Category Archives: Uncategorized

Dr. John Hus Valcik, Beach Party Surgeon, Makin Invasion

Leave a reply

Many thanks to Nick Valcik for providing the following information and photographs on his grandfather’s WWII service, including time served aboard the U.S.S. Calvert during the invasion of Makin, Gilberts Islands in the Fall of 1943.

Valcik-1941 - USNvalcik05-web

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. John Hus Valcik was a USN surgeon assigned to 2nd Marine Division Fleet Marine Force during World War II. Throughout the war Dr. Valcik served on number of ships and stations, including the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station Hospital, the Aleutians, the S.S. Mormachawk (see more below), the S.S. Paul Revere, and the U.S.S. Calvert.

Dr. Valcik boarded the Calvert in Hawaii at the end of October 1943, just prior to the Calvert’s departure for the Gilberts campaign. He participated in the initial landing at Makin Island on Nov 20th acting as a beach commander and beach party surgeon.

With “Makin Taken” by the 23rd of November, he and other members of the Calvert’s beach party and several boat crews (including my grandfather, Sterling Funck), assisted at Tarawa. While on the beach at Tarawa, while directing triage and logistics, and with heavy fighting still in progress, he was knocked unconscious and injured. According to his grandson Nick, all Dr. Valcik remembered was one minute he was on the beach and then he woke up in the hospital. He was transferred to the USS Solace (AH-5) for treatment and transported back to San Diego U.S. Naval Hospital in time for Christmas, 1943.

During invasions the Calvert’s enlisted mess area was organized into a surgical ward to accommodate the wounded if they were brought aboard for triage. We’re not certain that the following photographs were taken aboard the Calvert, but my grandfather believed that they were as he remembered how the Calvert’s mess hall was reconfigured into a surgical ward during invasions.

 Valcik-OperatingRoom4 Valcik-OperatingRoom6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the war Dr. Valcik practiced medicine in Decatur, TX. He was also on the inactive Naval reserve list and Army inactive reserve list until he died in 1986.

Valcik-Newspaper Articel, Valcik, John Hus

Additional photographs and information, including photographs taken aboard the S.S. Mormachawk, all provided by Nick.

Valcik-1941 - USNvalcik05-web Valcik-08

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valcik, John H. - Golden Dragon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photographs taken aboard the S.S. Mormachawk, provided by Nick Valcik. More on the Mormachawk “Hawk” at Wikipedia.

1943 - Mormachawk - Hospital Corps - 03 1943 - Mormachawk - Hospital Corps - 02 1943 - Mormachawk - Hospital Corps - 01

Valcik - Mormachawk - Deck -08


Valcik - Mormachawk - Deck01 Valcik - Mormachawk - Deck02 Valcik - Mormachawk - Deck03

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valcik - Mormachawk - Deck04 Valcik - Mormachawk - Deck05 Valcik - Mormachawk - Cabin Valcik - Mormachawk - Galley Valcik - Mormachawk - Laboratory Valcik - Mormachawk - Isolation Ward Valcik - Mormachawk - Main Ward Valcik - Mormachawk - Medica Office Valcik - Mormachawk - Mental Ward Valcik - Mormachawk - Operating Room 02 Valcik - Mormachawk - Operating Room 01 Valcik - Mormachawk - Operating Room 04 Valcik - Mormachawk - Operating Room 03 Valcik - Mormachawk - Operating Room 05 Valcik - Mormachawk - Passageway Valcik - Mormachawk - Pharmacy Valcik - Supervisin Clerk1

WWII-Era Landing Craft Videos

Leave a reply

Here are several online movies that provide a great view into what it was like to operate landing craft during WWII.

The USS Calvert’s Landing Craft in action:

This first video shows the Calvert’s landing craft in action from 1944 color film footage (full film is available here).

 

This second movie shows the Calvert’s LCVPs and LCMs at the Makin invasion, Gilbert Islands, on November 20th 1943. Although this free preview at CriticalPast is low quality, it is possible to make out the “32” on several of the landing craft throughout the video.

 

Other WWII-Era Landing Craft Videos: Additional WWII-era landing craft movies area available on the “Landing Craft” page on this site.

Matt Fountain – Boatswain Mate – 1943 – 1945

1 Reply

Mark Fountain, son of Matthew Fountain BM1C, was kind enough to share the following information regarding his father’s time aboard the Calvert during WWII.

Matt Fountain enlisted in the Navy in Boston, MA in early September 1942. He first attended boot camp at Newport, RI and then went through at the Portsmouth, VA Amphibious Training Base and the Ft. Pierce Florida Amphibious Training School, During his time at the Portsmouth training base he spent time training with the USS Harry Lee’s boat crew (who were transferred to the Calvert when the Harry Lee broke down leading up to the invasion of North Africa).

Matt stayed in training at Ft. Pierce and he then joined the Calvert’s crew on March 12th, 1943 as a Seaman First Class. During his time aboard the Calvert he served as a Coxswain and Boatswain’s Mate (second class and first class temporary) where he piloted landing craft during the Calvert’s actions in Sicily and in each of the invasions in which the Calvert participated during the Island Hopping campaign in the Pacific. He was transferred off of the Calvert on September 8th, 1945. Matt was discharged from the Navy in mid October and returned home to Lynn, MA.

Fountain, Matt and Aleada - 1945

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark has done an amazing job compiling a history of his father’s time during the war. With his permission I’ll be sharing more content from his work in the future.

Benjamin “Lawrence” Hearne – SC1 – World War II Crew Member

Leave a reply

Sandy Waits provided the following photographs of her father, Benjamin “Lawrence” Hearne. Lawrence served aboard the Calvert from June 1944 through March 1945 and during this time he was a Seaman 2nd class, then promoted to 1st class, while aboard the Calvert.

Hearne, Benjamin Lawrence - 01 Hearne, Benjamin Lawrence - 02

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Originally from Chatham, Jackson Parish, Louisiana, Lawrence’s full war-time chronology follows:

01/31/44   –   MARSHALL ISLANDS  –  L.S.T. 222

06/23/44   –   SAIPIAN  –  U.S.S. CALVERT APA 32

07/24/44   –   TINNIAN  –  U.S.S. CALVERT APA 32

10/20/44   –   LETTE  –  U.S.S. CALVERT APA 32

01/9/45   –   LU  –  U.S.S. CALVERT APA 32

03/26/45   –   TO THE U.S.A.  –  U.S.S. CALVERT APA 32 – ARRIVE AT BREMERTON, WA

09/27/45   –   TO PEARL HARBOR  –  U.S.S. BUNKER HILL CV 17

11/24/45   –   TO THE U.S.A.  –  U.S.S. SCHMITT A.P.D. – SAN DIEGO

Sadly, Lawrence passed in 1988.