World War II Honoree

Alfred Chan

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Courtland, California

Honored By

Ron Chan

Relationship

Son

DRAFTED IN HIS JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL IN 1944. JOINED THE NAVY. BOOT CAMP WAS AT THE NAVAL TRAINING CENTER IN SAN DIEGO FOR FIVE WEEKS OF BASIC TRAINING. ASSIGNED TO THE SEABEES CONSTRUCTION BATTALION MAINTENANCE UNIT, CBMU-524 AND CBMU-530 SERVING IN THE PACIFIC THEATER FROM PEARL HARBOR. SERVED ON THE MIDWAY ISLANDS IN 1944 BUILDING AND MAINTAINING BARRACKS. THE SEABEES WERE SENT TO MIDWAY TO BUILD IT UP SO IT COULD BE USED AS A LAUNCHING POINT FOR THE INVASION OF JAPAN. AFTER THE U.S. DROPPED TWO ATOMIC BOMBS ON HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI, RESULTING IN THE SURRENDER OF JAPAN, WORK WAS DONE. CELEBRATED V-J DAY COMMEMORATING THE END OF THE WAR ON MIDWAY. WHEN IT WAS TIME TO GO TO GO BACK TO THE U.S. IN 1946, RETURNED TO CAMP SHOEMAKER IN DUBLIN, CALIFORNIA AND WAS HONORABLY DISCHARGED AS A CARPENTER'S MATE THIRD CLASS. PROUD TO HAVE SERVED HIS COUNTRY.