Heroes among us
A trip to visit a World War II battleship 70 years later brought back many memories for John Lucas Lenz of Coffman.
Lenz, born in 1926 and raised on a farm in Womack, a small community just south of Farmington, was called to serve his country in World War II against the Nazi forces. When Lenz reached the recruiting station in St. Louis, he requested to be placed in the Navy. Later, he traveled to the U.S. Naval Training Station in Great Lakes, Ill., for boot camp.
After completing boot camp, Lenz and his group traveled to Georgia where they were engaged in combat training. Before Lenz was able to receive the training, he was selected with two other Seamen First Class sailors and sent to Fort Pierce, Fla., where he was appointed to the USS LST 522 as a gunner’s mate.
The USS LST 522 was an amphibious ship attached to the 7th fleet. Upon leaving Florida, they traveled to Mobile, Ala., to take on ammunition and bombs that would contribute to the efforts at the battlefront lines. The bombs were to be dropped off for use by the Air Force.
Passing through the Panama Canal, the ship began its journey across the ocean to the battle zone. They took on soldiers to be transported to the war zone where the amphibious boats would later take them to shore. Frequently the ship was under fire. At any point there was always a potential encounter against enemy submarines and airstrikes. After the fall of Germany, they transported prisoners of war, mostly to China.
In 1944, at the age of 18, Lenz was the youngest crew member and was nicknamed “The Kid.” Lenz’s main station was at the helm where the larger guns were located. His tour of duty was for two years, serving in the South Asiatic Pacific ranging from China to Africa with many ports in between. As the sailors docked in ports of other countries, they encountered women carrying rifles to protect their families and homes because the men were at war.
Lenz recalls many things from his time in the Navy. He remembers how the ships relied on the stars to keep them on course or get back on track after a storm. Another item Lenz recalls is when the ships were no longer needed for the war, they were dismantled and either sold or given to countries to use as cargo ships.
When Lenz’s tour of duty concluded in 1946 and the war had ended, he returned to the U.S. on The President Adams at the Golden Gate Bridge.
Lenz is now 90 years old and says he would make the same decision to serve his country again. Many who also served in the military would likely agree.
Lenz, like so many others who experienced the war, does not see himself as a hero but “men who did what had to be done.”
“We prayed and hoped it was enough,” Lenz said.
Lenz enjoyed a recent visit to view the World War II battleship US LST 325-3 while it was docked at Cape Girardeau. Even though it was not the ship he had been stationed on, he said it brought back many memories of his days while serving his country.
It is because of Lenz and so many others who sacrificed so much that our country remains free today.
John Lenz pauses in front of the Naval ship that was recently docked in Cape Girardeau. This ship was similar to the one Lenz had been stationed on during World War II.
John Lenz, shown here in the front row on the right, is pictured with the gunner’s crew.
John Lenz was 18 in this photo, taken shortly after boot camp.
