I had the pleasure of interviewing 93 year old WWII Navy veteran Charles McCaffery. Mister McCaffrey enlisted in the Navy during his senior year of high school. He was from Medford, Massachusetts. He went to both boot camp and PT school in Rhode Island, before being sent to Milne Bay, New Guinea in September of 1944.
He was a replacement on a PT boat, serving as a Quarter Master 2nd class. He indicated that as a Quarter Master he was at the wheel of the PT boat during engagements with the enemy. All his missions were conducted at night and involved going between islands, up and down rivers to find and engage the enemy. During his tour of duty he island hopped as the allies continued their advance on Japan. He indicated that his PT boat engaged the enemy often, but declined to elaborate on specifics. I sensed that some of those stories are to painful and personal to share. He was on the island of Morotai in the Dutch East Indies when Japan surrendered in August 1945. He was sent stateside in December 1945 before being discharged in January of 1946, and he returned home to Medford, Massachusetts. Mr. McCaffrey was very guarded about his life after the war simply stating that he married and raised a family |
AuthorTadeous Furlepa is a writer who enjoys researching and writing historical World War II stories. Prior to him becoming a published author he spent more than thirty years in the IT Industry as a Senior Analyst Archives
February 2020
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