Harrison World War II veteran looks back at his time in the Navy, 99 years of life - TribLIVE

Howard Traenkner has trouble with his vision, but he still sees clearly into the past.

The 99-year-old Navy veteran of World War II recalled his two years in the service, including 12 months on the USS Chiwawa AO 68, a 750-foot-long ship that traveled from Virginia to Texas to Japan, back to the United States and then to France before returning to the states for good.

“I am fortunate I got through it,” said Harrison’s Traenkner, who will turn 100 on Nov. 20. “I am glad it was a part of my life, and I was able to contribute something.”

Veterans Day will have a different feel to it this year because the coronavirus pandemic has limited large public gatherings and celebrations. But Traenkner said it remains an important day because it celebrates patriotism.

Traenkner and his brothers’ names are engraved at the newly refurbished Harrison Honor Roll memorial, an honor he said means the world to him. He and his late brothers’ names — George, who was in the Army, and Robert, a pilot in the Army Air Corps — and their years of service are etched on a bench nearby.

Traenkner said he went on a diet to try and get down to 125 pounds to fit into his dress blues for the rededication of the monument.

He wasn’t able to lose the weight, but he hasn’t lost the memories of wearing the uniform.

Made of wool, it is adorned with a propeller patch and bold red stripes representing his service as a motor machinist striker and a fireman 1st class.

“It gives me such an amazing wonderful feeling to know my name will be on that memorial forever,” he said. “When I think about that, it really gets me emotional.”

Fear

He became teary-eyed when he talked about being on board a ship during the war in the middle of a typhoon in Okinawa, Japan, which lasted three days. He said he thought the ship was going to crack in half because of the horrendous 75-foot waves.

The crew lived on coffee and sandwiches.

He had planned to have dinner with his brother George on the ship, but the typhoon canceled that meeting.

He said he plans to donate a copy of the book, “King of the Oilers” by John L. Strupp, a son of one of the men on the ship, to the Community Library of Allegheny Valley. It tells the story of the ship Traenkner was on, and his name is included in the book. The boat was loaded with cargo consisting of kerosene, gasoline, diesel oil, Navy special fuel oil, top side cargo and passengers. It participated in nine trans-Atlantic convoys.

Traenkner enlisted in 1944 after receiving a letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt saying “you have been selected” into the service. The Navy was chosen for him, he said.

After basic training and boot camp in Seneca, N.Y., Traenkner was on his way to the water. He said he didn’t get seasick but a lot of people did.

They didn’t teach them to swim.

“Don’t worry if you don’t know how to swim,” he said. “They told us, ‘If you have to, you will swim.’ ”

Boot camp lessons

Traenkner said he thinks every high school graduate should attend boot camp to learn life skills. The Navy experience allowed him to meet people from all over the country, many who became friends and with whom he gathered for reunions over the years.

“They are almost all gone, now,” he said. “I’ve lost them, but I think of them every day, not just on Memorial Day or Veterans Day, every day.”

When he came back home to the states in San Francisco, Calif., he recalled being greeted with a sign on the Golden Gate Bridge that read, “Welcome Home.”

“What a real thrill that was,” he said. “Everybody came out on deck to see it.”

He received a letter from President Harry S. Truman thanking him for his service.

He had married Frances — the love of his life — in 1943, a year before he was drafted. The couple communicated via letters, which he said he wished he had kept so someone could read them to him.

Frances died in 2008.

He talked about a time they went on a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. His wife got seasick and the boat hadn’t left the dock, he said. She got a shot and was fine the rest of the trip, he said.

A long career

Traenkner retired from Alcoa in 1982 after working there for 40 years. He started as a machinist apprentice and worked his way up to materials manager.

An avid golfer until he was 90, Traenkner was president of the Brackenridge Heights Country Club for seven years. He was born during the time of the 1918 pandemic in 1920 and is living through the covid-19 pandemic.

“My uncle enjoys life,” said his niece, Amy Lytle of Murrysville. Lytle’s mother, Janet Simpson, is Traenkner’s sister. “He’s charming. He likes to laugh. He is fun to be around. He says if you can’t laugh once in a while why be here?”

Enjoying life

He is a joke teller.

“A guy is always late for work,” he said, starting another joke. “His boss said to the guy, ‘You were in the service weren’t you?’ The guy said to the boss, ‘Yes.’ What did they say when you came in late? The guy said to the boss, ‘Good Morning, General.’ ”

For his centennial birthday, Traenkner said he would like a chocolate martini, a drumstick from KFC and an Isaly’s Klondike bar. Lytle said she is planning a parade at 1 p.m. Nov. 21 in his neighborhood. She said he deserves a celebration for this milestone birthday and for his service.

“I can’t believe I am going to be 100 years old,” he said. “I am proud to serve my country and wear that uniform. When you see everyone in their dress blues and shiny shoes, it’s a sight to see.”

One he vividly remembers.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories: Local | Pittsburgh | Top Stories | Valley News Dispatch

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