HomeMy WebLinkAboutErnest E. Bradley, Brazos Valley HeroesOne in a series of tributes to members of "The Greatest Generation"
By Bill Youngkin
Special to The Eagle
One of the significant events of World War II that has not
appeared in these stories is the role of the Merchant Marine and
the men who served in h. Hopefully, that changes with the story
of Ernest E. Bradley of Bryan.
With the beginning ofWorld War 11, commercial ships of U.S.
registry became part of what was collectively ca [led the Merchant
Marine. Without those ships and the men and materials they
delivered to the war, both in Europe and in the Pacific, the war
might have been lost or the result dramatically different. What
is largely unknown by the general public, then and now, is the
terrible losses suffered by the Merchant Marine. One in every 26
men who served as a Merchant Marine was killed, lost at sea or
died in captivity during World War I. — a higher percentage of
lossthan any other branch ofthe military.
The story of Ernest Bradley began in Nashville, Indiana, on
June 7,1918. His parents moved to Kansas shortly thereafter. His
father owned a farm, a farmthat would became part ofthe "Dust
Bowl "of America during the Great Depression.
As recalled by Bradley, "My family moved to DeRidder,
Louisiana. After I completed school I got a job at the local lumber
mill for $12 a week. My sister worked at the local laundry for
same salary. With what we both brought home, we managed to
support our family. Our next -door neighbor had a brother who
was a mate on a merchant ship. When he came to visit I asked
him that if they ever needed any help, to please consider me. I
knew they paid $50 a month and fed you, so that would be a big
help for my family.
"Several months later I got a call and went to work for
Texaco aboard one of their ships as an ordinary seaman. I found
out real quick that I was not on a cruise ship but was living in
a workhouse. I was in New York harbor when Germany invaded
Poland. We were instructed to paint an American Rag on both
sides of our hull and fly the flag around the clock with a light on
the flag at night. This was done so that the German submarines
that were sinking every British ship they could find wouldn't
mistakenly sink us. We were also told to not venture into the'war
zone; which was becoming any place in the world.
"Iwas now an assistant engineer, having worked my way up,
and was assigned to another ship that was registered to Panama.
We were soon on our way to the Persian Gulf and into the war
zone. It was in Bombay, India, that I ran into a British officer
who stopped me and asked if I had heard about the Japanese
bombing of Pearl Harbor. I had married Ella, my wife of 68 years,
the year before and we had a son born two weeks after I left
Texas. I remember thinking that here I was, two hostile oceans
away and wandering it I would ever get to see my son.
"We managed to make it back to America, zig- zagging all
the way. It was then that we started making trips across the
Atlantic to supply our forces and allies, first to North Africa and
then Bristol, England. Bristol was the first city that I eversaw that
was almost completely laid down or destroyed by the bombings.
"The most perilous trips were across the North Atlantic,
especially near Iceland and Greenland. If the German subs who
were now hunting our shipping in'wolf packs' didn't get you, the
icebergs could. If you were hit and sunk in those waters and If
you weren't rescued immediately, you would die from the cold. I
have literally seen the ship next to us explode and disappear right
before my eyes, with all aboard lost. All you could do on those
trips was do yourjob and then hope and pray.
"I was now the first assistant engineer and soon to be the
chief engineer on a ship headed to the Pacific. We were loaded
with flak shells with detonators in them, 200 -pound bombs,
500 -pound bombs and some gliders we carried on deck. The
pilot that was to take us through the Panama Canal became so
nervous when he discovered what we were carrying, he had to
be taken off the ship and replaced. Fifty -six days later, with no
aerial cover and no escort, we arrived at Bougainville and then
Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
"We were present for the invasion of the Philippines,
where we were bombed by the Japanese planes. Fortunately
they missed each time. At Manila Bay you could see masts and
smokestacks sticking up all overthe place from the ships that had
been sunk. Manila was the second city I saw that had also been
laid down and destroyed by war.
"A fellow crew member had a brother captured at Clark field
when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. I went ashore with
him to see if anyone had any information on him. Bodies were
everywhere, as wasthe stench. It is a smell I will neverforget.The
headquarters that MacArthur had set up had no record or idea
about his brothers status. On our way back to our ship, by pure
luck, we located his brother. I was a witness to their reunion, an
event I will never forget.
"After we unloaded, we headed home and back to my family
in Texas. The bombs were dropped on Japan while I was home
and the war ended. I didn't have to go back to the war, but I did
go back to sea for the rest of my career, some 44 years."
The total of Merchant Marines lost during World War II
is estimated to be 9,300 men on 1,554 ships. During 1942, an
average of 33 Allied ships were sunk each week. But not until
1988 did President Reagan sign legislation making the Merchant
Marines of World War II eligible for Veterans' Administration
benefits. Ernest Bradley has been a member ofthe VFW and the
American Legion since that date.
Ernest Bradley's name is found on the Brazos Valley
Veterans Memorial. If you want to have a name added to
the Veterans Memorial, for more information, to make a
contribution, or if you know a World War 11 veteran whose
story needs to be told, contact the BVVM at www.bvvm.org or
Bill Youngkin at (979) 260 -7030.
The Eagle
See more stories of Brazos Valley veterans on 7 101,
"Veterans of the Valley", with host Tom Turbiville, 4
on KAMU -TV each Saturday t 6:30 m and Sunda at 5:30 m. 07_A .1
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Y P Y P Ch.- 115/1.
whn carved our cnuntry during World War II