Father and Son War Repeaters—
Veterans of World War No. 1 Have Sons in Service Now
Reporter Finds Nine Such Combinations—May Be More.
By Don Pinkston.
Like father, like son, even unto war and the defense of democracy.
Uniforms are somewhat different—smarter looking these days, the legionnaires of ’17 and ’18 admit—the army rides more, the air arm is more important and a few others things have changed. But there’s many an American father today can look at his son and know his thoughts.
Dad went through it, back in another day when the United States went to war against an aggressor in the world.
Since world war No. 1 and world war No. 2 came only a generation apart, never before in American history have so many soldiers and sailors had veteran-fathers back home.
Sioux City has its quota of those father and son patriots and undoubtedly will have more.
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[excerpt]
One dad didn’t stay at home. –
JOHN W. SPRAY, 3105 Military road, who was 50 years old on December 26, got so made over the Pearl Harbor attack that he joined the navy. He was angry partially because his son, Averill, 18, was at Pearl Harbor.
Mr. Spray passed examinations with flying colors and was sent to the Great Lakes naval training station near Chicago, where he became an engineer first class.
Now his family at home, looking over affairs that the father left behind has learned that dad will join son at Pearl Harbor. How, is a military secret.
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6. John W. Spray, 50-year-old war veteran, who joined the navy so he could be with his son, Averill Spray, who was at Pearl Harbor at the time of the Jap attack.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, January 11, 1942 (photos included)
Navy’s Oldest Recruit Is Here For 12-Day Furlough
John Spray Arrives Home to Recover from an Operation
A happy family greeted the reputed oldest recruit in the United States Navy, John Spray, 50, 3105 Military Road, who arrived Sunday night for a 12-day leave to convalesce from a recent operation at the naval hospital in Portsmouth, Va.
The sailor was met at the bus station by his wife, their five children and his mother, Mrs. N.A. Spray of St. Joseph, Mo., who came here for the reunion. A son, A.J. (Sonny) Spray, missed the homecoming because he’s a sailor, too, believed to be at Pearl Harbor.
With pride, Mr. Spray, fireman first class, said that not only is he the oldest man ever recruited at the Sioux City station but also the oldest recruit in the entire navy. Had he waited two weeks longer to enlist the 50-year age limit would have caused his rejection.
The bluejacket added that his life seems to be strongly linked with the number 13. He enlisted on December 13, 13 days before his 50th birthday, at 1 p.m., which in nautical time is designated as 1300. January 13 was the date on which he first went aboard a ship. In the hospital he was in ward 13 and he has 13 beautiful stitches in his body to prove it.
Misses were recorded in two instances, however. One was when the sailor was placed in bed 12 following his operation and the other was the 12-day leave instead of the 13 days for which he applied.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, February 23, 1942
13th Is Lucky: Family Hears from Sailor
Thirteen has come through again as the lucky number of the John Spray family.
Mr. and Mrs. Spray, who moved from Sioux City last month to Hutchinson, Kansas, where Mr. Spray is serving with the navy, learned Friday the 13th that their son, A.J. (Sunny) Spray, 19, a third class naval baker, from whom they had not heard since June, was safe in San Francisco. In June, he was serving at Pearl Harbor.
That said, Mr. Spray in a telegram to his daughter, Miss Louetta Spray, 4208 Perry Way, almost proves 13 is the Spray family’s lucky number. On December 13 the elder Spray enlisted in the navy as a fireman first class. Thirteen days later he reached his 50th birthday. Then on January 13 he stepped aboard his first ship.
To top that off, the hospital ward in which he lay recuperating from an operation recently was number 13- and he has 13 stitches to prove that the operation took place.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, November 14, 1942
