"f86sabre" (f86sabre)
02/26/2016 at 21:20 • Filed to: Planelopnik, yorktown, avenger, family
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"f86sabre" (f86sabre)
02/26/2016 at 21:20 • Filed to: Planelopnik, yorktown, avenger, family | 7
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When I was a kid I inherited a WWII era garment bag with the insignia of the USS Yorktown, CV-10. It was my grandfathers. I didn’t know him well. He passed away when I was young and he and my mom didn’t get along. Long story there. Well, this weekend we are on a Cub Scout trip and will be sleeping Saturday night on the Yorktown. Frankly, I had forgotten the link between the Yorktown and my grandfather’s WWII career until yesterday. I pinged one of my uncles to find out what he had done. Turns out he was a gunner on a torpedo bomber. Odds are that would be a TBM Avenger. His squadron had been based out of Hawaii so it makes sense.
Tomorrow should be interesting. I’m hoping that the folks who run the ship as a museum will have more info. It would be amazing, and highly unlikely, to find a list with his name on it, but you never know.
Chariotoflove
> f86sabre
02/26/2016 at 21:24 |
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That is so cool that the kids get to spend the night there! Would it be possible for you to post pics? I know you don’t want to put any of the kids up on the web, but pics of the ship would be neat if they allow it.
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f86sabre
> Chariotoflove
02/26/2016 at 21:29 |
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You can pretty much count on pics. Yeah, nothing with the scouts, but there will be pics.
DrJohannVegas
> f86sabre
02/26/2016 at 21:38 |
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My grandfather served as a gunner on an Avenger as well, but with VT-10 on the Intrepid . I’ve been lucky in that his squadron had an active historical preservation effort, and collected stories, photos, and the like to make an outstanding book. You might be similarly lucky, and I’d encourage you see if any archives/records are on site which you might use as a starting place for more research.
ttyymmnn
> f86sabre
02/26/2016 at 21:53 |
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That’s fantastic. What an experience for the kids. Yorktown had quite a history. It’s worth a quick peek at Wikipedia.
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Chariotoflove
> f86sabre
02/26/2016 at 23:08 |
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Cool!
DarkCreamyBeer
> f86sabre
02/27/2016 at 00:18 |
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I slept on the Yorktown when I was a Cub Scout. That was pretty much the start of my obsession with things naval, though I moved on to obsessing about the pre-aviation era later. Most distinct memory: freezing cold Navy showers.