up a tank and evacuate several severely
wounded soldiers. With bullets ricocheting
all about him, he rode the front of the tank,
guiding it around craters and other obstacles.
Reaching the casualties, he assisted in
loading them in the tank, resumed his
position aboard the vehicle, and directed
it to the aid station. Returning alone, PFC
Silcox carried medical supplies to the front,
enabling less severely wounded men
to receive treatment. – By command of
Brigadier General Sexton
Another page describes what it was like to
live on the island with a port along the Gulf
coast. This excerpt comes from Capt. Carey
Johnson’s book, “Boca Grande, the Early
Days - Memoirs of an Island Son.”
During the black days of World War II, when
enemy submarines were lurking in all parts of
the U.S. Atlantic coast, in the Caribbean and
off our beaches in the Gulf of Mexico, it was
very risky for unescorted ships to try to get
through the subs without being shelled to
pieces. The seriousness of our dire situation
in trying to supply our troops and allies in
Europe and the South Pacifi c during World
War II is brought back to mind by the memory
Bits and pieces of island war
memorabilia are fi nally together
in one place, which is perfect for
anyone researching a specifi c
person or topic. Snippets include
everything from newspaper
clippings to telegraphs received
during the war and (at left) a
map showing where ships and
submarines went down in the Gulf
of Mexico.
of those days at Port Boca Grande.
The summer of 1942 was especially critical
for Allied shipping in the Gulf, because some
ships were operating without the benefi t of
naval escort. They were trying to get around
the coast from port to port (in daylight hours
only) in spite of being loaded with critical war
material and aviation gasoline bound for the
war zone.
Many of these ships, running without lights,
would stop and anchor in any protected cove
or harbor where nightfall happened to catch
them. The deep-water port and anchorage at
Boca Grande, having pilot service, naturally
became one of the very important ports of
refuge along the Gulf Coast.
One afternoon in June of 1942, just before
sunset, a large American tanker came
streaming at full speed up to the sea buoy.
The pilot, noting “the bone in her mouth”
(indicating considerable speed), rounded
up ahead of the ship, and while at full speed,
drifted back past the Jacob’s ladder and
boarded on the fl y.
Once on the bridge, the pilot was greeted
by the life-jacketed master (captain) who
apologized for his ship’s speed but explained