Retired in Kitsap County near Seattle. Writing music, editing DVD's for the Navy Musicians Association Archives, playing in three different bands and playing the house husband role for Diane who is teaching school (orchestra) in the local public school system. Fixing up and spending time at our cabin in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains. Trying to keep up with "where is Annie this time!" Enjoying life with my beautiful wife. Going to Mariners games. Hanging out with Tex Waldron at his jazz club "Tula's" in Seattle. And that just about covers it!
Other Comments:
Check out my new book "The Art of Rehearsing the Stage Band".
http://stores.lulu.com/mikethesax
To hear my music (mostly jazz):
http://www.reverbnation.com/midiartstudio
To watch mini movies of interview and features by the Navy Musicians Association Archives department:
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This ship was named for Ensign Walter Michael Willis (14 January 1917 – 7 December 1941). He enlisted in the Naval Reserve as a seaman 2d class at Minneapolis. Willis received an appointment as reserve aviation cadet on 22 December 1939. Six days later, he reported to Pensacola Naval Air Station for flight instruction and, on 14 August 1940, emerged with his aviator's wings.
Commissioned an ensign on 10 September, Willis soon joined Bombing Squadron (VB) 6, based in USS Enterprise (CV-6), and flew Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers until early in December 1941. On the morning of 7 December, as Enterprisewas returning from Wake Island to Hawaii, the carrier sent up a flight of SBD's to scout the water ahead. Willis took off in one of these bombers for what was intended to be a routine flight to Ford Island, the naval air station at Pearl Harbor. However, instead of enjoying an ordinary scouting mission, these planes ran head-on into a war, for they arrived almost simultaneously with the start of the Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor. In the ensuing aerial melee, Willis and his gunner were among the Americans shot down.
Off the Azores TG 22.2 destroyed another Axis submersible when planes of Bogue's VC-69 sank the Japanese submarine I-52.
The Willis contacted a lost carrier plane and vectored her back to her ship. The radio operator on duty in Willis was subsequently commended for his action that enabled a lost aircraft and her crew to reach home safely.
On 28 November 1944, the ship received the Presidential Unit Citation "for outstanding performance in combat as an escort vessel in two task groups with USS Bogue during the periods: 26 February to 19 April 1944, and 4 May to 3 July 1944."
On 16 April, Willis, as part of TG 22.3, conducted hunter-killer operations-known as Operation "Teardrop"-on "barrier patrol" to prevent the penetration of U-boats to the east coast of the United States. Four days out of Melville, TG 22.3 rendezvoused with TG 22.4. At 0840 on 24 April, U-546 torpedoed and sank USS Frederick C. Davis (DE-136), one of the other escort destroyers in combined screen. A search immediately began; and a covey of escorts flushed out the enemy submersible and sank her in a determined attack.
Rejoining TG 22.3 on 1 May, Willis suffered minor storm damage when a heavy wave tore loose her number 1 gun shield, ripping a 4-inch (100 mm) hole in the deck; but a damage control party patched the tear as the ship proceeded independently to Bayonne, N.J., for permanent repairs. While the destroyer escort was there, Germany surrendered at Reims, France, on 7 May, ending the war in Europe.
Transferred to the Pacific
Upon completion of the repairs, Willis, now earmarked for service in the Pacific, a theater of war-underwent a month-long availability at the Norfolk Navy Yard before sailing for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to conduct refresher training. From 2 to 15 July, the ship carried out those evolutions, after which time she sailed in company with most of the ships in CortDiv 7 for the Canal Zone.
Transiting the Panama Canal between 17 and 19 July, Willis reached San Diego, Calif., on 26 July and pushed on toward Hawaii at the end of the month. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 7 August and reported for duty to the Commander, Destroyers, Pacific Fleet. For Willis, however, there were to be no more active combat operations-because a week later, Japan-reeling under the unexpected power of a pair of atomic bombs -capitulated. World War II was over.
