POWs/MIAs remembered at NAS Jax

The ceremony began with the singing of the national anthem by a vocal quartet from Navy Band Southeast followed by the invocation from Command Chaplain (Cmdr.) Gerald Felder and the POW Pledge of Allegiance by John Rosa, a retired Navy master chief and World War II (WWII) POW.

NAS Jacksonville Commanding Officer Capt. Jack Scorby Jr. thanked the POWs for their service. ''I am truly honored to be here today as it is a great privilege and a humbling experience to be part of this ceremony honoring some of America's finest heroes," said Scorby. "To all of the former WWII, Korean and Vietnam POWs and their families - you have our heartfelt gratitude for your sacrifices. To all the families of those who are still listed as missing in action - our support remains steadfast - you are never forgotten."

Former World War II POW and retired Navy Master Chief John Rosa, leads the POW Pledge of Allegiance at the NAS Jacksonville POW/MIA Observance.

Scorby also mentioned Capt. Scott Speicher, whose remains were recently returned home. "Ladies and gentlemen, just over a month ago, the remains of Jacksonville native Capt. Scott Speicher, who was missing for nearly 18 years, were found and returned home to a hero's welcome. That gives us all hope that someday a resolution will be found for all those who are unaccounted for or missing in action," he continued.

Scorby also recognized Mary Hoff, an MIA wife and member of the National League of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, who created the POW/MIA flag which was officially recognized by the 101st Congress on Aug. 10, 1990.

Scorby then introduced Michelle Barth, who read a statement from Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; Adele Griffin, who read a statement by Sen. George Lemieux, R-Fla.; Jackie Smith, who read a statement by Congressman Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla. and Director of Military Affairs for the City of Jacksonville Bob Buehn who represented Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton.

U.S. Navy World War II veteran and Board Member of Mayport Council Navy League, James Gaff, was the guest speaker at the annual POW/MIA Observance Sept. 17 at the All Saints Chapel.

Scorby introduced the guest speaker, U.S. Navy WWII Veteran Jim Gaff, who is also a board member of the Mayport Council Navy League. Gaff gave the audience a short history lesson. "On Jan. 25, 2009, I celebrated my 83rd birthday. I tell you that because they call my generation, America's Greatest Generation. I don't know if we deserve those accolades, but I do know we grew up during a horrible depression.

On Dec. 8, 1941, after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, 15 million Americans went to war - and 450,000 never came back. Millions of us went to college under the GI bill and many of us became white-collar workers. We completely changed the workforce of America," remarked Gaff.

"I'm going to talk about three strangers who crossed my path and completely changed the direction of my life. In 1929, the stock market crashed, triggering the longest and deepest recession in American history. Unemployment figures approached 30 percent. It really was a tough time in America," Gaff continued.

The NAS Jacksonville Honor Support Team renders honors with a 21-gun salute at the closing of the POW/MIA Observance.

"In 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, which had an agreement with England and France that stated if any of these countries were invaded by Germany, the others would help them. France and England immediately declared war on Germany and WWII was in its infancy.

France ended up surrendering and remained an occupied country of Germany. England later teamed up with the U.S. for military supplies in the fight against Germany," he told the captivated audience.

"In 1942, there was the great sea battle in the Pacific. The Japanese sent four carriers, cruisers and destroyers to Midway Island. Waiting for them were two American carriers and their fighter pilots. When the battle was over all four Japanese carriers were sunk and the their pilots were lost. So until the end of WWII, Japan was fighting a defensive war while America was fighting an offensive war," Gaff added.

"On Jan. 25, 1943, I celebrated my 17th birthday as a junior in high school and decided it was time to go fight for my country. My best friend, Wes, and I drove to the Marine Corps recruiting office where the sergeant wouldn't take me because I was younger and smaller. Bitterly disappointed, I headed back to high school and Wes headed to Parris Island for training. That was the last time I saw him," said Gaff.

"On June 21, 1943, I finished my junior year of high school. A little smarter, I headed to the Navy recruiting office and I was headed to boot camp. Then they sent me to Amphibious Training Base in Little Creek, Va. where I trained as a coxswain," recalled Gaff. "Shortly thereafter, I was sent to Europe on an LST. After a long journey, we arrived in England to participate in the invasion of Normandy at Utah Beach. Our LST carried six landing craft that we used to transport groups of combat engineers. Their job was to build a road to get the mechanized units off the beach. The same night that we dropped them off, we transported casualties, mostly paratroopers from 101st and 82nd Airborne, with a lot of broken legs or ankles because they had jumped too low and were loaded down with too many supplies."

"Our next mission was to make runs between England and France carrying supplies such as food and cigarettes. We even had a whole deck of Lifesavers candy. In September 1944, the Navy asked for volunteers for a secret mission. The mission was to take the Army across the Ruhr and Rhine rivers," he said. "They painted our boats khaki and gave us Army uniforms and off we went. After some training, we took the 9th Army across the Rhine River on Easter Sunday 1945. They told us to expect heavy casualties but we didn't have one casualty. We helped them build a pontoon bridge across the river and got our troops across," stated Gaff.

"When the war in Europe was over, we were sent back to England, deloused, and put on a ship back to America. We were the first troops to arrive at Brooklyn Navy Yard, still in my Army uniform. They gave me a Navy uniform and I reported to the Fargo Building in Boston. One day, there was a notice that I was going to be sent to Treasure Island in San Francisco to participate in the invasion of Japan. But before I departed, we dropped atomic bombs on Japan to end the war."

"After my discharge in 1945, I went back to high school. I graduated and then tried to get into college but there were so many other veterans, the colleges were full," he said. "I finally got a letter from the University of Rhode Island telling me to come take the entrance exams. I took the exam and was standing in front of a soda fountain when a young man came up to me and asked me if I wanted to go to a good school. He wrote down John B. Stetson University of DeLand, Fla. I applied, got accepted and graduated in 1951."

"My next goal was to find a job. So I drove to Fort Lauderdale and went to the beach. As I put my towel down, a man next to me started talking and asked where I was from. I told him I had just graduated from college and was looking for a job. He said he was a manager at a stockbroker company and to come see him about a job. So I went, filled out the application and had a job," remarked Gaff.

"Stepping back a minute, when I returned from Germany, the first thing I did was go to Wes' house to see him. His mom told me he was killed on Guam. As I look back, I'm 100 percent certain that if that Marine sergeant had taken me, too, I'd be sleeping under a white cross right now on some Japanese island. The second strange incident was that young man who told me about the college in Florida. I often wonder how he knew about that school," said Gaff. "And last, but not least, I think about when I put my towel down on the beach next to my new boss. What if I had gone 20 feet further down the beach?"

"Anyway, that's my story and I'm extremely honored to be here today and I acknowledge all you POWs. You had it tough, so I'm glad to see you here today," he concluded.

The ceremony concluded with a reception and cake-cutting ceremony in the chapel fellowship hall.