99-year-old grandfather died today—enlisted in the Navy at 17 and served on the USS New York during the bombardments of Iwo Jima and Okinawa just days after turning 18.

He was a gunner, manning the 127mm secondary guns on the BB-34 which had the distinction of firing the most munitions during the pre-invasion bombardment of Iwo Jima. He was also onboard when a kamikaze struck the catapult and destroyed the scout plane but didn’t cause significant damage. He was the coolest, gentlest soul who [...]