Page 40 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2021- Online Magazine
P. 40
Donald Seale Korean War "Jarhead"
by Larry Williams
Don grew up “I was assigned (in the Spring of
during the 1951) to the Seagoing Marines
Depression and as a 40mm gunner on the U.S.S.
attended school in Bon Homme Richard (CV-31).
Centerville, Texas; There were 75 of us in my unit
he lived with one and 2000 sailors onboard. We left
of his sisters in from Bremerton, Washington,
Houston for a where we had spent two days
year and attended loading ammunition, bombs, and
San Jacinto High rockets. We sailed back to San
School there. “I Diego, where we loaded supplies
worked for a and provisions. We trained there
dental laboratory for a couple of days and took
and made on planes, bombers, and Marine
deliveries on my and Navy pilots. We headed out
bicycle,” Don to sea on May 10 and stopped at
added. Pearl Harbor. Each of us received
a one-day leave. We sailed to
Seale moved back Sasebo, Japan and had to drop
to Centerville anchor in the harbor as there was
and finished up no dock there.” The Bon Homme
high school. He Richard joined Task Force 77
somehow found (TF-77) on May 29 off Korea and
time to “play launched the first air strikes of
basketball and Carrier Air Group 102 (CVG-102).
baseball and
even drive the As Don recalled, “We had
school bus, and numerous planes on the ship,
ike Seale said, “My I didn’t even including F4Us and AD4s and
dad didn’t talk about have a driver’s license!” After F9F Panthers (jets).” These planes
Mthe war when I was graduation, Don enlisted in the launched numerous sorties over
growing up. He only started U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in Korea, attacking military targets,
telling me a little bit about it in 1948. He “was inspired by an bridges, trains, supply dumps,
the last couple of years.” Many older friend who had joined the and close air support missions.
families across the country can Marines at the end of WWII and “This was the beginning of the jet
relate to this statement. Donald was killed on Guadalcanal.” age. The F9F Panthers couldn’t
Ray Seale did his duty, came During that time, he worked take off on their own like the
home, put the war behind him, at a funeral home, “picking up prop planes, so they had to be
and moved on with his life. He the deceased”. The Korean War catapulted off. We lost several
was born at home on December broke out in June 1950, and Don men on take-offs and landings.
12, 1930, near Jewett, Texas. was called up for duty. “Mom Some were rescued by helicopter,
He was the youngest of eight and Dad were stern. I learned but some were not – they didn’t
children born to Fletcher and discipline and respect from them, make it. Every day we would
Delma Seale. His dad worked for which translated well when I pull up anchor and move to get
Magnolia Pipeline (which would went into the Marines.” His basic up enough speed to launch our
later become ExxonMobil), and training and gunnery school was airplanes. I was on the 40mm
his mom was a homemaker. held at Camp Pendleton near San guns and had a three-inch gun
Diego, California. right behind me. It was sure loud
40 Lubbock Senior Link
