World War II Honoree

William Potter Montgomery

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Maroa, Illinois

Honored By

Kathleen Montgomery

Relationship

Daughter

4/17/1944 put on board USS Maryland BB-46 at Bremerton, Washington; 5/31/1944 arrive Rio Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Island. Ship was torpedoed 6/22/1944; Guadalcanal 8/29/1944; Palau Island 9/23/1944; Leyte Gulf 10/17/1944; Battle of Suriago Straits 10/31/1944, the last ship to ship battle of the war; Back to Leyte Gulf 11/27/1944; 11/29/1944 Japanese plane took out #1 and #2 turrets; Okinawa 3/25/1945-4/1/1945; 4/7/1945 at Kaykia Kerma; 9/6/1945 transferred off Maryland; 9/26/1945 passenger on LST 598 to Wake Island. Passed by Iwo Jima and Mt Suribachi arriving at Okinawa 10/13/1945. Typhoon struck so they worked at setting up hospital and latrines; Greenwich Bay AVP-41 headed for Shanghi 11/16/1945, Nagasaki 1/15/1946. Next Hiro Wan and toured Hiroshima to see devastation from the A bomb; 1/30/1946 left Corson to transfer to Treasure Island for a discharge transport home. Took a train to Chicago, Illinois to be discharged at Great Lakes Illinois on 3/18/1946.