I've noticed that on the guestbook and general forums, descendants and family members are posting questions about deceased crew members, looking for photographs, etc. I'm doing the same, trying to find out about my uncle,Roy Linn, more for his younger brothers and sisters who are still alive than for myself, for my dad in particular, and perhaps more pressing, for his older brother, whom I found out last weekend at my aunt's (Velda Jarnell, who mentored many a Legion lady) memorial service was on another ship less than 300 miles from his big brother Roy. Time is of the essence for all of us, and that's something that I hope the survivors understand. That each of us has a need to know anything that can be remembered about our lost family members. Roy's last letter was to Velda, grousing a bit that she and her brothers shouldn't drop out of high school. I think it was dated about three weeks before the tragedy. But for my dad, who was six when he last saw the big brother he must have near worshipped, there are so many missing pieces. Does anyone remember if he was funny? If he tried to save someone else, if he never left the ship? Did he miss my grandma? Who WAS he? I believe, above all else, in our historical-genealogical seekings, we look for the humanity that we can never know firsthand. So I ask, not just for my Uncle Roy's six remaining siblings and their countless descendants, but for all the families, that the survivors with even the most simple or seemingly minor memories of the crewmen take a little of their time to delve into the past and pass on these little pieces to us, because we will cherish the smallest of shiny things they can offer, for generations to come. Thanks. Dani Linn
ww2kim said
Sep 22, 2007
Dani Linn,
Your questions are ones that are repeated over and over to the survivors as well as to the men of the rescue ships who pulled the survivors (and bodies) from the water. Those are probably the most heartbreaking encounters - to have family members searching for something, anything about their father/uncle/brother...
I do wish you luck in your search.
Indyson18 said
Oct 6, 2007
If you can make it to a USS Indianapolis reunion or the annual Mt. Comfort AirShow, you can ask the men first hand. Sometimes it takes a simple question or conversation to "jog" these memories. Look for men who were in your loved one's rate or unit...i.e., radiomen knew radiomen...and use the crew listings in the books "Abandon Ship" or "Only 317 Survived" or from other books, for names of survivors and their ratings. At the reunions, usually posted is a master listing of which survivors are actually on-site. That makes it easier to see who you might start with, and hopefully help you find that missing piece of information while it is still available first-hand.
Time is of the essence for all of us, and that's something that I hope the survivors understand. That each of us has a need to know anything that can be remembered about our lost family members. Roy's last letter was to Velda, grousing a bit that she and her brothers shouldn't drop out of high school. I think it was dated about three weeks before the tragedy. But for my dad, who was six when he last saw the big brother he must have near worshipped, there are so many missing pieces. Does anyone remember if he was funny? If he tried to save someone else, if he never left the ship? Did he miss my grandma? Who WAS he?
I believe, above all else, in our historical-genealogical seekings, we look for the humanity that we can never know firsthand. So I ask, not just for my Uncle Roy's six remaining siblings and their countless descendants, but for all the families, that the survivors with even the most simple or seemingly minor memories of the crewmen take a little of their time to delve into the past and pass on these little pieces to us, because we will cherish the smallest of shiny things they can offer, for generations to come.
Thanks.
Dani Linn