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| I was 19 years old and
unmarried when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Just before that date, I
had been working for National Cash Register Company in Rochester, Minnesota. But on that
day, some friends and I were riding around in a car in Dubuque, Iowa. The car radio was
not working, so we got the news from a notice on a chalk board propped up in the window of
a newspaper office. Like so many other Americans, I decided right away that I should enlist in the armed forces. It was how I could retaliate in a personal way for the Japanese attack. My parents did not want me to join the Marines. So, since I enjoyed being on the water and did not want to slog through mud as an infantry soldier had to do, I chose to enlist in the Navy. My orders came to report to Des Moines, Iowa, without any civilian gear except a shaving kit and the clothes I was wearing. I expected to be sent to Great Lakes Training Station for boot camp, but instead went by train to San Diego. The trip took five long days. My fellow recruits and I were tired and disheveled by the time we were loaded onto trucks waiting at the San Diego train station for the ride to our barracks. After boot camp, one third of the new sailors were assigned to some specialized Navy school, and two thirds were assigned directly to the fleet. I wanted to train to be a Navy pilot, but that request was denied. So I asked to be enrolled in a five-week course at the West Coast Sound School in San Diego. Upon finishing that course, I joined the crew of a destroyer, the USS Abner Read, as a sonar technician.
When the repairs were completed, I went to sea again on the same ship, now working in the ship’s office. My job was keeping personnel records and typing up the permanent ship’s log.
During battle, men certainly experience a certain amount of fear. But they had been trained to do their duty regardless of fear. I cannot speak of any specific personal fear, but I do remember that I prayed for the safety of my shipmates and that I would do what the Navy expected of me. I felt certain that I would come through okay.
The happiest times I had while in the Navy were V-E (the German surrender) night and V-J (the Japanese surrender) night. I was in San Francisco on V-J night. There were great celebrations all over town – it was great to be part of the excitement. We had never doubted that the Allies would be victorious. There had been a few mistakes along the road to victory. I have always felt that it was wrong for our government to force citizens of Japanese descent to live in internment camps. I also have the idea that I should have been promoted to the rank of admiral (laughs). The effects of naval service upon my life have been many and are very important to me. First, I am glad that my parents were proud of me for serving my country. It was the right thing to do, a part of being a good citizen. I know how lucky I am to have survived the dangers of combat when so many others did not. I made good friends while in the Navy, and my wife and I have enjoyed the reunions we've attended with my former shipmates. Was the war worth the price? I'll just say that the answer depends on whom you ask, but it seems obvious to me that during World War Two people believed in what they were doing -- helping our nation remain strong and free. Permission granted for use by John Barker © 2001
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Copyright © 2001 Nieman Enhanced Learning Center
John
(Jack) Barker
The USS Abner Read was a
brand new ship. Its "shakedown" cruise was to the Aleutian Islands; its mission
was to escort troop ships which were going to Attu. While cruising in Alaskan waters, the
ship hit a mine which blew up the crew’s living quarters. There were 71 casualties.
The ship had to go to Bremerton, Washington, for repairs. 
The USS Abner Read sailed to the South Pacific, and was sunk on
November 1, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf by a Japanese kamikaze (suicide) pilot.
The attack blew up ammunition magazines stored amidships. The order to abandon ship came
in just 35 minutes after the attack. I was lucky to be picked up by a small boat from a
nearby ship. 
When the war was over, a recruiting officer was on each
ship to encourage men to stay in the Navy or join the Naval Reserves. I did not want to be
in the regular Navy because it was not democratic enough. Actually, I realized that it
could not realistically be democratic. At that time, I did not even want to be committed
to the Reserves. However, after about a year of separation from the service I decided to
join the Reserves, mostly because I missed the camaraderie experienced while on active
duty.