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Post Info TOPIC: USS Indianapolis Presentation with Survivor, John Woolston


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USS Indianapolis Presentation with Survivor, John Woolston
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USS Indianapolis Presentation with Survivor, John Woolston

Where:
Auburn Avenue Theater
10 Auburn Ave.
Auburn, WA 98001

When:
Saturday, November 9th at 6:30pm
Sunday, November 10th at 2:00pm

Both programs are FREE.  First come, first seated.  Door will open one hour prior to show.  If you KNOW that you're going to come, let me know and I will reserve a seat for you.  We are expecting both shows to be packed to capacity. 


About the USS Indianapolis (CA-35):

Indy holds a place in history as experiencing the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy.  On the 30th of July 1945, shortly after delivering the atomic bomb to the island of Tinian, Indy was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and sank within 12 minutes. Of 1,197 crewmen aboard, approximately 300 weren't able to make it off of the ship in time and went to the bottom of the sea with her.

The remaining 900 men faced exposure, dehydration, sal****er poisoning, hallucinations, and shark attacks as they waited for rescue while floating with few lifeboats. Nobody was looking for them because of communications foul-ups and their SOS was disregarded as a Japanese hoax. On the fourth day of this hellish existence, they were accidentally spotted by a PV-1 Ventura and the rescue efforts began.  When the last survivor was pulled from the ocean on the fifth day, there were only 317 still alive.

About Indy Survivor John Woolston:

John Woolston was an Ensign aboard the ship.  He spent his time in the water in a life jacket, in one of the hardest-hit groups when it comes to casualties.  Come hear his story about the torpedo blasts, his struggle to even get off of the ship from below, his experiences in the water, his rescue by a PBY airplane that defied orders not to land, and his thoughts on the fact that the US Navy unfairly court-martialed the ship's Captain, leading to his suicide years later. 

Today, John is 89 years old and in fantastic shape.  He lives in Honolulu and spends his time entertaining family and friends along with traveling the world on  sightseeing cruises as often as possible.

Special Guest #2:

Alexes Shuman is the daughter of Adrian Marks, the pilot of the PBY airplane that was ordered not to land in the open sea.  He was flying directly over a full-on shark attack and landed as quickly as possible, literally snatching Indy survivors from the Jaws of death.  John Woolston was one of those survivors.  Alexes will be here to represent her heroic father and answer any questions about his experience.  Adrian Marks passed away in 1998.

Come hear this incredible, IMPORTANT story in a multi-media presentation given by me, Kim Roller, and thank one of the USS Indianapolis survivors who sacrificed so much almost 70 years ago for the freedoms that we enjoy today. 

 



-- Edited by ww2kim on Monday 28th of October 2013 03:13:40 PM

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