Readers Respond: Experiences at Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan

Lion9

I landed in Yokosuka about oct7, 1945. We were on the SS Sea Devil. We had just gone through a typhoon off the coast of Okinawa. There was already a small marine division and a few sailors on the base. Our home was a Japanese officers barracks for a while but as the base got organized, we found differant barracks. For a while our barracks was the USS Roache, A DE whose fantail was blown off entering the harbor, then a former Japanese Officers Club. After the base was organized, I was attached to the Heavy Duty Garage where we maintained base vehicles.I was sent back to the states in June of 1946 and discharged when the points system caught up with me..After Boot Camp at Great Lakes, I recieved advanced training at SanBruno ,Ca.There we were issued Army Combat gear, including M1 Carbines.. We sailed from Treasure Island and went to San Diago where we picked up more sailors wearing Marine Combat gear and also carrying M1 Carbines.We were the ones who took over the base from the Japs.

—Guest Greenlake