W.H. McQuaid, Jr., Boatswains mate 1/c, born in 1919, Bachtel, OH, joined the USN Aug. 6, 1940, in the F Div. He was assigned to boot camp at Norfolk, VA; USS West Virginia, USS Minneapolis (CA-36) and the USS Henrico (PA-45);

He was aboard the Wee Vee approximately 14 months after the Pearl Harbor attack; was transferred to the Minneapolis (CA-36) for the duration of the war. He was not aboard the Wee Vee at the time of the attack, he was on a 48 hour pass with relatives in Kailua. He got back to Pearl and fought fire on the Wee Vee the rest of the day and into the night. About a week later he was transferred to the Minneapolis.

Memorable experiences were winning whale boat races against other battle ships. Discharged July 22, 1946, and joined the inactive Reserve.  Awards include the Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific w/16 Battle Stars, American Theater, WWII Victory, China Service, Philippine Liberation w/2 stars and the WWII Victory Medal.

He worked in chemicals, metal stamping and die set-up. He and his wife had three children. His wife and one son are deceased. He retired from the USNR on March 1, 1979, and from civilian work March 1, 1981. He is enjoying retirement and is a member of the VFW 9871 and Honor Guard.

Reprinted with permission from Turner Publishing