William E. Riley

“On May 4, 1945, our ship was given an order to patrol the number one corner of the ring around the island of Okinawa. The purpose of the ring was to intercept Kamikaze planes and alert the large ship in the harbor to be prepared for the attack. Around noon, we noted 75 Kamikaze planes in the area. We came under attack and within 15 minutes, two of the Destroyers had sunk, along with two Rocket Ships (LCS and LSM). U.S. Corsairs arrived and shot the Japanese planes out of the sky. Of the five ships in the corner, ours was the only survivor. We picked up 135 men out of the water and proceeded to the hospital ship in Okinawa. Later in the day an Admiral came aboard to congratulate us and tell us that we had earned the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon for our valor.”