Fifteen years ago, John Bradley, a retired naval aviator and World War II veteran, told me, “I’m afraid to slow down for fear the engine will stop.” » Last month, John celebrated his 100th birthday.
He joined the Navy in 1942 under the V-5 Aviation Cadet program. In October 1944, he obtained his wings and was assigned to anti-submarine warfare. On May 5, 1945, just three days before the war in Europe officially ended, he and his radio conducted a training flight from Quonset. To their surprise, they spotted a German submarine just off Montauk Point and headed toward Block Island.
Bradley told me: “Hitler had committed suicide a few days before and Admiral Doenitz had sent a worldwide message telling all submarines to surface and head for the nearest port. We didn’t know that…”
Apparently neither did the commander of the German submarine, later identified as U-853.
“What were we supposed to do?” Bradley asked later. “We were unarmed, so we continued toward Quonset, flying just above the waves hoping the submarine wouldn’t see us.” They presented themselves to a skeptical dogfight information officer, who questioned them for three hours about their sighting. “They finally told us our information had been passed to Cruiser/Destroyer Force headquarters in Newport.”
Unfortunately, the report was not followed up quickly, if at all.
Bradley returned home to Hartford and attended a ball at the Knights of Columbus Hall. “At intermission, I went out for a breath of fresh air when newsboys came out of the Hartford Times building shouting ‘Extra!’ Additional! A German submarine sinks a coal ship Black Point off the coast of Point Judith, RI.
Bradley was stunned. He had reported the location of the submarine seven hours before the sinking. Twelve lives were lost and U853 was sunk shortly afterwards.
Bradley remained in the Navy after the war, retiring as a lieutenant commander in 1963 with 21 years of service. He spends summers in Narragansett and lives in Florida the rest of the year.
Links to free meals, discounts and deals
Veterans Day: The VA website has posted a list of discounts, meals or other ways businesses and organizations want to honor veterans. Access the list at: https://news.va.gov/109711/veterans-day-discounts-free-meals/
Another useful link is: www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-are-the-best-2023-veterans-day-discounts
Free breakfast and coffee at the VA Medical Center on Veterans Day: Veterans can receive free breakfast and coffee at most VA medical centers on November 9 through the Veterans Affairs Canteen Service. Check out the deals and offers on https://news.va.gov/125509/canteen-service-free-breakfast-veterans-day
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The series of public forums at the Wakefield WWII Museum begins on November 14: The Wakefield World War II Foundation has announced The War and Peace project, a series of five free public forums created in collaboration with local writer and storyteller Marc Levitt. The first broadcast, “The Oppenheimer Bomb,” will take place on Tuesday, November 14. The following Tuesday, November 21, the theme will be “Women at War”.
Three other programs, including one for high school students, are planned for January. All events take place at the International WWII Museum, 344 Main Street, Wakefield. Doors open at 6 p.m.; the forum starts at 6:30 p.m. Guests are welcome to tour the museum and light refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact Sheila Gray at (401) 862-3030 or by email [email protected]. Participation is free but registration is required. wwiifoundation.org/events.
Calendar
Tuesday, November 7, 4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.: The Warwick Library hosts a reception for a veteran art exhibit, 600 Sandy Lane. Free entry. The continuing exhibition runs until November 27. Hours: Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday to Wednesday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The library telephone number is (401) 739-5440.
Thursday, November 9, 7 p.m.: Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 21, meeting, Dillon Council of the Knights of Columbus, 1675 Douglas Avenue, North Providence. Please contact Commander Jim Pascetta at (401) 447-7286 with any questions.
Friday, November 10, 11 a.m.: URI Veterans Day Ceremony, Hope Room at the Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center, 45 Upper College Road, Kingston. The URI Center for Military and Veteran Education (CMVE) and the Student Veterans Organization invite all to participate. Refreshments will follow a brief lecture program. Parking is available in the lot directly behind the Visitor Center.
More than 300 URI faculty and staff members are affiliated with the military, and nearly 200 children of veterans are URI students, according to center director Bob Flynn. The Student Veterans Organization will collect non-perishable food items on behalf of Operation Stand Down Rhode Island. For more information, contact the Center for Military and Veteran Education at (401) 874-5213 or https://web.uri.edu/veterans/contact/
Saturday November 11: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., free haircuts for veterans at Amy’s Barbershop, 1086 Willett Ave., Riverside. Susan Pereira Buckley writes: “I have been cutting hair for 26 years and will offer free haircuts to anyone who has served…I think this is a very important day and deserves to be recognized…my husband, his father and son all served. in the army.” No appointment will be taken. First come, first served, but Susan promises to stay as late as necessary to get everyone a haircut. Its number is (401) 678-8215 or (401) 527-1730.
9:30 a.m., 10th Annual 5K Run/Walk at Park View Middle School. Start at the school, 25 Park View Blvd., Cranston. The route takes place around Roger Williams Park. Contact Garrett McWeeney at [email protected].
Breakfast at 10 a.m., shotgun start at 11 a.m., Veterans Day golf tournament. The Gloucester Country Club event is free to veterans and current military members, and is co-sponsored by the Marine Corps League. The nine-hole course will feature a brief ceremony honoring all veterans before teeing off. Veterans and active duty military personnel will receive free carts, continental breakfast, dinner drinks and a sweatshirt in addition to waived admission fees.
Proceeds from a raffle will benefit Wreaths Across America 2023 sponsored by Ponagansett High School. The event is limited to 64 veteran and active duty military golfers. To register or to sponsor a veteran for $50, please contact Vincent LaFazia at (401) 233-2564 or by email. [email protected].
9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., the Rhode Island Model Rocketry Association invites all vEterans and military personnel on duty to participate in a rocket launch at the URI Peckham Agricultural Field in West Kingston. Rockets are provided for veterans, or you can bring a rocket you built yourself. Simply show your veteran or military ID card. Veterans will have access to low consumption pads (AD motors). To access the mid and high power pads, veterans will need to be members of the NAR (www.nar.org/join-nar/). To register, email Lucy DiMase at [email protected]. The general public can attend the launch free of charge.
