Harold C. Lacy, RM1/c 393-43-87 aboard the wee vee from 6 October 1944
to 29 October 1944 and from 30 November 1944 to 18 March
1945
Born
November 18, 1923 at Moville, Iowa. Enlisted at Portland, Oregon
November 23, 1940. Basic Training at San Diego NTS, Company
40-98. Assigned to USS TENNESSEE
BB-43, January 6, 1941 in Naval Academy Preparatory Program. Transferred to staff of
Commander Battleship Division Four aboard USS MARYLAND BB-46. After
USS MARYLAND was torpedoed at Saipan, he was transferred at sea by
breeches buoy with Admiral Ruddock's staff to USS SAUFLEY DD-465 for
transportation to USS COLORADO BB-45. COLORADO was damaged by
enemy shore batteries at Tinnian and shortly thereafter COMBATDIV 4 moved
from COLORADO back to MARYLAND. Later on they moved to the USS WEST
VIRGINIA BB-48. Then back to the MARYLAND and back again to the WEST
VIRGINIA. While aboard the named
ships he was in the following battles: Pearl Harbor, Kiska, Attu,
Tarawa, Kwagelin, Enwietok, Kaviang, Siapan, Tinnian, Guam, Pellileu,
Leyte Gulf, Surigao Straits, Mindoro, Lingayen Gulf and Iwo Jima. He left the USS WEST
VIRGINIA in March of 1945. His 50 months of logged sea time ensured
that he had enough points for early discharge at Bremerton, WA on October
6, 1945. October 10, 1945, he enrolled at the University of Portland
in their pre-engineering program. In 1947 transferred to Oregon
State University (then College) and graduated with a degree in Civil
Engineering in 1949. His wife Clara Wanner and
he were married May 25, 1946. Her work at the telephone company kept
them in beans and biscuits until he graduated. They brought forth
five children (tow girls and three boys). In 1959, he started Lacy
Engineering in Crescent City, California. They moved in 1961 to
Vancouver, WA and retired in Ridgefield, WA. |