Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] A submariner's eulogy.

[Ray Keefer <psubs2001@yahoo.com>]

Hi Bill,

Sorry to hear about your loss. I am sure he is with
friends now and some day you will be with him again.

My father was a Stateside MP during WWII guarding
prisoners of war. I do not think it really matters
what they did. Men from that era were special. Somehow
confident that they could deal with anything. They had
an "inner
strength" that we can only pooly emulate. 

I suspect passing through the Depression may of helped
them form that character. Or maybe they were
different. 

We will always honor them.

Regards,
Ray

--- Akins <lakins1@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:

> My father Harold L. Akins was a submariner for the
> United States Navy during all of WW2. 
> 
> He was enlisted even before the Pearl Harbor attack.
> 
> His submarine the SS269 Rasher was confirmed as the
> number 2 submarine in tonnage
> 
> sunk in the entire pacific theatre. She was a fleet
> class sub.
> 
> He also served on the Hado and the Trumpetfish subs
> and 
> 
> trained on O and S boats as well. His unit won the
> presidential unit citation 3 times along
> 
> with various other medals and commendations. Once,
> while in Japanese and shark infested
> 
> waters, while on the surface, my father saw another
> crewman fall off the conning tower and hit
> 
> his head against the hull and then bounce off into
> the water. Dad was on the high school swimming
> 
> team before enlisting and was a strong swimmer. He
> jumped in, coffee cup, shoes, uniform and all and
> 
> after several dives under, he finally saw the
> crewmans head just below him and grabbed him by the
> hair
> 
> and brought him up. Although his scalp was peeled
> back and the sub corpsman had to sew his scalp back 
> 
> together, the man lived. Dad received a special
> commendation for his actions that day. I remember
> numerous 
> 
> stories Dad told me of the hair raising experiences
> they had. The down the throat shot seen in the movie
> U571
> 
> where they blew the bow off the German destroyer,
> was based on my father's sub's action against a
> Japanese
> 
> destroyer. They had surfaced to periscope depth and
> the captain was traversing the periscope when
> without marking
> 
> or aiming of any kind he yelled "Fire all stern
> torpedos! Take her down!" By unhappy circumstance
> they had surfaced directly in front of a 
> 
> Japanese destroyer coming straight at their stern.
> The Jap destroyer must have tried to turn (which is
> the hope in a down 
> 
> the throat shot so they will be hit) and while
> underwater they heard the explosions and the captain
> knew they had a successful hit.
> 
> The captain brought her up again to periscope depth
> and saw the bow was gone off the destroyer and she
> was dead in the water without forward motion.
> 
> I asked Dad if she sunk for sure, and he told me
> "Son, we didn't stick around to find out, might have
> been another one close bye".
> 
> Surrounded by his family, Dad passed away last night
> at 3:37 a.m. after a heart attack a day earlier and
> undergoing emergency cardiac surgery. 
> 
> He was 82. He is survived by his wife, myself, my
> sister, 3 grandsons and 1 greatgranddaughter. His
> contribution to the pacific war effort was
> considerable. He was 
> 
> also a fine man and a much better one than I. He
> never had a bad word to say about anyone and he was
> a Christian man also. The entire 
> 
> family is deeply saddened and in mourning over his
> loss, but we know he is in heaven now. A large piece
> of my soul and spirit died with him.
> 
> We will miss him for the rest of our lives. Dad was
> not a flashy man and was actually a very peaceful
> and almost passive personality. You would
> 
> never know what he went thru or what a hero he
> actually was by just meeting him. He had an inner
> strength that did not require bravado or egotism.
> 
> I feel like I am in a nightmare and unreal dream. I
> and the entire family will never fully recover or be
> the same without him. He will be buried with full
> 
> military honors in the veterans cemetary in Bushnell
> Florida on Wed. He was not only a quiet man and a
> true war hero, but a great man
> 
> loved by everyone who knew him and he was a
> submariner's submariner. I know everyone here
> sympathizes with this and it is not necessary
> 
> and I would prefer there to be no replies to this e
> mail. I just wanted to mention his passing to the
> group. He symbolizes the end of an era.
> 
> They don't make them like my Dad anymore.
> 
> Bill Akins.
> 
> 
> 
> 



	
		
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