|
This picture was taken in 1944-45 and is one of the few that I know of. Darrell was the youngest child of Pete and Hannah and was next to my mother Maxie although he was 8 years younger than her. He made 12 children for the family. My mother pretty much took over raising him and it was a labor of love on her part, there was nothing like her baby brother. She told me many times of how she cared for him, making most all of his clothes and just doing special things for him. She was a very good seamstress and made most of her clothes as well. As I said Darrell was the youngest in the family but was the first to die. He was stationed aboard the USS LST 577 and saw action in 1944 during the retaking of the Philippine Islands. The convoy came under attack in the Layte Gulf by Japanese suicide planes but survived all the attacks. The LST 577 returned to the states and loaded with gasoline and ammunition to resupply our forces in the Philippenes and began the long trek to the Layte Gulf. Luck for the LST and crew ran out in Feb of 1945 in the Layte Gulf. A torpedo from a Jap Sub slamed into the side of the ship setting off the cargo inside destroying the ship and most of its crew including Darrell. His death was a heavy blow for my mother and she never really got over it. Darrell left a wife Mona Belle (Sturgill) and two sons, Bobby and Charles (Hank) Miller. There was no corpse to send home for a funeral and therefore was much harder to accept the fact that Darrell was gone. I think that was mother's reason for not being able to put the loss behind her.
|
