They Gave Their All

On this Memorial Day Weekend, we, as a nation recognize the men and

women that gave their lives in service to this country. They gave their all in order for us to remain and live free. They gave their all so we could continue to enjoy “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. They gave their all so we could go about our lives saying and doing whatever we please.

Somehow, having a day off from work, grilling or BBQ with friends, or perhaps putting a flag on the front porch, just does not appear to be appropriate or enough to thank the men and women that died. What should we do? What is appropriate? Perhaps you do not live near a national cemetery so you cannot place flags at tombstones. Perhaps you do not live near a military base and cannot tour it. However, you can take a moment and reflect on all that you have done in the past year that you might not have been able to do if we did not live in a free country. Take the time to explain the meaning and purpose of the “holiday” to your children. Find a veteran or family that lost a loved one and express your gratitude. Each of these are a good step in the right direction, but I would encourage you do something else. Think about all the men and women that lost their lives on a battlefield and all the things they might have done or accomplished had they lived. Could there have been another scientist that might have found a cure to cancer? Could there have been an engineer that discovered a new form of energy? We cannot replace their lost contributions but we can live each day with a renewed purpose. Do a little extra in an attempt to make up for all the lost contributions. This has weighed on me a lot through the years. I guess that is one of the reasons I did as much as I could while healthy.

My family has not had an immediate member die in service, but we have known several that have died. Three Marines I graduated boot camp with died in the Beirut bombing. My swim buddy from Combatant Dive School (think SCUBA school with demolitions) and partner in crime at several “high speed” schools, retired as a Marine First Sergeant (he was Force Recon) and was killed the following year while working with OGA in Afghanistan. My maternal grandfather lost a lot of shipmates while serving aboard the USS Helena in the Pacific Theater during WWII. My grandfather survived and he worked hard after retiring from the US Navy. The remainder of this post is his story. If you have similar stories, please share them.

Charles Ray Ridge MCPO, USN (Ret)

(b) 21 JUN 1915 --  (d) 22 NOV 1979

1949. (Then) CPO C R Ridge.

My grandfather enlisted in United States Navy in 1940 before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 07 DEC 1941. He soon received a Metalsmith rating and received orders for sea duty. He spent a lot of time in the South Pacific and was aboard the Light Cruiser USS Helena (CL-50) when it sank. A Light Cruiser is a long-range warship capable of operating independently and could defeat any enemy surface ship apart from a battleship, but was fast enough to outrun it.

On 06 JUL 1943, the Helena was one of three light cruisers and four destroyers that attacked 10 Japanese destroyers off the coast of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands. This naval battle would be known as the Battle of Kula Gulf.

USS Helena (CL-50).

Within 21 minutes of opening fire, the Helena helped sink the destroyer Niizuki which served as Admiral Teruo Akiyama’s flag ship. He was among the 324 Enemy KIA. The enemy vessels then turned their guns on the Helena. She was hit and began to sink. The battle lasted about five hours when both sides began to withdraw. Two US destroyers—Radford and Nicholas—and one enemy destroyer Amagiri remained to rescue survivors. It was the Amagiri that later rammed and cut in half PT-109, captained by Lieutenant (JG) John F. Kennedy.

The Helena sank and the entire ship’s compliment of 888 officers and men found themselves in the shark infested waters. At daylight, the Radford and Nicholas were able to rescue all but 275 survivors before they had to withdraw to repel attacks from enemy aircraft. The survivors clinging to the nearly submerged hull were strafed by enemy aircraft. Eighty-eight men were able to make their way to a nearby small island. Of the nearly 200 men remaining, four lifeboats were dropped for them in which they placed their wounded and dead shipmates. The wind and current worked against them taking them further out to sea. On the third day, they were able to beach on Vella Lavella. Coastwatchers reported their position and on the evening of 16 JUL, ten days after the opening salvo, 165 men were rescued. Total loss of life from Helena: 168. My grandfather was one of the survivors rescued from Vella Lavella. For her actions at the Battles of Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal, and Kula Gulf, she was the first ship to receive the Navy Unit Commendation. She was also one of the few ships to be mentioned by Tokyo Rose during a radio program after she sank two ships at the Battle of Cape Esperance. Rose called her the “machine gun ship”.

Route of USS Helena survivors.

After his time in the Pacific, he transitioned to shore duty where he worked as recruiter. He returned to sea aboard the Destroyer USS Rooks (DD-804). He would complete his enlistment on the Aircraft Carrier USS Antietam (CV-36) when it was home ported in 1959 at NAS Pensacola. For the next four years, it served as an aviation training vessel ship for newly winged pilots until she was decommissioned. My grandfather married my grandmother on 04 MAY 1940 and remained together until his death. Together they raised three daughters: Brenda (oldest) and twins Kay and Gay. He had a total of five grandsons and one granddaughter. After his retirement he worked for Delta Airlines. He enjoyed reading, especially poetry. I have one of his books. He would read anything and loved learning. I can “relate” to that.

So on this Memorial Day Weekend, I want to say thanks to my grandfather for giving your best years in service to this great country. To the three boot camp buddies killed in Lebanon; to my buddy killed in Afghanistan, and to all the men and women that gave their all, you have my sincere, humble and heartfelt gratitude. I lift my glass in recognition to your sacrifice.

Semper Fidelis and Bravo Zulu.

To learn more about the sinking of USS Helena, read this book available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.