After my grandfather passed away in 2000, my Uncle Tom sought information and artifacts from my grandfather’s PT boat during World War II. He ended up tracking down a man who actually spent time on that boat with my grandfather and began email correspondences. In 2002, at the ripe age of 77, John Vaughn wrote the following note to my Uncle:
“....I heard a PT boat squadron in New Guinia needed a torpedo man and most of the 'troop' type ships were going back to the states from that area....sooooooo I just thought....I'll volunteer for PT's....Bad info....reported to Squadron 21 and go aboard PT 323....we were operating out of Finchhaven (?) New Guinia...go aboard and the first person to walk up to me and introduce himself...Hi I'm Kenny Sanders....well needless to say your dad was just that kind of fellow that became 'your best friend'....and now of course PT Squadron 21 wasn't naturally going back to the states....They were getting a R & R in Brisbane..."You got be kidding"..I just left there....sooooo Kenny and I fly to Brisbane on a DC3...since I knew the city from when we had a R &R aboard the 'Gato'...we would go to the town of Collangatto (?) about 75-100 miles south of Brisbane...right on the beach....weeelll after a few days...your dad and I hear about a town that NO US servicemen can visit...called Lismore....We had to take a bus, then a cab to get to the rown...there are NO American servicemen in town...look out...It was just by chance...your dad was an unbelievable gambler...at cards and dice (He said once to me...Never get in a game against me)...Five other sailors found this town...now there's seven of us...Your dad just by chance got into a card game with the owner of this hotel-pub we were staying at...It took approx 18 hours and with the backing of the other sailors...we owned all the beer, liquor, food, cigs and 'our' rooms!!!!! (a couple years after the war was over, Readers Digest had a long story about 7 sailors that owned a hotel in Australia!!!!!)....well, we gave it back to the 'owner' just before we left Lismore...we gave a party for the town...had a parade....horses, buggy and all the trimmings..Left town with a 'cloud' of glory...back to New Guinia. “
And that’s why I went to Lismore. I was able to correspond with John before I left for my trip but he couldn’t offer any other information. I had no pub name, no owner name, no Reader’s Digest article to reference. When I asked my great Uncle Willard if he thought this story was true, he said that my grandfather never really talked about the war. None of them did. So he hadn’t mentioned anything about it but it definitely sounded like something my grandfather would do!
I got a ride to Lismore from Kevin (the Canadian I was staying with), found the oldest bar in town, and enjoyed a nice pint in my grandfather’s honor. He was a very special man that I still have so much love and respect for. He is responsible for so much good in my life (and so many others’ lives). I’m so grateful that I was able to incorporate him into this trip and it’s amazing to think that I was walking the same roads, sailing the same seas and maybe even drinking the same beer that he drank….so far from home. I also bought a pack of orange gum in Lismore since it was my grandfather’s favorite. As a child, he would have us sit on his knee and would say ‘Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! Where does the birdie lite?’ And, like all grandfathers that possess magical powers, he could make the orange piece of Trident gum appear out of thin air.
Thank you to Kevin for the ride. Thank you to John Vaughn for allowing the fantastic story to live on. Thank you to Grandpa for being an everlasting inspiration.
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| My grandfather aboard PT 323 (pictured on right) |
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| Lismore 2011 |
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