Skip to main content

HANKS, Vernon (b. 1908)

Oral Histories

OH 1294

His experiences as a Navy chaplain in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Early career in the ministry; the coming of war and his decision to join the Chaplain Corps; Navy Chaplaincy School, Norfolk, Virginia, 1942; stateside duties, Cherry Point, North Carolina, and Bunker Hill, Indiana, 1942-43; his views of a chaplain’s role and responsibilities; assignment to the seaplane tender USS Wright, 1943; activities as the Wright’s morale officer; operations around Espiritu Santo, 1943-44; activities around Kolombangara and Bougainville, 1943-44; conversion of the Wright as a flagship for the 7th Fleet, 1944; rest and recuperation activities for the ship’s crew; Philippine operations, 1944-45; return to the U.S., 1945; postwar adjustments to civilian life.