Baxter, Robert T, EM1

TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, WHAT INFLUENCED HIS/HER DECISION TO JOIN THE NAVY?
I first heard of the bombing of Pearl Harbor while attending a football game at the Polo Grounds Stadium in Manhattan, N.Y.C. Loudspeaker announcements called that all military must report to their command posts immediately. It wasn't until I exited the game that I learned of the attack from the newsboys outside, shouting "Extra, extra, Read all about it", that Pearl Harbor had been attacked.

When I returned home, my family listened to the news reports on the radio, where we found out where Pearl Harbor was located. To my great surprise, I heard that it was where a U.S. Naval Base in the Pacific area was located. My first impulse was to enlist in the Marine Corps, but since I was only seventeen years old and needed my parent's approval, I asked my father to sign for me and he persuaded me to join the Navy instead. He said so that I could learn a usable skill after the war was over.

TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH HE/SHE TOOK IN HIS/HER MILITARY SERVICE. WHERE DID THEY GO TO BOOT CAMP AND WHAT UNITS, BASES, SHIPS OR SQUADRONS WERE THEY ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS HIS/HER REASON FOR LEAVING?
I had my basic training at Sampson Naval Base in upstate New York after which I qualified for Electrical School at this same base. Then I attended school at Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia where I earned my ranking as 3rd Class Electrician's Mate, after which I reported to the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and boarded the USS Christopher DE-100 Destroyer Escort. I made EM2 and EM1 on board the USS Christopher.

After the USS Christopher, I ended up on a small island called Roi Namur in the Solomon Islands doing maintenance and installation of electrical systems for the airplane base in support of air operations in the Pacific.

I was reactivated for the Korean War and I was an Electrician's Mate 1st class for two years while stationed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York.

IF HE/SHE PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE YOU FEEL WERE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT TO HIM/HER AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY.
My combat experience was escorting naval convoys in the Atlantic Ocean and locating enemy submarines and vessels on the USS Christopher. After being built and getting our supplies, we got underway on November 8 for five weeks doing a shakedown cruise to Bermuda.

We returned for a short yard period at Philadelphia in December, and then we sailed south to Brazil. We went at Recife in early January 1944 but stopped in Trinidad, British West Indies. We knew we would transfer to the ship to the Brazilian Navy, so we remained in the South Atlantic for the next eleven months, escorting merchant ships along the coast, screening cruisers during anti-commerce raider patrols and conducting local operations.

The highlights of our operations include the screening of British cable repair ship Cambria off Rio de Janeiro in February, searching for an abandoned lifeboat off Recife in April and escorting cruisers Omaha (CL-4) and Marblehead (CL-12) during a mid-ocean anti-submarine patrol in September. In late October we began training with the Brazilian sailors at Recife until we decommissioned the ship at Natal 19 December 1944 and it was transferred to Brazil. We turned over the USS Christopher in December 1944 to the Brazilian Navy, so that they could protect their own merchant ships. In the final days, we attended a reception, along with Eleanor Roosevelt, who shook everyone's hand and wished everyone goodwill. I boarded a transport ship in Brazil brought us to New Orleans, La.

From there, I took a train to New York where I went on leave for ten days. I then received orders to go to San Francisco by troop train. Three days later I arrived and I reported for duty. I got orders to the Solomon Islands, I boarded the repair ship USS Pine Island (AV-12) that was headed to the Pacific and got off on Kwajalein Island. From there I transferred to Aviation Supply Depot # 825 on Roi Island where I remained for two years doing electrical repairs in support of air operations for that part of the Pacific.

FROM THEIR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY PERSONAL MEMORIES, YOU MAY BE AWARE OF, WHICH IMPACTED HIM/HER THE MOST.
The particular memory that stands out is of having the opportunity to be aboard the ship, experiencing the camaraderie of my shipmates and seeing the world under the guidance of our fine officers and Captain.

OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES HE/SHE RECEIVED, WHICH WERE THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO HIM/HER AND WHY?
The medal I was awarded that meant the most to me is the Victory Medal. After serving seven and a half years of active duty in the United States Navy, it was very satisfying to know that we defeated our enemies who had attacked us at Pearl Harbor.

My tour of duty on Roi-Namur Island in the Pacific was as Aviation Supply Depot # 825 and lasted about two years, during which time I was in charge of the electrical department. It was there that we heard the announcement that Japan had surrendered. We celebrated by setting off flares and rockets so much that the surrounding islands thought that we were under attack! The medal that I received for my service in the war reminds me often of just how great our United States was, is, and always will be.

IF KNOWN, PLEASE LIST ANY INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM HIS/HER TIME IN THE MILITARY WHO STOOD OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEM AND WHY?
Captain Joseph Gunn brought out the best in the men on board the USS Christopher in a friendly and efficient manner. His leadership and concern for the men on board and their safety was very much appreciated by all hands.

ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM HIS/HER SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MADE THEM LAUGH LATER ON?
When leaving Natal, Brazil, we were the lead ship of the escort convoy sailing for Europe. Two days underway, two freighters were sunk by a submarine. We had orders to chase the submarine.

As the evening was approaching, the skipper ordered the starboard 24-inch searchlight turned on and to keep the lens closed so the sub could not see us. I was in charge of keeping the lights working. After about 20 minutes of trying to keep the arc lit, I turned to the skipper and asked him if he would turn around so we could turn the port side light on instead. I can't repeat what he said but the upshot was that we never got to sink the submarine. We fired a lot of hedgehogs in the direction that our sonar detected where the sub was but no hedgehogs exploded. A hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon that worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings. The Hedgehog received its name because when unloaded, the rows of empty spigots resembled the spines of a hedgehog. The chase went on for two more hours when we finally gave up the chase. Our nearby convoy was never attacked and no more ships were lost.

About a month later we crossed the equator or as in the Navy called "Crossing the Line". It is when a sailor is crossing the Equator for the first time. Sailors who have already crossed the Equator are nicknamed Shellbacks; those who have not are nicknamed Pollywogs. I was inducted into "Shellbacks." This traditional naval initiation was a step up from "Pollywog."

After crossing the line, Pollywogs receive subpoenas to appear before King Neptune and his court. Well, I was brought up on charges that I was accused of trying to get sunburn from a 24-inch searchlight because I had been burned by the light while trying to keep it lit during our contact with the submarine.

IF HE/SHE SURVIVED MILITARY SERVICE, WHAT PROFESSION(S) DID HE/SHE FOLLOW AFTER DISCHARGE?
After my honorable discharge, I joined N.Y. Telephone Co. where I worked for 45 years in various departments. I worked as an installer, then a repairman, then a tester and finally as an investigator in their security department until my retirement after 45 years.

I am now enjoying my retirement with my lovely wife of 62 years and our four children.

IF KNOWN, WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS WAS HE OR SHE A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY SPECIFIC BENEFITS THEY DERIVED FROM THEIR MEMBERSHIPS?
I belong to the Destroyer Escort Sailors Association and the National Association of Destroyer Veterans (Tin Can Sailors).

IF HE/SHE SURVIVED MILITARY SERVICE, IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU BELIEVE HIS/HER SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY THEY APPROACHED THEIR PERSONAL LIFE, FAMILY LIFE AND CAREER?
Because of my Navy Training, I was called back during the Korean War to do electrical work. My skills helped me throughout my career working 45 years for N.Y. Telephone Co.

IF THEY WERE HERE TODAY, WHAT ADVICE DO YOU THINK HE OR SHE WOULD GIVE TO THOSE WHO FOLLOWED IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS AND RECENTLY ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE?
My advice to today's servicemen would be to get as much training and schooling as you can.

Be receptive to all various assignments and have a positive attitude and respect for everyone.

Keep a record of all your records and schooling.

Take and label pictures, as memory dims as you get older.

HOW EFFECTIVE HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM BEEN IN HELPING YOU RECORD YOUR REMEMBERED PERSONS MILITARY SERVICE? DO YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE?
Looking at the photos of the servicemen brings back many fond memories. Reading their funny stories always brings me a chuckle.

Note from Admin: EM1 Robert Baxter passed away on Feb 17, 2012, leaving this record of his time in the navy for his family.

His son Keith is now the guardian of his profile.

KC 12/18/18