idaho, from
April 1944 to May 1944. He was then sent to gunnery
school in San Diego for one month, and later assigned to
the USS VICTORIA.
He was discharged December 5, 1945, at Bremerton,
Washington.
Since the war, he has worked at the Boise Cascade West
Tacoma Mill for 30 years. Lester is married to Delilah P.
Ellison. They have three children and five grandchildren.
Lester's address is 1708 N. Lexington, Tacoma, Wash-
ington 98406.
ERNEST ESPANA
Ernest Espana was born in Los Angeles, California,
March 29, 1923, and was his parents' only son. He was in
CCC Camp in California when the war started. He enlisted
in the U.S. Navy November 4, 1942, at Los Angeles, and
was sent to boot camp at the U.S. Naval Training Center
in San Diego.
He attended gunnery school Destroyer Base San Diego
January 8, 1943, then was sent to the Armed Guard Cen-
ter at Treasure Island February 5, 1943. He was assigned
his first ship, the SS THOMAS HART BENTON, Febru-
ary 6, 1943.
The BENTON was a brand new Liberty ship loaded
with ammunition for the Pacific. It sailed alone, stopping
at Pearl Harbor, then went on alone for Brisbane, Austra-
lia. A final stop was made in Sydney, then the ship sailed
back to New York by way of Pearl Harbor, again without
escort.
Ernest recalls that the BENTON was equipped with
one old 5-inch aft and some 30s or 50s. On one trip across
the Atlantic, Ernest said they lost the convoy. The next
morning they were alone, so his ship made a dash for
Guantanamo, Cuba, then in convoy went to the Brooklyn
Navy Yard, where a 3-50 forward and 20 mms were
installed in all the gun tubs.
From New York, his ship left in convoy for North Afri-
ca. En route, two German submarines were sunk. The ship
made port in Bone, where it was attacked in the harbor one
night by German planes. The gun crew fired their 3-inch
and all 20 mms. The ship sustained no damage.
The ship left Bone in convoy for the States and in the
night lost the convoy one more time. Ernest said the crew
began to wonder about the abilities of their skipper. The
ship made a dash for Gibraltar and the next day were
escorted back to their convoy by an English Corvette.
Once back in Norfolk, Virginia, Ernest received 15 days
delayed orders. He shipped out next on the Liberty ship SS
LEW WALLACE August 23, 1943, to Whittier, Alaska.
He was then assigned to the SS CAPE JUNCT1ON until
May 6, 1944, when he went back to Treasure Island and
shipped out June 30, 1944, on the SS FRED C. HOWE.
They loaded in San Francisco and sailed alone to Pearl Har-
bor, then to Karachi, India, and on to Melbourne, Austra-
lia. Ernest says, "That was one long way to go."
The crew unloaded at Karachi, then sailed for Mel-
bourne, Australia, then to Anto Fagsta, Chile, where
Ernest left the HOWE. He went by plane to Coco Solo
Submarine Base, Panama Canal, February 27, 194;5, and
stayed there until May 11, 1945.
Ernest then hopped a seaplane to Miami, Florida,
hitched a ride on an Army C-47 plane to Los Angeles and
took leave. He was then sent back to Treasure Island for his
next assignment October 16, 1945, to the Camp Shoe-
maker motor-pool until January 16, 1946.
From Treasure Island, he went to Naval Base Terminal
Island, San Pedro, California, for honorable discharge. He
got Merchant Marine papers, able seaman, at San Pedro,
and shipped to the East coast on a tanker from Philadel-
phia to South America, to England and back to the States.
He then shipped out of New York for San Francisco by
way of the Panama Canal, then shipped with Army Trans-
portation Marine Service, taking servicemen all over and
back from the Pacific to San Francisco.
Ernest next shipped out with the Military Sea Transpor-
tation Department of the NaW as a quartermaster, taking
trips all over the Pacific and Korea where the war had
begun.
He left the Merchant Marine November 27, 1952, and
went to work with National Can Corp. as a truck driver for
32 years from 1953 until 1985 when he retired. He has a
son, a daughter, and six grandchildren living in Rich-
mond, California.
He has not met any of his old Armed Guard shipmates
over the years or at the May 22, 1986, reunion in San Fran-
cisco. He now lives at 11039 E. Remer Street, South El
Monte, California 91733, with his wife, Esther.