World War II Honoree

Jesse Glenn Noland

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Denver, Colorado

Honored By

Mary Miller

Relationship

Stepdaughter

DECEMBER 18, 1943, HE WAS DRAFTED INTO THE U.S. NAVY. AFTER BASIC TRAININGAT FARRAGUT, IDAHO, HE WAS SENT TO FIREFIGHTING SCHOOL AT MARE ISLAND, NEAR VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA. AFTER FINISHING HIS SCHOOLING, HE VOLUNTEERED FOR OVERSEAS DUTY. HE WAS SENT TO HAWAII, FROM SAN FRANCISCO, ON A LIBERTY SHIP. TRANSFERRED TO A TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT ON THE USS CURRENT ARS-22 AUXILIARY REPAIR SHIP IN SEPTEMBER 1944. THE USS CURRENT TOWED A REFRIGERATED CEMENT BARGE TO ENIWETOK ISLAND. THEN HE TOOK THE SAME LIBERTY SHIP HE HAD BEEN ON FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO HAWAII AND WENT TO PALAU ISLAND, WHERE HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE USS GEAR ARS-34. AFTER DUTY ON THE GEAR, HE FLEW TO GUAM, WHERE HE WAS ASSIGNED TO A FIRE TUG, THE USS TAWAKONI ATF-14 AUXILIARY TUG FLEET, WHERE HE SAW ACTION AT IWO JIMA, OKINAWA AND IE SHIMA. AT THE CLOSE OF THE WAR, HE WENT TO HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI TO OBSERVE THE RESULTS OF THE ATOM BOMB, BEFORE RETURNING TO THE U.S. HE RECEIVED THE WWII VICTORY MEDAL, PHILIPPINE LIBERATION MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH TWO STARS FOR THE BATTLES OF OKINAWA AND IWO JIMA, AND THE AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL. RECEIVED HONORABLE DISCHARGE AT CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, DECEMBER 20, 1945.