World war ii

J. Paul Everton enlisted into the U. S. Navy at Memphis, Tennessee on august 6, 1940. After ten weeks boot camp at naval training center, Norfolk, Virginia; Paul sailed on the USS Washington to San Pedro, California, where he was assigned to the battleship USS Mississippi (in drydock at the U. S. Naval Station, Bremerton, Washington) as an apprentice seaman. Paul sailed from Bremerton on the USS Maryland for pearl harbor. The ship conducted gunnery training out of Pearl Harbor for the remainder of 1940. Following training the USS Maryland sailed for the Atlantic and convoy escort duty between Norfolk, Virginia and Iceland. After the Japanese attack on pearl harbor on December 7, 1941, and six round trips to Iceland from Boston, Norfolk and Rhode Island, the Maryland was recalled to Pacific duty. Sailing for the Fiji Islands, they resumed patrol duties in the south pacific. Sailing via Pearl harbor in 1942, they proceeded to Alaska patrol duty, where they participated in the September 1943 bombardment of Kiska. Returning to San Francisco, Paul was promoted to aviation ordnance man second class and transferred to fleet air wing six in late 1943. His last duty was on Guam, Mariana Islands, in the South Pacific, with carrier aircraft service unit 12. During these periods Paul was a tail gunner in the OS2U Kingfisher, operating from carriers on patrol duty and towing targets for ships gunnery. Paul went through the Panama Canal three times during his tours. From the photograph it is obvious he was promoted to First Class Petty Officer sometime later.