HEARING  OUR  VOICES

Robert R. Tuck: World War II technician

• World War II veteran

• Occupation:

  • Newspaper courier

  • Radio controller

  • Aviation/Electrical engineer

  • Model train enthusiast

• Graduated University High School (6/29/1943) and reported for duty at Washburn Municipal University (7/1/1943)

• Joined Combat Aviation Service Unit F-11 (5/2/1945)

• Arrived at Pearl Harbor in July 1945 ---> Joined convoy of ~30 ships and left for Marshall Islands

• Arrived at Okinawa in August 4, 1945 at ~2 AM ---> Bunked 6 high in the compartment below the Well Deck which was below the water line

• Anchored in Buckner Bay on August 5, 1945 ---> Anchored at White Beach, Buckner Bay, Okinawa ---> Arrived at a sugarcane field

• Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing: saw 3 Japanese twin engine “Betty” bombers hit some of the ships in the bay, which flew over the Air Stirp

• Worked at Quonset Hut on the North side of the new Operational Yonabaru Naval Air Strip

• Spent the rest of the time at Okinawa until the Honorable Discharges

  • Explored lower parts of Okinawa ---> walked to the tops of small mountains and passed the destroyed town of “Shuri”

  • Discovered an unharmed, beautiful tile temple, which became “The Teahouse of the August Moon” during the Korean War

  • Explored the Port City of “Naha,” which was being used as a major seaport of delivery of supplies

• Survived a severe typhoon while at the islands

  • Made his way to Navy B-24 with 2 gasoline trucks

• Accumulated enough points to leave (months of service + double point for month overseas) ---> discharged on April of 1946

• Returned to parent’s house in West Los Angeles ---> used the GI Bill to enroll into UCLA

• Married on June of 1947 and bought first house in 1949 in Mar Vista

• Started a career with Southern California Edison on October of 1947 at the Santa Monica Service Center

  • Spent 34 years with SCE

• Bought and moved in current Torrance townhouse on March 13, 1986