thedrifter
07-02-05, 05:29 AM
In peril on the sea
Saturday, July 2, 2005
Local veteran included in new book about WWII battle of the Leyte Gulf
By MICHAEL T. BURKHART
Courier-Post Staff
Standing on the destroyer USS Richard P. Leary, Quartermaster 2nd Class Bob Durand watched as Marines raised the flag on Iwo Jima.
"I saw the flag go up," said Durand, 81, of Gloucester Township. "I saw the movement of people. I thought they were (Japanese) up there - until I saw the flag."
Durand is one of about 60 people featured in the book The Last Epic Naval Battle: Voices from Leyte Gulf by David Sears. Released in late June, the book profiles people who participated in Leyte Gulf - the largest naval battle ever - that took place around the Philippines between Oct. 23 and 26, 1944, a few months before Iwo Jima.
For all intents and purposes, it represented the end of the Japanese Navy.
"It was not an all-or-nothing battle," said Sears, 58, of Morris Plains, Morris County. "But if it would not have been won, the war would have gone on longer."
Sears, who went into the Navy after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania on an ROTC scholarship, set out to write a book about leadership skills that could be learned by looking at the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II. But he found the stories of the men who were there more compelling.
"The real lesson is that these are everyday individuals who did what they were trained to do," said Sears, whose career after the Navy was spent in corporate human resources and, later, consulting.
His first book, Successful Talent Strategies, was aimed at a corporate audience looking to lure and retain top people. It was published in 2002
Durand was born in Camden and grew up in Glendora. A 1941 graduate of Haddonfield High School, he went to work in the ship building industry before volunteering for the Navy in 1943, at age 18.
His first choice was to become a gunner on a dive bomber. But when his orders were handed down, he was assigned to quartermaster school.
Disappointed he didn't get the job he wanted, Durand went to the chaplain - it was his first and only visit - for advice.
"I told him that as far as I knew, a quartermaster meant handing out socks," he said. "I wanted no part of that."
Quartermaster in the Navy is different from the Army, where the job involves supply. On ships, it's a signaling job using lights and Morse code. It also involves watching the weather and monitoring the radio for incoming threats.
After a shakedown run and target practice around Bermuda, the Leary steamed through the Panama Canal to the Pacific theater with 325 men and officers on board.
Its first operation was the invasion of Saipan in July 1944.
"We were a green ship, so they put us away from the firing line," Durand said.
During Leyte Gulf, which involved more than 200,000 men and 800 ships, the destroyer was in the line of fire between the Japanese and American ships in the Surigao Strait. The men watched as shells went overhead and saw flashes on both horizons.
"We could see the shells streaking overhead," Durand said. "It was an awesome sight."
The Leary fired three torpedoes at the Japanese battleship Yamashiro, scoring two hits and contributing to its sinking.
Five hundred yards away, the American destroyer USS Albert W. Grant was hit and severely damaged, but did not sink.
"She was very close to the critical point," said Durand. "It was a mess between the torn-up steel and torn-up bodies."
The end of the battle brought the first Japanese kamikaze pilots, who crashed their planes into Allied ships as a last-ditch effort to inflict casualties. Durand saw that action firsthand, when part of a plane landed on the deck of the Leary.
Sailors took home pieces of the wreckage. Durand has a small piece of the engine.
A few months after Leyte, the Leary offered fire support for the invasion of the small but strategic island of Iwo Jima. On Feb. 23, 1945, Durand watched as the American flag was raised on Mount Suribachi, an image captured in one of the most famous photographs of all time.
In Durand's 1 1/2 years at sea, the Leary traveled 100,000 miles and was involved in six invasions. He has a huge map of the world, with red lines showing dates between destinations, from the Philippines to the Mediterranean, in his den.
"I've been about three-quarters of the way around the world," said Durand. "But I've never made it all the way around."
He also has a small Japanese flag, received in trade on Iwo Jima for a pack of cigarettes. Displayed in a case are Durand's medals and ribbons, as well as certificates for crossing the equator and international date line.
After the war, Durand went to work at New York Shipbuilding as a draftsman and designer. Later, he worked for Keystone Shipbuilding.
Durand still wears a tattoo of an eagle and the letters USA on his right forearm. He has carried that mark since he was 16 years old, paying 25 cents at a Philadelphia parlor.
That was money to get home, so he and a friend walked across the Ben Franklin Bridge and hitch-hiked the rest of the way home.
His parents were not happy.
"Mom didn't use that kind of language," he said, "but pop did.
Durand said he enjoyed talking with Sears for the book.
"I feel it's an opportunity to bring a little recognition to the ship and the guys who served on her," Durand said. BOB DURAND
AGE: 81
OCCUPATION: Navy World War II veteran and retired shipbuilder and designer
HOMETOWN: Gloucester Township
FAMILY: Wife of 58 years, Mildred. Two grown children, Bob and Patti.
The life of the Leary
The USS Richard P. Leary (DD-664) had a proud history, but a rather unceremonious end. Here's a timeline of the destroyer's life:
July 4, 1943: Construction of the destroyer is started at the Navy yard in Boston.
Oct. 6, 1944: The Leary is launched.
May 1944: After a shakedown run off Bermuda, the Leary joins the Pacific war, assigned to Destroyer Squadron 56.
Sept. 12 to 28, 1944: Off Peleliu and Anguar islands, the destroyer supports Marine and underwater demolition teams. It also searches the back bays for Japanese ships.
Oct. 20, 1944: The Honolulu is struck by a torpedo and the Leary went alongside to provide damage control, taking aboard 26 casualties.
Oct. 25: The Leary participated in the Battle of Surigo Strait, part of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Nov. 1, 1944: The destroyer is hit by a kamikaze plane. One person was hurt when parts of the plane crashed on the starboard quarter.
Feb. 15 to March 16, 1945: The Leary provided shore bombardment for the invasion of Iwo Jima.
March 25 to May 28, 1945: The Leary moved to the invasion of Okinawa, Japan.
September 1945: After the Japanese surrender, the destroyer steamed to northern Honshu, Japan.
Sept. 30, 1945: The Leary departs Japan for Guam, Pearl Harbor and home.
Dec. 10, 1946: The destroyer is decommissioned and transferred to the Pacific Reserve.
March 10, 1959: The ship is transferred to the Japanese Force and renamed Yugure, which means "evening."
July 1, 1976: The vessel is sold to a Chinese company for scrap. Source: Dome Island Press ON THE WEB
`The Last Epic Naval Battle: Voices from Leyte Gulf,' by David Sears retails for $39.95. It can be found at most book stores or ordered online. For more information, visit www.dlsears.com, which includes reviews as well as information about other books by Sears.
For more information about the Leyte Gulf, visit these Web sites:
www.battleship.org - This page, run by the Iowa Class Preservation Association, has information about this class of battleships, which includes the USS New Jersey, as well as plenty of history on Leyte.
www.battle-of-leyte-gulf.com - This site, run by San Francisco author Kenneth I. Friedman, has lots of information about the key players and what happened during the battle.
www.battleshipnewjersey.org - The USS New Jersey is docked in Camden as a floating museum.
Reach Michael T. Burkhart at (856) 486-2474 or mburkhart@courierpostonline.com
Ellie
Saturday, July 2, 2005
Local veteran included in new book about WWII battle of the Leyte Gulf
By MICHAEL T. BURKHART
Courier-Post Staff
Standing on the destroyer USS Richard P. Leary, Quartermaster 2nd Class Bob Durand watched as Marines raised the flag on Iwo Jima.
"I saw the flag go up," said Durand, 81, of Gloucester Township. "I saw the movement of people. I thought they were (Japanese) up there - until I saw the flag."
Durand is one of about 60 people featured in the book The Last Epic Naval Battle: Voices from Leyte Gulf by David Sears. Released in late June, the book profiles people who participated in Leyte Gulf - the largest naval battle ever - that took place around the Philippines between Oct. 23 and 26, 1944, a few months before Iwo Jima.
For all intents and purposes, it represented the end of the Japanese Navy.
"It was not an all-or-nothing battle," said Sears, 58, of Morris Plains, Morris County. "But if it would not have been won, the war would have gone on longer."
Sears, who went into the Navy after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania on an ROTC scholarship, set out to write a book about leadership skills that could be learned by looking at the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II. But he found the stories of the men who were there more compelling.
"The real lesson is that these are everyday individuals who did what they were trained to do," said Sears, whose career after the Navy was spent in corporate human resources and, later, consulting.
His first book, Successful Talent Strategies, was aimed at a corporate audience looking to lure and retain top people. It was published in 2002
Durand was born in Camden and grew up in Glendora. A 1941 graduate of Haddonfield High School, he went to work in the ship building industry before volunteering for the Navy in 1943, at age 18.
His first choice was to become a gunner on a dive bomber. But when his orders were handed down, he was assigned to quartermaster school.
Disappointed he didn't get the job he wanted, Durand went to the chaplain - it was his first and only visit - for advice.
"I told him that as far as I knew, a quartermaster meant handing out socks," he said. "I wanted no part of that."
Quartermaster in the Navy is different from the Army, where the job involves supply. On ships, it's a signaling job using lights and Morse code. It also involves watching the weather and monitoring the radio for incoming threats.
After a shakedown run and target practice around Bermuda, the Leary steamed through the Panama Canal to the Pacific theater with 325 men and officers on board.
Its first operation was the invasion of Saipan in July 1944.
"We were a green ship, so they put us away from the firing line," Durand said.
During Leyte Gulf, which involved more than 200,000 men and 800 ships, the destroyer was in the line of fire between the Japanese and American ships in the Surigao Strait. The men watched as shells went overhead and saw flashes on both horizons.
"We could see the shells streaking overhead," Durand said. "It was an awesome sight."
The Leary fired three torpedoes at the Japanese battleship Yamashiro, scoring two hits and contributing to its sinking.
Five hundred yards away, the American destroyer USS Albert W. Grant was hit and severely damaged, but did not sink.
"She was very close to the critical point," said Durand. "It was a mess between the torn-up steel and torn-up bodies."
The end of the battle brought the first Japanese kamikaze pilots, who crashed their planes into Allied ships as a last-ditch effort to inflict casualties. Durand saw that action firsthand, when part of a plane landed on the deck of the Leary.
Sailors took home pieces of the wreckage. Durand has a small piece of the engine.
A few months after Leyte, the Leary offered fire support for the invasion of the small but strategic island of Iwo Jima. On Feb. 23, 1945, Durand watched as the American flag was raised on Mount Suribachi, an image captured in one of the most famous photographs of all time.
In Durand's 1 1/2 years at sea, the Leary traveled 100,000 miles and was involved in six invasions. He has a huge map of the world, with red lines showing dates between destinations, from the Philippines to the Mediterranean, in his den.
"I've been about three-quarters of the way around the world," said Durand. "But I've never made it all the way around."
He also has a small Japanese flag, received in trade on Iwo Jima for a pack of cigarettes. Displayed in a case are Durand's medals and ribbons, as well as certificates for crossing the equator and international date line.
After the war, Durand went to work at New York Shipbuilding as a draftsman and designer. Later, he worked for Keystone Shipbuilding.
Durand still wears a tattoo of an eagle and the letters USA on his right forearm. He has carried that mark since he was 16 years old, paying 25 cents at a Philadelphia parlor.
That was money to get home, so he and a friend walked across the Ben Franklin Bridge and hitch-hiked the rest of the way home.
His parents were not happy.
"Mom didn't use that kind of language," he said, "but pop did.
Durand said he enjoyed talking with Sears for the book.
"I feel it's an opportunity to bring a little recognition to the ship and the guys who served on her," Durand said. BOB DURAND
AGE: 81
OCCUPATION: Navy World War II veteran and retired shipbuilder and designer
HOMETOWN: Gloucester Township
FAMILY: Wife of 58 years, Mildred. Two grown children, Bob and Patti.
The life of the Leary
The USS Richard P. Leary (DD-664) had a proud history, but a rather unceremonious end. Here's a timeline of the destroyer's life:
July 4, 1943: Construction of the destroyer is started at the Navy yard in Boston.
Oct. 6, 1944: The Leary is launched.
May 1944: After a shakedown run off Bermuda, the Leary joins the Pacific war, assigned to Destroyer Squadron 56.
Sept. 12 to 28, 1944: Off Peleliu and Anguar islands, the destroyer supports Marine and underwater demolition teams. It also searches the back bays for Japanese ships.
Oct. 20, 1944: The Honolulu is struck by a torpedo and the Leary went alongside to provide damage control, taking aboard 26 casualties.
Oct. 25: The Leary participated in the Battle of Surigo Strait, part of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Nov. 1, 1944: The destroyer is hit by a kamikaze plane. One person was hurt when parts of the plane crashed on the starboard quarter.
Feb. 15 to March 16, 1945: The Leary provided shore bombardment for the invasion of Iwo Jima.
March 25 to May 28, 1945: The Leary moved to the invasion of Okinawa, Japan.
September 1945: After the Japanese surrender, the destroyer steamed to northern Honshu, Japan.
Sept. 30, 1945: The Leary departs Japan for Guam, Pearl Harbor and home.
Dec. 10, 1946: The destroyer is decommissioned and transferred to the Pacific Reserve.
March 10, 1959: The ship is transferred to the Japanese Force and renamed Yugure, which means "evening."
July 1, 1976: The vessel is sold to a Chinese company for scrap. Source: Dome Island Press ON THE WEB
`The Last Epic Naval Battle: Voices from Leyte Gulf,' by David Sears retails for $39.95. It can be found at most book stores or ordered online. For more information, visit www.dlsears.com, which includes reviews as well as information about other books by Sears.
For more information about the Leyte Gulf, visit these Web sites:
www.battleship.org - This page, run by the Iowa Class Preservation Association, has information about this class of battleships, which includes the USS New Jersey, as well as plenty of history on Leyte.
www.battle-of-leyte-gulf.com - This site, run by San Francisco author Kenneth I. Friedman, has lots of information about the key players and what happened during the battle.
www.battleshipnewjersey.org - The USS New Jersey is docked in Camden as a floating museum.
Reach Michael T. Burkhart at (856) 486-2474 or mburkhart@courierpostonline.com
Ellie