“The first thing I really did was to go up to the veranda deck...and look at the spot where the surrender was signed...that was a very historic moment for me.” - Engineman Second Class Herbert Fahr, Jr.
“I was always interested in the Navy. One of my uncles had been a Navy man, and actually he sailed in the tall ships at one time...” Herbert Fahr, Jr. shared with the Navy Memorial film crew at the USS Missouri Association Reunion in the fall of 2013.
“I finally went down to White Hall Street in New York City and signed up. My mother, she didn't care too much because it was right in the middle of the Korean War... And in one sense of the word I was," he recalled. After boot camp in Bainbridge, Maryland, Fahr's first assignment was to report to Newport, Rhode Island to a Torpedo Testing Station. As an Engineman Striker in Newport, he would chase torpedoes for development and testing. His service in the Navy would lead him to a ship that had participated in the Surrender of the Empire of Japan and the conclusion of World War II. Fahr recounted, “I finally got my orders that said report to the Commanding Officer, USS Missouri...I was quite surprised and pleased because I knew about the Missouri …and her history. I was anticipating getting aboard this historic ship.” Fahr had grown up during the World War II Era and the USS Missouri BB-63 and her battle exploits were well known to him.
Fahr remembered vividly that first moment he climbed aboard, “It was my first ship...I remembered my boot camp training and I walked up the gangplank, saluted the colors, saluted the quarter deck and the officer on the deck, and asked permission to come aboard Sir." After reporting, his first stop on the ship was to a sacred place in the annals of American History. Fahr recalled, “The first thing I really did was to go up to the veranda deck… and look at the spot where the surrender was signed...that was a very historic moment for me.” From there he would share his experiences aboard the USS Missouri from its shakedown cruise, through trips to Cuba, Midshipmen Cruise, Lisbon, Portugal, Cherbourg, France, and more.
To hear the inspiring story of Herbert Fahr, Jr., Engineman Second Class, view his detailed experience that has been digitally archived by the Navy Memorial. The United States Navy Memorial honors Herbert Fahr, Jr., Engineman Second Class, featured within the series titled, Tales from the Navy Log, Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial. To learn more about this story and to explore the Navy Memorial Tales from the Navy Log Archive, visit the Navy Memorial Stories of Service site.