World War II Honoree

James C. Guss, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Pilkington, Virginia

Honored By

Donald R. Guss

Relationship

Son

Enlisted: March 20, 1944, in Richmond, Virginia (at age 17). Basic Training: Beginning March 1944, at Great Lakes, Illinois for five weeks. Amphibious Training: Fort Pierce, Florida for six weeks. Additional Training: Lido Beach, New York for six weeks. The USS Creon ARL-11 was commissioned January 28, 1945 in Baltimore, Maryland, and was brought down through the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk, Virginia. With more training, they took on supplies, and departed for Panama and then on to the Galapagos Islands, the Admiralty Islands, along the coast of New Guinea, and on to Morotai, where they joined a convoy and headed for Balikpapan, Borneo to support the last invasion of WWII. They left there with Japanese prisoners and turned them over to the Marines on Morotai, and then left for Subic Bay, Guam, Pearl Harbor, and then eventually, the Marshall Islands. They arrived at Bikini Atoll on April 11, where their job was arranging the ships for Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb test. Having enough points to leave, he did not stay to witness the test, but left there on a troop ship April 26. Stopped at Enowetok, Kwajalein, and then back to Pearl Harbor. He boarded the USS Lexington to return to the USA and arrived in San Diego, California May 20, 1946, where he boarded a train for Virginia and home. He was discharged at Norfolk, Virginia on May 28, 1946. After returning home from the war, he finished high school.