His name was Joe Hartney; he was second class at the time, and he had come to Noroton Heights after surviving the sinking of the cruiser Juneau in the Battle of Savo Island in August 1942. In appearance, he was the very model of what a sailor should look like. I went through there in late spring of 1943, so whites were the uniform of the day. Joe's were of course tailor-made. His white hat was properly shaped and squared to a degree that would satisfy any inspecting officer. Those of us who thought such things important hoped that, in time, we could come to wear the uniform as Joe did. None of us thought we'd ever move semaphore flags with the grace he displayed.
On one special morning there, we formed up on the drill field and looked on as a Purple Heart was pinned to the jumper of Joe's whites. An impressive ceremony.
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