Page 42 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Fall 2019- Online Magazine
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John Feeley United States Navy
Quartermaster WORLD WAR II
By Jan Flynt, Park Central Life Encrichment
history.) John also experienced He recalls the hardest times of his
the invasion of Southern France. life were during the Depression in
He recalls nearly getting hit by the 1930s. He explained that there
a destroyer during an invasion was little work, and his father
into France. It was an incredible worked at a hat factory. Their
experience and very difficult not to family would get handouts of food
show fear! To this day, he thanks staples like flour and sugar from
the Good Lord that he was not hit. the city.
During his time in the Navy, his He enjoyed traveling by RV, and
assignment was minesweeping those times were some of his best
in Japan. That entailed releasing memories. “I always enjoyed
mines underwater, then destroying traveling with the family and
them. “This was a very tense taking road trips!” He traveled
and dangerous assignment,” he to the coast of California, Oregon
stated. John helped chase enemy and Washington. His favorite
submarines in the Atlantic, also a places to go were the state parks
r. Feeley was born in very dangerous task. in California. John loved being by
Danbury, Connecticut the ocean and beautiful mountains
Mon May 30, 1926. John He was honored to be at Tokyo and visiting family.
attended Danbury High School Bay for the Armistice officially
and enlisted in the Navy when he ending WWII. There wasn’t John explained that the greatest
was seventeen years old. a “planned” celebration for satisfaction in life was coming
the Armistice Signing. He just home after the D-Day invasion and
He had three brothers and three recalls feeling very grateful years later marrying his second
sisters. John was the middle he experienced this and the wife. He is a very grateful and
child of six children. Two of his realization that the war in Japan happy man.
brothers and one sister also joined was finally over.
the Navy. He offers some great advice to our
After the Navy, he attended younger generation: “Stay up with
He served in the Navy for two school on the G.I. Bill in Pasadena, current politics!”
and a half years, during World California. He majored in
War II. While in the Navy, he engineering and took a two-year
traveled parts of Europe which drafting course.
included Marseilles , France
and Naples, Italy. He was also He worked 20 years with Aerojet
sent to Belfast, Ireland and and designed rocket engines.
North Africa, to name a few John’s proudest memories were
assignments. He was involved in designing rocket engines that went
D-Day at Normandy (Codenamed to the moon. He and his team
Operation Overlord, the battle were responsible for making this
began on June 6, 1944, when incredible feat in history occur.
156,000 American, British and
Canadian forces landed on five John has three sons he is very
beaches along a 50-mile stretch proud of. He has been married
of the heavily fortified coast of twice and has been married for 43
France’s Normandy region. The years to his current wife, Mary.
invasion was one of the largest Being married to her has been the
amphibious military assaults in best part of his life.
42 Amarillo Senior Link
