WARTIME JOURNAL | PART 1
The Pacific Voyage Begins
The diary of centenarian Charles Woody Curry follows an 18-year-old Livingston County sailor from the familiar world of western Kentucky into the vast Pacific and toward the heart of World War II.
Diary of Centenarian Woody Curry Provides Rare View Into World War II
Charles "Woody" Curry has spent a century rooted in western Kentucky, but the handwritten journal he began as an 18-year-old sailor offers a window into one of the most turbulent periods in world history.
Curry, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends at long-term care facility Salem Springlake in eastern Livingston County, grew up in Carrsville along the Ohio River where he first attended school. He completed his education at Hampton High School, and like many young men of his generation, Curry went off to war where he came of age during a remarkably frightening time. Shortly after graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy on May 29, 1944, beginning a journey that would carry him far from Livingston County and into the Pacific Theater of World War II.
That same day, Curry started keeping a diary. Service members generally were not supposed to write anything in their journals that might reveal military information, just in case the diary fell into enemy hands. Curry said no one ever told him exactly what was prohibited, so he wrote about almost everything, leaving behind a plainspoken, day-by-day record of a young Kentuckian learning military life while moving steadily closer to combat.
After enlisting, Curry first went through Louisville, then to Great Lakes Naval Training Station near Chicago. He also trained in California, including Treasure Island, before heading West. He later said the training
was brief because the military needed manpower badly and was rushing men overseas as quickly as possible.
Eventually, Curry boarded USS Boise, a light cruiser he jokingly described as "an old rusty bucket." The ship would become his home during some of the war's fiercest months in the Pacific. He first worked in radio and also helped handle ammunition in the lower parts of the vessel. At one point, a boiler explosion aboard the ship badly injured several sailors, one of many reminders that danger at sea did not depend solely on enemy fire.
Curry spent several months in the Pacific aboard the USS Boise, operating through places that had already become famous in wartime headlines, including Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, New Guinea and the Philippines. The ship's job, he recalled, was largely one of bombing missions. Boise often bombarded shore positions rather than fighting classic ship-to-ship battles. Its six-inch guns pounded Japanese bunkers and fortifications as American forces fought to reclaim island after island.
Some of Curry's strongest memories came from the Philippines, especially the brutal fighting around Manila. He recalled the ship shelling land positions and Filipino informants helping identify where Japanese troops were hidden. He also remembered going ashore and seeing the grim aftermath of battle, including bulldozers pushing piles of bodies through the devastated landscape.
Life aboard ship could be miserable even when enemy fire was absent. Food sometimes ran low. Bread could be stale and filled with bugs. Watches were long. Sleep was irregular. The journal captures routine as well as danger, moving from movies, letters and mail call to sudden air raid alarms and general quarters.
The danger, though, was never far away. Curry remembered Japanese aircraft flying so low over the ship that sailors could see the pilot's face. One plane dropped a torpedo and passed just over the vessel. He also recalled the terror of kamikaze attacks, when enemy pilots tried to crash their planes directly into Allied ships.
For all he witnessed, Curry never romanticized war. Asked about his fondest memories, he laughed and said none of it was fun. He said one lesson he learned was to keep quiet so he would not get volunteered for extra duty. More than anything, he said, he was simply glad to make it home alive.
When the war ended, the USS Boise returned to the United States and made a tour of major cities before Curry was eventually discharged in 1946 with the rank of Seaman First Class. He came home to Kentucky, later worked on towboats and barges as an engineer and pilot, and eventually worked at the General Tire plant in Mayfield. In retirement, he enjoyed boating, camping and spending time in Florida.
Now living at Salem Springlake after suffering a stroke a few years ago, Curry is believed to be the last living World War II veteran from either Livingston or Crittenden counties. Though age has slowed him physically, his recollections remain sharp, and his diary endures as a rare local record of wartime service from the perspective of an ordinary sailor.
Over the next four installments, Curry's journal will take readers from the long voyage across the Pacific to the deck of USS Boise, through the Philippines campaign, kamikaze attacks, bombardments and the final stretch of the war. Together, the entries preserve not only the movements of a ship, but the voice of a Livingston County farm boy who saw history unfold from the middle of it.
Service Diary Part 1
Aug. 13, 1944 to Sept. 7, 1944
WWII Journals of Charles Woody Curry
In the first section of this wartime journal series, a young sailor, Woody Curry, leaves the familiar world behind and heads into the vast Pacific aboard a transport ship. The entries begin with long days at sea, changing clocks, flying fish and first glimpses of famous wartime places such as Pearl Harbor and Guadalcanal. By the end of this opening chapter, he is no longer simply crossing the ocean, he is stepping aboard USS Boise and into the heart of the war.
August 1944
We are about 432 miles out this eve, or that is what someone said. We met a sailboat today and it was really going up and down.
Today I saw my first swordfish and flying fish. We ran the time back an hour at 1400.
Today we saw a lot of flying fish. We ran time back an hour at 1400. That makes the third time. We had Red Cross packages given to us yesterday.
Today we ran into a little more rain. The gun crew had a little practice at 1815 o-clock. We met a Pan American Clipper from Hawaii.
We set the time back a half hour at 0830 this morning. That makes it Honolulu time. We sighted land about 1500 this eve, and we are in Pearl Harbor now.
They have been unloading all day and we are still at it. All but three divisions left the ship this morning that was in compartment 13.
We left the pier today and now we are anchored with a lot more ships in a long line. They are all part of a convoy, so I heard.
We have been anchored all day. Some new men and officers came aboard. I wrote a letter, read a book and saw a show tonight.
 |
| Visit Us Online to Learn More |
MON. AUGUST 21, 1944
We left Pearl Harbor today and set the time back 30 minutes at 1400. Our destination is New Guinea.
I laid around all day. They put the time back one hour today at 1400.
One motor broke down today, and we are moving slower. I just heard over the loudspeaker that Paris has been liberated.
I've been in my pack most of the day. Barry Jones came aboard this eve and made a tour of the ship.
We had the initiation that made us shellbacks after crossing the equator today. We are now in the water where Amelia Earhart was drowned.
Scribbled out, no entry.
Yesterday was Fri. 25. We crossed the International Date Line last night and today is Sunday 27. I stayed in my compartment most of the time. It is cool now.
The target was a barrel today. The crew had target practice. The Marine gunners missed it, but the crew at the 5-inch gun got it the third shot. Colored gun crew also missed.
It has been raining all day. The time was set back one hour today at 1400. We are 300 miles from Halmahera Island.
Today we were in the area where the naval battle was fought and we lost the Hornet and other vessels. It was the Battle of Santa Cruz.
We arrived at Guadalcanal today and it is our ninth day at sea. We are supposed to reach New Guinea tomorrow or next day.
September 1944
We left Guadalcanal today and came out through Ironbottom Sound and we are passing the islands of the Solomon group now.
Today we passed several islands and the time was set back at 1400 one hour. It rained last night.
We arrived at New Guinea this morning and stayed about two hours and now we are on our way to another island.
We are now at the Admiralty Islands. We arrived this morning. There is a large force of ships here.
I sold a watch today and made ten dollars on it. I saw a show tonight, "This Gun for Hire." We are supposed to get liberty tomorrow, half the passengers at a time.
Half the crew got liberty today but couldn't get much on the island. We are supposed to get liberty tomorrow.
We left our ship today and went to the Boise. It is a light cruiser.
Epilogue
By early September 1944, the journey across the Pacific had turned into something more serious. Curry had crossed the Equator, passed through some of the most storied waters of the war and reached the fleet anchorage in the Admiralties. On Sept. 7, he left the transport behind and boarded USS Boise, the light cruiser that would carry him into the campaigns ahead. Stay tuned for next week's second part in this four-part series. This series was first published in the print edition of The Crittenden Press in the spring of 2026.
No comments:
Post a Comment