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Robert Emanuel Xanthos
was born on July 13, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York. He had one sister named Virginia who died a few years back, a
mom named Mary and a dad named Harry. Robert grew up in New York City and lived there for 38 years.
Robert went to PS 52 grades school, Inwood Jr.
High, and George
Washington High School. He was a good student and didn’t get in trouble much.
He had average grades “B’s and C’s”. When he grew up he loved to play
baseball, basketball, and was a great piano player.
Robert enlisted into the U.S. Navy 1 month after his 17th
birthday. He enlisted because he always loved ships and the sea. He never
really thought about joining the war when he was younger because there wasn’t
a war going on at the time. Before he joined the war it was going on for
about three years. He was proud and excited about joining the war; He didn’t
have a lot of fear. He was trained at Samson
Naval Base in Long Island, New York. During that training he was
trained to be a Gunner’s Mate striker. During the training he had to run,
climb, hike, and swim. Robert was assigned to be a Gunner’s mate striker.
During training he met some close friends such as Scott Williams from PA,
Billy Baldwin from Texas, and Tony Manola
from New York.
Robert thought that the food was
okay but never really knew what was inside it. The rules were very strict; a
lot of discipline, and you had to learn how to follow orders. The hours of
the day were from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. He didn’t have a lot of free
time but when he did have it he usually slept, played cards, and played
volleyball. He had to dress in white pants, a white shirt, and a white hat.
During training he stayed in barracks and slept on bunks. The weather was
different every day; sometimes it was sunny, sometimes it rained.
Robert was shipped to the Philippines for three months and on the
ship he would have to be kitchen duty. He never reached the war zone or saw
any combat during his military years. The name of his ship was the USS Mindoro. Once Robert got into the Philippines his first instinct was “this is
much different from America.” The type of gun he was assigned to was a 40 mm. The job
duties on his ship were that he had to do kitchen duty where he pealed
potatoes. Roberts’s ship never reached close to the front lines. He never had
a frightening experience. His most interesting experience was going to Panama and meeting all of the people
that lived there. His most exhausting experience was loading the 40 mm gun.
His most exciting experience was watching each fighter plane take off. One
part pf his job that he was especially good at was putting the shells into
the gun. The part of his job he least enjoyed was being out in the heat all
day and kitchen duty. His commanding officers were extremely tough and very
fair. Robert was never in any battle during his time.
On the ship Robert stayed in a
barrack and had an upper bunk which really stunk for him because he’s kind of
tall. On the ship he would sometimes get sea sick because of the rough winds
especially in Virginia. After he discharged he failed
a few times to get in touch with some of his old friends. Robert always kept
the same job during the war.
Often on board the ship the sailors
were kept informed about the war and what was going on. The most impressive
weapon he saw was probably a 40 mm. The most impressive place that he saw was
Panama
City, and the civilians there treated him very nice. The food in the Philippines was good for the most part.
During the war he never had a lot of free time, but when he did it was
usually two to three days depended on where he was stationed. He would
usually write home to his girlfriend and to his parents on a weekly basis.
When the war ended his first instinct was that he was mad that he didn’t get
to see combat, but then he realized that he was going to stay safe and not
get hurt. The highest rank he received was Gunners Mate Striker. He went from
first class to Gunner’s Mate.
Robert
got home safely by a train where his parents and his girlfriend waited for
him in Massachusetts.
After the war ended he stopped his
service in the military. His first job was a book keeper in New York. His second job was an
accountant. After the war he lived in it New York City.
After Robert was discharged he was a
partier. He met his ex-wife at bar. He got married on January
7, 1958.
Robert has one child who is a doctor in sports medicine and one grandchild
who’s five years old. His career now is a Bartender at Dilullos
Restaurant. He currently lives in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and his favorite hobbies are
watching ports and eating.
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