Staff Favorites
A showcase of our most treasured collections selected by VHP staff members. The written descriptions of these veterans’ stories highlight the diversity and dramatic content of our holdings. View additional staff favorites.
Howard
Catton Gilbert
Go
to Howard C. Gilbert's Collection
Howard Gilbert always had a fascination with the water. Growing
up in Seattle, he watched every summer as the Navy Fleet came into
port and as a teenager even built his own boat to cruise around
Puget Sound. So enlisting in the Navy was a perfect fit. Joining
the Naval Armed Guard which protected merchant vessels, Gilbert
was eventually assigned to the troop ship Sea Devil, used to transport
troops to New Guinea where sounds of battle could be heard out at
sea. On their return trip to pick up more troops, they became a
hospital ship, bringing back the casualties of war. Nothing could
prepare him for the sight of the wounded. Later, while serving on
a Liberty ship, their convoy was attacked by a German submarine,
which sank two ships and narrowly missed his own. Aside from those
moments of sheer terror, Gilbert had to battle the monotony of ship
life, finding creative ways to keep the boredom away.
Chosen by Stephanie A. Weaver, Processing Technician. Stephanie
received her B.A. degree in History from the University of Dayton
and her M.A. degree in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester.
She came to the Veterans History Project in November 2005.
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