Eugene Dennen By: Paul Moses Introduction Before I started this project, all that I knew about World War II is that one of the ships my grandfather was on exploded.  Now that I have interviewed him, I not only know more about his experience in the war but I know more about World War II in general. When I learned what this project was about I became very excited.  I knew it would be interesting for me because I wanted my grandfather to tell me about the war. About Eugene Dennen My grandfather was just eighteen and weighed 137 pounds when he was drafted into the war in which he stayed for three years.  The first ship he was on was called the US Excella.  It was a merchant ship that brought war supplies such as ammunition and guns to Casablanca, North Africa, Decor, East Africa Mozambique, Wallis bay, and Cape Town.  On the ship, he was a navy gunner.  He was stationed at a gun post for hours at a time.  World War II was the first war with aircraft carriers and that was the second ship he was on.  It was called the USS Franklin.  There were 3,000 soldiers on that ship for two years. What Eugene did in World War II March 19, 1945 started out like any other day on the USS Franklin.  Around seven o'clock in the morning they sailed into the South Pacific Ocean.  My grandfather's four hour gun post shift was over and the man who replaced him at his post was never late except for that day.  My grandfather had to stay at his post even though the man that was supposed to relieve him was still downstairs eating breakfast.  If my grandfather had been relieved he would have been eating breakfast and would have been killed by the Japanese suicide bomber.  My grandfather was thrown into the surprisingly warm ocean just 40 miles away from Japan for hours clinging onto a cork raft along with seven other soldiers. One of the soldiers had a broken leg and his cheek bone was bulging out of the side of his face.  After falling off the rescue ladder and going under the ship, my grandfather was finally rescued by another boat, the 676 Marshal. The Aftermath The 2,000 survivors were taken to a hospital in Hawaii.  You would think someone would have a good time in Hawaii with a bunch of their friends but my grandfather said, "I was so sore and injured I couldn't leave the hospital for five months." A couple years later the captain of the USS Franklin got in touch with my grandfather and the rest of the survivors and gave them all a piece of the ships deck, engraved with the date and the name of the ship which he still keeps in his room. Interview by Paul Moses. Interviewee Eugene Dennen. In February 2005.