Abandon Ship!
A Survivor's Story: Attack on Pearl Harbor, Sinking of the USS Helena, and my life during World War II
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
FOREWORD Life is filled with experiences of one kind or another with only a few having a major impact upon our lives. During my lifetime four experiences stand-out above the others. Marriage to Jean in 1946 and Helen in 1994 proved to be the best decisions I ever made. Becoming an Agent for State Farm Insurance Companies has provided both challenging and rewarding work opportunities. Campaigning for the US Congress in 1969 followed by my election in 1970 and re-election to 3 four year terms in the Tennessee State Senate, made me aware of the awesome power we place in the hands of a few at all levels of government. Based upon my observations inside the system, it is a miracle our system of government has survived over 200 years of political abuse. The fourth and by far the most hazardous and action packed period of my life were the seven years I served in the Navy from December 1938 to February 1946. This tour of duty spanned 3 peace-time years and 4 war¬time years during World War 2 from beginning to end. My Navy years are what this book is all about. These experiences are not unique. Thousands upon thousands of Navy men could tell a similar story. It is my purpose to relive those years giving the reader a sense of Navy life during this period focusing on the war in the Pacific as we pushed the Japanese back across the Pacific from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo. Bill Jim Davis - 2008
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Abandon Ship is a fascinating account of enlisted life onboard U.S. naval warships in the Pacific Theater during WW2. Bill Jim Davis, the author, provides a riveting account of what it was like for him as a young seaman during those hazardous times. Amazingly, his individual experiences took him from the attack on Pearl Harbor to Okinawa, to the Japanese mainland, and from a new recruit to a commissioned officer by war’s end.
The reader gets a vivid, blow by blow account of the war in the Pacific. Anyone who wishes to see the war in the Pacific from the well trained eyes of a young sailor will find great value in this book.
We, as a nation, are forever indebted to the young Davis and countless others like him who answered the call to duty and performed with valor. Such accounts are an invaluable reminder to future generations of the sacrifice, courage, and vigilance required to maintain the liberty and freedom we all enjoy in our great nation. Those young men and women who aspire to service in the United States Navy would be well served by reading this book.
About the Author
Bill Jim Davis experienced the attack on Pearl Harbor more than six decades ago. He lived through that battle, went on to serve in the navy during WW2, returned home victorious, started a family, began a vocation in the insurance industry, and then served his country again as a Tennessee state senator for three terms in the 1970’s. Bill Jim is the only Pearl Harbor survivor left in Tipton County and is one of the very few in the state of Tennessee. He helped establish a veteran’s memorial in Covington, TN and has now written a book describing his adventures in order to document this important time in American history. In The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw writes: "They came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America -- men and women whose everyday lives of duty, honor, achievement, and courage gave us the world we have today." Bill Jim Davis is one among many of this country's living treasures. People who have lived a life of service and integrity and whose legacies light the path for those who follow. Bill Jim resides with his wife Helen in Covington, TN. He has two children, three grandchildren, and one great grandchild.