William P. Garrett US Army Fort Shafter |
I was in the US Army, at Headquarters Hawaiian Department. I was assigned to the 9th Signal Service Company at Fort Shafter. My assignment was in communications. I was assigned for duty in the Post Telephone System. My duties there at that time was as an installer repairman, however, I had held several other assignments there. I had previously spent two years in the 11th Signal Company at Schofield Barracks. On the night of December 6, 1941, I spent the night with friends at the Damon Tract. The morning of December 7, 1941, we were up early and were preparing to spend the day at the beach. Needless to say we never went to the beach. A flight of Japanese planes came over and we knew that we were in trouble. We immediately returned to base where I spent the next week without going to bed. We had to reinstall a switchboard which we had disconnected ready to install a new on which was on the water on its way to Hawaii. After a week, my OIC sent me back to Fort Shafter to prepare to interview operators, which were to replace the soldier operators. I stayed on the assignment for some time as we had to train most of the new operators as only two or three had any experience as operators. When all the operators were trained, I went back into maintenance where I remained until October 1943, when I went on an assignment with the US Navy on the island of Palmyra for six months. When I returned to Hawaii, I was given assignments that were very good until the next assignment. In those periods, I served at Fort DeRussy, Fort Kamehameha, and Fort Armstrong. My last and final trip from Oahu was to Layette Island in the Philippines. From there I returned to the states after over five years in the Pacific. I went on to complete twenty years including three years in Japan, sixteen years civil service, and retired with thirty-six years service. My wife and I now live in a retirement community and are enjoying every day. We have three children, five grand children and six great grand children. |
Information provided by William P. Garrett. |
