Howard Baroudi was born in 1923 [Annotator’s Note: September 1923] in Schroon Lake but grew up in North Creek, both in New York. He had one brother who later served in the Army with Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.]. He had no other siblings. His father had a meat market until the Crash came [Annotator's Note: the Crash refers to the Stock Market Crash of October 1929 which resulted in the Great Depression, a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. Following that event, the family moved to a farm owned by Baroudi’s uncle. After a couple of years, the family moved back into the city where Baroudi’s father started a sporting store for lumberjacks in the early 1930s. Baroudi began working in the nearby mines when he was 12. He attended North Creek High School. He heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor over the radio [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. It did not mean much to him as he was more focused on hunting and fishing as opposed to politics. He had no idea of the impact the attack would have on his life. When the news of Pearl Harbor reached the town, North Creek was soon deserted by the young men. Everyone answered the call to enlist. Baroudi volunteered for the service in 1942. Being in the Army before him, his brother had written to their mother about Camp Polk, Louisiana. After hearing about his brother’s experiences with snakes, alligators, and food while on bivouac [Annotator's Note: a bivouac is a temporary campsite], Baroudi decided he wanted to join the Navy.

Howard Baroudi had his boot camp training in Newport, Rhode Island [Annotator’s Note: in 1942, he was ordered to the Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island]. Being his first time away from home [Annotator’s Note: his hometown was North Creek, New York], it was a lonely experience and different atmosphere. He had never even seen the ocean before. Some of the recruits cried during their time in training. After boot camp, he was ordered to Casco Bay, Maine to pick up a ship. He had no advance training prior to that. He became a plank owner [Annotator's Note: nickname for a member of a vessel's original crew who were serving aboard when the vessel was commissioned] on the USS Edwards (DD-619) which was a destroyer. Those ships were the backbone of the Navy and referred to as “tin cans”. He embarked on the ship at night. By the next morning, he was at sea. The extent of visible water scared him. He could not see land at all. Besides being a plank owner, Baroudi was considered a Golden Dragon for crossing the International Dateline, a Pollywog and Shellback [Annotator’s Note: nick name for those who pass a ceremony conducted aboard ship for a seaman who first crosses the equator], and a Blue Nose for sailing across the Arctic Circle. The weather at the Arctic Circle was very cold and made the invasion very tough [Annotator’s Note: Baroudi served during the retaking of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska in 1943]. He was first assigned aboard the ship as a boatswain's mate. They run the ship. He also served as a coxswain and lookout on the mast. It was a rough ride on top of the mast with all the pitching and movement of the ship. His battle station was gun number 4 in the powder magazine. It was not a good spot to be. If the ship was hit in the magazine or midship torpedo storage, the sailor’s life would have been over very quickly on a tin can. The philosophy was not to worry because a sailor never hears the round that ends his life. Baroudi was content to be in the Navy and happy to be on a destroyer. He formed buddies with his crew mates. The officers and crew were young and nice guys. Later, 90 day wonders with their three months of training [Annotator's Note: derogatory slang for a newly commissioned graduate of three month, or 90-day, officer candidate or midshipman school] came aboard and that was different. During the shakedown cruise [Annotator's Note: a cruise to evaluate the performance of a naval vessel and its crew] around Casco Bay, the ship was mainly on submarine detection and destruction duty. Baroudi was involved with handling the ship and the lookouts with four hours on and then four hours off duty. The ship had to be cleaned and areas scrapped and repainted. The Edwards had three or four submarine sightings with no sinkings even though there were U-boat [Annotator's Note: German submarine] attacks all the way to the last month of the war.

Howard Baroudi and his ship were rushed to the Pacific to counter the overpowering Japanese [Annotator’s Note: Baroudi was serving aboard the destroyer USS Edwards (DD-619) which sailed to the Pacific in late 1942]. The destroyer’s firepower was not significant for battling larger ships. Their duty was mainly to locate the enemy and then withdraw quickly. Things changed a lot in 1943 and 1944. After passing through the Ditch [Annotator’s Note: a slang reference to the Panama Canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans], the ship would practice with star shells to illuminate the ocean at night. While in the South Pacific, Baroudi was the horizon lookout when he mistook enemy fire as star shells. He was quickly corrected by his superior officer as nine Japanese torpedo bombers attacked the cruiser Chicago [Annotator’s Note: USS Chicago (CA-29)]. The cruiser was sunk as a result of the hits it sustained. During the action, Baroudi climbed down from the mast and went to his battle station at gun 4 mount in the powder magazine. He was scared after making the incorrect identification. The enemy hit the Chicago and returned the next day to sink it at Tulagi [Annotator’s Note: Tulagi, Solomon Islands near Guadalcanal]. The Edwards picked up a couple hundred survivors from the Chicago. During the rescue operation, Baroudi worried about the Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] coming back, but was focused on pulling men out of the water to save them. The ship also picked up downed pilots. The rescued Chicago sailors were laid out on deck because of lack of space aboard the Edwards. They could not be fed because of lack of food on the ship. They were brought to Espiritu Santo [Annotator’s Note: a Navy base southeast of the Solomon Islands]. The Edwards was in the thick of the action during the first attack on the Chicago. Baroudi was below deck during the actual sinking the next day. He was in the powder room loading cans with powder to hoist to the gun above. He did that for six months. At that point, he was promoted to trainer of the gun mount and was happy with being above deck. [Annotator’s Note: He laughs.] He was at that position during the Aleutian campaign [Annotator’s Note: the Alaskan Aleutian Islands captured by the Japanese in 1942 were retaken in 1943]. The invasion of Kiska and Attu had to be delayed because the troops were all seasick. The weather and ocean were both brutal. The tin can [Annotator’s Note: slang for a destroyer] had some lucky events. In one instance, a bomb bounced between the stacks on the ship. The terrain on the island was mucky and not easily traversed. There was nothing there. The Edwards sunk two Japanese submarines while providing anti-submarine screen for the Pennsylvania and Richmond [Annotator’s Note: USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) and USS Richmond (CL-9), respectively]. Enemy submarines were used to withdraw Japanese troops from the islands. The Edwards fired its deck guns at their adversaries. Fire control with radar was not effective at that time. Visual observations of the targets were initially better than reliance on radar, but things improved quickly. After the Aleutians, the Edwards went to Hawaii for repairs and crew liberty for a brief time before heading to the invasion of Tarawa [Annotator's Note: the Battle of Tarawa, 20 to 23 November 1943; Tarawa, Gilbert Islands]. There was not much except a few gin mills in Hawaii during his liberty. The ship participated in the invasion of Hollandia [Annotator's Note: Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea] and Kwajalein [Annotator's Note: the Battle of Kwajalein, 31 January to 3 February 1944; Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands]. The typhoon experienced near Japan did great damage to destroyers. Near New Guinea, the Edwards rescued a Marine aviator while under fire from Japanese shore batteries. The destroyer used five-inch, 38 caliber guns [Annotator's Note: five-inch, 38 caliber naval gun] against aircraft and shore targets. Baroudi’s ship had 15 battle stars [Annotator's Note: a device worn on a campaign ribbon to indicate the number of campaigns a ship or individual took part in]. Few Navy ships had more battle stars than the Edwards.

Howard Baroudi and his ship [Annotator’s Note: USS Edwards (DD-619)] travelled a lot and seldom reached a base for resupply. They would resupply from battlewagons [Annotator’s Note: slang for a battleship]. They liked that because they received ice cream and cake during the operation. They refueled at sea which was an experience with handling the fuel lines. That was his responsibility. There were few mishaps during those instances. Being green kids, the crew was very lucky. They learned a lot quickly as they were kept busy. During the invasion of Hollandia [Annotator’s Note: in April 1944 as part of the New Guinea campaign], the ship downed several planes. Memory of details are sketchy. Baroudi left the Edwards in January 1945 when he was dropped on a deserted island where he was picked up and sent to Coronado, California for underwater demolition training. He was assigned to the USS McCracken (APA-198) for the assault on Okinawa [Annotator’s Note: the Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, 1 April to 22 June 1945; Okinawa, Japan]. He was assigned to the amphibious division and took the first wave of Marines onto the shoreline. It was April Fools Day 1945. All hell was breaking loose as he was in a cave with his two gunners from the Higgins boat [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel or LCVP; also known as the Higgins boat]. The next thing he remembers was being in a hospital on Mare Island [Annotator’s Note: Mare Island Naval Hospital at Mare Island, California]. The underwater explosion blew up his insides. A Commander Becker performed surgery on him. He cannot remember anything beyond reaching the beach and offloading the troops. His medical treatment at Mare Island was great. The war had just ended. He was sent to Yosemite National Park [Annotator’s Note: in California] to rehabilitate. He had been taught basic medical treatment before combat. The ship’s pharmacist’s mate was excellent. He was anxious to experience an invasion and must have received his demolition training because of his earlier mining experience. At Ulithi [Annotator's Note: Ulithi Atoll, Caroline Islands] before Okinawa, the scuttlebutt [Annotator's Note: a period slang term for a rumor] was that something big was coming and it did. He was at Mare Island at the end of the war with Japan [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945]. The place went wild. Old Iron Pants was a nurse that was a bitch. She did not baby anybody. She used a sailor as a dartboard when giving an injection. After the war ended, Baroudi was ready to leave the Navy. He was discharged in San Diego [Annotator’s Note: San Diego, California] in October 1945 as a boatswain’s mate second class. Baroudi remembers fights with the Marines and resulting incarcerations. It did not take much to incite a fight. The guys were all full of piss and vinegar [Annotator’s Note: slang for heightened sensitivities].

Howard Baroudi saw hell at Tarawa [Annotator's Note: the Battle of Tarawa, 20 to 23 November 1943; Tarawa, Gilbert Islands] with the dead in the water after ramps dropped prematurely [Annotator’s Note: the ramps on the LCVPs-Landing Craft, Vehicle Personnel or Higgins Boats deployed early after hitting reefs offshore of the island]. He could see the horrific events as his ship was targeting the enemy on the shoreline [Annotator’s Note: he was aboard the USS Edwards (DD-619) during the invasion]. At discharge, he was offered a promotion to stay in the Navy. Instead, Baroudi wanted an education because his father wanted him to graduate college. Baroudi beat his brother home [Annotator’s Note: his brother was in the Army during the war]. Baroudi took advantage of the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] and viewed it as a very good thing that came out of the war. It changed America and provided many veterans with a better life through an education. Most of his freshmen class in college were veterans. He married soon after discharge and worked in the mines like the old days. That was prior to attending college. There, he met guys with similar service experiences. He was married and had a child at that time. He had dreams, but not any nightmares that upset him. He was lucky compared to others. He thanks the Lord for that. Baroudi’s brother was upset and irritated after his discharge, but did not have Post-traumatic Syndrome [Annotator's Note: post-traumatic stress disorder; a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event either experienced or witnessed]. Baroudi served in the war because it was declared and his brother was serving. The Germans and Japanese had to be stopped so he joined. The war matured him and got him out of the life of a miner or lumberjack which were the only opportunities he had before the conflict. Baroudi received a degree in education and went on to a career as a teacher. He wanted to be a professional baseball player prior to his automobile accident. That led him to teaching. He is proud to have served. The younger generation does not appreciate what they have. World War 2 is still relevant because it made the United States a major power. The world looked up to this country. There were great technological advancements made by the country. For some men, service gave them the chance to have shoes and three meals a day. It is important for the World War II Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana] and other similar institutions to continue to teach the story of the conflict for future generations. Baroudi went to numerous islands across the wide Pacific and saw the world through a porthole.