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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic: PT-109 Crewmember
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With the continued search for my Fathers info { R.E.Lathrop Cmomm } Ron 4 and Ron 32, I discovered pics of his friend Willie Johnston, who was parts of Kennedys crew on the 109. Wanted to share so I uploaded and they are on the gallery today ( 2pics front and back of pic).
Anyone with further info on Dad please submit.

Thank you,
Mark Lathrop
NWOhio

Posted By: Packardmal | Posted on: Apr 15, 2020 - 12:31pm
Total Posts: 19 | Joined: Dec 28, 2019 - 11:05am

Here's the images, I posted them here so I could save them. For some reason I can't in the gallery. Thank you for sharing them with us Mark.

That's an interesting bumper on the car:

Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Apr 16, 2020 - 3:34am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am

Thank you Jeff, much appreciated.

Mark Lathrop
NWOhio

Posted By: Packardmal | Posted on: Apr 16, 2020 - 5:22am
Total Posts: 19 | Joined: Dec 28, 2019 - 11:05am

Interesting photo for the crewman. thanks for posting. Always something new to learn here.
[:-cheers-:]

Bill P Reese

Posted By: billpr | Posted on: Apr 16, 2020 - 5:09pm
Total Posts: 83 | Joined: Mar 19, 2017 - 4:34pm

I checked the photo of the crew that posed the day before JFKs inaugural parade and Bill Johnston is the guy in the black hat in the center of the photo. His looks didn't change much from the time this photo was taken, except he may have gained a few pounds! Also you cant see his hairline under the hat!

Jerry Gilmartin
PT658 Crewman
Portland OR

Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Apr 18, 2020 - 11:26am
Total Posts: 1473 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm

FYI;
Bill Johnston was a RON 3(2) guy originally assigned to AGP-3 USS JAMESTOWN,prior to PT 109.
Take care,
TED

Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Apr 20, 2020 - 9:32am
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am

PT 109 Radioman 2/c John Maguire also had a brother on PT 103.

Quoting from Robert J. Donovan's book "PT 109 - John F. Kennedy In World War II" about the August 1, 1943 Japanese air raid on Rendova:
"The sight that most horrified Radioman Maguire was a geyser of water and smoke that bounced out of the harbor in the distance near PT 103, whose own radioman was Bill Maguire, his younger brother."

"We're OK, " John Maguire shouted, hoping to hear "So are we." But PT 103 was nearly half a mile away, and no one heard. Or at least no one answered."

"When the all-clear sounded, Kennedy returned (the 109) to the buoy, where he and his men took stock of the toll exacted by the (Japanese) bombers. For Maguire at least there was consolation. He could see that his brother and the rest of the crew of PT 103 were safe."

Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: Apr 20, 2020 - 11:30am
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am

Photo: PT 109/PT 163 crewman Raymond Albert. Albert's photo was not included in the 109 crew photos in any of the editions of Donovan's [b]PT 109 - John F. Kennedy in World War II,[/b] or anywhere else, as far as I know.Ā It's the only photo of Albert I've ever seen.Ā

Albert was transferred to PT 163 after the 109 ramming/sinking/rescue, and was killed on 10/7/43 by a treacherous IJN prisoner he was guarding on the foredeck of the 163 after picking up survivors from the destroyer [b]Yugumo,[/b] sunk in the battle of [b]Vella Lavella.[/b]Ā

Drew

Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: Apr 20, 2020 - 1:29pm
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am

Thanks for the education guys.

What horrible bad luck, survive getting rammed and sunk by a destroyer only to be killed by an enemy prisoner. It also explains why Japanese prisoners were so heavily guarded. I imagine that things did not go well for the prisoner after the killing.

Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Apr 21, 2020 - 4:59am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am

Again, from Donovan's book:

"The prisoners were ordered to strip and lie on the foredeck while Albert and another sailor were stationed on either side of the cockpit with sub-machine guns to guard them. At dusk, as PT 163 was nearing its base, a prisoner, the one who had been the toughest to deal with in the water, appealed to Albert for a drink. Twenty, good-hearted and inexperienced, Albert fetched a cup of water and handed it to him. Instead of taking the cup the Japanese grabbed the sub-machine gun slung under Albert's arm. Albert struggled desperately, but the fellow had the jump on him. He forced the barrel against Albert's chest and pulled the trigger. Several prisoners leaped up. It was the last thing that they - and Albert's killer - ever did. The other sailor standing guard with Albert slaughtered every man who was not lying flat on his back."

Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: Apr 21, 2020 - 8:10am
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am

Drew;
Thanks, my mistake it was Maguire who had the brother on PT 103, not Johnston.

Albert was originally a PT 163 RON 10 guy, he went back to RON 10 after the 109 incident.

From an earlier post:
I explained that in my post, Marney and Starkey were RON 9, and as you said PT 155. They remained on the RON 9's muster rolls. I just went through the crew muster rolls for 31 AUG 1943 again, Ross and Albert were from RON 10. So, the night PT 109 was rammed it would look like this:
LT. Kennedy, RON 2
Ens Thom, RON 2
Ens Ross, RON 10(Plankowner Bill Battleā€™s Exec on PT 166)
Maguire, RON 3(2)
Zinser, RON 5 (he was in pre-war RON 2 1941/RON 4/RON 5)
Kirksey, RON 2
Marney, RON 9 (Plankowner PT 155)
Starkey, RON 9 (Plankowner PT 155)
Johnson, RON3(2) (originally from AGP-3 USSJAMESTOWN)
McMahon RON 2
Harris, RON 2
Mauer, RON2
Albert RON 10 (Plankowner PT 163)

Take care,
TED

Posted By: TED WALTHER | Posted on: Apr 22, 2020 - 9:39am
Total Posts: 3059 | Joined: Oct 16, 2006 - 7:42am

Thanks again Drew, what a story... The prisoners that stayed down were lucky they weren't included.

Posted By: Jeff D | Posted on: Apr 22, 2020 - 11:03am
Total Posts: 2200 | Joined: Dec 21, 2006 - 1:30am

Guys,

I asked Dick (thanks, Dick!) to post Albert's photo because I was always puzzled as to why Albert's picture had never been included in the published 109 crew photos. I found it while surfing the net a few years ago, and as I mentioned, I'd never seen it before then.

Another reason I was interested in Albert is that he was portrayed as something of a malcontent during the period the 109 crew was marooned in the "PT 109" movie, and didn't stick with JFK's crew (apparently going back to the 163, on which he'd served prior to the 109) when JFK got command of PT 59.

Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: Apr 22, 2020 - 1:30pm
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am