The year was 1942. I was living in Ketchikan, AK. at the time, and WWII was in full swing. I made the decision to enlist in the 924th Boat Squadron. We received our training at the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) camp located at Ward Cove, AK. I received additional training aboard the "Chacke," a mail boat running between Ketchikan and Annette Island.

The next stage of training involved several of the enlistees being sent to an Air Force Base located at Gulf Port, Mississippi to receive training in Celestial Navigation. Several months later we were sent to Treasure Island, located near San Francisco Bay, for gunnery training.

We were finally billeted at Steven's Boat Yard, Stockton, CA. where the 104 footers were being built. Our objective here was to become familiar with the construction of the ships. When we took delivery of P-145 I was assigned as the Executive Officer, with the rank of Staff Sergeant.

 We proceeded all the way to Chernofk harbor on Unalaska Island, located just across from Umnak Island. It was from that duty station that the P-145 Proceeded to the B-24D crash site on Herbert Island, located in the Islands of the Four Mountains. CWO Mike Hatton was the Skipper of the P-145 (Mike was a former Bristol Bay Alaska Fisherman when sail was the only legal means of propulsion when fishing that area in the 1930's). Our Chief Engineer Eckly Guerin, and the first Mate Jim Hartley went ashore in a dingy to retrieve the survivors (see "Loss of 42-40080"). Both men received the Soldier's Medal for their efforts. We then returned to base where the survivors and the body of the Pilot, 1st Lt. James H. Jones, was turned over to the Doctors for their checkup.

The P-145 also provided support for outpost missions in the area.

Shortly thereafter part of the crew was sent to Los Angeles, CA ( a Long Beach Shipyard) to man five new 85-foot crash boats and transport them all the way to ATTU. I was fortunate to have been chosen to be the skipper of one of them. I was commissioned WO/JG as Executive Officer on the P-145, and then CWO Skipper on the P-510 when we arrived at ATTU. We were assigned a station off Alexei Point in Massacre Bay, Attu, Aleutian Islands.

At one Point we went through an Air Raid by the Japs but they missed every ship in the harbor. They had lost their touch, not to mention the element of surprise,  since Pearl Harbor.

At one point we were tied up at the dock in Casco Cove when a B-25 crashed on take off. We tried to retrieve any survivors, but none were found. All we found were some body parts. One of our Radio Operators went into shock as a result of this mission and had to be taken to the base hospital. We never saw him again. He was sent to the States for rehabilitation, and is doing fine to date.

According to two rescued crewmen at a recent reunion, the P-510 picked them up off the island after a return flight over the Jap Islands. I do not recall the details but neither do several others now in their late seventies and early 80 's.

Wilbur (Bill) Green