Father and Son War Repeaters—
Veterans of World War No. 1 Have Sons in Service Now
Reporter Finds Nine Such Combinations—May Be More.
By Don Pinkston.
Like father, like son, even unto war and the defense of democracy.
Uniforms are somewhat different—smarter looking these days, the legionnaires of ’17 and ’18 admit—the army rides more, the air arm is more important and a few others things have changed. But there’s many an American father today can look at his son and know his thoughts.
Dad went through it, back in another day when the United States went to war against an aggressor in the world.
Since world war No. 1 and world war No. 2 came only a generation apart, never before in American history have so many soldiers and sailors had veteran-fathers back home.
Sioux City has its quota of those father and son patriots and undoubtedly will have more.
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[excerpt]
One dad didn’t stay at home. –
JOHN W. SPRAY, 3105 Military road, who was 50 years old on December 26, got so mad over the Pearl Harbor attack that he joined the navy. He was angry partially because his son, Averill, 18, was at Pearl Harbor.
Mr. Spray passed examinations with flying colors and was sent to the Great Lakes naval training station near Chicago, where he became an engineer first class.
Now his family at home, looking over affairs that the father left behind has learned that dad will join son at Pearl Harbor. How, is a military secret.
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6. John W. Spray, 50-year-old war veteran, who joined the navy so he could be with his son, Averill Spray, who was at Pearl Harbor at the time of the Jap attack.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, January 11, 1942 (photos included)
13th Is Lucky: Family Hears from Sailor
Thirteen has come through again as the lucky number of the John Spray family.
Mr. and Mrs. Spray, who moved from Sioux City last month to Hutchinson, Kansas, where Mr. Spray is serving with the navy, learned Friday the 13th that their son, A.J. (Sunny) Spray, 19, a third class naval baker, from whom they had not heard since June, was safe in San Francisco. In June, he was serving at Pearl Harbor.
That said, Mr. Spray in a telegram to his daughter, Miss Louetta Spray, 4208 Perry Way, almost proves 13 is the Spray family’s lucky number. On December 13 the elder Spray enlisted in the navy as a fireman first class. Thirteen days later he reached his 50th birthday. Then on January 13 he stepped aboard his first ship.
To top that off, the hospital ward in which he lay recuperating from an operation recently was number 13 - and he has 13 stitches to prove that the operation took place.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, November 14, 1942
Want to Eat Well? Then Join Submarine Service
Baker C. Spray Vouches for Menus Prepared Underseas
BY LOUISE FLYNN
BAKING underneath the sea presents its difficulties, especially when the explosion of a depth- charge causes a batch of bread to fall just when the dough is ready for the oven, but Cy Spray, baker first class, wouldn’t exchange submarine patrol duty for any other branch of the service.
Home on leave for the first time in three years of submarine service in the Pacific, Spray told how he bakes bread, pies, cakes, rolls and cookies in two small ovens daily for more than 70 hungry, navy men during a patrol run, in addition to reloading torpedoes in battle.
He is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Spray, 1619 W. Second street.
Sub Grub Is Best
Men in submarine service, he claims, are the best fed of any branch of the service, each man being allowed more food daily than other service men receive, he said. Two cooks and a baker are members of each submarine crew, and plenty of food is taken along to last an entire run. Of course, says the Sioux City sailor, fresh food lasts only about 10 or 12 days with the exception of frozen fruits, and vegetables which can be kept longer. After the fresh goods are used cooks turn to powdered eggs and powdered milk which, incidentally, the baker, uses entirely for his bread and pastry. Twenty-four loaves of bread and quantities of pastry are baked every night. Each of the two ovens holds three loaves of bread, and Spray reports that favorites of his undersea mates are doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, apple pie and mince pie. The cooks depend mostly on canned goods.
Go On Ice Cream Spree
Welcome sight to the crew whenever the submarine pulls into port are the ice cream and fresh fruit that immediately are brought aboard, he said.
On patrol duty in the Pacific area, Spray has seen plenty of action. He wears an Asiatic and Pacific ribbon with a star for his part in the battle of Midway, in addition to a national, defense ribbon for sea duty before the war, and ribbons denoting the American theater of war, naval expeditionary service and China combat. He also took part in the landing of the marines on the Macon islands in August,1942.
Above the ribbons he wears a submarine combat pin issued by the bureau of navigation for four successful patrol runs. Spray and the rest of his submarine crew received citations by the navy department for outstanding patrol duty during which a large amount of Japanese tonnage was "accounted for.”
Wears Odd-Earring
Most unusual object worn by the sailor is a gold earring, hand carved in China, which he wears in his left ear. According to Spray, the earring denotes duty in the China seas, and wearing of the single piece of jewelry in the left ear has in the last few years come to be recognized as proof of service in the Asiatic theater. Spray had his ear pierced in Honolulu and said that the mate to his earring is being worn by a friend of his now serving in Australia. About 15 or 20 of his crewmates had their left ears pierced, most of the boys wearing a diamond earring.
The Sioux City sailor, who attended Central high school, was stationed at the submarine base at Pearl harbor, December 7, 1941, at the time of the Japanese attack, and has served on four different submarines since.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, Dec. 1, 1943 (photo included)
[NOTE: Research reveals that "Cy" Spray & Averill J. "A.J." are one in the same person.]
