Page 64 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2018- Online Magazine

Sam Damron Soda Jerk, Medic and

First-Rate Pharmacist

by Druscilla Hutton

tennis scholarship Sam’s first stop was the little
and majored in island of Manus - palm trees,
pre-med. In the jungle, and natives. Boredom
summer of 1943, took over, and most days were
he felt the call, as spent playing games, writing
many young men letters home and waiting for the
of his age, and mail to come. All that changed
enlisted in the on the morning of November
Navy. He went 10, 1944. Sam was on leave
through basic sitting with a friend on a small
training in San hill overlooking the harbor. The
Diego, California harbor was full of activity that
and was given a morning, with large transport
choice of places ships, mine sweepers, repair
to be assigned. boats, cargo ships and one very
Corpus Christi was large ammunition ship, the USS
closest to home, Mt. Hood. The Mt. Hood, by
so he asked for Navy regulations, was parked
and received his illegally, too close to other ships.
assignment there.
His commanding All of a sudden, a large swishing
officer knew he noise and fire leapt from the
had worked in smokestack. Immediately, two
the soda fountain large explosions tore the Mt.
in his father’s Hood apart. Fire, smoke, steam
drugstore, so he and parts of the ship rose 7,000
asked him if he feet into the sky. Neighboring
wanted to “jerk” vessels were either destroyed
am Damron was born sodas for the or damaged severely. That
October 27,1924, in remainder of his time in the morning, about twenty men from
SComanche, Oklahoma to Joe service. Sam told the officer that the Mt. Hood had left the ship
and Robbie Damron. The next wasn’t the reason he joined the for various reasons; they were
year, they moved to Amarillo and service, and soon after, he was on the only survivors. No remains
then six years later to Muleshoe, his way to the South Pacific. were ever found of the 249 men
where his father left aboard. Many others died
worked as a as well on nearby ships; others
pharmacist. He were injured in varying degrees.
graduated from Observing the blast, Sam was
Muleshoe High knocked to the ground. As a
School in 1942, medic, he immediately knew he
where he’d was in for a long day, twenty
participated hours on and four hours off for
in all sports, days as he tended the wounded
excelling in and dying. This horrific
basketball and tragedy led to safer protocol for
tennis. He ammunition ships in harbors.
entered Baylor After a time, Sam was moved
University to a hospital based in Papua,
in the fall of New Guinea. His time there
1942, on a was uneventful, except for a

64 Lubbock Senior Link