Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Ladd
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 5/27/2015
Legion Honors Robert Ladd for Military Service (1 June 2015)
American Legion to Honor Ladd for Military Service
Robert Ladd enlisted in the U.S. Navy in May 1945 at the tender age of 17. Ladd transferred to the Seabees and then back to the Navy during his term of service that ended with an honorable discharge July 20, 1946. (Contributed photo)
By Todd Schmidt
The Neillsville American Legion will honor Robert Ladd, 87, of Neillsville at a special recognition program Monday, June 1, 2015. A potluck meal starts at 6 p.m. with the recognition program and monthly meeting to follow at the Neillsville American Legion Club.
Ladd said he tried to get in the Merchant Marines at age 16, but failed because he was underweight. He gave it another shot at age 17, enlisting in the U. S. Navy in May 1945.
Ladd attended the U. S. Navy boot camp at Great lakes, IL. The rigorous training included a lot of marching, running and swimming. Classes were held on spotting airplanes.
“Our swimming instructor was about age 25,” Ladd recalled. “He made sure your eyes were open underwater. If he found your eyes closed, you would get a punch in the gut.”
He then transferred to the Seabees as a member of the CBM Instruction Battalion and along with approximately 200 men went through Marine training at Camp Endicott in Providence, RI. Drills included rifle training, karate lessons and field maneuvers.
“They really tried to toughen us up,” Ladd said. “They would take us out and dump us in the bay. The water was over our heads, and they told us to keep our rifles dry.”
After another stint of training at a Navy Camp in Oakland, CA, Ladd’s unit shipped out aboard a landing craft tank ship (LST). The unit made stops in Hawaii, Okinawa, Kolbe and Tokyo Bay.
The LST was a small, blat-bottomed vessel. It did not perform well in the open sea, so the crew and passengers had to hang on to something most of the time when the water was rough. Many times men would end up dumping their full meal trays because they couldn’t stand up.
With permission, Ladd and others brought back various souvenirs from Japan. His prized possession is a Japanese rifle fitted with a bayonet.
“We boarded a ship that had a whole room full of weapons,” Ladd said. “Our officers told us we could each have rifle if we wanted one.”
His unit went on liberty and traveled by train to Yokohama and Tokyo. An elderly Japanese man took them on a tour of Tokyo with a cart pulled by several oxen.
“There many outdoor fish markets,” he said. “People would catch fish and throw them out on the street. Someone would then cut up the fish. I didn’t eat fish for quite a few years after that experience.”
The flotilla returned to Hawaii for a short time, and then shipped out to the Panama Canal aboard the Cascade AD16, a destroyer tender vessel. By then, WWII was over and the Seabees were disbanded, so Ladd transferred back to the Navy.
The ship sailed to a shipyard in Philadelphia to be decommissioned. Ladd then headed to Minneapolis, where he received his honorable discharge July 20, 1946.
Ladd joined the American Legion 35 years ago. He used to help with smelt cleaning. He attends meetings when he can, and for years, he rode on the unit in parades. He took a few years off to deal with his wife’s health issues.
In 2010, Ladd was privileged to take an Honor Flight out of La Crosse. It was a wonderful one-day trip to Washington, D. C. for all who participated.
“We flew in to Dulles Airport in Washington,” Ladd said. “When we got off the plane there was a long line of young people waiting to hug us and thank us for our service to the country. It was very nice.”
The group visited the WWII Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial and the Iwo Jima Memorial. They drove by the Arlington Cemetery and toured much of the Capitol.
On the return flight, mail call was held. Letters written by family members and others were handed out to the veterans thanking them for their service. A band and crowd of people greeted them when they landed in La Crosse.
“Everyone shed a few tears,” Ladd said. “It made us all feel like we were somebody.”
Ladd was born and raised in Iowa. He quit Crystal Lake High School after two years to work on the expanded family farm. He was also employed at Mason City Tent and Awning for about a year before joining the service.
He and Ilean were married April 17, 1948. They farmed with his parents until 1957, when they purchased a dairy farm near Neillsville. When they farmed, Ladd also worked at two research farms. They sold the farm in 2011 and moved into Neillsville.
They have three children, Audrey of Wisconsin Rapids, Dale of Greenwood and Lynda of Neillsville. They have six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Ladd’s hobbies include fishing and pheasant hunting. He and Ilean were able to travel around the country, visiting the Black Hills, California, New York and Washington, D. C.
They attend Globe Lutheran Church, where Ladd was a fixture on the dart ball team for 25 years.
“I guess it has been kind of a dull but good life,” he said.
Ladd weighed in on politics, stating the U. S. should mind its own business more, particularly in the Middle East. “They have been fighting each other forever, and we won’t be able to solve it,” Ladd said.
Ladd said the American legion built their new building at a bad time.
“Because of the timing, they have been kind of pressed for money,” Ladd said. “More people should support the American Legion and help them become more successful financially.”
Ladd is grateful for his recognition by the American Legion.
“I thank them for this honor,” he said. “I am proud that I was able to serve the country. Everybody should take a turn at it.”
Robert Ladd, 87, of Neillsville will be honored for his military service, Monday, June 1, 2015, during the monthly recognition program at the Neillsville American Legion Club. Ladd served with the U. S. Navy and the Seabees from May 1945 to July 1946. (Photo by Todd Schmidt/Clark County Press)
