World War II Honoree

Leonard Bates

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Pilot Point, Texas

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

ENTERED NAVAL SERVICE IN MARCH 1944. SERVED IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER ABOARD THE HIGH-SPEED TRANSPORT SHIP USS HUMPHREYS APD-12. DELIVERED UNDERWATER DEMOLITION TEAMS TO LEYTE BEACHES IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ON OCTOBER 18, 1944 AND REMAINED ON STATION TO PROVIDE FIRE SUPPORT. PATROLLED LEYTE GULF FOR SUBMARINES OCTOBER 19-20 IN SUPPORT OF ASSAULT LANDINGS. WHILE EN ROUTE TO LUZON, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ON JANUARY 1-6, 1945, ENCOUNTERED AND FOUGHT OFF NUMEROUS SUICIDE ATTACKS BY ENEMY AIRCRAFT. OPERATED IN LINGAYEN GULF, LUZON JANUARY 6-10, 1945 AND PROVIDED GUNFIRE SUPPORT FOR UNDERWATER DEMOLITION TEAMS DELIVERED ON JANUARY 7. BEGINNING JANUARY 23, 1945, CONDUCTED SCREENING OPERATIONS FOR LOGISTICS GROUPS OFF ULITHI AND FOR REFUELING OF 5TH FLEET ESCORT CARRIERS COVERING THE IWO JIMA LANDINGS. ARRIVED IWO JIMA MARCH 8, 1945 AND CONTINUED SCREENING OPERATIONS. TOOK PART IN THE ASSAULT OF KEISE SHIMA MARCH 31 TO APRIL 3, 1945 SCREENING LANDING CRAFT AND PERFORMING ESCORT DUTIES. THEN ESCORTED RESUPPLY CONVOYS FROM ULITHI TO OKINAWA UNTIL RETURNING TO PEARL HARBOR IN JUNE 1945. ASSIGNED WHEN USS HUMPHREYS WAS RECLASSIFIED AT SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA ON JULY 20, 1945 AS A DESTROYER, DD-236.