A window into a different time...

I sat down next to a gentleman today on my plane ride out to San Diego. He was quiet for a moment until I said hello and then we quickly struck up a conversation that I will remember for the rest of my life.

George Unger was born in Black River Falls, WI. He grew up on a dairy farm with three brothers and only completed schooling through the eighth grade. In 1939 he and his friend Bob were sitting on the corner contemplating life and their future plans. The war was heating up across the pond and the two of them decided to enlist and make a difference. They drove to Sparta that afternoon and took physicals to enter the Navy. George passed with flying colors, but Bob had a medical issue that did not allow him to go on. Bob encouraged George to head off and that he would join him later along the way.

George completed basic training and he was transferred to Norfolk and supported battles in North Africa before he was transferred to San Diego to help out in the Pacific theater. He was assigned as the chief mechanic in charge of the crews maintaining the Corsair aircraft on to the USS Bunker Hill Aircraft Carrier (CV-17) a role that he assumed in late 1942 until December 1945. During that period of time he only made it home to Black River Falls once in three years to see his family and that was only for two days. He met his future wife a couple days before he left for sea at a tavern in Coronado and did not see her again until he docked almost two years later.

The Bunker Hill headed off to fight the Japanese front in the Pacific Theater and participated in a number of battles including the battle of Philippine Sea. In 1945 during the battle of Okinawa, George was coming up onto the deck of the ship to clear some planes for takeoff when a Japanese Kamikaze slammed into the side of the boat adjacent from where we was standing. Moments later a second plane slammed into the other side and the ship was engulfed in flames. George was thrown back into the staircase during the impact of the first plane which he feels to this day saved his life. His best friend was standing across the ships deck close to where the second plan hit and George never saw him again. He and the remaining crew members regained their composure and fought like mad to save the ship. The fire was raging and they managed to turn the ship into the wind which ultimately saved the ship, but cost the lives of a number of his crew. The flames and smoke forced many of his crew members toward the back of the ship and many of them jumped off to avoid being burned alive. In doing so most were never found and thought to have drown. All told that day almost 400 Bunker Hill sailors lost their lives. George and his friends managed to save a number of his fellow sailors by cutting a hole in the hull of the boat to open a hole into a flight staging room where some pilots were being briefed for their upcoming mission.

I sat there awestruck as he told me this story. I could sense a strong feeling of pride having triumphed over this impossible challenge and yet a deep sense of sorrow as he painted the picture. Towards the end of the story he glossed over and talked about having to clean up the dead after the fire was put out. I will spare you the details and my only comment after hearing this was "how did you stay sane after experiencing all of this." He looked me in the eye and said "I was just glad to be alive. It was a different time back then...we did what we had to do. You can deal with almost anything if you can walk away knowing one of those guys laying on the deck could have been me."

George went on to Marry his "Coronado Sweetheart" after the war. They had a couple of sons and lived together in San Diego for over 50 years. She unfortunately was killed in a car accident about five years ago. George said he he saw dozens of bodies lying on the deck of the Bunker Hill and from that he thought he knew about death. Nothing seemed so real to him as the moment he looked into his wife's eyes after the accident and knew that she was gone.

I love military history as many of you know, but I got a real lesson in life today that made me appreciate how fortunate we are to live in the time that we do. I can't imaging what it was like to live in those times, but I am glad that we have heroes like George Unger who have given us the opportunity to enjoy all the blessings and freedom we have on this beautiful day...