Allen, Thomas Gaylon, St. Helena Parish, Louisiana File prepared by D.N. Pardue and submitted by Inez Bridges Tate. ************************************************ Submitted to the LAGenWeb Archives ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ From "St. Helena Vets Remember World War II: Personal Interviews With World War II Vets", published by St. Helena Historical Association, 1995. Compiled and edited by Inez Bridges Tate and reprinted with permission. Thomas Gaylon Allen (Gaylon) was born in a New Orleans hospital, grew up near Liverpool and graduated from Oakland High School in 1940. Following graduation he went into the CCC's stationed at a camp at Grangeville and later at Camp Calvin, near Winnfield, Louisiana. Gaylon volunteered for the Navy on November 17, 1942 and was sent to San Diego Naval Training Station for basic training. He attended two additional schools at San Diego - electrical and gyro compass. Gaylon was attached to the Navy Air Force. Following training he was assigned to the USS ARB C - 21008, an aviation rescue boat in the Asiatic - Pacific Theater. They moved about, going to the Air Center on Guadalcanal, New Hebrides, Talaga, Sega Point on New Georgia Island and to Bougainville. At Sega Point there were Japanese trapped on the island and they were charged with seeing they remained there. He recalls walking on Sega Point to eat as they took their meals ashore while docked there. A bomb was dropped nearby (a near miss). Gaylon and the other guys dived for the nearest low point which happened to be a mud hole. Gaylon spent 18 months on Guadalcanal where he was the leader of the electrical repari shop doing repairs on electrical motors and the like. He feels fortunate to have served his Country and to return safely when so many were not so fortunate. Strangely, Gaylon said, he was not overly afraid. He recalled several incidents that were hair-raising, however. One day he was reading a west- ern book when he heard a whistling noise and recognizing what it was, jumped. He later learned a torpedo boat about 25 feet away was blown up. Then about midnight on New Years, 1944, the ammu- nition ship the USS Serpent, located about a quarter mile away was blown up. The explosion knocked them from their bunks. There was only one survivor on the ammunition ship, a guy who had gone to the front of the ship to smoke. All of the officers of the ship were off the ship to receive orders. Gaylon saw Lamar Lindsey on New Georgia Islands and was able to visit with him for several hours. He saw Willis Smith on Guadalcanal and Warren Allen at the Marine Base in San Diego. He was the last family member to see Warren alive as he was kill- ed in action on Saipan. Mail was so important to the men, he said. There would be days when no mail would be recieved, then it would catch up and you would get a handful at once. He laughed and said that one year his Christmas package was not received until June and there were many perishable items included. Needless to say, this was in kind of bad condition. Gaylon returned to Alameda Air Station in California in June, 1945. He remarked he crossed the United States five times in six months. He was eligible for 45 days rehab so he came home. He returned to Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA for two weeks. Then he went to Key West, FL via Chicago where he was attached to Radar Unit on Key Largo for six weeks. He then re- ceived orders to return to San Diego as he had been sent to Key Largo in error, and oddly assigned to Gyro Compass School again. Completing his tour of duty, Gaylon was sent to the United States Naval Personnel Center in New Orleans and discharged on January 16, 1946 as an Electrician's Mate Second Class (T). Upon returning to St. Helena, Gaylon worked at several jobs including sawmill work, Sears as maintenance and Amite Pump & Well. In 1962 he began working at East Louisiana State Hospital, Jackson, La. and is now retired. He lives near Liverpool. Gaylon has four living children, ten grandchildren and six great grand- children, all a source of joy to him. He is an active member of the American Legion Post, Greensburg, La. - - - - - Newspaper Clipping: 4 Dec. 1942 Gaylon Allen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Merritt Allen, has resigned his position at the Higgins plant in New Orleans to join the U.S. Navy and has departed for San Diego, Calif. 22 Jan. 1943 Gaylon Allen, (above) seaman second class, son of Mr. and Mrs. Merritt Allen of Greensburg is now stationed at the naval train- ing station at San Diego, Califor- nia. * * * * *