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website is dedicated to my father, Frank Padden and all of the
"boys" who served in World War 2 and in later conflicts. This
site is not a glorification of war, but a glorification of the people who
did what they had to do for their country.
Frank was raised in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and
embarked on the greatest, and most frightening adventure of his life at
the age of 17 1/2 when he enlisted in the Navy. The day he enlisted he shipped out for training at Sampson Naval Base
in Geneva, New York. Through the power of the internet, I've been able to locate some of the men he
trained with at Sampson as well as number of men from his ship.
My father served in the Pacific Theatre on a
Amphibious Troop Transport, the Neshoba-APA 216. He was with the Neshoba while
it was being outfitted and during it's shakedown cruise. While on
the Neshoba, he saw action in the Philippines and at the
battle of Okinawa. He served briefly on several other ships.
Like many of the men who served in the Second
World War, he spoke very little about his experiences. His was a
generation that didn't need to preach or boast about their patriotism,
they lived it. Their love for their country wasn't about plastic
flags, empty slogans and partisan politics. Their patriotism was
about doing their duty to protect their country, their families and their
shipmates. When he died
in 1995, I knew very little about his war time experiences. My
search started when my wife brought home the book "Flags
of our Fathers" by James Bradley. I started reading it in the
afternoon and didn't stop until late that night. Never ate
dinner. By morning I had learned a lot - from the few scraps of
information I had available. It has spun out of control since then. Thanks
to the power of the internet, I have been able to discover the
"boy" I never knew. In building this website, I hope
to be able to share with you a glimpse into another time when patriotism
wasn't proclaimed, it was lived.
A number of his shipmates and
other veterans have shared information and pictures of their experiences
in the Navy, Marines and Army during this pivotal period in history.
Some of the anecdotes were amusing, others depressing, but they all added
to my knowledge of Frank "but why" Padden (his nickname in High
School).
I would like to thank all of the
men who shared their memories and pictures with me, with special thanks to
Ray Allen of the Neshoba APA 216 and Glen Ayer of the Mountrail APA 213
who went above and beyond. They provided me with a large number of pictures,
information and contacts and helped me bring this website to life in it's
early days.
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