American Valor Quarterly Issue 11 - Fall 2014 | Page 30

burned to death. That was a
very tough island.

BOB FELLER HORSES AROUND
WITH FELLOW SAILORS AFTER
RECEIVING HIS DISCHARGE
FROM THE NAVY IN AUGUST,
1945. FOR HIS SERVICE AS
A GUN CAPTAIN ON THE
USS ALABAMA, FELLER
WAS DECORATED WITH SIX
CAMPAIGN RIBBONS AND
EIGHT BATTLE STARS WHILE
SEEING ACTION IN BOTH
THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC
THEATERS OF WAR.

because if we didn’t, we might never
get another shot. That scared the hell
out of us, and understandably so. I
want to say one thing—I am no hero.
We have a lot of heroes. I am not one
of them. Heroes seldom return from
wars. Heroes are the ones in cemeteries
all around the world. Those are the
heroes. We are reminded that life
is not always fair. I say this for you
young people. Do not waste your time.
Learn history, as it is always going to
repeat itself. What you do with the
time that the Supreme Being has given
you on this earth—that is your legacy.
Remember that.
So let’s get back to our tour of duty
in the Pacific. We took Kwajalein and
Eniwetok. Then there was Tarawa,
where we lost upwards of 4,000 men.
Tarawa was a lot like Iwo Jima, with the
tunnels and the caves. Our men had
to go in there with flamethrowers, and
those who would not surrender were
30

We participated in the
assault on Truk with the
Bunker Hill task group in
February of 1944, causing
heavy damage to enemy
shipping concentrated there.
After the battle, I remember
going ashore and finding all
kinds of enemy ammunition
ships scattered along the
beaches. We picked up
some of the ammunition to get a good
look at it. Made by Remington, the
oldest gunmaker in the United States. I
couldn’t believe it. Of course, they had
been storing it for years.
After leaving Truk, we steamed to the
Marianas to assist in attacks on Tinian,
Saipan, and Guam. I am sure many of
you have heard of the “Great Marianas
Turkey Shoot.”
The Japanese navy
had planned on
knocking us out
using their fleet
along with their
land-based planes.
Well, they had
a little problem.
When the Japanese
got back to where
their carriers were
supposed to be,
there were only
holes in the water.
Three of them had
been sunk, and all
of them had been
damaged. Meanwhile, our fleet Task
Force 58 shot down 474 enemy planes.
Out of their entire force, only 35 planes
remained operational after the battle.
That was the end of the Japanese naval
air force.
The Alabama went on to fight in
the Carolines, and later the invasion
of Luzon. I was rotated back to the
States in early 1945, but the Alabama
would return to action in the Ryukyus,
then on to assist in the attacks on the
Japanese home islands. The ship was

decommissioned in 1947, and years later
transferred to her permanent home in
Mobile Bay.
Again, all you veterans and all you
young people, I am very glad to see you
here. It is imperative that these future
generations be exposed to our history,
so that they can be ready when they are
called upon. When your schoolteacher,
or anybody, asks what is the most
important event that has happened in
the last century, you know that it is no
contest—it is that we won World War
II.
Bob Feller passed away on December 15,
2010. He was universally respected as a pitcher
- with contemporaries like Ted Williams and
Stan Musial calling him the best of their era.
Still, he was perhaps even more respected among
his peers for his military service during World
War II.
AVQ

A BASEBALL LEGEND AND
U.S. NAVY HERO, BOB FELLER
SIGNS BASEBALLS FOR NAVAL
ACADEMY MIDSHIPMEN
AS PART OF THE AMERICAN
VETERANS CENTER &
WORLD WAR II VETERANS
COMMITTEE’S NATIONAL
YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
AT THE ANNUAL VETERANS
CONFERENCE IN 2008.

AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY