Encoded for the Experiencing War web site for the Veterans History Project.
The recording of the interview with Robert Oliver Rasmussen was digitized.
This transcription was encoded with minimal changes to the original text in an effort to preserve original content and idiosyncrasies of the person interviewed. Period language and terminology are also retained. Encoding is literal with regard to the transcriptionist's capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. Spelling errors are indicated with [sic]; however, recurring errors in spelling within a single document have been marked the first time and not subsequently.
The following oral history testimony is the result of an interview with Robert O. Rasmussen conducted on November 28, 2008, by Bobbie Ames on behalf of the Veterans' Oral History Project. The interview took place in the home of Bobbie Ames in Pasadena, Texas The interview was transcribed and processed by Bobbie Ames. The reader should bear in mind that she or he is reading a verbatim transcript of spoken, rather than written prose. Insofar as possible, this transcript tries to represent the spoken word. Thus, it should be read as a personal memoir and not as either a researched monograph or edited account. To the extent possible, the spelling of places, names, foreign words, and personal names have been verified, either by reference resources or directly by the interviewer. Some uncertainties will inevitably remain regarding some words and their spellings. In these scenarios, a (ph) follows a word or name that is spelled phonetically. (Present with Veteran Rasmussen were his wife, Melba Sue Rasmussen, his son, Robert Richard Rasmussen, his daughter, Charlene Etie and her husband, Jerry Etie)
This is Friday, November 28th, 2008, the interview of Robert O. Rasmussen. Mr. Rasmussen, this is your interview for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project taken by Bobbie Ames through the National Court Reporters Association. Are you ready for your interview today?
Yeah, I think so.
Would you state your full name.
Me? My name?
State your full name.
Robert Oliver Rasmussen.
And when were you born?
I was born March 30th, 1924. Evansville, Wisconsin.
Where?
Evansville, Wisconsin.
Okay. And your address now?
625 4th Street.
Houston?
No. San Leon.
And the zip?
77539.
Let him try to answer.
Okay. I'm sorry.
So that makes you how old, Mr. Rasmussen?
Ma'am?
How old are you?
84. I'll be 85 in March.
Okay.
March 30th.
Where were you born?
Evansville. Well, I was born on a farm in Evansville, Wisconsin, between Evansville and Brooklyn.
And your dad was a farmer?
Yes, he was a farmer.
Where were you on Pearl Harbor Day?
On Pearl Harbor Day, I was in boot camp.
You had already joined the Army?
Yes, ma'am.
How old were you when you joined?
17.
And did your parents sign the papers or did you lie about your age?
No. My parents signed the papers, my father did.
Where was boot camp?
That was in Charleston -- no. Norfolk, Virginia.
And what did you think when you heard about Pearl Harbor?
We were out in the field doing all kinds of exercises, and general working out is what.
Someone told you about it?
Ma'am?
Someone told you about Pearl Harbor?
Yes, ma'am. We had loud speakers there and they told us.
Where you were exercising, they had loud speakers and you heard it then?
Uh-huh.
What did the guys think then and you especially?
What did he do?
What did you think about that when they told you that Pearl Harbor was bombed?
It was a shock to everybody. And there at the boot camp, at Norfolk, Virginia, believe me, they didn't know what they were doing because they were so excited. They really didn't know if we were going to stay there or not. And we didn't. See, I joined November 19, 1941, all right, on December 7th is when they declared war.
Right. You picked a good time, didn't you?
Yeah. So, I didn't have much time for boot camp and all.
Where did you go from boot camp?
From Boot Camp, went to Charleston, South Carolina.
For further training or what?
Aboard ship.
To where?
Ma'am?
Where was the ship going?
They don't tell you.
So where did it go?
We went to Pearl Harbor.
You went to Pearl Harbor?
Yeah.
And you went from the East Coast?
Yes. We went through the Canal.
Panama?
Yeah, the Panama Canal.
I used to live there, right on the canal.
Oh!
You went to Pearl Harbor for what purpose?
In Pearl Harbor, we had to get supplies and everything.
You had to get supplies?
Yes, ma'am.
Speak up real loud so we can pick it up on the tape.
Yes, ma'am.
Okay. And then, where did you go from Pearl Harbor?
Down to Guadalcanal and Tulagi.
Was it on a troop ship or destroyer or what was it on, the trip over?
I was on a destroyer.
How long did the trip take?
Well, it all depends on their route. See, a lot of them -- see, you have to stop off and get some fuel so often. Well, I've got some books there that's kind of interesting. And down there, you refuel off of a cruiser or battleship or whatever ship you was close by. Then, you refuel off that.
How long did the trip take you to Guadalcanal?
Oh, golly, we stayed there around -- well, we went from Guadalcanal to Tarawa and then, we went to -- well, there then was a sea battle down there.
No. We'll get to that. I'm trying to talk with you about your trip over there. How many men were on board that destroyer, do you have an approximation?
220, I think it was.
220?
Yes.
Or a thousand?
No.
220. And how was the sleeping quarters, were they cots or hammocks or bunk beds; what were they?
They were stacked on top of one another. There was four of them.
Okay. Any of the guys get seasick?
Yes, ma'am. Quite a few.
Did you?
No, ma'am.
Good. What did you do for R and R onboard ship; did you play poker or read or anything good?
Well, you didn't have time because you were standing watch or doing -- most of the time, you was standing watch. It was four on, eight off and a lot of times, when you was in the battle zone, there was four on, four off, four on, four off.
What about the food, how was it?
The food? Awful.
C-rations or did you have cooks aboard the destroyer?
No, we had a cook and a couple of cooks, and we got a lot of supplies from -- let's see, not New Zealand. Australia. And oh, they were horrible.
Did you go on land in Pearl Harbor?
Oh, no ma'am, not on that trip. We made several trips back and forth.
Could you see the devastation from the destroyer?
Oh, yes, ma'am. Definitely. You had to go right by it.
How long did you -- how long was it after Pearl Harbor that you arrived there in Pearl Harbor? How many days?
Oh, let's see. We got there -- oh, golly, what was it. The 24th of January, I think.
Okay. And where was your theatre of operations? You are saying Tulagi? Is that where you fought the war or mostly stayed?
Well, we was down there in Guadalcanal and Tarawa and those places. I mean, the Japs were all over that place.
Was that part of the Solomon Islands?
Yes, ma'am.
And what was your MOS?
Seaman First Class.
You were in the Navy?
Yes.
I'm sorry; I thought it was the Army. Seaman First Class?
Ma'am?
Seaman First Class?
Uh-huh.
Okay. And so, Tulagi is near Guadalcanal or how far from Guadalcanal?
Tulagi is close by.
Close by?
Yes.
Your ship was a support for the Marines and the Army going in?
Well, yes. We escorted the men and tried to keep the Japs off of them when they...
Were you shelling from the destroyer?
(No answer)
Were you shelling the land?
No, ma'am.
You were just escorting the troops?
Yeah.
Did you ever go on land?
No, ma'am.
Okay.
We did the place down there that was ruled by a Queen. Oh, golly, I forgot that.
New Zealand?
No, no.
Did kamikazes come over?
Oh, yeah, lots of them.
Did you have any close calls?
Several.
Did any of your group get shot or killed?
Ma'am?
Did any of your group get shot or killed by the kamikazes?
No. See, the destroyer, you can maneuver that around. But, one night we anchored there in Tulagi and there is an ammunition ship in there and we didn't know it. My job at that particular time was anchor detail. And one of the officers said, "Let her go; we have got to get out of here." We were right next to an ammunition ship but we didn't know it. And I let her go, anchor, chain and all.
And that was where?
In Tulagi?
In Tulagi?
No, no -- yeah, Tulagi.
One man Saturday said they were parked next to an ammunition ship, a fleet, and the ammunition ship blew.
Yes. We wanted to get out of there as quick as we could.
Right. Was that like in a lagoon or just offshore or what?
Well, it was just a little lagoon like.
Okay. So on the kamikazes, did you see them dive bomb into any ships?
No, you couldn't see them.
You couldn't see them?
No.
What were they doing?
I don't know what they were doing, but, they were after us.
That's what I mean.
Yeah.
But, you didn't see them make any connections with American ships?
Oh, yes.
Strafed them with bullets?
Yes.
Okay.
And we kept firing at them and every other thing, but once in awhile we would get lucky and hit one. At least once in awhile.
Did you see any crash into the ocean?
Ma'am?
Did you see any of the kamikazes crash into the ocean?
Oh, yes, uh-huh.
So you hit a few?
Oh, yeah.
Did you see any of the pilots when they were going low over the ships?
You could see them. And then, we teamed up with a bunch of cruisers and battleships and aircraft carriers. See, a destroyer was just its name, destroyer. I mean, it was a ship that they didn't care if it came back or not. I mean.
Really? Expendable?
Yeah. We were really really really expendable.
How long did you stay in Tulagi?
Oh, just a matter of -- well, you are in and out, in and out; you don't stay in one place long.
Where did you go when you went out?
Out to sea.
And come back?
Yeah.
Just to evade the enemy?
Yeah.
Yeah. And did you go any other places besides Tulagi?
Oh, yeah. We went to Auckland, New Zealand. And we went down there to pick up the Marines -- I mean, to escort the Marines back to one of the islands up there that they were supposed to invade. And then, we left there and went back down to -- let's see. Wellington. And New Zealand. And that's where all the Marines and everything was waiting.
Did you get to go on land in New Zealand?
Oh, no.
No?
No.
You never got to go on land much at all, did you?
No.
I heard those people were really nice in New Zealand to our troops.
Well, to show you there was 101 days and we finally saw land; that's all we done. We didn't get to see it 101 days.
Did any of the Marines get sick when they got on board?
Definitely.
Do you remember the island you escorted them to?
Tarawa.
What?
Tarawa. Oh, it's a crazy name. Crazy one.
I think somebody else mentioned that island.
Yeah.
How many marines do you think came on board that you delivered?
No, we didn't deliver, not aboard our ship; we escorted their ship.
Oh.
I mean, theirs.
What was their ship, a destroyer?
No. Their ship was a freighter. I mean, not a freighter, but, a commercial ship, but, it was turned into a passenger ship for troops.
I understand that happened a lot.
Yeah.
What about the ones you picked up when their ship sank and you picked them up when you all were at sea?
Oh, yeah. That's written down. Yeah, we had -- well, that was the Battle of Midway.
Where you picked up the Marines?
No, no. That's where we got sunk.
That was on two ships that went down. But, where did you pick up the people who were in the water, Dad?
Huh?
Where did you pick up the survivors that were in the water?
Oh, well, we done that when the ship said if we could get close enough to them, like THE YORKTOWN, we picked up a bunch of them there before it got -- before we got hit by torpedoes.
Your ship got hit?
Oh, yeah. And sunk.
Sunk.
90 seconds.
And you landed in the water?
No, ma'am -- everybody hollered, "Torpedo." And then, everybody started jumping, and I jumped overboard and started swimming. I didn't know where.
And didn't have a life raft -- didn't have a lifevest?
No, ma'am.
Oh! Who picked you up?
The U.S. BENHAM about three or four hours later.
And you were a good swimmer?
Huh?
You were a good swimmer?
I must have been.
Where did you learn to swim?
Oh, when I was in Wisconsin. See, when we was up there, we were kind of poor. I mean, farming, there wasn't no work. I had an old pair of overalls and that's what I learned to swim in.
In a pond or in a lake or what?
No, a lake, Lake Leota.
By yourself or did you have a buddy that you were learning to swim with?
Oh, there was all kinds of people in there wading, trying to swim and everything at Lake Leota. And they built a tower you could dive off of about twenty or thirty feet in the air.
That's a long way, thirty feet.
Yeah.
It's a fresh water lake, Lake Leota?
Huh?
And you only have the summer months to learn to swim, right?
Well, yes. We had about two months and then, it started getting cold up there.
Aren't you glad you learned?
Yeah, definitely.
Did most navy men know how to swim?
90% of them don't when they join.
They don't?
They don't. They can dog paddle a little bit, maybe from here out to the street and that's the limit.
When did they learn, while they were in the Navy?
I don't know where they learned.
Well, what happened that day when they got thrown off in the water or they jumped?
Oh, well, things happen. I finally got to a life raft. And there was -- well, we ended up with 19.
In the life raft?
Yeah.
How many is it supposed to hold?
About twelve.
So the men who couldn't swim, there was an effort to save them, I guess.
Well, if they couldn't, well -- see, we had one, two, three, four -- I don't know about six men that we saw them floating around that were dead in the water.
Oh!
And we swam out there and we got them. And gave the life raft to the guys who couldn't swim.
There were life preservers that they were wearing, if they were already dead, they just took the life preservers off and gave them to the survivors.
Oh, that makes sense. You think those guys were mostly killed in the explosion, the fire?
Oh, why, yes. You see, we dropped a lot of depth charges. We had six hundred pounders and three hundred pounders. Well, you could set them for off and on, off and on. But, they were all on "on." And after they reached their depth that they were set for, why they exploded. And those six hundred pounders, we had two racks of those. There were about ten or twelve of them. And they were -- you kind of -- well, they were in a position that you couldn't do nothing with them there. I mean, things happened so fast that you had to just do what you had to do and get out of there.
Did you lose many men?
Quite a few.
How many men did your destroyer hold usually?
220.
220?
Yeah.
Do you think it was a Japanese submarine that torpedoed you?
Oh, yeah, because they surfaced, had to surface and they sunk it.
Good. Who sunk it?
I don't know. One of the ships out there got lucky and hit it -- I mean, fired at it and hit it.
Good. Who picked you up or most of the guys, a combination of ships?
No, just that U.S.S. BENNETT.
How do you spell that?
B-e-n-n-e-t-t.
Oh, BENNETT. You are saying BENNETT?
BENHAM, B-E-N-H-A-M. That's it.
Okay.
Tell her about what happened to the officer who was in the life raft and wouldn't let you in.
Oh, yeah. We swam out there and he wouldn't -- we knew he was dead and dragged him back to the raft, the life raft and took the life jacket off of him.
What about the one who was standing up in the life raft and wouldn't let you in?
Well, no. See, what happens, see that life raft was like this crocheted (indicating) and see you have got a lot of holes in it. You have got a lot of holes and it was oblong like that. (Indicating) And a piece of plywood, yeah, was on the bottom.
Speak up as loud as you can.
And it was tied to the life rafts, they were placed every so often there. And it just so happened I started to raise myself up and that should save me. And I raised myself up and when the depth charges went off, there was the biggest explosion you ever seen, golly, and that wave, it blew I'm telling you I've never seen anything as high.
That was as the ship was going down, sinking, the destroyer?
No, no, no, no, no. This is when after the ship it got hit and sunk in 90 seconds. So, what we were doing out there was after the ship was down.
Right. The depth chargers went off after the ship sunk?
Yes.
Yes. When they got down to a certain depth, then all went off at the same time.
How many do you think, how many depth charges went off when you were trying to survive?
Oh, we had two racks of three hundred pounders.
How many were in a rack?
Oh, about six hundred -- I mean three, six, let's see, one, two, three, four -- there was about six in a rack and three hundred pounders and they would shoot them off. MR. RASMUSSEN: Yeah, but below deck --
It was fun to watch them. Anyway, when I was raising myself up is when it exploded and that's what killed most of the men.
Really?
Yeah, the explosions.
The ones in the water and the ones in the life rafts also?
Well, if you were sitting down, you did. Because you would start bleeding a lot.
Okay. Your daughter was reminding you that one of the officers refused to let you get on a life raft. What was that?
Remember, he stood up and wouldn't let you on and --
Oh, yeah.
-- when the ship exploded --
Yeah.
And then, he --
He got killed, but I didn't.
But, tell her what he looked like. You said it was like a knife that went from top to bottom, and just split him in two.
From one of the depth chargers?
Uh-huh.
He didn't want him to get in the life raft?
He was in shock.
Oh!
And he was keeping everybody out of the life raft.
Oh!
Oh, he was a -- I'm not going to say.
THE U.S.S. BENHAM took you where?
They took us back to Pearl Harbor.
Really? A long way, huh?
Huh?
A long way?
Yeah.
And you were assigned to another destroyer?
No. They gave us 30 days leave. They took us back to the "states."
Good.
But, you were on two destroyers that went down.
Yeah. Then I got on THE BENHAM -- I mean --
THE HAMMOND.
THE HAMMOND and THE GANSEVOORT.
THE HAMMOND and the "what?"
GANSEVOORT. G-a-n-s-e-v-o-o-r-t. 608.
So after you got in the water from your ship, they gave you leave to go back home. Then, did you come back again?
Well, we didn't think we was going to, but we ended up back down there.
And you were assigned to a different destroyer.
With THE GANSEVOORT, we got that in San Francisco.
Was the first ship THE HAMMOND that you were on or THE GANSEVOORT?
THE HAMMOND. HAMMOND was No. 1.
And THE GANSEVOORT was No. 2. Did it get sunk?
Finally.
And it was the same circumstances, the sub torpedoed it, Japanese sub?
Uh-huh.
Where did you go in THE GANSEVOORT when you left Pearl Harbor?
Well, we went onshore. We made a movie.
Good.
Yeah. With Edward G. Robinson.
Good.
And it was -- they had it there where everybody got to see it for several months. Then, all of the sudden, it just disappeared there.
Where were you when you made the movie?
Well, I was there. I was a Gunner's Mate then.
In San Francisco or in Pearl Harbor?
Oh, well, no. Ma'am, let me get -- aboard ship --
Do you want to take a break?
-- you really don't have anything that's like -- I was a Gunner's Mate. Now, I may have been a Gunner's Mate for two or three weeks and then, I was something else for maybe two or three weeks.
That's good and now, I'm asking you about where the movie was filmed.
Oh!
Was it on the ocean or in San Francisco or in Pearl Harbor?
No. It was right off the coast of San Diego is where it was.
What was it about, in essence?
Oh...
War?
War.
The Navy?
Uh-huh.
What part did Robinson play?
Well, we didn't see him very often. He was one of the officers, I mean...
You mean in the movie?
Yeah, in the movie.
Was he in the service at all, do you know?
I don't know if he was or not. I doubt it very seriously.
Was he the star of the movie?
He was, yes.
Do you know what the movie was about?
Yes, ma'am. We made it.
It was called "DESTROYER."
Yeah. That was on a destroyer.
How long did it take to make it, weeks?
Well, several days. And it ended up three or four weeks.
Did they show it in the theaters?
Yes, ma'am.
Good.
Then all the sudden, they quit.
Did you meet Edward G. Robinson?
Edward G. Robinson? Yes.
Was he a nice man?
Yes, ma'am.
Did you have a conversation with him or anything?
No, just hello, like that.
I liked him.
Uh-huh.
And you went back to Pearl Harbor; right?
No. Well, you see, anytime you get on a new ship, you go on a shakedown cruise; you have to find out if the ship can take it. Going just as fast as it will forward, and then, slam on your brakes and see what happens, see what busts. There was a few lines under the ship that busted.
After the shakedown cruise, where did you head out for?
After shakedown cruise, we got a crew plus about 200 more going back to Pearl Harbor, so there was about 400 of us out there.
My goodness!
It was a mess, believe me.
Then you got surprised and headed back to the South Pacific?
Yeah.
Where were you heading this time?
Same thing, same place.
Tulagi?
Not in Tulagi. Guadalcanal.
How was that trip going over, pretty much the same? You were used to it by then, huh?
Yeah.
And where did you finally, after you picked up supplies several different places, you wound right back up in Tulagi.
Ma'am?
Where did you wind up after you got back to the South Pacific?
Well, we picked up the men at Pearl Harbor and we took them over there. And there was a few highlights.
On the trip?
Yeah. The ship was all right, that part was all right. I don't mean to be rude or nothing. Your commode, you didn't have a commode.
Okay.
Just a long trough.
Okay.
And you had wooden sheets ever so often and you talk about people getting seasick.
Seasick, yeah.
But, we had two of them, two of those troughs and they were full of men with their head hanging over in them.
Oh! Those men you picked up in Pearl Harbor, were they Navy men or...
Oh, yeah.
So you had 400 Navy men on the destroyer going back?
Yeah.
Any other highlights going over there the second time?
(No answer)
Was the food any better the second time?
Well, no. See, every time you cross the Equator --
She's asking about the food.
Oh, the food?
Yeah. Was it better the second time?
No, ma'am.
And the bunks were still four to a bunk -- I mean --
Yeah, stacked four.
Because some of them were six to a bunk I talked with. And so, anything else happen exciting besides the outhouse?
Yeah.
Tell her about the still.
Oh, yeah. We made a still.
Good.
Then, I ended up Carpenter's Mate. And I stayed at that regrading. We stopped off and I don't know where it was now. But, anyway, they had a -- I don't know where we got that still. I mean, it was a coffeepot.
Okay.
We wanted a coffeepot. We said, "Well, they gave us permission to bring the coffeepot aboard ship. That was their mistake, not ours." See? We took the copper coils and just wrapped it around it.
Speak up.
And we had our own little still going there.
What did you make?
High-price booze.
Did you sell it or just barter or what did you do?
Well, we gave it to certain people.
You didn't get found out, huh?
Oh, yeah. We finally did.
How long did the good times roll?
(No answer)
A few days or a few weeks?
Oh, golly, a couple of months.
Good. Good.
See, we would pour it in the coffee.
Oh!
And they wouldn't know if we had coffee or what knot.
Where did you hide it?
Well, we kind of left it out in the open in the carpenter's shack there.
Okay.
We had a little ole' bitty room about ten-foot wide and about 20 foot long right over where a room was over us.
You learned a lot by them changing you to different jobs, didn't you?
Yeah. Gunner's Mate and I had all kinds of ...
No. I mean some things helped you later in life.
Yeah.
Did you go back to Tulagi? Am I saying that right?
Oh, yeah. We hit all of those islands down there. I mean, it was -- I don't know. We just stayed down there.
Where were you taking the 200 men?
Pearl Harbor.
No. You picked them up at Pearl Harbor. Where were you taking them?
Oh, no. No. We didn't. We picked them up in San Diego.
Okay.
And took them to Pearl Harbor.
Okay. Navy men?
Yeah.
Okay.
Just out of boot camp.
Then, the same jobs as the first time, you were escorting Marines --
Yeah.
-- and Army?
Uh-huh.
Did you ever get to go on land anywhere in the South Pacific?
No.
Tell her about the time that they shot your -- they were torpedoing your ship and you and another man got caught at the end of -- or the rear of the ship in the Supply Room.
Oh, yeah.
Remember?
Yeah.
Tell her about that.
Okay.
And what you ate.
We were -- oh golly! That was a mess. But, anyway, I want to tell you about Etu and Keski, how we bombarded them, how we invaded them.
Okay. Let's take a little break.
Huh?
Let's take a little break. Would you like some water? He is going to have to speak a lot louder, honey.
Can you talk louder, Daddy?
Yeah. Yeah. I can speak louder.
I've got to hear it on the tape so I can type it up.
Yeah.
So do you want some water?
That wouldn't hurt. (Discussion off the record) (Short break had)
Okay. So, you went back to the same area and your ship was torpedoed again?
No, it didn't sink. It was a Kamikaze hit it.
Oh! And that was THE HAMMOND?
No, GANSEVOORT.
GANSEVOORT. And how badly did it hit it?
Bad enough to put it out of commission.
Did any men get killed on that?
Thirteen.
And is that where you got stuck in the Supply Room?
No. That was on THE HAMMOND when I got stuck in there.
Is that the first ship?
Yes, ma'am.
Okay. Then, let's go back to THE HAMMOND, then. Was that when the ship got torpedoed by the Japanese sub?
Yes, ma'am.
And you were in the Supply Room?
No.
When were you in the Supply Room, on which ship?
THE HAMMOND, but it wasn't -- but we didn't get torpedoed right then. It was several days, and then, I got --
Oh, you were in a storm, weren't you?
Yeah.
Okay.
And you got stuck in a Supply Room?
Yes, ma'am. That was on THE HAMMOND -- no, yeah. Yeah, THE HAMMOND. No, it wasn't neither. GANSEVOORT. And it was an awful storm up there north of Lande, (ph) I mean, the North Pacific.
Okay.
And we were --
Where were you on the way to?
Just patrolling around Etu, Etu and Kiska.
But that wouldn't be the North -- it is the North Pacific?
Yes, ma'am.
Okay. So you were in a Supply Room when a storm was happening?
Yes, ma'am.
What were you doing in the Supply Room?
Trying to get something to eat.
Okay. And what happened?
We got locked in. You couldn't go forward or you couldn't to aft; you had to stay where you were.
Were you with a friend or just another shipmate?
Another shipmate.
And how long were you locked in there?
Oh, two or three days.
Nobody missed you?
They didn't, no, because we all had -- see, you couldn't go aft and you couldn't go forward.
Wherever you were, you had to stay there.
Because of the storm?
Yes.
Okay.
Yes.
And you ate olives or you ate something?
Olives. Oh, black olives, I hate them now.
I'll bet. Did you get a stomach ache?
Several.
I'll bet.
And --
Apricots.
And apricots.
And you don't like apricots now?
No, ma'am.
Did they have any water in there?
No, ma'am.
Did they have a restroom?
No, ma'am.
Good times, huh? No coffeepots with copper in them?
No, nothing.
Okay. Somebody finally unlocked it and you could get out?
Yeah.
Were any men lost in the storm?
Well, we couldn't -- well, wherever you were, they had -- 20 millimeter gun shields. They had a quarter-inch plate of steel wrapped around it so high. And those waves were so strong, they just took that and "shhhhhhhhhhhhoot".
Really?
Yeah. They folded it.
Were there any ships around you, any other ships?
Yes. Wait a minute. Now we are getting where I -- wherever we was.
Was that same destroyer later torpedoed?
No. That's the one that took the Kamikaze.
Okay. And men were lost from the Kamikaze attack?
(No answer)
Was he strafing you all or was it a dive bomber?
I don't know. A dive bomber, I guess. Coming in.
Did the plane hit your ship?
Yes.
Was the ship lost?
No -- yes, it was at that time. But, then, oh, great.
Did you wind up back in the drink?
No, ma'am. Not on that go around.
Okay.
Because the ship didn't sink.
It was able to limp into harbor?
Yes, ma'am.
And they repaired it or you were assigned to a different one?
They repaired it on the West Coast and then, we went ...
You stayed assigned to that ship?
Yes, ma'am.
So where were you while the repairs were being made?
Aboard ship.
You were aboard ship while repairs were being made on the West Coast?
Yeah. Well, while it was being repaired there.
Did they let you go on land for R and R or anything?
Oh, yeah. They would give you some 82-hour pass and stuff like that.
Did they give you any leaves to go home or anything? How long did it take it to be repaired?
Oh, not fully, just enough to keep it afloat.
How long?
Oh, it taken a couple of months.
And then, did you leave the "states" again aboard that destroyer?
Yes, ma'am.
Where did you go, Pearl?
No. We went through the Canal back --
Panama?
From the East Coast.
Okay. And then, what?
They went on up to New York.
Your destroyer went on up to New York?
Yeah.
For discharge or what?
No. They were having some big doings up there and they wanted us up there.
Daddy, speak up.
Yeah.
Doings in the water or doings on land in parades or what kind of doings, Mr. Rasmussen?
Parade.
Were you in the parade?
Yes, ma'am.
You were?
Then we all got discharged and they took us someplace off of Florida and sunk it.
Really?
Yeah.
You marched in a parade down 5th Avenue?
No, no, no. Didn't march.
What?
I was on the ship.
No. I asked you were you in any kind of celebration on the water or on land?
It was on water.
And it was a bunch of ships in the harbor, New York Harbor or what?
Yes, ma'am.
And they had ceremonies there?
Yes, ma'am.
These were the destroyers and battleships who fought in the actual war?
Yeah.
And what year was that?
'45.
Were you discharged in New York?
No, ma'am.
Where?
Memphis, Tennessee.
Were you still in the service when the A-bomb fell?
Yes, ma'am. I think I was. Yes.
Do you remember that day?
Not clearly, no.
You didn't have any special thoughts about that?
No.
Where were you when the war ended?
Pearl Harbor.
You went back to Pearl Harbor again?
Yes, ma'am.
Before you were discharged?
Uh-huh.
Okay. So, from New York, your ship, the destroyer, went to Florida and was sunk. So, did you get on a third ship?
No. That one there, we are getting way ahead of ourselves. I was -- God -- that was --
Well, you said the celebration was in 1945 in New York Harbor. Is that not right?
Yes, ma'am.
And then, what after that, Mr. Rasmussen?
I got discharged. They sent us -- first they sent us to Illinois to get us discharged up there, and then, they sent us to Memphis, Tennessee.
But, what about you said you went back to Pearl Harbor. What was that?
No. Not Pearl. I didn't go back to Pearl no more.
No more.
No more. Thank goodness.
Tired of that route, huh? What did you think when you got back on United States soil? You had been on the West Coast while it was being repaired, so you had been home?
Yes.
Or back to the "states."
Yeah.
What did you think when the war was over, Mr. Rasmussen?
Well, kind of happy.
Did you get down and kiss the ground or anything?
No, I didn't get that far.
How old were you when you were discharged?
Oh, 21.
When you were discharged?
21.
She's asking when you were discharged.
I joined when I was 17. All right. And wait a minute. 22. 21 or 22.
Probably 22.
22.
That's what I was thinking. When you joined the Army before the war started, were you thinking about making it a career, or, were you just getting out of the Depression?
Well, I --
A lot of the guys told me they just joined to get out of the Depression.
No. I joined mainly to make a career out of it.
Yes, but you decided not to?
Yes, ma'am. After what I had enough of it; I didn't want no more.
I wouldn't either.
You had been out on sea for how many days, 100? It was over 100 days?
Yeah.
And you came in to shore and they said they would make you a Chief -- no. Some sort of Petty Officer if you stayed aboard, but you said no, and you wanted to take your leave or whatever?
Yeah. No. No. That's when Lieutenant Noyes --
I'm not getting any of this.
Speak up a little, Daddy.
Yeah. Wait a minute. I was at Pearl and we had a little 'ol carpenter shop there and I put my time in there.
Good.
And there was one thing that we did over there; we built the only floating --
That's not going to pick you up. (Indicating recorder)
Speak up, Daddy.
That was the only floating dry dock -- I mean, yeah. We built a Quonset hut on an old barge and they used that for stores that go around different ships. And they'd sell them all kinds of dungarees and cigarettes and stuff like that.
So you learned carpentry and that's a lifelong aid, isn't it?
Yeah.
Where did you meet your lovely wife?
Oh, let me see. When, let's see.
Not when but where.
Way after the war or right after the war or --
Right after the war.
What city and state; do you remember?
Birmingham, Alabama.
And what were you doing there?
Carpenter work.
As a civilian?
Uh-huh.
Did you make any lifelong friends when you were in the service?
Yes. I made one that I worked with all the time but he's passed away now.
Did he come to see you?
Huh?
Did he come to see us?
Yeah, he came and seen us.
And where was he from?
Pennsylvania.
Good. A Yankee.
Yeah. He was a Yankee.
Did you go see him?
No.
What year did you marry your wife?
Ut oh!
1946.
And what was she doing when you met her?
She was working in a cookie factory.
Good. And you had children?
Yeah.
How many?
Three. There's two here and one is still in Houston.
They are all happy and well?
Oh, yeah.
How many grandchildren?
Two, a boy and a girl.
That's all, just two.
Yeah. Twins.
Out of three children, two grandchildren?
Yes.
And did you use the GI Bill in any way?
Ma'am?
Did you use the GI Bill to go to school or help you learn anything?
No, I didn't.
You didn't. Did you join any military organizations like the VFW or have any reunions or anything like that?
Yes. I made one big mistake. I was working or running a job in Birmingham. They were building a new courthouse, and this engineer -- inspector, he was a nice fellow and we got along real good together. And he talked me into joining the Army Engineers. He said if I joined the Army Engineers, I would get advanced in rating one class.
This is while you were still in the service?
No. This is --
After.
-- after.
Okay. Okay.
And I joined that and I went in as Master Sergeant. I didn't know the first thing about an Army. I didn't know what time of the day they got up.
Is that the reserves you're talking about?
Yeah.
Oh! So, now you are in the Army Reserves?
Yeah.
Okay. Mr. Rasmussen, what's the scaredest you ever were during your service from beginning to end? What was the scaredest incident?
I guess not getting picked up when I was in the water.
In the water?
Yeah.
Do you know what the man Saturday said? He said his scaredest incident was the day he got drafted. I laughed. Anything funny happen? I know that sounds awful, but everybody has funny things that happened.
Oh, yeah.
Besides your brewery?
Yeah. I can't remember.
Well, it wasn't funny but one time during the fighting, you said you were walking on -- you were leaving your gun and you heard something --
Oh, yeah.
-- and you looked at your helmet.
San Diego. That was a cruiser and we were going to start bombarding Etu and we were on the outskirts going around and they were coming this way following us and some trigger happy guy started firing and we were underneath the fire, thank goodness. And I was standing there by the smokestack and "ping," and I thought, "Oh, something happened." And I looked up and there's a hole above that thing.
What caliber bullet?
It was a big one. Made a hole.
Okay. My final question to you is what do you think about war at this point in your life.
That is -- well, it's more -- see, during the war, nobody really knew anything when they did it. I mean, about how they invade, but, a lot of the Army guys think that World War I was something, but, here in World War II, they didn't dig no ditches or nothing like that to crawl in. And I don't know. The war, to me, now is more, well, I --
Advanced, technologically advanced?
Yeah.
But, war, itself, is just a necessary evil?
Well, some people think it is. And I guess it was, but...
It was necessary.
It was necessary.
I really thank you for coming out here. It's been a pleasure meeting you and your family and you are very sweet.
Thank you.
I'm glad you are still with us.
Yeah.
And thank you all for bringing him.