Tag: Korean War Veteran

My Dad — My Forever Hero

HN Nornal Hule Waters

U.S. Navy Veteran

May 24, 1929 – December 31, 1996

USS Consolation

My dad is the very first military veteran I ever met. I have of course had other very close friends and relatives who were also military veterans, however, they do not compare to the importance of my very first military veteran.

In honor of the United States Celebration of Memorial Day and in memory of my father’s birthday I am dedicating this post to my late father, Nornal Hule Waters.

Nornal Hule Waters was born and raised in South Carolina. After completing high school he joined the United States Navy on September 24, 1948 when he was nineteen (19) years of age. He attended basic training in San Diego, California at the Naval Training Center (NTC) located in the Balboa Park area. His specialized training was conducted at the Balboa Naval Hospital.

San Diego Naval Training Center
©️Vintage San Diego

After completion of his training at Balboa Naval Hospital he was stationed on the USS Consolation where he served as a hospital corpsman. Nornal dedicated four (4) years of his life to the United States Navy before his discharge on September 12, 1952.

HN Nornal Hule Waters
US Navy
1948-1952
Korean War Veteran

He served his country with honor aboard the USS Consolation during the Korean War. During his time of service he was issued fuel rations which he had to use sparingly.

Fuel Rations

Nornal Hule Waters, my father, my Forever Hero, my Korean War Veteran. He loved his country and his family. He was a man of Honour.

God Bless. Thank you for visiting, for listening, and sharing your time and thoughts with us. I appreciate y’all very much.

A Day Which Will Live in Infamy: December 7, 1941

The day Pearl Harbor, a U. S. Naval Base in Hawaii was attacked in a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. This attack devastated Pearl Harbor enormously. The United States lost 2,403 Americans, and 1,178 others were seriously wounded. This strike also produced significant naval and military asset losses some of which included battleships and aircraft. The attack on Pearl Harbor was the major factor that impelled the United States to enter World War II.

Pearl Harbor
Remembrance Day
December 7, 2023
(twitter.com)

President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that this day would live in ‘infamy.’ This day also noted a significant shift in the global conflict and was a pivotal moment in the History of the United States of America.

Every year on December 7, Pearl Harbor Survivors, veterans, and visitors from all around the world unite together to honour and remember those 2,403 service members and civilians who were killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

It was on August 23, 1994 that the United States Congress designated December 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Each year events are held in remembrance at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, concluding with a commemoration ceremony on December 7.

This year marks the 82nd Commemoration of National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Events were held at the USS Utah, USS Oklahoma, USS Arizona (the Pearl Harbor National Memorial) as well as many other locations around the country.

Many here as well as myself were not alive yet when this attack took place, however its significance still impacts people tremendously.

As a personal note, a friend I knew in the church I grew up in was a Pearl Harbor Survivor. His name is Stuart Hedley. He was my church’s Sunday School Superintendent, an usher, a much loved father, friend, business man, and a much honoured U.S. Navy Veteran having served during World War II, Korean War, and a Pearl Harbor Survivor. He was an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and participated in many Veteran ceremonies including Pearl Harbor National Remembrance Day ceremonies. He amongst the many survivors and those who lost their lives that day will forever be remembered in infamy.

Stuart Hedley
Pearl Harbor Survivor
World War I Veteran

For more information on Stuart Hedley and is remembrance of Pearl Harbor click here.

God Bless. Thank you for visiting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. I appreciate y’all very much.