Tracing the years

World War II veteran recounts his time traveling the globe in service to the nation

By Stover E Harger III

The South County Spotlight, Nov 11, 2009, Updated Nov 11, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

Fred Waring, a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy and Air Force over a span of 20 years and two wars. Waring will receive Special Congressional Recognition this Saturday, Nov. 14 at a ceremony held on Swan Island.

Stover E. Harger III / The Spotlight

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Sgt. Fred Waring can honestly be called a ‘man of the world.’

In his years serving in the Navy and in the Air Force — spanning two decades and two wars — Waring, 83, traveled the globe, delivering much-needed supplies in the South Pacific during World War II. exploring the island of Saipan and helping police troops in Miyako, Japan.

In his home office, surrounded by pictures of his daughters, friends, fellow military men, honors and war memorabilia, Waring examines a globe he purchased a few years back to help chart his life path. Each place he has traveled to in his military service gets a thumbtack. Dozens upon dozens of tacks pinpoint his adventures and bring back floods of memories.

Time in the spotlight

The talkative Scappoose man, who grew up in the Portland area and delivered mail for the post office after the military, will be a focus of a special awards ceremony this Saturday, Nov. 14 at the U.S. Navy station on Swan Island.

Waring, and numerous other local WWII and Vietnam veterans from the area, will receive Special Congressional Recognitions by U.S. Rep. David Wu.

Legislation was passed in 1999 that gave members of Congress the authority to recognize the contributions of WWII veterans — like Waring — who helped deliver supplies and defend merchant ships in the U.S. Navy Armed Guard.

Before that legislation, these soldiers went largely unrecognized because they were not stationed on a military vessel, said Julia Krahe, Wu spokeswoman. Now their admirable efforts are lauded.

Traveling the seas

Waring is happy to receive this honor and is looking forward to Saturday, but for him, the service he gave for the country isn’t about that. It’s about what he was able to accomplish, even if he is modest about his achievements.

He joined the Navy in 1943 when he was 17, after begging his mother to sign him away. She was worried that he would be killed.

Quickly, Waring found his place in the military, attending gunnery school in order to be deployed on ships traveling through the South Pacific.

All he had known about the war was what he saw in newsreels at the movies and the unglamorous conditions were a shock to him.

Fresh out of boot camp and floating on a “rust bucket” near by Australia he began to find his place in the war effort. He would deliver supplies, like gasoline, to stations around the world.

Thankfully, Waring said, he was able to avoid combat. Except for one close call.

He was about 350 miles south of the Hawaiian Islands when someone aboard their ship spotted a Japanese submarine a mile behind.

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