Immediately upon graduation from Vancouver High School in 1943 JLH enlisted in the United States Navy. JLH originally planned on enlisting with the Marines, but when he arrived at the recruiting office on Tenth Street in Portland, Oregon, the office was closed for lunch. Being a young man with little patience he stepped next door into the Navy Recruiting office and that settled that. JLH was enlisted in the Navy during WWII and served on Destroyer USS Preston in the Pacific. His time in the service from age eighteen to twenty-one surely defined him. JLH started ship’s paper and initiated squadron name and drew emblem (Octopus Squadron). Many times during his time on the Destroyer he knew that somehow, somewhere, he had been spared and he never took this lightly as half of the squadron was lost in action. JLH’s thoughts would be with the lost enlisted families as he could only imagine the pain and broken hearts of those left behind from these untimely deaths.
After returning to the States at the end of WWII in 1946, JLH met his late wife, Annabelle “Annie” Hair. Annie and her family were recent arrivals during the war from Missouri to Vancouver. She had moved west with her family for her father to find work with Alcoa, the aluminum manufacturer. After her graduation in 1944, she held several jobs, until she had ended up at the Seattle, Portland, and Spokane Railroad Company working for JLH’s father, Hans. Hans invited Annie to their home to meet JLH. When JLH walked through the living room, he ended up coming back around to lean down and kiss Annie. About six weeks later they were married in August, 1946. JLH and Annie were married for 47 years until her death in 1993.
1943 – Enlisted in the U.S. Navy during WWII; served on Destroyer USS Preston in the Pacific; started ship’s newspaper and initiated squadron name and designed emblem (Octopus Squadron).
1946 – Discharged from the Navy in March.
1946 – Married Annabelle Hair in August.
Leave a Reply