Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-12-18
TAKES 1T IN STRIDE

ANTS II - - 49,
OrWlle took il in his stride and
as a matter of course he simply
murmureu:
Ito hell with them. I'm glad
10 get outta here. Ill sail
around the world till l find "A
spot like and I'll settle down
In H."
But tho navy had other plans.
He was given three months train
inc and then he was sent aboard al
destroyer which sailed out of al
western port toward the Coral
Sea.
Orvillc wasn't mschievouS at all
aboard ship. He was always either
too busy or too tired. They ran
him ragged.
He was one Of The members OF
a gun crew and when they were
not practiCiug- Gunnery they were
what they would do in
!. battle: 2. attacking a Subma-
rine; 3. Smelling land positions; d.,
attacks Of dive bomberS.
He didn't sec much sense in il.
He was sure he knew all about
what he should and would do I'M
all kinds Of action, so what was
the use going over and over IT?
But he knew better than to argue
or even 10 grouse.
When he heard an order. he
obeyed il blindly and after a while
he got 10 liking the fact that.
other people were doing his think
ing for him.
His destroyer got TO the islands
just in time 10 take part in the
heroic but costly United Nations
effort to hold the Japs back from
their advance on New Guinea.
His ship swung into the floating
front lines between the battle
ships and carriers and the destroy
erS and airplanes of the Jap
Ilotilla.
With all the other members of
the crew, he was a very busy and
tired young man after 20 hours
straight on duty. His hands were
burned black from carrying the
into the guns.
His muscles were sore from lift
ne shells. His ears were deafened
~ the heavy cannonading and the
ack ack fire. If he had died at
hat moment. he would have been
content because being dead was
me way of getting rest; the only
way, in that battle.
FIRST TO SEE THEM
He was the first 10 see the
,onbers coming. There were five
# them and they flew in eschelon.
Holding a she'll in his arms, he
them with his mouth
,pen until the gunnery mate
grated:
"Snap out of IL, Sayre."
"Yes, sir" Orville said. and
pushed the she'll from him. EN-
envy planes approaching from
the starboard"
He half forgot them for mo-
nent. He shoveled shells TO the
next man and wished that he could
lie. His eyes went up in the sky
n time TO see one of the bombers,
Utmost directly over them, turn on
Is side and flick away from the
1t nosed down and dived and it
,ot bigger every minute. 1t whis-
led horribly and it Strengthened
,ut about 200 feet from the de-
troyer and came for them head-on.
AS il almost touched the de-
troyer's rudder, it laid an egg.
The egg lit on the choppy surface.
izzled and then headed for the
,oat. Two minutes later. the front
# the destroyer disappeared. She
widowed in the water.
Orville kept right on serving the
yun. He thought, absently, that
he death he was wishing for was
lere and he was glad of it. The
destroyer listed and he heard the
,o'sun's pipe and the command, |
'All hands to the lifeboats." In a
iream. he moved TO his appointed
station. walking the deck like a flyI
would the side of a house. He
heard, "All hands abandon ship"
and he swung into the boat and
automatically reached for an oar. |
The boat swung down on its
1avits and hit the sea. They rowed
ike madmen to escape the whirl-
Dool she would form when she
lived TO the bottom. He saw her
lie out Of the corner of his eye
md from that moment, he thought, |
ne started TO row for eternity.
BY some strange fate, the boat
rowed out of the ken of rescued
ships and airplanes that for sew
aral days combed the surface Of
the sea. They came upon a coral
Sland and they landed there.
Their iron rations Kept life in
them for two weeks. At the end
Of that time. they were picked upl
by tanker Five days later, the
tanker was halted by another de-
Stroyer and the rescued crew was
aboard her.
A week later. that destroyer
went down under the attack of al
submarine. During the battle, Or
vile received a silver of steel inl
his shoulder.
Picked up again, he was shipped
to hospital and within a month";
sent home for a rest.
Strangely he found himself glad
TO be returning. He had decided