This Sailor Had High Mileage

It wasn’t surprising to find the Kernersville home of James and Helen McBride pristine and comfortable.  After all, they have been married over 63 years.  They have no children, grands, cats, or dogs – how could their home be anything other than pristine and comfortable?

James McBride

 It was surprising to hear the home and acreage they had enjoyed most of their 63 years had been taken by a roadway relocation.

The McBrides seem enviably purposeful and organized.  They both retired from Western Electric, with combined service of over 71 years.  They are active members of Cherry Street Methodist Church in Kernersville.  They do have diverse interests, however, which could account for their marriage longevity.  Helen McBride enjoys inside crafting and painting, while her husband enjoys outside gardening.

James McBride’s purchase of several memorial pavers in the Carolina Field of Honor initiated our conversation about his military service.  “I was the youngest of four boys and wanted to go in, but my parents would not give their approval.  Eventually, I was drafted into the Army.  After two days, I had enough of the Army and heard the Navy needed men, so I volunteered.” 

“After boot camp I was assigned to machinist’s mate school at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, MI.”  Concurrent with his graduation, the Navy was commissioning USS Zaurak in New Orleans.  McBride became a member of Zaurak commissioning crew and remained a crew member until the ship was taken out of service after the war.

It would be easier to list the World War II Pacific Ocean venues not frequented by Zaurak than those visited, but that would slight the ship’s service.  According to McBride, “Zaurak was a cargo ship.  We carried troops, supplies and equipment.  We weren’t in on many initial invasions but we were on several of them just days afterwards.”

I wondered about the large stack of blue binders on the floor of the McBride living room until McBride invited me to help myself to them – they were the official ship’s log of USS Zaurak – from commissioning to decommissioning.

The complete set of Ship's Log from the USS ZAURAK

Just glancing backward through the binders, venues such as Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Leyte, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Eniwetok, Bougainville, Munda, Guadalcanal could not be missed.

Even though McBride had secured the ship’s log from National Archives for a healthy fee, he did not want the log’s entries over-rated, “Sometimes, what the ship’s log doesn’t say is more interesting than what it does say!”  He reminisced about two such incidences.  I concurred that they were truly interesting – but best not ship’s log material.

McBride and his Zaurak crewmembers took part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which many sources call the largest naval battle in World War II.  Others call it the largest naval battle of all time.  Without argument, it introduced Japan’s use of kamikaze warfare against Allied forces. 



James McBride as a Third Class Petty Officer



While Zaurak wasn’t the highest profile target for the Japanese suicide bombers, they were not immune.  McBride remembers the early November days of 1944, “We were there for about ten days and under air raid attack just about constantly.  It wasn’t unusual for “general quarters” to sound several times during the day and night.  On November 3, a kamikaze was headed directly towards us.  Our gunners shot the tail off the Japanese plane.  It went right over us but struck another U.S. Navy ship just 200 yards away -- 26 men were killed, many more wounded.” 

McBride doesn’t begrudge spending the vast majority of his sea duty below deck on Zaurak, “I missed seeing lots of the action because when something exciting is happening, that’s when machinist’s mates are urgently needed in the engine room.”

An Army draftee, James McBride had never been to sea when he sailed out of the mouth of the Mississippi River below New Orleans.  Within two years, he had sailed the equivalency of three times around the world.

Zaurak shipmates had a 50^th reunion in Ponchatula, LA, a crewmember’s hometown.  The unlikeliness that another Zaurak reunion will be held brought McBride, who served as reunion treasurer, to the Carolina field of Honor.

On dedication day, May 31, 2014, memorial pavers for USS Zaurak (AK-117), and three more for crewmembers: LCDR John S. Kapuscinski, the singular commanding officer of the ship, Pinckney Webber, a Navy-Marine Corps medal winner at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and for Machinist’s Mate Second Class James McBride were prominently displayed beneath the Navy monument.  McBride carefully pointed out that while the first three pavers were purchased from remaining Reunion funds – he happily supported his hometown veteran’s memorial by paying for his personally!

God Bless!

Ol’Harry