Vern Peters chose to enlist in the Coast Guard because of an especially persuasive recruiting poster depicting a bare-chested seaman loading a shell into the breech. Peters completed basic training at Government Island, Alameda, California, where many of his fellow recruits were movie stars. As a Machinist’s Mate Third Class aboard the USS Tacoma, Peters tended to one of the ship’s engines and manned the 20mm gun as his ship sailed in convoys over the Atlantic and Pacific, delivering supplies and escorting other ships.
We honor you, Vern Peters Jr.
(#Repost @Veteran’s History Project)