World War II Honoree

Ernest P. Cassis

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Tuxedo Park, New York

Honored By

Mrs. Cesarina Traffano

Relationship

Sister

In July 1943, received notice of induction. After the exam and oath of service, he became a member of the 125th US Construction Battalion (Seabees), composed of 1200 enlisted men and officers. He attended boot camp at Camp Endicott, Ri Camp Peary, VA, then Camp Parks, CA and then to Camp Rousseau in Port Hueneme where the men were loaded onto an old Dutch ship, the Bloemfontein, destination unknown. We anchored in the port of Pearl Harbor and the battalion was broken up into companies and sent to location on Oahu. My Company D was stationed at Wahiawa and assigned to build a radio station to serve the needs of the South Pacific war. The platoon chief asked if I could read blueprints and with a "yes" answer took me to a field, showed me a small supply building, handed me the blueprints. he was to construct all the radio antennas for the installation - and a promotion to Electrician's Mate 3rd class. Back to the harbor and off to parts unknown. A stop at Eniwetok Island and a stop at Ulithi Island for supplies. On the morning of the 3rd day of the Okinawa invasion, we were standing on the beach and assigned the task of building the Yonabaru airstrip, one huge task. There being no electrical work to do at the outset, Introduced to a D-7 Caterpillar tractor with a "pan" attached and instructed how to use it to transport coral. We were successful. The war ended, and we were loaded on destroyer escorts for the trip back home. We landed in San Francisco where he was handed a railroad ticket and told to report to the Brooklyn Navy Yard where, for a while, I stood guard over a rusty ship protected by my 30-caliber carbine. He was discharged in March 1946.