"We'd get milk when we'd get back to the States, and fresh bread, which is exciting. The bread at sea on the ships was always full of the weevils." (Audio Interview, Part II - 1:19)

Howard Catton Gilbert

Howard Catton Gilbert in uniform, San Francisco, California [1943] War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Navy Unit: Naval Armed Guard; Sea Devil (troop ship); Prowess (Liberty ship) Service Location: Naval Training Station, Farragut, Idaho; Class A Gunnery School, San Diego, California; Australia; New Guinea; Calcutta, India; South Pacific Rank: Boatswain's Mate Second Class Place of Birth: Seattle, WA

Growing up in Seattle in the 1930s, Howard Gilbert developed a fascination with the water and ships. Enlisting in the Navy once the U.S. entered World War II was almost a foregone conclusion. He served on a troop ship and Liberty ship in both Pacific and Atlantic. Being on the water didn't remove him from action or its consequences: he saw two ships in his convoy sunk by a German submarine, and his troop ship took on wounded from the battle for New Guinea.