“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a
date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was
suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the
Empire of Japan.” With these words from then president Franklin D.
Roosevelt, the United States of America was plunged into war with
Japan, with Germany and Italy soon following. While the world changed
radically, Bayview, Idaho was even more profoundly affected.
The United States, isolated by two huge
oceans had not experienced an attack on our own soil, since the war
of 1812. People were shocked. Many ran out into the streets looking
up, expecting Japanese bombers to suddenly appear. Civilian and
military leaders were not immune to this panic. War had been raging
in Europe for two years already. Although our government knew of the
possibility of being drawn directly into the fracas, the country had
gone pacifist in the years following the first world war. U.S. Army
and Naval forces had been cut to the bone and then cut back again.
Weapons that we did have were in short supply and were obsolete, left
over from world war one. The country was faced with an industrial
challenge that was unprecedented, as was the need to mobilize our
puny armed forces into a million man military. Ships had to be built
and built In a hurry. Sailors had to be trained.
Fearing the coastal areas of
Washington, Oregon and California were subject to attack by Japanese
carrier aircraft, they looked inland for training facilities. A group
of high ranking Naval officers surveyed the western interior and
found the perfect spot. The south end of Lake Pend Oreille had a
large area that was semi-flat and bordered by water. It was also
eight miles from the Northern Pacific Railroad running through Athol.
Condemning all of the property that consisted of what is now Farragut
State Park, and about half of what is now Bayview, civilians were
forcibly removed from in many cases family homesteads, owned for many
years. Seventy-nine parcels in all were seized by the Navy.
The naval base northern border ran from
the waterfront up the middle of 5th street to the park
boundary on the west. This isolated many homes from the town and
where some lost them to the navy, others were lucky to be on the
other side of the boundary. Unfortunately, the Wigwam Hotel was right
on the border (where the public boat launch is now) but on the wrong
side. Frances “Mickey” Mulrooney George, daughter of the hotel's
original owner was ordered to move. She refused, so navy shore
patrolmen picked up the chair she was sitting on in the lobby and
carried it out with her as a passenger, setting her in the middle
of the street. Her father spent an alledged $30,000 to build the
hotel, but was only offered $18,000.
April 23, 1942 marked the start of
construction. With the Walter Butler Company holding the contract.
Massive bulldozers were brought in to level out the hills and
valleys. Dust boiled up trees were cut down and processed as green
lumber which went into the buildings on base. There wasn't time to
cure the boards. 4050 acres comprised the training station. The
station had six training camps which held 5000 recruits each,
resulting in about 30,000 in training at any one time. Each camp was
self sufficient with an indoor drill hall, 20 barracks, mess hall,
administration building, dispensary, a recreation building and a
swimming pool. Every recruit was required to be able to swim to
graduate. That skill came into play far too often during the war when
ships were sunk and the crews swam for their lives.
By war's end 293,381 recruits had past
through the base. Had it been a city, it would have easily been the
largest in Idaho. It was in fact the second largest naval training
base in the country. While in operation it was an astounding story of
American ingenuity and resourcefulness.
To Bayview, the facility was both a
blessing and a curse. Having half of your town taken away, as the
navy did, was tough but the jobs in support fields ran the Bayview
economy. From the 1930's to the start of the base, were tough times.
The lime kilns had shut down, the railroad was gone and so were the
tourists.
When the navy condemned the properties
necessary for establishing the training base, they swallowed about
half of the Village of Bayview. The then residents of the town
managed to cope with the changes. Some moved away, but others found
ways to profit from the navy's presence. Alice Hammond Eaton, now 85
years old remembers her and her Mother selling smoked Kokanee at a
small stand just outside the gate. Alice, still strong and active,
now works at Silverwood Theme Park.
Dick Compton, former Kootenai County
Commissioner and state legislator talked about his childhood during
the war years in Bayview. This is his story.
“Harry Eagles owned two bars in
Bayview. One was the Buttonhook, and the other was in what used to be
the train station. My Mother and Father ran the one in the train
station during the war years. Part of the training base was used for
returning wounded. These sailors were not restricted to the base as
the “boots” were and could come and go as thy pleased, injuries
permitting.”
“On one occasion, several guys came
down to the bar where burgers were also sold. They ordered 450
hamburgers to go for their buddies on base. The grill was about the
size of an average kitchen stove. My parents,Stewart and Zora Compton
were running the place and used to have sailors lined up four deep at
the bar. My recollection was that most people that were left in
Bayview after the Navy presence did very well during the war. I
believe the war made a millionaire out of Elmer Dreisbach as well as
the Eagles.”
“I estimate that there were about
5000 people living in and around Bayview during construction of the
naval training center. Many lived in tents, trailers and any other
cover available. In many cases, local residents were afraid of their
children passing through these tent encampments. My family remodeled
a woodshed which we lived in during that time. After the war, Dad
built a nice home which we lived in for several years. I was off to
college then and didn't get back to Bayview much after that.”
Slim Dossey, retired country singer,
remembers his service which started at Farrragut with boot camp. He
was assigned to the repair ship, USS Prometheus. He said, “The ship
was reputed to be at the time the oldest in the fleet. It started
life in 1910 as a collier.” For those born after ships stopped
burning coal, a collier hauls coal and would be the equivalent of a
fleet oiler these days. Slim is still with us, though confined at age
91 to an assisted living facility.
Charles Lish, residing in Athol, Idaho
went through training at Farragut and was assigned to USS Pruitt.
“The Pruitt was an old four stack destroyer built in 1920 but was
converted prior to WW11 to a mine laying vessel. While undergoing
overhaul at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked, but the ship was not
harmed. Charles said,”I spent 28 months on board the old ship.
During war time, there were no thirty day leaves or time off. It was
pretty much a 24/7 operation.
Richard Sanford of Grand Coulee,
Washington served as he remembered, “two years, nine months and
four days in the south pacific.”
Perhaps one of the more interesting
stories was from Leroy Walker, Electrician 2nd class.
Serving on the USS Bashaw, he rode out three war patrols, much of it
in and around the Aleutian Islands. He recalled an incident where
they were in dense fog with virtually no visibility. He tells the
story. “ We were slowly cruising in dense fog when looming out of
the swirling mess was a Japanese Battleship. They were running
parallel and were too close to shoot at. Our ship quietly crept off
into the fog with a mighty sigh of relief.”
Bob Peck, whose family pioneered in
Bayview, was inducted into the navy and served his training at
Farragut. His fate was much different than most recruits. “The
chief petty officer found out that I was from neighboring Bayview.The
Chief Petty Officer called me into the office. He asked me if I had a
car. I did.” Peck said,” I spent the remainder of my stay
driving around the countryside showing the CPO the sights. At about
the halfway point, (boot camp was six weeks) I was again called in.
Noting that I was trained as a heavy equipment operator, the quickly
assigned me to the the Sea Bees which are naval construction
battalions. I was sent to Rhode Island, where instead of being
shipped to the Pacific, I was put to work as a stevedore loading
ships, where I stayed until the war was over.“
Other Bayview residents that served but
with little detailed information, were: Gene Hammond, US Army, served
in England. Clyde Napier, son of Elijah also served in the Army. The
Puckett clan was well represented, too. Robert (Sonny) Puckett served
in the air Corps, Raymond (Babe) Puckett served in the Army and Jesse
Puckett, Jr served in the Navy.
Sgt. Irvan Puckett served in the
infantry, Company L, 345th Infantry. He participated in
campaigns in Northern France, The Rhineland and central Europe. Irvan
survived the war and returned to his career as a hard rock miner. He
didn't survive that one. Irvan Puckett died in the Sunshine Mine, May
2, 1972 along with 91 others.
Perhaps one of the more interesting
veterans is Robert (Max) Landes. Max is still alive, alert and full
of stories, some of which are fit to print. During the '30's, Max and
his parents lived above the store they operated in the Wigwam hotel.
Max related, “ my mother, enraged after finding out there were
neighboring residents plying the world's oldest profession, bailed
out indignantly, moving to a cabin near the shore from Gassman's
resort. “ I later joined the Army Air Corps and became a tail
gunner on a B-17G. On my 17th mission, which was the
first 1000 plane raid on Berlin. Unfortunately it was my last, as
anti-aircraft flak shot us down. We didn't worry about German
fighters that late in the war. We had P-51s and P47s keeping the
fighters off of us.” After being captured, Max said,”we spent
four months in captivity which wasn't long compared to others, but it
was the worst time as they were force marched on foot in mid-winter
sleeping in the forest on the ground or snow, or a barn when we could
find one. The Germans were apparently hoping we could be used in
Bartering their own freedom plus we were human shields. Fortunately
the war ended and we were repatriated at a place very near an
infamous camp, Dachau.” Max Landes now resides in Coeur d'Alene,
Idaho and winters in Arizona.
There were at least three outstanding
graduates of Farragut that served. Two medal of honor recipients and
one Navy Cross.
(From Navy archives, Farragut State
Park)
Robert
E. Bush attended Naval Medical Corps Basic Training at Farragut,
Idaho, graduating in February 1944.
He then continued his
training at Farragut, graduating from the Hospital Corps School on or
about April 28, 1944.
Bush was a Navy medical corpsman
during the Battle of Okinawa and at the age of 18, was the youngest
sailor to receive the Medal of Honor during World War II.
Fred
Faulkner Lester also attended Naval Medical Corps Basic Training at
Farragut, Idaho, graduating in December 1943.
Lester was a Navy
medical corpsman during the Battle of Okinawa where he earned the
Medal of Honor in June 1945. He trained with Company 954 at Camp
Ward.
CITATION:
“For conspicuous gallantry and
intrepidity and the risk of his life above and beyond the call of
duty while serving as a Medical Corpsman with an Assault Rifle
Platoon, attached to the 1st Battalion, 22nd
Marines, 6th Marine Division, during action against enemy
Japanese forces on Okinawa Shima in the Ryukyu Chain, June 8, 1945.
Quick to spot a wounded marine lying in an open field beyond the
front lines following the relentless assault against a strategic
Japanese hill position, LESTER unhesitatingly crawled toward the
casualty under a concentrated barrage from hostile machine guns,
rifles, and grenades. Torn by enemy rifle bullets as he inched
forward, he stoically disregarded the mounting fury of Japanese fire
and his own pain to pull the wounded man toward a covered position.
Struck by enemy fire a second time before he reached cover, he
exerted tremendous effort and succeeded in pulling his comrade to
safety where, too seriously wounded himself to administer aid, he
instructed two of his squad in proper medical treatment of the
rescued marine. Realizing that his own wounds were fatal, he
staunchly refused medical attention for himself and, gathering his
fast waning strength with calm determination, coolly and expertly
directed his men in the treatment of two other wounded marines,
succumbing shortly thereafter. Completely selfless in his concern for
the welfare of his fighting comrades, LESTER, by his indomitable
spirit, outstanding valor and competent direction of others, had
saved the life of one who otherwise must have perished and had
contributed to the safety of countless others. Lester's heroic
fortitude in the face of certain death sustained and enhanced the
highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly
gave his life for his country.”
/S/ Harry S. Truman
John
H. Bradley, one of the flag raisers at Iwo Jima, attended training at
Farragut. Bradley is pictured in the very famous photo of the second
raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi; he is in the front row,
second from the right. Bradley was also a recipient of the Navy
Cross.
This
truly was the “greatest generation.” Bayview and it's neighbor,
Farragut Naval Training Facility played a large part in ending the
war. The base closed down May 1, 1945 just one week before the German
surrender in Europe. War in the Pacific was also winding down with
plans for invading the Japanese home Islands in the making. Nuclear
bombs hitting first Hiroshima, then Nagasaki, ended the need for
invasion and forced the Japanese to surrender. World War Two was
over.
We
wish to again thank Linda Hackbarth for her unreserved assistance
with research as well as pictures. Also Dennis Woolford, Farragut
State Park ranger and historian.
