Veteran shares story of World War II service in the Navy "Seabees"

A treasured experience

Local resident Kenneth Gill's military service during World War II may lack some of the combat excitement experienced by many of his fellow veterans, but it remains a treasure of memories he would not sell for any price.

Recalling memories, which are now more than 70 years in the past, Gill, 87, Jefferson City, explains that a combination of injuries and the threat of the draft led to a delay in his high school graduation.

"I was attending Simonsen when I fell down the steps and injured my back," said Gill. "I laid in traction for eight months and missed most of the (1942-43) school year."

The young student returned to school the following year, but soon began to worry that he would be drafted into the Marine Corps or Army, as had many of his friends.

In April 1945, he made the decision to enlist in the Navy and entered active duty service the following summer, thus granting him the opportunity to finish his junior year of high school.

Gill first traveled to Great Lakes, Illinois to complete his boot camp, and where he also made the decision to become a "Seabee" (derived from the initials "CB," which denotes construction battalion). The Seabees were a group of sailors possessing both construction knowledge and fighting ability.

From there, he was sent to Camp Endicott in Providence, Rhode Island for his Seabee training and was often required to perform tasks he believed to be unrelated to his military occupation.

"We spent most of our time marching," he laughed. "I could never understand why. That was about all that we did and somehow they called that training."

Though the war in Europe had ended by the time Gill entered the service, he was still in training when the Japanese surrendered, which incited much celebration among the trainees.

"The camp just exploded," he said, raising his hands for effect. "They gave us all liberty and you've never seen such goings-on all over Providence that night."

Grinning, he added: "I thought for sure I would be going to the Pacific (to fight), but - boy! - was I ever so glad that the war was finally over with."

Yet an end to the war did not mean termination of the sailor's service, and Gill was soon on his way to Japan where he spent several months attached to the 31st Seabees Battalion performing carpentry work while building a chow hall for the Marine Corps.

Despite the official surrender documents already signed, Gill and others he served with overseas were concerned for their safety and uncertain whether residents of their host nation were still contemplating some type of retaliation.

"One time," he said, "we got word that a bunch of former Japanese soldiers were planning a raid against our base, so many of the guys I worked with were issued rifles. Fortunately, the threat never materialized."

Gill's overseas assignment ended in May 1946 when he was reassigned to the airfield in St. Louis (which later became Lambert-St. Louis International Airport) and finished out his enlistment in August the same year.

He then returned to Jefferson City to finish an objective that had been delayed by his enlistment in the military.

"I loved the Navy ... I really liked being in the service and wanted to make a career of it," Gill said. "But more importantly, I wanted to get my high school diploma," he added.

In 1947, he earned his diploma and the same year he met Marian - the woman whom he would marry two years later and who has now been by his side for more than six decades.

The veteran went on to enjoy a four-decade career in the energy industry, retiring from Ameren in 1989. As he continues to enjoy his retirement in the company of his wife, Gill asserts that despite the brevity of his service and having missed direct combat, he views his naval experience as a personal treasure.

"Like I've told everyone, I've been border to border, coast to coast and two-thirds the way around the world," he chuckled.

"And I can say that I wouldn't take a million dollars for the experiences I had (in the Navy), but I wouldn't give a nickel to do it again!"

Jeremy P. Ämick writes on behalf of the Silver Star Families of America.