World War II Honoree

Stephen R. Walley

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Albany, New York

Honored By

Larry S. Walley

Relationship

Son

MY FATHER ENTERED NAVAL SERVICE ON SEPTEMBER 27, 1942 IN NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND. AFTER BASIC, HE ATTENDED SHIPBOARD RADIO SCHOOL AND THEN VOLUNTEERED FOR AVIATION RADIOMAN; A TEN-WEEK SCHOOL IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE. THEN TO JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA AERIAL GUNNERY SCHOOL; SEATTLE, WASHINGTON FOR TBF AVENGER FLIGHT OPERATIONS. IT WAS HERE THAT HE JOINED UP WITH THE VC-4 SQUADRON. THE SQUADRON WAS SENT TO SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN CALIFORNIA FOR TRAINING. HIS SQUADRON WAS THEN ASSIGNED TO THE USS WHITE PLAINS CVE-66. EARLY IN 1944, THE SQUADRON SET SAIL FROM SAN DIEGO FOR HAWAII. THEIR FIRST ACTION WAS AROUND THE ENIWETOK ISLANDS, THEN THE TINIAN ISLANDS (SOUTH OF SAIPAN). ON AUGUST 1, 1944, HIS AVENGER WAS FLYING AN AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE MISSION OBSERVING THE ENEMY WHEN HIS PILOT WAS FATALLY WOUNDED BY SMALL ARMS FIRE. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO DITCH THE PLANE INTO THE OCEAN, BUT ONLY MY FATHER SURVIVED. THE MARINE OBSERVER WAS ALSO KILLED. HE WENT ON TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PELELIU INVASION. IN OCTOBER OF 1944, HIS CARRIER WAS SENT TO THE PHILIPPINES TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS INVASION. OCTOBER 1944 WAS THE BATTLE OF LEYTE GULF. DAD WENT ON TO SAY THE PLANE HE WAS IN WAS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS AND NEEDED TO LAND, BUT THE USS WHITE PLAINS WAS UNDER GENERAL QUARTERS AND COULDN'T LAND, BUT THEY COULD LAND ON THE USS ST. LO. JUST AFTER LANDING, A KAMIKAZE PILOT HIT THE AFT PORTION OF THIS SHIP AND THE SHIP EXPLODED. AFTER JUMPING OVERBOARD, HE SWAM TO A DESTROYER ESCORT SHIP, THE USS DENNIS, WHICH WAS NEARBY. AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS, HE WAS REJOINED WITH HIS SHIP. DAD SAID HIS ACTION WAS OVER AND THE USS WHITE PLAINS WAS SENT BACK TO THE STATES. HE SAID HE WORKED IN A NAVAL POST OFFICE IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER OF 1945, THEN TO SHOEMAKER IN CALIFORNIA FOR MORE TRAINING. HE WENT TO PEARL HARBOR UNTIL THE END OF WAR. HE ENDED HIS SERVICE IN APRIL 1946.