Esther poured me a cup of coffee and the next hour went quickly.
In 1943 Deal enlisted in the Navy in Toledo at the age of 18. Basic Training was at Great Lakes Naval Base just north of Chicago and he was trained as a boatswain’s mate. (Pronounce that bow-sun’s mate). After graduation he was assigned to Landing Ship Tank - LST-940.
LST’s looked almost like a tanker with a flat deck and cavernous inside area for tanks, and landing craft. The front end would open up so the tanks could drive right onto the beach. LST’s did not have names, just numbers.
Deal was assigned to the Wheel House (Bridge) and immediately trained to drive the huge ship. He was the man who stood at the wheel and steered the courses the navigator directed. I think that is so cool.
The brand new LST 940 was assigned to the Pacific Ocean and getting there was an adventure in itself.
A part of a flotilla, LST 940 had to hug the east coast staying as close as they could to shore to avoid the predatory German submarines. Deal remembered taking evasive maneuvers, but eventually they got to the Panama Canal locks.
Deal was the one who steered the ship through the narrow canal to get to the Pacific.
“When we went through the locks I was the one steering the ship,” said Deal. “It’s all land on both sides. You cannot see water. It took two days to get through the locks.”
I cannot imagine steering a ship through a passage so narrow you cannot see water on either side of you.
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was one of their first ports in the Pacific. Although the ship was in and out of Pearl Harbor on training maneuvers, Deal was only able to get off the ship once. He and another sailor walked the length of the port to view the devastation of the attack that took place two years before.
“It was just terrible. Buildings were still torn down,” said Deal, who never wanted to return to Hawaii after seeing it. “I don’t want to forget what I saw.”
“We left Pearl Harbor loaded with supplies for Midway,” said Deal.
Then they loaded the ship with tanks and headed for the battleground islands.
LST-940 took part in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Deal steered the ship to the beaches where they could unload down the ramps. He remembers Japanese airplanes flying low over them and the beach. The ship was awarded two battle stars for its part.
They were loading the ship again, when they learned that the war was over.
After the war Deal returned to Toledo and remained in the Navy Reserve. He was activated once to train new reserves, and eventually retired after a total of 40 years of service. He moved to this area to be closer to his children and get better health care for his first wife who passed away soon after they moved here nearly 20 years ago.
A recent visit to the LST Memorial at Evansville, Indiana and taking a ride on LST 325 on the Ohio River brought back many memories. He really did enjoy steering his ship and is particularly proud of successfully getting his ship through the Panama Canal.
On Veteran’s Day the 88 year old Chief wore his uniform again. Vaughn and his current wife, Esther had breakfast at the Carriage Inn in Enon and were surprised when they were told that someone in the restaurant had paid their bill to say thanks. They both smiled as they remembered the gracious gesture.
I love it that I live in a town where our veterans are honored by schools, organizations, churches, and even by individuals. And I am so thankful that this WWII hero and his wife sat with me to share his story.
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