Leo took his Armed Guard training at Gulfport, Missis-
sippi, and while training he was asked to audition for a new
band that was being formed at the base. He immediately
sent for his clarinet, saxophone and his orchestrations,
which numbered over 100 or more tunes.
After completion of basic training, Leo was transferred
to Ship's Company as a mess cook, until the band was
completed. In the afternoons the band members practiced,
and during the morning hours they devoted their time to
painting the barracks, digging ditches, and cleaning recre-
ation rooms.
With the "Marching Band," they played for the Colors
and every Friday morning they would march a Company
of Armed Guard school graduates from the base to the
train station, which was about seven miles away. They
played as a dance band, which was more enjoyable and
ended up with a busy schedule.
On Friday evenings, they played for "happy hour" on
the base and on Saturday nights they were at the Officer's
Club. Sundays were reserved for the USO in Gulfport, and
at a radio station.
In a short time, the band grew in numbers to sixteen.
Before they could get a Musician's rating approved, all
members were transferred in July 1944, all to different
locations.
Leo was assigned to the USS LIGNITE, IX- 162, a sup-
ply ship for sea duty to San Francisco and on to Okinawa
and the war in the Pacific. He also served aboard the DD-
781.
Leo and his wife, Jeanne, make their home at 1091
Trask Road, Aurora, Illinois 60505. He is now Quarter-
master in the VFW Post 7452 in Montgomery, Illinois.
MORGAN O'LOUGHLIN
Morgan O'Loughlin was born in the Savin Hill, Dor-
chester, section of Boston, and at 17 years old convinced his
parents to sign papers allowing him to join the U.S. Navy.
On February 14, 1943, he boarded a train and rode and
rode to Faragut, Idaho boot camp. His parents wondered
what their son was doing in land-locked Idaho, after all he
did join the Navy.
From boot camp, he went on to San Diego to Armed
Guard gunnery school. He shipped out of San Pedro on the
Liberty Ship SS STERLING MORTON, headed for Aus-
tralia, New Zealand and New Guinea. After 11 months,
the STERLING MORTON headed back to San Francis-
co. Unfortunately, she lost her propeller after one day out
of port and was a helpless target waiting to be towed back
to Wellington, New Zealand.
Morgan's next assignment was to last 15 months in the
Pacific on a tanker, the SS KLAMATH FALLS. Most
unusually and happily, he met all three of his older broth-
ers while in the Navy Armed Guard. He met Tom (USN)
in a Naval hospital in San Jose;John (USA) in Hawaii; and
Eddie (USN) on the island of Eniwetok. From Subic Bay
in the Philippines, he came back to Boston where he was
honorably discharged in March 1946.
In October 1950, he married Mary Maguire. They have
two sons, Brian and Timothy, both graduates of Massa-
chusetts Maritime Academy with marine engineering
degrees. Both sons serve as officers (engineers) in the Mer-
chant Marines. Morgan has been one of "Boston's Finest"
a member of the Boston Police Department, for 38 years.
Their address is 65 Butler Road, E. Weymouth, Massa-
chusetts 02189.
HERBERT ORENSTEIN
Herbert Orenstein was born July 15, 1925, in Brook-
lyn, New York. He entered the U.S. Navy as a Selective
Service volunteer on December 9, 1943, and had his boot
training at Sampson, New York. He completed signalman
school June 5, 1944, where he acquired the nickname "the
brain" for excellence in flag/code reception. He advanced
to NTSCH (SM) at Noroton Heights, Connecticut, and
then to Brooklyn Armed Guard Center where he was
assigned to the SS WINDFIELD SCOTT as S1/C under
SM2/C Pascow. His closest mate was S 1/C Morris Klotz
from Brooklyn, New York (current whereabouts
unknown).
His first trip was to Liverpool, Cardiff, Belfast, return-
ing to Brooklyn September 9, 1944. His second voyage
beginning on September 2 l, 1944, led to North Ireland,
Wales, England and Antwerp, Belgium, returning to
Brooklyn January 13, 1945.
The SCOTT was the first American ship after D Day to
enter Antwerp November 28, 1944. His third and last trip
on the SCOTT, January 23, 1945, was to France and
North Africa, returning to Galveston, Texas March 13,
1945.
His two most memorable experiences were taking
"light" message from Commodore to leave his convoy and
head for Galveston, Texas. Since he was a poor reader of
"light," no one on board believed him except Capt. Reece.
Another time in convoy, his ship encountered a foggy
storm equal to hurricane force. All ships abandoned the
convoy and were on their own. Herbert got a message that
a submarine was offthe port bow, but due to poor visibility
it took several transmissions to complete the message.
Because of the rough seas, the sub was unable to release any
torpedo and the ship escaped in fog.
From Treasure Island, Armed Guard Center, he trans-
ferred to the SS HENRY C. WALLACE, a converted
tanker. In summer 1945, he made three trips: two to the
H2~aiian ldand~; and nne ro Alaska with San Pedro, Calif-
fornia, as home port. He later was transferred to Newport,
Rhode Island after Japan was atom-bombed.
As a landlubber, he was very unhappy as his most inter-
esting experiences and closest friends were in the Armed
Guard. He received a family hardship discharge Decem-
ber 23, 1945. Upon graduation from New York Universi-
ty in June 1949, and after several jobs in textiles, he opened
The Cottage Shop, a retail curtain and linen store with his
wife, Charlotte, in Sheepshead Bay, in 1957, in Brooklyn,
New York. He retired in 1988.
They have a daughter and a son and he currently is
employed part time by his son-in-law, Pat Fierro, in the
construction business. He lives in Manhattan Beach at 61
Coleridge Street, Brooklyn, New York 11235, near
Sheepshead and Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
WILLIAM NELSON OUTLAW
William Nelson Outlaw enlisted in the U.S. Naval
Reserve V-6 on December 30, 1941. He received his train-
ing at Norfolk, Virginia, for about five weeks. He was then
transferred to Armed Guard gunnery school.
After completing school, he was sent to the Armed
Guard Center, Brooklyn, New York, and was assigned to
the SS YAKA, March 1943. They left Boston and went to
Halifax, Nova Scotia, and from there went to Reykjavik,
Iceland to form a convoy header for Murmansk. Of the
convoy of 35 ships, all but seven turned back, while one
was lost to a torpedo, with six making it to Russia. They
were in Russia for 60 days, all of which was daylight. There
were over 180 air raids. They took five of them directly and
were hit two different times, after which they went into
drydock for repairs. They were credited with downing two
dive bombers. They left Murmansk in convoy, and on their
way out they lost eight ships in twenty minutes. They
returned to New York and received two weeks of much
needed leave.
In September 1942, he was assigned to the SS HIL-
TON. They made a trip to Puerto Rico and back to New
York, followed by a trip to Northern Greenland. On the
return they stopped in St. Johns, Newfoundland.
He was then assigned to Little Creek, Virginia, for
school on the new five inch 38. After completing school, he
was transferred to the Armed Guard Center, New Orleans,
Louisiana.
He was assigned to the SS ARMCO in the spring, 1943.
They made two trips to Puerto Rico and one trip to Pana-
ma, sailing solo.
In September 1943, he was transferred to the SS
GEORGE BELLOW, a new Liberty ship. They sailed to
Liverpool, took on a new cargo and sailed to Sicily and then
to Port Said, Egypt. After a couple of weeks, they sailed on
to Iraq and Iran, and then returned to the states.
In June 1944, he requested a transfer to the Naval Gun
Factory, Washington, D.C., for gunnery school. While
there he got married. His wife, Annie, was working for the
F.B.I. They were married in the Naval Chapel. On com-
pleting school, he received a short leave, and he and his
wife went home to visit his parents.
His next assignment was aboard a CB ship, USS SUF-
FOLK (AKA-69). They were sent to the Pacific. He was
initiated into the solemn mysteries of the Ancient Order of
the Deep on January 29, 1945. They were in direct combat
at Okinawa and had no casualties.
They returned home to the States and made another trip
to lwoJima. He was transferred offthe ship and was home
on leave when the war ended. He was discharged on Octo-
ber 6, 1945.