Thanks. It was Chief Temple Herron.
No, it was not fortunate. It was planning. Temple said when the war started
he bought his own lifevest that would float. He said when he was on topside, he always
wore that vest. Before he left the ship, he went down into the interior of the ship, got his
$100 he had stashed, and grabbed a Navy blanket that he rolled into a bedroll and tied together.
Before he went over the side, he took off his new shoes, threw in the blanket, and jumped in.
I would say that since he was already past 30 and he had a wife at home and his intentions
were to make it back. He said of 9 Black men that were in his charge, 8 were lost immediately
and only one survived and it was because he was directly under the flight deck when they were hit.
I have no idea how the rest of his men fared, but that one fact, still bothers that man all these
years later.
I am sure there were other things that bother him even at 102, but he did not share those.
That man is a walking legend and beyond belief on how much he can vividly recall.
Thanks for the information.
Linda