When Pat Shanley read an article that said the United States is losing approximately 1,500 World War II veterans each day, he felt compelled to have his father's story documented before it was too late.

The Moorpark man wrote to me about his father, Fred, who recently turned 94.

"There is a lot I didn't realize about my dad's time in the war," Shanley said. "I think it's important to get the information while we still can."

Fred Shanley is a native of North Dakota, and his earliest memory is of hearing a radio announcement that World War I was over.

"It was a complete celebration," he said. "There isn't much of it that I remember, but that much I do."

Shanley completed high school early and followed his two older brother's footsteps to the University of Notre Dame.

"My dad told me that if I wanted to go, I better do it soon or else we wouldn't have enough money left for me to go," Shanley recalled.

In the spring of 1935, the then 20-year-old Shanley graduated from Notre Dame, moved to San Francisco and began working for Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. Five years later, in September 1940, Shanley enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve.

"I enjoyed the ocean, and being from the Midwest, I didn't get to see the ocean much," he said.

"Plus a friend convinced me that if war was going to come, it would be a short one, and I would probably never have to go into active duty. To me, it was an adventure."

Newly established Navy unit

At the local Navy office in San Francisco, he completed his physical.

"They had us jog, and I remember going as slow as I possibly could," he said. "I had a slight heart murmur and didn't want to get disqualified."

He passed the physical but continued working for Fireman's Fund.

Then came Pearl Harbor.

"I remember hearing about the bombing," he said.

"I went to the Navy recruiting office right away and asked to be put on active duty. They told me to go home and said they would let me know when they needed me."

In March 1942, Shanley was put on active duty and sent to officer training school in Cambridge, Mass., where he was commissioned as an ensign.

From there, he was assigned to the 18th Naval Construction Battalion attached to the newly established Navy unit known as the Seabees.

Shanley and the other members of the 18th Naval Construction Battalion reported to Norfolk, Va., and boarded the USS Kenmore, a Crater-class cargo ship.

They sailed through Guantanamo Bay, the Panama Canal, into New Caledonia, eventually docking in Guadalcanal on Dec. 12, 1942.

"It was pretty rough there at the time, but I do remember enjoying the hot weather," he said.

Shanley also recalls night bombings from a Japanese airplane American troops nicknamed "Washing Machine Charlie."

"Our mess hall was bombed one night, and a lot of the guys panicked," he said. "Everyone ran from the mess hall and jumped into a latrine to shelter themselves."

Married for 62 years

When the Battle for Guadalcanal ended in February 1943, those in the 18th Naval Construction Battalion made their way to safer territory in New Zealand. Shanley remained there for nearly a year. By mid-1944, he was reassigned to the USS Appling, a Gilliam-class attack transport ship.

"We transported Marines throughout the Pacific," Shanley said. "Everywhere from Guam to Okinawa."

When the war ended, the Appling transported troops to Nagasaki, Japan, for occupational duty.

"I remember how bad it was there," he said. "They had just dropped the bomb, and things were pretty rough over there."

In March 1946, Shanley returned to the United States.

"The Navy offered me a promotion, but at that point, I was ready to get on with my life," he said.

Soon after he returned, Shanley visited an officer's club in San Francisco. There he met Arlie Cully, a native of Montana who went to San Francisco with her sister on a whim and was working as a hostess at the club.

"We just wanted to travel," Arlie said. "My sister ran into a gentleman who asked her if she wanted a temporary job working as a hostess at the officer's club, so that's how we ended up there."

On Oct. 3, 1946, seven months after they met, Fred and Arlie married. They currently live in Los Angeles, and recently celebrated their 62nd anniversary.

Shanley went on to get a doctorate in sociology from the University of Washington. He worked as a researcher for the Army and Ford Foundation and as a sociology professor at CSU Los Angeles. He retired in 1980.

Praise from son

In an effort to capture his experiences, Pat wrote the following of his father:

"Fred Shanley is a hero. He is 94 years old. He didn't earn a chest full of medals or win any battles single-handed. But he volunteered for military service before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, served in the Pacific with the U.S. Navy for almost four years, and returned home safely and lived the American dream. He met a girl, married her, went to college on the G.I. Bill, raised a family, enjoyed his work, and still enjoys a happy retirement with his wife of more than 60 years."

— Of War and Life is a twice-monthly column that tells the stories of area veterans. Contact Jannette Jauregui at jmjaureg@callutheran.edu or by mail to Jannette Jauregui, c/o Ventura County Star editorial department, P.O. Box 6006, Camarillo, CA 93011. The information included in this report is based on the recollections of the veterans.