Richard Violett
U.S.S. Salamonie
Year after year, the senior class graduated, and its members left for the armed forces to fight in the ongoing Second World War. Richard Violett very much expected that things would be no different for him and his fellow classmates when they graduated. 1945 saw him reach the age of 19 and enter the service with the U.S. Navy. The Des Moines native would be whisked away to the Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois to become a professional sailor. He would be posted to the U.S.S Salamonie in December of 1945, only a few months after the war had ended. He joined the veteran crew aboard this oil tanker as they began running missions to Shanghai, China (1). The U.S. fleet was anchored in this important trade city, which was now free of its Japanese occupiers (1). The youthful swabbie would see the might of the U.S. navy stationed in the city, which was scene to one of the most ferocious battles that occurred only some 8 years ago. 1946 would see the Salamonie and her crew docked in Long Beach, California, where she got an extensive overhaul (1). California was a place that stole Richards heart, he certainly could see himself moving here. But those aspirations had to wait as the U.S.S Salamonie and her crew were once again sent to haul oil in the Pacific (1). This time they made the voyage to Bahrain in the Middle East to pick up oil and haul it to naval bases scattered throughout the Pacific (1). This would be the task of the ship for the rest of Richards service aboard it (1). His time in the navy came to an end in August of 1946 and he returned home to Iowa. The Midwestern boys’ eyes had been opened up to a whole new world, which ultimately led him to move to Anaheim, California where he and his wife, Nancy Dahlin, would plant their roots.
Sources:
(1) “USS Salamonie (AO 26).” Unofficial US Navy sIte, www.navysite.de/ao/ao26.htm.
(1) “USS Salamonie (AO 26).” Unofficial US Navy sIte, www.navysite.de/ao/ao26.htm.