RALEIGH, Nc.- Lieutenant Commander Allison Moon, the executive officer of Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Raleigh and a native of Bradenton, Florida, spoke at the 100th birthday celebration for Warren “Shep” Shepard, a WWII Navy Veteran, Aug 14.
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| Photo by Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Kourtney Holloway |
The event occurred at the Wilson Country Club in Wilson, North Carolina. Moon was accompanied by NOSC sailors, Petty Officer 1st Class Celina Renteria, a native of Guanajuato, Mexico and Petty Officer 1st Class Kourtney Holloway, a native of Flint, Michigan. Renteria and Holloway presented a “Happy Birthday” video recorded by NOSC sailors to Mr. Shepard and the guests.
The Shepard family reached out to the Governor’s office for Navy sailors to attend the party in 2020 but. due to COVID-19, the original date was canceled. However, the NOSC staff came together to create and record a special birthday message for Shepard. This year the family, once again, invited NOSC staff and Moon to speak at a celebration for Shepard.
Shepard was a Navy second class quartermaster serving onboard the USS Riddle (DE-185), a cannon-class destroyer escort, during WWII. Shepard said that upon graduating high school (early 1941) his brother-in-law told him it was no use going to college because the war clouds were hovering, and he would not have time to finish; the U.S. had not yet entered the war. Instead, Shepard went to work for the Newport News Shipyard, in a high-demand job furnishing materials for Great Britain who was already at war with Germany and had been since September of 1939.
Shepard joined the Navy in May of 1943 at 22 years old. This was an age Shepard stated as being "a little bit old" after having spent two years working in the shipyard. Striking as a quartermaster, Shepard refers to the rate as a jack of all trades. He learned ship formations, Morse code, nautical flag meanings, course charts and how to shoot the stars.
On Apr. 12, 1945, while he stood quartermaster of the Watch, Shepard said he saw three Japanese kamikazes dive towards the ship. Two were struck down. One hit the right side of the ship’s stern and a
five-hundred pound bomb went through the main deck, stripped the depth chargers on the right-side
aft steering station and exploded as it hit the outside of the hull.
“They sent us over to the repair ship,” said Shepard. “We stayed over about six hours, and they put a sheet of metal over that hole then sent us back out. That was at Okinawa.”
Renteria asked Shepard if he would join the Navy and go through that war experience all over again.
“Well, yeah, I think the situation then is a lot different than what it is now, I mean everybody was anxious to go,” said Shepard. “There was no hesitation. When they said you can get a deferment, I didn’t particularly want a deferment, but they said you’re more valuable in the shipyard than you are in the services right now. But yeah, I would do it again the whole world came together.”
Moon said the invitation from the Shepard family was an honor for the sailors of NOSC Raleigh.
“Quartermaster 2nd Class Shepard joined the Navy in an era of great uncertainty,” said Moon. “With the U.S. Navy facing formidable enemies far from home, I can only hope that we meet the coming trials with the grace, endurance and fighting spirit shown by Mr. Shepard and the greatest generation.”