Four Cedar Rapids Navy men served aboard one of the battleships that laid a bombardment on the Okinawa beaches clearing the way for the greatest amphibious landing of the Pacific war.
The men are Albert A. Kara, S 1/c, son of Mrs. Stella M. Smith, 627 Sixth street SE; Frederick E. McLaud, F 2/c, son of Edward D. McLaud, 611 B avenue NE; William H. Poole, jr., S 1/c, son of Mrs. Ferdinand Poole, route 1; Russell F. Ross, S 1/c, whose wife lives at 836 Eleventh street NE.
Their ship, which saw service in World War II, has blasted the enemy through five previous campaigns of this war and had two torpedoes launched against her, numerous Jap air attacks and three different Jap suicide planes railed against her during the Okinawa action.
Source: Cedar Rapids Tribune, May 24, 1945
