VJ Day
By Mark J. Lucas |
|
Veteran Richard Carney
Photo: Christopher Atwood
August 14th will mark the 64th anniversary of Victory in Japan Day, essentially the end of World War II. Seaman Richard Carney was aboard the USS Buckingham, a troop transport ship. Now 82, he provided us with this recollection of the event:
"We were on our way home with a load of troops, and we got to San Francisco Bay. We couldn't get in, because they were celebrating up and down every street, so we had to wait until all that was over before we could get into a pier to unload. They were raisin' hell...I was on a troop transport ship. When we'd pick up the troops to take them back [to Pearl Harbor] they'd take over - they were so glad to get back off the island, aboard ship, and get a good meal, that they did everything. They'd clean up the ship, cook the food. They were just happy...The Magic Carpet, they called it."
We at 614 Magazine salute Richard Carney for his service to our country during WWII.
Originally Published: August 1, 2009
