Abstract
Johnnie Jenkins Sr. was born in the rural South of America (Sparta, Georgia) in 1916. He escaped his abusive upbringing, eventually joining the United States Navy shortly after rules were changed allowing negros to enlist.
Through his diligence, sacrifice, and abundant luck, he survived 24 years of service, (followed by more years of traveling with soldiers headed for the Vietnam war); an African American family emerged through a culturally tumultuous time with their dignity intact and able to build on the lifelong foundation of success this great man gave them.
This is my interview with Popo.
The Military Service of
Johnnie Jenkins Sr
1937-1960
Interview: Johnnie Jenkins Sr.
Q: When did you join, and how did you start your career with the Navy
I started taking care of 21 midshipmen. We got three meals, and a day off every 5th or 6th day, and it was very rough. We had to be on the dock, and fall in for muster - over 200 of us – every morning at 5:30, we had to have those whites on, every morning rain or shine cold or whatever; and it was rough!
We went on our first ‘cruise’ in 1937 for three months. I went aboard the USS Eire, it doesn’t exist anymore. Well anyway, I made the New England cruise. New York, New London, Annapolis, … round round round. Three months was pretty nice on Eire, that was my first ship.
Then looking forward to 1938 - when you do the first year you’re a boot – then when you get on that long trip, you’re an old salt. So something to look forward to, making that trip and being an ‘old salt’ – 1938 - USS Wyoming - stayed three months from Annapolis MD, France, Copenhagen, Denmark, and England. Three months there and back – very nice – many ship mates, and mid-shipmen – so many midshipmen on each one of the battleships; i.e. the (USS) Texas , (USS) New York, and the USS Wyoming. The three of us stayed abreast of each other the whole time, stayed pretty close the whole three months. When we came back, 200 got on a train from Annapolis to San Diego for two or three days. We stopped in El Paso, and they gave us six hours to roam around. All but one fella got back on time, but he beat us to San Diego.
Q: What happened when you got to San Diego?
We got to San Diego one night, I never saw someone separate that many people so fast. Six of us went to Sand Point Seattle Washington 1938 - patrol squadrons VP16, VP17, VP22 was Hawaii, and VP42 went to Sand Point. I had to spend 3 months at a time in Alaska from 1938 until the war broke out. When the war broke out in 1941, we went up there and stayed. I was in Kodiak until the night before the Japanese attacked Dutch Harbor Alaska, June 2, 1942. The Japanese came in on the 3rd & 4th of June.
That’s the day I tried to get in the foxhole; I started into a foxhole and there was a white boy there who said ‘you can’t get in this hole, I’m from Alabama’ (he was used to segregation and felt the foxhole should be segregated as well). I had my shoes in my hand, I was a little older and heavier and ready for a fight. The Japanese were already ready for a fight, you could see them in the planes, and here I had to fight segregation on the ground while I duck Japanese ...
I stayed until the 2nd day of the raid – they couldn’t get in for a day or two due to bad weather – they got in the 4th June. I’ve never been that scared before in my life – 1942.
Q: I know you had to be very glad to get out of there. How long were you there?
1943. I left there and went on vacation in Seattle Washington, met a young lady named Ella Ramsey. We corresponded while I went back to Alaska, where I stayed until February 1944. Then I came and got married, and we’re still together since February 18, 1944; and we’re still speaking and getting along pretty good. We have one boy and one girl, and the boy has two boys and the girl has two girls and we have 6 great grandchildren - and yes, we’re still speaking.
Q: You must have had a lot of fun to stay together this long. What do you two do for fun?
We lived in Anchorage Alaska and going around visiting, doing a lot of ‘Space A’ traveling around ‘Space A’ from Alaska. My wife did a lot of fishing up there, I did some, but not that much – she caught a fish over 100lbs and I haven’t wrassled with anything over 65bs and thank God I never hit anything over that. It’s a lot of fun in Alaska especially during the summer, but we had some long winter months which were pretty rough, but as soon as snow goes away we’re ready to hit the road then.
Shelly: I remember that. That was after you retired, and you and Nana moved back to Alaska because it was easier to catch a Space A flight out of there with Nana, so you could travel more. Let’s go back to your Navy career. What happened after you got married?
After we married, we honeymooned in Seattle, then went to Jacksonville Florida, which was my home town. Then we transferred to the Miami Florida Naval Station. My wife joined me there, stayed 2 years, then my time was up in the Navy. I thought about getting out after 10 years in service. We had a little girl, and in 1948 we drove to Los Angeles California. I tried my best to get a job and stay out of the Navy, but could not get a job anywhere. I applied as a cook – they said they hired somebody, but I would see the ‘cook wanted’ sign in the window a few hours later and I said, ‘I thought you hired somebody?’ and they said ‘we did, we did’, but the sign was still in the window – the thing about it is they didn’t want to hire any blacks, that’s the way it was.
Q: So after everything you were still fighting segregation?
Every morning looking for a job, looking for a job, looking for a job, and I was getting tired of that; then I went to the navy recruiter’s office and they said if you sign up now we can get you back as E6 like you got out, but if you wait until Monday, we’ll have to get you in as E3. I said I want to get back now, I don’t want to lose three ranks. He said we’re going to eat right now, do you want to join us, then you can ship over after that. So I called my wife and told her I got a job, and she was very happy ‘you got a job, where?’ ‘Same job I had for the last 10 years’. ‘Oh, you’re back in the Navy?’ ‘I hope to tell you! I’m getting ready to go eat!’ Not that I was hungry, but Uncle was paying for it.
So I got back in the Navy, and was kinda glad to get back too. Now that I was back, instead of taking four years, I decided to ask him for six years - I was so glad to get back in. And by the time I get through with that six, I’ll have 16 years in, and I’ll have to go for 20. So by the time I finished that we were in Moffitt field – I went to first duty in Port Hueneme – that’s where ...
Our first child was born Miami FL, the boy was born in Port Hueneme near Oxnard CA – then we transferred from there to Alameda, CA, and from there to Moffatt Field, CA near Mt View and Sunnyvale, over on that side. We stayed at Moffatt field six years, and two years in Alameda CA. I wanted to ship over - got my 20 years in, and I said well, I would like to make chief and would like to stay and make E7, and so I put in for duty overseas to Japan, Philippines, Hawaii, and someplace else - I put in for four places; and it came through that I could go to Hawaii. So I went home and asked the children and the wife if they would like to go to Hawaii for duty and they were overwhelmed. So I went back and told them yes, I accept that, so we went out to Hawaii.
Q: I loved spending summers with you and Nana in Hawaii. I can only imagine how mom and Uncle Johnnie reacted when you told them this.
The kids were growing up then, about school age and they were ready to enjoy life out in Hawaii. We went to Hawaii in 1956 and stayed until 1960. By that time they had really fell in with Hawaii and didn’t want to leave. Did they ever cry when we left Hawaii, but we left there and went on 60 day vacation to try to get them in the mood to go back to the United States. So we stayed 30 days in the Philippines and 30 days in Japan, then we came back to Hawaii picked up the rest of our stuff then moved on back to Redwood City, CA. I retired June 1, 1960, and that gave me 24 years.
. . . but in the meantime I always said I’d like to make Chief, and I’d like to make Chief, and I wanted Chief, and I just pretty-near give up, but my wife, my children and everybody helped me so much, and questioned me and questioned me and drilled me and drilled me and got in my head so - they all supported me and the next time I saw the test I was surprised I could answer the questions I did, and when the result came back that I made Chief I just couldn’t believe it. I was so happy, and my family was so happy for me. So I put on the chief hat and went back to Alaska again from Hawaii – went up there and stayed three months. So I put the hat on in Alaska – I made it in Hawaii but put it on in Alaska. That means I made all of my ranks … all were effective in Alaska
I went from E2 to E3 in Sitka, E4 in Kodiak, E5 in Adak, E6 in Attu, and maybe 7 in Hawaii, but I was initiated and put on the Chief hat in Kodiak, E7. That was a happy day in my life in the military I tell you, I was really happy.
Q: What a great way to end your military career. I’m really proud of your accomplishments and am glad you were able to serve so much time, and come back to us safely. The time you spent in the military gave our family a sense of dignity we would not have had, as African Americans at that time. We are blessed that you had the endurance and the tenacity to stick with it. Thank you.
After I retired we decided to move back to Redwood City, CA and I got a job there working for Litton Industry - and I worked there for four and a half years learning to be a machinist. My brother in law got me the job there, and I did real good. I stayed there as long as I wanted to. They begged me not to leave, but then I decided to go to sea.
So I went to sea, and I was hauling troops over to Vietnam, that was during the Vietnam war. So, for three and a half years that’s what I did, was hauling troops, I was out of the service was cooking for the G.I.’S going overseas during the Vietnam war. And that was a dangerous job, and after it was all over, then I realized how dangerous it was, but the pay was real good. After 150 miles out my pay would jump / double, and sometimes we would stay 12-15 days out there. So the whole paycheck would look real good after coming out of there with some long money, so I could bring a pretty good check home; and I when I came back, the wife had the kids dressed up and looking so nice, and they were in school and doing real good in school so I was very very happy.
Q: You and Nana really enjoy traveling, don’t you?
We were pretty busy traveling around, and we’ve done quite a bit of going, and thanks to our President, which I’m very fond of, I like that fellow, he’s commander and chief, and he fixed it so we could travel for free. Before he went into office we had to pay $10 which wasn’t much, but for a family of four or five $10 was quite a bit to them, so now that they don’t have to pay at all, boy when school is out, I can’t even hardly get a ride (riding standby on military flights traveling around the world – referred to as ‘Space A’). So when school is back in session, we went to Wilmington Washington for the VJ day, and what a crowd there was there at the USS Missouri.
We didn’t go on board, they only had a few on board, and the rest of us was out on the docs. Ole’ VP42, we would have a reunion every so often and so this time we met up together and we all met up at a hotel in Tacoma. About nine buses (go around buses) picked us up and carried us to Wilmington for a day over there in a park and a picnic, and from there to the ship, out on the dock; and I don’t know but they said there were 10,000-12,000 people out there - I don’t know but there was a crowd there I tell you, and it was very very hot. Surprisingly hot in the state of Washington. But anyway we enjoyed it; and the old Admiral that was with me during WWII, and he was 92 years old and still on the go, and he was with us when the Japanese bombed us in Dutch Harbor Alaska, and so, he said he has pardoned them and he forgives them and I’m trying to do the same in my heart, but I don’t know if I can ever forgive them or forget them, cause like I said that’s the scaredest I’ve ever been; But I’m trying to look forward instead of looking backwards, and I’m in the Lion’s Club now and the Lions has two heads on it, one forward and one looking away. And my wife was President of the Lions Club in Anchorage, and she went out of office, and she did a bang up job; and the guy that followed behind her had one heck of a time trying to keep things going.
Q: The Lions Club was a big part of your life. You’ve been member for over 40 years.
Yeah, and we went to Canadian farm which they had every year, which they have with the Lions Club; and one year it was in Edmonton, and my wife went to school there and still had a sister and several cousins still living there. So we drove from Anchorage up there – and what a good time we had.
Q: How far of a drive is that?
It’s a little over 2,000 miles each way and there’s a lot of construction, plus the highway that they built during WWII was supposed to take 12 months to build it, but they built it in 8 months and they were trying to take a lot of curves out, because during that time they went around as many mountains as they could, and they were trying to cut through the mountains and cut some of those curves out. So they had a lot of people working up through there, and a lot of construction going on. Well, a lot of people don’t realize they can only work during the summer months, and that’s the busiest time with people coming up there and so many motor homes on the road coming up there from June to after September, because the fishing is really good up there, and people come and they really get their fish. After the bear gets through with his, then he leaves enough for all of the people that want fishing. And so things are really nice . . . pretty much until school starts, and once school starts then we can hit the road pretty good then, until the holiday.
Q: Did your family ever see the places you were stationed, away from family bases?
I carried my wife out to Dutch Harbor and showed her where I survived when the Japanese bombed out there – I carried her out there in 1992, that was the 50th anniversary (of the bombing) and she enjoyed the visit very much.
We got a car to drive around and it had a clutch, and I couldn’t drive it due to the fact that I have one short leg and one long leg, so; but anyway I’ve been going on these crutches for many years and my wife hangs in there with me. As long as I can get on and off this plane and stay in pretty good health I feel real good. I’m working on trying to lose at least 10lbs.
Q: Wow! You’ve been through a lot together. I imagine the families as well as the soldiers know each other very well by now.
I think I’ll tell you a little bit about our trip in 1994 when we went on a cruise with VP42. I said we get together every couple of years, well that year we were together about 280 of us. We met up in Seattle and then we headed out from Acapulco New Mexico and went through the Panama Canal. One couple had 52 years of celebration, we had 50 years, another guy had thirty-something days, he was a newlywed. So anyway, out of the whole crew, the wife and I really enjoyed ourselves. And so when we go there we always are the only black couple there, but we’re just as welcome as the rest of them. Some of them act funny, but the Admiral is in charge, and I’m the Admiral’s Chief, so the Admiral takes good care of me because during WWII I took good care of him. So when we would go up there, most of the time we would stay in his cabin out at his house there, and he’s a real nice fella and he treated us real nice.
We borrowed his car once to drive around on the base, with four stars on it, and the wife was driving, and we drove up to the gate and the guy saw all those stars on there and he clicked his heals. But anyway we didn’t get picked up. I thought we might get stopped somewhere on the base . . . a black guy with a lady with four stars; but anyway, that’s how nice this guy is and how he treated us so well when we went up there.
But anyway we stayed on this ship eleven days and I think I gained about 14lbs. That was some cruise. I won’t try to tell you all the names of the places we went to, the wife, she’ll tell you about that. She really enjoyed it, every morning she would get up and walk around the deck, and I made breakfast one morning, I couldn’t make all the meals, I just stopped going to breakfast. We’re supposed to have a sitting at six o’clock - you have a certain sitting. And so our sitting was six in the morning, eleven at lunch, and I think it was about five or six in the evening. And then you could eat at three o’clock in the afternoon up on the boat deck; and I went swimming two or three times there …
The wife got off and went and saw St Thomas and a lot of other places but I, let’s see, I don’t think I got off at all until we got off the ship eleven days later; and there were over a thousand of us that got off. And anyway, everything turned out real nice, it was a real nice trip, and then we ended up back in Seattle, most of us. And that next year was the 50th anniversary of the war ending – 50 years that’s 1945-1995.
When the war started I was in Seattle Washington, when the war ended I was in Banana River Naval Air Station down in Coco Florida.
And now we’ve all celebrated over 50 years or so, so we can knock off the celebration, and just live it down, and try to forget it.
I ended the interview here, as uncomfortable memories seemed to be surfacing again.
I am very grateful for my grandfather’s cooperation and participation in this important project.
References
Bombing at Dutch Harbor June 3, 1942 - http://www.nps.gov/aleu/historyculture/raid-dutch-harbor.htm – web June 23, 2013
Lions Club “"We Serve." Lions are part of a global service network, doing whatever is necessary to help our local communities.” http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/index.php
Naval Air Station, Moffett Field http://www.militarymuseum.org/NASMoffettFld.html#A – web June 23, 2013
‘Space A’ Military travel benefit http://www.military.com/Travel/Content1/0,,SAF_overview,00.html – web June 23, 2013
USS Eire http://www.usserie.org/ – web June 23, 2013
USS Missouri http://www.ussmissouri.com/ – web June 23, 2013
USS New York http://www.ussny.org/ship-namesake.php – web June 23, 2013
USS Wyoming http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-w/bb32.htm – web June 23, 2013
