World War II Honoree

Anthony Hector Perry, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Elk Grove, Pennsylvania

Honored By

Patricia McDivitt Means

February 10, 1943-November 5, 1945. Boot Camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Illinois and on to St. Louis, Missouri for KP Duty. Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton, WA. Went aboard the USS Abner Read DD-526 in October of 1943. San Francisco, CA for training before leaving USA, February 1, 1944. Went to Hawaii for supplies and then to New Guinea to join up with the 7th fleet. Island hopping and taking islands back from the Japanese. Took leave in August 1944 and travelled to Sydney Australia for two weeks. Rejoined the 7th fleet with thousands of men and ships to sail for the Philippines and on October 20, 1944 as General MacArthur said, "I shall return." Patrolled Leyte Gulf for days after an invasion and on November 1, 1944, a Japanese plane dove into the Abner Read and within 30 minutes the ship sank. 25 men were killed. Survivors were rescued by different ships and taken to Brisbane, Australia, then back to San Francisco, CA and then leave was taken in Norfolk, VA. Assigned to the USS Leary DD-879 and sailed for Gitmo Bay, Cuba on shake down cruise then back to Norfolk, VA and on to Boston Navy Yard. The USS Leary DD-879 stayed on the East Coast until the end of the war. The USS Abner Read earned 5 battle stars during the war.