World War II Honoree

Louis Simon Bernik

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Erie, Pennsylvania

Honored By

C. J. Willis

Relationship

Shipmate

ASSIGNED TO MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT (MTB) SQUADRONS SOUTH PACIFIC. FURTHER ASSIGNED TO MOTOR TORPEDO BOAT SQUADRON 19 (RON 19) IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS, WHERE HE JOINED PATROL TORPEDO BOAT PT-242 IN FEBRUARY, 1944. SERVED AS A GUNNER’S MATE OVERSEAS IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC AREA IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC ABOARD PT-242, NICKNAMED ‘CELESTE’ WITH HIS BATTLE STATION AT THE BOW-MOUNTED TWIN .50 CAL MACHINE GUN. PARTICIPATED IN THE BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO, AND TREASURY-BOUGAINVILLE OPERATIONS. MOVED TO A NEW FORWARD BASE ON GREEN ISLAND, BETWEEN BOUGAINVILLE IN THE SOLOMONS AND NEW IRELAND IN THE BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO, ON MARCH 10, 1944. FROM THEIR BASE ON GREEN ISLAND, HIS BOAT PATROLLED NORTHERN BOUGAINVILLE, AND BUKA IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS; AND NEW BRITAIN AND NEW IRELAND IN THE BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO, TO INTERDICT ENEMY SHIPPING, GATHER INTELLIGENCE, AND HARASS JAPANESE FORCES ASHORE WITH WEAPONS FIRE. PATROLS OFF NEW BRITAIN POSED THE CONTINUAL THREAT OF ENEMY AIR ATTACK AND HIS BOAT WAS ATTACKED SEVERAL TIMES WITH NEAR MISSES; BUT NEVER HIT. DURING AN ATTEMPTED NIGHT RUN THROUGH THE NARROW BUKA PASSAGE, HIS BOAT WAS TAKEN UNDER FIRE BY JAPANESE SHORE BATTERIES, AND WHILE TRYING TO SPEED AWAY, EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FAILURE. WITH SHELLS EXPLODING ALL AROUND THEM, THE USE OF THE BOAT’S SMOKE GENERATOR HID THEM FROM VIEW UNTIL THE ENGINE COULD BE RESTARTED AND THEY ZIG-ZAGGED OUT OF HARM’S WAY. ABOUT MAY 15, 1944, HIS BOAT WAS REASSIGNED TO MTB SQUADRON 23, ALSO LOCATED ON GREEN ISLAND. AWARDED THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 2 BRONZE SERVICE STARS, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED WITH THE RATE OF GUNNER’S MATE THIRD CLASS AND ISSUED THE WWII HONORABLE DISCHARGE LAPEL PIN.