Page 30 - Lubbock Senior Link Magazine Fall 2019- Online Magazine

Sam Parham WWII Aboard the

USS Vega

by Larry A. Williams
Veterans Liasion Co-Chair
Texas South Plains Honor Flight

him I didn’t do strapped into our canvas bunk
it, and I wasn’t beds and had to eat on the floor
going to take of the ship, tied down. We were
a whipping wore out after that.”
for it. After a
confrontation Sam remembered a close call
with the going into Dutch Island. “We
teacher, I went were going through the Inland
home and told Passage. I was on the back of
my dad that I the ship and looked off to my
was not going left when I saw the wake of two
back to that torpedoes coming right towards
school!” That me. I looked over the rail and
was the end of one went right under me. It just
Sam’s formal missed us. I wouldn’t be here to
education, so tell this story if that would have
he stayed home hit.” The Vega safely delivered
am Parham chose to enlist in and worked on much-needed supplies and
ammunition but was constantly
the Navy because “My foot the farm until his enlistment.
Swas broke, and the Army Sam completed basic training in strafed by Japanese planes. “We
could hear them coming but
didn’t want me.” The date was San Diego, was sent to Bremerton, couldn’t see them behind the
July 8, 1942. The war in the Pacific Washington and assigned as a hills. They came in strafing us,
had been raging since December seaman on the USS Vega AK-17. but I had no gun to fire back; all
8, 1941, right after the attack on Six months earlier, the Vega, a I could do was stand there and
Pearl Harbor. The war had been cargo ship, had been unloading watch the bombs come whistling
going poorly for the United States ammunition at Pearl Harbor the in. That’s something you don’t
until the Battle of Midway in June morning of December 7, 1941 forget after 70 some years. I
of 1942, a battle which helped when the Japanese struck. The still have nightmares about that
turn the tide in America’s favor. crew opened fire with anti-aircraft sometimes.” Dutch Harbor was
Sam found himself in the heat of guns but continued unloading. bombarded by a Japanese strike
battle several times during the The Japanese planes were after force just a few days later. The
next three years. His brothers bigger targets and left them alone. Japanese wanted the Aleutians
were also serving their country, Sam and crew headed for the to establish bases from which to
Albert, in the Navy, and Wendell, Aleutian Islands. The Vega spent attack Alaska and the west coast
in the Army.
several months in the Aleutians of the U.S.
Sam Bradley Parham was born carrying construction materials Parham and crew “traveled the
on November 15, 1921 to Crow and ammunition. One delivery Bering Sea, Pacific Ocean and the
and Loise Parham near Vera, was to Dutch Harbor. Sam recalls, Coral Sea 13 times” during his
Texas. Sam went to Cottonwood “We got slammed by a Category 2 time in the Navy. “We unloaded
School until the 7th grade, where typhoon. The wind hit 105 knots. food, supplies and ammunition
he played softball and basketball. The ship rolled. We lost two all over the Pacific.” Parham
One of his buddies “hit a teacher cargo ships within two hours. For saw many sailors killed doing
right in the face with a spit wad, three days, the waves hit us. The their duty. Some were killed by
and the teacher accused me. I told crew didn’t get any rest. We were

30 Lubbock Senior Link