“For me, the Howard County Veterans and Military Families Monument means a lot because it will remind the younger generation what the past generation went through to give them the life they have. It will be a physical reminder of the sacrifices that were made for their freedom today.
My story is a testament to those sacrifices. I was born in the boondocks and hunted and fished my whole life until I joined the Navy at 17. I was inspired by my dad, who was a WWI Veteran. My service began in 1942 on the USS Edwards. I was a horizon lookout at the top of the mast, and I had to spot ships through binoculars.
We were in 15 major engagements – the most out of any ship in the Navy at that time. I remember our first engagement. One night, I made a report that I saw friendly fire star shells on the starboard beam. The captain responded that they were actually tracers. It was 20 Japanese bombers coming in to sink the heavy cruiser USS Chicago, and we were there to help rescue the crew.
In January 1945, I was transferred off the ship to California for training in underwater demolition as we prepared for the invasion of Okinawa. I was ashore in the first wave of that battle. All hell broke loose, and I was wounded. I remember walking out of the cave in Okinawa and then, suddenly, I was waking up in Treasure Island Hospital in San Francisco. It was three months later. I can’t remember anything else in between that time, despite trying.
After the war, I got a degree in education and enjoyed a career as a teacher. The Navy gave me that opportunity – I likely would have been a miner or a lumberjack if it hadn’t been for my service. At one point, I even wanted to be a professional baseball player. All of this is to say that military service opened doors. For some, it was access to education. For others, it was a way to simply get a pair of shoes and three meals a day.
At 101 years old, I’m retired now, but I recently spoke to a group of 8th graders about WWII and why it’s still relevant. My biggest point was that the war was about freedom. Without the service of my generation, we wouldn’t have life as we know it today. It’s difficult for the younger generation to understand the sacrifices we went through during the war. We went without food, without sleep, day after day after day, never knowing if you would wake up in the morning. It was really hard to experience the really deep feeling of the real cause of the war. I hope that our youth will visit the monument and appreciate what the past generations did for them.”
–Howard Baroudi, U.S. Navy Veteran
Want to hear more of Howard’s story? Click here to listen to his interview with the WWII Museum. Want to share what the monument means to you? Click here to tell your story! Want to help us finish the mission? Click here to make a donation to the monument campaign.
