For the Tarrant County War Veterans Project. Childhood in Bonham, Texas; family life in the Great Depression; reaction to Pearl Harbor; decision to enlist in U.S. Navy; basic and advanced training; assignment as a range finder operator/electrician on the USS Drayton; Battles of Tassafaronga, Guadalcanal, San Pedro Bay, and others; strategies of naval, anti-submarine, and anti-aircraft warfare; preparation for invasion of Japan; discharge; marriage to Inez Langley; civilian career as an aviation mechanic with American Airlines.