World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Leon Edmond Dudka
Branch of Service
U.S. Navy
Hometown
Avoca, Pennsylvania
Honored By
William Fischer, Jr.
ENTERED ACTIVE SERVICE ON 11 OCTOBER 1939 AT PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. SEA SERVICE FROM 7 DECEMBER 1941 TO 4 JANUARY 1944 ABOARD USS PLATTE (AO-24) REFUELING TASK FORCES ON OFFENSIVE PATROL IN THE CORAL SEA; REFUELING THE USS ENTERPRISE AND USS YORKTOWN TASK FORCES IN ADVANCE OF THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY; SUPPORTED SOLOMON ISLAND OPERATIONS, INCLUDING THE GUADALCANAL CAMPAIGN; THEN MOVED TO NAVAL OPERATING BASE ADAK, SERVING AS STATION TANKER FOR THE 1943 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CAMPAIGN. TRANSFERRED THERE TO USS NESHANIC (AO-71), WITH CONTINUED SEA SERVICE FROM 5 JANUARY 1944 TO 18 MAY 1944 IN THE ALEUTIANS. TRANSFERRED TO USS PINE ISLAND (AV-12), WITH SEA SERVICE CONTINUED FROM 2 JULY 1945 TO 15 SEPTEMBER 1945 IN THE OKINAWA AREA OF OPERATIONS SUPPORTING AIR-SEA RESCUE, THE SHIP THEN MOVING INTO TOKYO BAY FOLLOWING THE SURRENDER OF JAPAN. SEPARATED FROM ACTIVE SERVICE ON 30 SEPTEMBER 1945 AT SHOEMAKER, CALIFORNIA.