World War II veteran recalls patriotic spirit

By Carrie A. Mizell

At age 90, Richard Egles describes himself as a simple sailor with no heroics, but a lot of good stories.
A veteran who served in World War II, Egles was a proud member of the United States Navy.
“The country was in a depression, work was scarce, college was impossible for me financially, and my dream of joining the Navy got stronger and stronger,” Egles recalls. “I was only 17 and my mom wouldn’t sign the papers necessary for me to join.”
The year was 1937, and Egles had just graduated from Linden High School in Linden, New Jersey. He went out job hunting and did manage to get a job at Burry Biscuits, where he packed chocolate covered grahams.

Richard Egles painted the portrait he is holding of an aircraft that was aboard the USS Nashville.

“I kidded that I packed one and I ate one,” Egles said. “I soon was not very fond of chocolate covered grahams.”
After a few months of grumbling, Egles’ mother conceded to let her son join the military. After all, the teenager had taken part in the Citizens Military Training Corp. (CMTC) while in high school, which is similar to today’s JROTC program. While in the CMTC, Egles spent one month each year on a military base undergoing military training.
“Of the 50 brave and patriotic seniors in my class, I was the only one who signed up,” Egles recalls with a smile. “I was always a little more military inclined.”
One of four children, Egles said he wanted to join the Navy so he could see the world. His first stop was at boot camp in Newport, Rhode Island. From there, he joined the original crew of the USS Nashville and cruised to Guantanamo Bay and the Islands of the Pacific.
During his four and a half years on the USS Nashville, Egles said he cruised to Paris, Sweden, and England.
“After visiting Paris, most of the sailors were financially embarrassed,” Egles recalls. “When we made it to Gravesend, England, I went on shore to see how the people live.”
While exploring the town, Egles encountered a man who asked why he was not in London. After Egles explained to the man that most of the crew was broke, the Englishman invited Egles to join him on a quick tour of London, which included seeing Big Ben, Parliament, changing of the guard and a meal in a popular Piccadilly circle restaurant.
“The whole trip was a gift for me and I think I was the only sailor in London at that time,” Egles said. “I wrote to the man faithfully for a long time, but when Hitler bombed London our communication stopped.”
Egles was aboard the USS Nashville when the war ship picked up $25 million in British gold bullion in 1938. According to Egles, England was concerned that Hitler would invade London and all the gold would be taken, so therefore it had to be transported to the United States for safekeeping.
“We ran into a hurricane on the way back to New York, but that gold kept the ship balanced,” Egles said.
The USS Nashville was based in Bermuda for neutrality patrol of the Central Atlantic when Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941. Egles recalls hearing news of the attack over the ship’s radio.
“The captain gave everyone two hours to get back on the ship,” Egles said. “All the personnel on liberty had to be rounded up so we could head to Boston.”
Once in Boston, Egles said the ship picked up a top Marine detachment, which they escorted to Iceland. At the time, Egles recalls there being concern over the Nazis having weapons in Iceland.
During his almost eight years of active duty, Egles recalls never being more afraid than he was while taking part in Doolittle’s Raid on Japan. It was April 1942, and the USS Nashville had rendezvoused with the USS Hornet and then escorted the aircraft carrier to the West Coast. The Hornet was loaded with 16 Army B-25 Mitchell medium bombers on the flight deck, prepared to raid Japan.
Egles calls Doolittle’s Raid a huge morale booster for the United States armed forces, following the tremendous blow of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
“I remember going underneath the Golden Gate Bridge,” Egles said. “We were about a mile offshore when the captain said over the radio that we were on our way to bomb Tokyo. It was a suicide mission, but a lot of the men made it back.”
Egles recalls telling his friends on board that if they started swimming right that minute then they could make it back to shore safely.
While acting as a task force, the USS Enterprise and the USS Nashville both sunk picket boats, but the element of surprise was lost after the battleships were spotted by the Japan. Despite it all, the raid was deemed successful.
At the age of 26, Egles left the Navy, though he served in the reserves for the next five years. After being discharged from Jacksonville, Egles said he went to the ship store and bought an engagement ring.
“When I got home to New Jersey, my sister found the ring and thought I was crazy,” Egles said with a laugh. “I had not even met my wife yet!”
It didn’t take long for Egles to meet the love of his life, Florence. A Linden, New Jersey girl herself, Florence and Richard met while attending a dance at the Polish Hall sponsored by the local fire department.
“Any time there’s a dance I’m ready,” Egles said. “Even now, I’m the best dancer at the American Legion!”
Egles said that when he first asked his wife to dance she said, “Not now, but maybe later.”
“I thought, well….hmmm,” Egles said. “I didn’t know until later that she didn’t want to embarrass the Marine who had just asked her to dance and she said no.
The two met in November, got married in December and married in May. Sixty-four years later, the Egles recently celebrated their anniversary with a Carnival cruise.
The couple left New Jersey in 1953 and moved to Florida. A state, Egles fell in love with while stationed in Daytona Beach. He took a job with Eastern Airlines in Dade County as an aviation instructional mechanic. After 28 years, Egles retired and the couple later moved to Gilchrist County in 1988. While camping with their two sons at Manatee Springs, the Egles found their ideal piece of property located on the Santa Fe River and purchased a lot on the high bluff in 1966.
“We’ve been full time residents for 11 years now,” Egles said. “It’s been the happiest time of my life, right here in Gilchrist County.”
The veteran said he maintains his youth by dancing and walking one and a half miles each day.
“Even at 90, I would still be available to serve if I was called upon,” Egles said with a smile. “Back then we lived patriotism differently than it is shown today. Back then we were fighting for our own freedom, not trying to help someone.”