Midway survivor proud to be on Wiregrass Honor Flight

IRON CITY, Ga. — There are times when a fuzzy memory is a blessing. Remembering a traumatic experience in detail is not always a good thing.

It’s been more than 67 years since Roger Spooner stood on the deck of the U.S.S. Yorktown, watching an air parade of kamikaze pilots dive into the carrier while he loaded 54-pound shells to fire at circling Japanese planes in a frantic attempt to keep the ship from sinking at the Battle of Midway.

While 165 men on the Yorktown died that day, 85 survived. Some of them remember portions of that day in June. Others remember most of what happened.

“I remember all of it,” Spooner said.

Spooner can almost smell the sea water mixed with oil when he talks about the day the Yorktown was sunk. Spooner and many of his mates spent about 10 hours bobbing up and down in the Pacific in nothing more than their skivvies and a life jacket.

“The dive bombers were coming down right on top of us, straight out of the sun,” Spooner said. “There was nothing we could do with them.”

Spooner said he remembers abandoning the Yorktown and diving into the ocean at about 2:30 p.m. He was rescued by a cruiser about 10 hours later.

That’s a long time to be alone with your thoughts.

“I thought about Iron City,” said Spooner, who joined the Navy in late October, 1941. Two weeks later, Pearl Harbor was bombed and Spooner was thrust straight into the war with no time to go home. “I didn’t think I was ever going to get back.”

In the frenzied aftermath of the Battle of Midway, Spooner was listed as missing before being shuffled off to a nearby island and eventually sent to Pearl Harbor. Spooner’s family received a telegram listing his status as “missing.”

Spooner continued in the Navy, serving in Australia and Guam as well as the United States before being discharged in 1947. He married Eloise, his wife of 62 years, 17 days before his official discharge. He still carries his discharge papers in his wallet.

After leaving the Navy as a motor machinist, 2nd class, Spooner went into farming and truck driving. He still makes day trips in his 1999 Peterbilt semi.

He lives on family land he grew up on or near. In his living room is a clock fashioned from a boat wheel. The words “U.S.S. Yorktown C-5” are written in a circle around the wheel. Pinned to the wall on top of the wheel is a black pendant with the word “Survivor” written on it.

On Sept. 26, Spooner will be one of about 90 World War II veterans flying to Washington D.C., as part of the Wiregrass Honor Flight. The veterans will visit the World War II Memorial and other landmarks before returning home in the evening.

“I’ve always said I would like to go see the Memorial one day,” Spooner said. “I’ve been wanting to see it for a long time. I can’t imagine not being able to see it.”

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WHAT: Wiregrass Honor Flight

WHERE: Washington D.C., World War II Memorial

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 26

HOMECOMING: Around 8 p.m. at Dothan Regional Airport (Public is invited to attend)

TO DONATE: 334-774-0961.