One of the saddest days of my life

San Francisco was crowded that August of 1945 as preparation were underway for  the invasion of  Japan. Some of the troops had come from Germany and were expecting leaves instead of further action. The crew of the USS Pickens  felt they rated some days at home after almost a year in the South Pacific.

We learned that some leaves would be granted, some for 12 days and others for 6 days.  I badly wanted a leave of some duration.  I had never  been granted a leave and had not seen my family since joining the navy. I did not receive a boot camp leave because I was selected to go to radar school . I did not get a leave after school was over; instead I went to the hospital.  I did not get a leave then because I insisted on being restored to active duty.

I was told I had a six-day leave but would not be allowed to take it because my home was too far from California. When my  arguments did not prevail and I was not given leave it was one of the saddest days of my life.

(The dropping  of the atom bomb on Japan August 6 would change the world  but did not mean much to us at that time.  We were still fully expecting the invasion would go on as planned. It took the second bomb and the knowledge of what that weapon could do that finally convinced Japanese leaders to surrender.)