Dakin Family History & Genealogy

Note: Ronald Dakin was a young 18 year old private in the U.S. Army in 1952. He enlisted in the Army a week after graduating from High School. This is how he experienced his first Christmas away from home 50 years ago:

It was December 1952 and we had been at Camp Stoneman, California for several weeks waiting on a ship to take us to the Far East. The Korean War had been going on for over 2 years and there was a continuing need for replacements. Not all of us would end up in Korea. The lucky ones would find themselves in Japan, Okinawa and other stations in the Far East Command.

Finally our orders came to ship out. It was moving day. It was December 15th, and at 4:AM we were loaded onto buses that would take us to our ship, the USS Collins, which was docked at Fort Mason. When we arrived at the port we were greeted by Red Cross workers who had the traditional cup of coffee and donut waiting for us as we waited to board our ship.

Most of us were in our late teens, 17, 18, 19 and early twenties. This would be our first Christmas away from home, and it was going to be on a troop ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. As we boarded the ship we were directed to our quarters, which consisted of rows of bunks, 4 high that was designed with the sole purpose of determining how many people could fit in the smallest possible space. The phrase "packed like sardines" came to mind.

As the ship got under way we scrambled to the top deck. It was mid morning by now and we were all eager to have our last look at our country as we passed out to sea. For some, it would be the last time they would ever see the shores of America. Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge was a moment we would long remember. Standing on the deck as the last sight of land disappeared from our view was quite emotional.

As the days passed by, we settled down to our daily routine of boredom, dealing with the everyday problems of no toilet paper, showering with cold saltwater and hoping the guy sleeping above your bunk doesn't get seasick.

We crossed the International Date Line in the late evening of Christmas Eve, which meant we had only a few hours of Christmas Day. It was not a joyous day for most us. There was a new holiday song that became popular that year, “ Blue Christmas”, and they played it over the ship's loud speaker system quite often The words, "I'll have a Blue Christmas without you' were quite appropriate. I guess I know how the troops in World War II felt when the song "I'll be home for Christmas" was popular. Homesickness was the rule of the day. . Here we were, our first Christmas away from home, and we were somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on Christmas, heading toward God only knows what.

But there was a spark of Christmas spirit on board the USS Collins. Santa Claus was on board in the form of a young Army 2nd Lieutenant. It seems the Red Cross had stockpiled the ship with Christmas packages to be passed out to the troops on Christmas Day. The presents weren't much, just a few items like writing paper, pens, combs, but they came from Red Cross volunteers across the country. From places like Wichita Kansas. Oklahoma City Oklahoma, Brooklyn, New York.

Somehow these gifts never made it to many of the enlisted men's compartment. They did however, find their way to the officer's quarters. That's when Santa Claus went into action. Upon learning that we had not received any gifts, our compartment commander, Lt. Santa Claus, took it upon himself to bring the spirit of Christmas to his charges. With empty mattress cover in hand, he entered the officer's quarters while they were at dinner, collected the yet unopened gifts and brought them back to our compartment where he distributed them among us.

My gift was wrapped with Christmas paper. It wasn't much, just a small package containing some writing paper and envelopes, a pocket comb, a key ring and a note from a Red Cross volunteer from Rochester, Minnesota, wishing me good luck. But to me, that Christmas Day in 1952 meant the spirit of Christmas was very much alive, and so was Santa Claus.