PAGE 4 - The Manning Exchange, November 21, 2016
2014 Atomic Bomb Dome “Genbaku Dōmu” which partially sur-vived the bomb in Hiroshima in 1941
InMarchof1944,ClarencereceivedhisfirstleavehomeinfiveyearsandwasabletogobacktoGreenfieldfor30days.WhileintheGreenfieldcafehemetawaitress,LeathaEstell,whohewouldeventuallymarry. HehadreceiveddelayedordersandthenwentontoSanDi-egowherehewasassignedtotheLCI(LandingCraftInfantry).AnLCIshiphad twoenginesandwasaround100 feet longwith a complement of 65men. The Lieutenant CommanderaskedClarenceifhewantedtojoinhimandeventuallybeas-signedtoanewlybuiltLCS(LandingCraftSupport)ship.SotheyleftSanDiegoandheadedtoSolomons,Maryland,wheretheycontinuedtheirtraining. AfterthistrainingperiodClarencewasassignedtotheLST120.The120andtheotherLCSshipswerebuiltinBainbridge,Maryland. FromBainbridge,the120andsevenotherLCSshipstrav-eled to Newport, Virginia, down to KeyWest, Florida, andthroughthePanamaCanal.Clarencerecallsthatfouroftheirshipswentthrougheachlockatonetime.SmallershipswouldguidetheLCSshipsintothelocks.ClarencesteeredtheLST120forover30hoursduringthistrip. FromtheretheysailedoutintothePacificOceanwheretheycrossed the equator. There was a small initiation of “polly-wogs”atthistimeandthentheyheadedupnorthtoSanDiego.FromSanDiego,theyheadedtoPearlHarbor,withtheotherLCSships. FromPearltheyheadedtoOkinawawheretheyassistedwiththeinstallationofradarontheislandandbegantraininginAu-gustfortheInvasionofJapan. OnetimeClarencewasorderedtoretract theanchorwhenagroundswellhit theshipwhichpushed it, and then thean-chorcaughtontheseaflooragainandwastornfromtheone-inchsteelcable.WhenClarencewasaskedhowlongitwouldtaketofixthelineandattachanewanchor,hesaidabout30minutes.Clarencewas instructed to talk toanother shipmateonhow to shortenup the repair time.Losing anchorswas aproblemfromtimetotimewithothershipmatestoo,soaspareanchorwasalwayskeptonboard. Clarencerecallsthatthecableonthewenchwasaround150fathomswhichis900feet.Thiscablecouldalsobeusedtotowships.Invasion of Japan Codenamed“OperationDownfall,”theinvasionwastobe-gininNovemberonthesoutherntipofthemainlandofJapan.The first stage named “OperationOlympic”would begin inNovember1945andthesecondstagenamed“OperationCoro-net”wastobeginduringthespringof1946. “We was training first for landing in the southern part of the main island of Japan, which they estimated it would have been half a million Americans and a million and a half Japanese killed. That was supposed to be the first landing, and then the next one we was going to go right on to Tokyo.” Fortunately forClarenceand thehundredsof thousandsofotherAmericanswhowouldhavefoughtandmanywouldhavedied during this invasion,Hirohito surrendered after theUSdroppedtheatomicbombsonHiroshimaandNagasaki. AftertheJapanesesurrender,ClarencereturnedtoSanDiegoon a troop ship and then to theGreatLakesNavalTrainingCenterwhere hewas discharged inOctober 5, 1945,with afinalrankofChiefBoatswainMate. FromGreatLakesherodehomeonastreamlinerpassengertraintoDesMoinesandthenrodeabusbackhometoGreen-field.WhileatGreatLakes,ClarencewasaskedifhewantedtojointheNavyReserves,buthedeclined.“I’d been regular Navy and I was going to be a regular civilian, or else I would have been in the Korean War too.” Clarencestartedat$21amonth,andwentto36,thento48,then60,then72,then84,andfinally$96amonthwhenhewasdischarged. Clarencefeelsthathavingapositiveattitudehelpedhimsur-vivethewar.Hesignedupand“when you agree to do some-thing you just do it, otherwise you go crazy.” “My doctors tell me the reason why I’m still alive is because of having a good attitude and taking one day at a time.”
In 2011, Clarence attended the 70th anniversary event atPearlHarborforthreedaysandthenwenttoOkinawawherehespentthreemoredays,andlastlythreedaysatHiroshimawherehevisitedtheHiroshimaPeaceMemorialsite. ClarencerecallsoneoftheHiroshimasurvivorswhospoke,andkeptrepeating“thatterribleTrumanbomb.” ClarencewaswithagroupoffiveotherUSVeteranswhoeachhadaninterpreter. ClarencecouldseehowtheJapanesespeakerwasbeingaf-fectedduringtheevent. Then Clarence thought to himself that the atomic bombsdidn’thavetobedroppedifHirohitowouldhavesurrenderedafter theUSbombingofTokyoinMarchof1945where theJapanese civilian death toll was estimated at 100,000 and50,000wounded. Clarencereflected-“we hated that the atomic bombs had to be dropped but were very glad we didn’t have to continue with the Invasion of Japan.”
Back home ClarencemarriedLeathaEstellonMay14,1944,inGreen-fieldbyapreacheratherparent’shome.Leathahadadaughter,JudyRhine,whoClarenceadoptedandthentheywereblessedwithtwodaughters,GloriaMosserandLindaWeston.
Back: Linda, Judith, Gloria; Front Clarence
Clarence & Leatha Thetownbaseball teamswerewell-knownin theareaandClarenceenjoyedparticipatinginthegames.Inthefallof1946theBridgewatertownteambookedagamewithDexter.ThecoachwasFernGipple,andtheplayersontheteamwereSaun-ders as pitcher,ClarencePfundheller,DonMcMorran,LeonBuckner,HarveyGipple,BobShatava,ParisSullivan,LloydBayman, Howard Vorrath, Ralph Vorrath, Jack Pote, DonBrawdyandGlennRaasch. FromOctober1945untilMay1951,Clarencefirstworkedforthecountywhereherepairedroadgradersandhauledfueltotheroadcrewsinwinter. FromMay1951untilJanuary1954heworkedatahardwarestoreinGreenfield. AfterthathespenttenyearsinKent,Iowa,whereheownedand operated a grocery store called LNCGrocery. ClarencewasamemberoftheKentFireDepartment. In 1964 Clarence went to work inAudubon as a districtsalesmanforGooch’sBestFeedthatcoveredsixcounties.Itwas during this time that Clarence became acquainted withBudMcMahon andBud&ThelmaMohr ofManning,whowerealsointheGooch’sfeedbusiness.BudMohrwasasurvi-voroftheD-DayInvasionduringWWII.
Wade “Bud” Mohr Asan interesting side-note:during theyearsClarenceandBud knew each other through the feed business, they neveroncespokeabouttheirWWIIexperiencestoeachother.Budstartedtellinghisstoryintheearly1990sandClarenceintheearly1980s. InAugust1973,ClarencewasemployedasacustodianatBensonWestSchoolinOmahaandheretiredinOctober1983.ThenhereturnedtoGreenfieldtolive. Clarence’swife, Leatha, passed away in 1992. Clarence’sbrotherpassedawayand thenhemarriedhisbrother’swife,MabelJensen,in1993.
Reunions and preserving Clarence’s history Clarencehas26grandchildrenand19great-grandchildrentohelpcarryonhiswonderfulandhistoricallyimportantstory.
Below: the USS Maryland reunion in 2004 in Boston
In 2014, Clarencemoved back toAudubon to live in theFriendshipVillagesapartments.Heenjoyslifeeveryday,in-cludingsharinghismemorieswithanyonewhowilllisten. “Nobody ever asked me and I never told anyone about my experiences at Pearl Harbor, not even my parents, wife, or kids.” “The first time I got thanked for being a veteran was after 9/11/2001.” In1981,ClarenceaskedtheschoolprincipalMissClarkatBensonWest inOmaha if she could order a tape and someslideshesawinaschoolmagazineabouttheattackonPearlHarbor.WhenthePearlHarboritemscamein,Clarenceaskedtheprincipalwhatheowedandshe saidnothing…ThensheaskedClarenceifhewouldtellhisstorytothesixthgradestu-dents…HedidandthiswasthefirsttimeClarenceevertalkedabouthisWWIIexperiences. After that first experience in the classroom, Clarence hastraveledaroundIowaandspokenatdozensofevents.
Clarence & Mabel
Clarence speaking near the Greenfield opera house - wearing his Navy uniform. Larry Riley (Greenfield Legion commander) on the right.
Ray“Bubba”SorensenandClarencefirstbecameacquaint-edseveralyearsagowhileClarencewasvolunteeringat theIowaAviationMuseuminGreenfield.At that time,ClarencecommissionedBubbatopaintacoupleofPearlHarbormuralsforthemuseum. For the past 18 years “Bubba”has beenpainting patrioticscenesandimagesofappreciationtopoliceandfireservicesandhonoringotherprominenthistoricalimageryoftheUSona60-tonboulderjustsouthoftheGreenfieldexit.Earlyin2016,BubbahadplannedtofeatureadepictionoftheUSSPillsburyand their captureof aGerman submarineduringWorldWarII.SometimethereafterwhenBubbaandClarencewerevisit-ing,Clarence remindedBubba that 2016would be the 75thanniversaryofthePearlHarborattack.SoBubbachangedthethemeanddecidedtofeatureClarenceonthesouthsideoftheFreedomRockasashoutouttothefewremainingsurvivorsofthatdayofinfamy.The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor - A date which will live in infamy - we must never forget!
Freedom Rock near Greenfield “I got a call from the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association not long ago telling me I was the only one left in Iowa, but I did know of a gentleman living down by Corning who was a Pearl Harbor survivor. He just never joined the association or talked about that day. I lost contact with him and I don’t know if he is still living”
