Greg Jordan: A tangible link to one of the pivotal moments in American history
Mar. 23—Years ago I had the privilege of going aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia, one of the Navy's ballistic missile submarines.
I was among visitors who got to witness a missile launching drill, eat some amazingly good food that the crew gets every day and look at incredible technology that Hollywood consistently gets wrong in their movies.
One item that still sticks in my memory was a surprising bit of technology that wasn't part of a nuclear submarine.
It was a large brass wheel that looked like it belonged in a factory or on a steam engine. There was not one bit of tarnish on it.
The brass gleamed like the gold of a holy relic on a church altar. I read a placard next to it and immediately learned why this item was held in such high regard.
It was off the battleship U.S.S. West Virginia, one of the Navy ships that was sunk or damaged on Dec. 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and brought the United States into World War II. More than 100 members of her crew perished.
The bodies of 66 of them were found when the battleship was raised.
They had managed to survive in air pockets and kept a calendar until Dec. 23.
The battleship was salvaged, modernized and later fought the Japanese.
She fought against the Japanese Imperial Navy at the Battle of Surigao Strait, the last time in history that battleships fought each other with their big guns.
Using her 16-inch guns, the West Virginia helped stop the Japanese attack.
Perhaps the battleship West Virginia's greatest triumph took place on Sept. 2, 1945. She was among the Navy ships in Tokyo Bay when the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Japan.
I never thought I'd see another relic from the battleship West Virginia, but I was wrong.
Another part of that esteemed ship appeared again when a relic was loaned to the Those Who Served War Museum in Princeton.
Housed in the Memorial Building near the Mercer County Courthouse, the war museum has uniforms, weapons, war souvenirs and many other connections to America's past.
There's a bit a barbed wire from a POW (prisoner of war) camp in Germany where American air crews were held. You can see uniforms worn by men and women who served overseas during World War II and other wars. I could go on and on.
Tony Whitlow, the museum's director and founder, told us how the Kendrick family loaned the museum a life preserver from the U.S.S. West Virginia.
It will be at the museum until the end of June, and then it will be displayed at West Virginia University in Morgantown.
The life preserver, made of foam covered with treated canvas, bears the words "U.S.S. West Virginia. 1st Fire and Rescue Div."
It was found floating in Pearl Harbor a few days after the Japanese attack.
Not everybody can go aboard the submarine West Virginia to see a relic from the battleship, but Mercer County residents and people across the region can come to the war museum and see this tangible link with one of the pivotal moments in American history. That life preserver is literally something you don't see every day.
There are plenty of other relics on display as well, and there is a memorial room near the museum where the Mercer County residents who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country during the Vietnam War, World War II, the Korean War, World War I and other wars are honored.
I plan to stop at the museum again and see the life preserver before it moves on to Morgantown.
Seeing this piece of history in a local setting is a rare opportunity, and it's an opportunity that should not be missed.
The Those Who Served War Museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
