Allen+Sheidy

August, 1953


Mr. Sheidy began his service duty in August of 1953 as a member of the Marine Corp. He arrived at Paris Island via the Wabash Cannonball, a well-known train used for moving troops. He spent three months in boot camp where he learned to clean his gun, polish boots, and marching. His schooling took place in Portsmith, VA for about four weeks. When he left for sea, he was on the USS New Jersey which was about 3 football fields long. When it went through the Panama Canal it had about a four inch clearance on either side. He served as a guard in the brig and on the gangway as well as an orderly for the executive officers.

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I remember off Mount Stromboli off the Italian coast, the waves were breaking above the bridge that’s 65 feet above the water line. The bow of the ship went into the wave, and beings the deck is flat it shook coming up. Very hard to keep walking then.



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