World War II Honoree

Virgil Harrison Grogan

Hometown

McKinney, Texas

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

Relationship

Relationship Not Determined

TRAINED INITIALLY IN THE AMERICAN THEATER FOR ENTRY-LEVEL 'BOOT CAMP' AND THEN ADVANCED RATING (SPECIALTY) QUALIFICATION. SERVED OVERSEAS IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER DURING THE WAR, ABOARD THE ATTACK TRANSPORT SHIP USS ATTALA (APA-130) IN 1945. HIS SHIP DEPARTED SEATTLE, WASHINGTON ON JANUARY 31, 1945, AND ARRIVED AT PEARL HARBOR, TERRITORY OF HAWAII. THE VESSEL EMBARKED TROOPS AND EQUIPMENT, SAILED ON FEBRUARY 9, 1945, FOR IWO JIMA. IN THE VOLCANO ISLANDS IN THE BONIN ISLANDS ARCHIPELAGO, IN THE NORTH WESTERN PACIFIC OCEAN AREA. ARRIVED ON MARCH 13, 1945. SAILED TO SAIPAN ISLAND IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS, AND ARRIVED ON MARCH 18, 1945. TRANSPORTED WOUNDED PERSONNEL TO THE UNITED STATES AND LANDED AT SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. RETURNED TO PEARL HARBOR ON APRIL 18, 1945, AND SAILED FOR THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS ON MAY 14, 1945. ARRIVED AT LEYTE IN THE PHILIPPINES ON JUNE 5, 1945. SAILED FROM THE PHILIPPINES ON JUNE 17, 1945, AND ARRIVED AT SAN FRANCISCO ON JULY 8, 1945. DEPARTED WASHINGTON STATE ON JULY 24, 1945, AND ARRIVED AT ENIWETOK ATOLL IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS ON AUGUST 5, 1945. THE FOLLOWING DAY (AUGUST 6, 1945), THE AMERICAN B-29 SUPERFORTRESS, VERY HEAVY BOMBER, NICKNAMED THE ‘ENOLA GAY’ DROPPED THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB ON HIROSHIMA, JAPAN. ON AUGUST 9, 1945, ANOTHER B-29, ‘BOCKSCAR’ DROPPED THE SECOND ATOMIC BOMB ON NAGASAKI, JAPAN. THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT SUBSEQUENTLY ACCEPTED THE ALLIED UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER TERMS ON AUGUST 14, 1945. THE TRANSPORT SHIP ARRIVED AT HARUSHI BEACH ON OKINAWA, IN THE RYUKYU ISLANDS IN EARLY SEPTEMBER, 1945. THE SHIP LOADED OCCUPATION FORCES FOR KOREA, ARRIVED AT JINSEN, KOREA AND RETURNED TO OKINAWA. THEN, SAILED FROM OKINAWA WITH MARINE CORPS OCCUPATION TROOPS AND TRANSPORTED THEM TO QINGDAO, CHINA AND DISEMBARKED THEM ON NOVEMBER 21, 1945. LEFT CHINA WATERS ON NOVEMBER 23, 1945, AND ARRIVED AT LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA ON DECEMBER 18, 1945. AWARDED THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, CHINA SERVICE MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. ALSO AWARDED THE PHILIPPINE LIBERATION MEDAL FOR SERVICE IN THE LIBERATION OF THE PHILIPPINES. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AFTER THE WAR, AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON.