In early 2013, a new initiative called the Story of the Month was launched by the Stories of Service Program at the United States Navy Memorial. The Stories of Service Program is proud to recognize our Nation’s Veterans and preserve their stories for future generations. Each month, the program will select a Veteran’s interview which has been conducted, edited, and archived by the United States Navy Memorial, to be featured as the “Story of the Month.” The December published Story of the Month honored, celebrated, and recognized United States Navy Veteran Gunner’s Mate Seaman John E. Mitchell who served proudly on the USS Leyte CV-32.

The importance of archiving his interviews embodies the values of the Navy Memorial and its unwavering mission to preserve the heritage of the Sea Services for future generations to come.

The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce the December 2023 story of the month has been selected to recognize the service of Korean War Veteran, Gunner’s Mate Seaman John E. Mitchell.

The following is the original article, first published in 2013.

“At the time, I was in the ships armory office where I worked out of...we took care of the magazines, rocket magazines, anything thing to do with the ship, and small arms,” John E. Mitchell recalled while speaking to a United States Navy Memorial Film Crew at the USS Leyte  CV-32 Association Reunion in the fall of 2012. Mitchell was a young sailor aboard the USS Leyte CVA- 32 while the ship was being converted to an antisubmarine carrier in Charlestown Naval Shipyard in Boston Massachusetts. What was supposed to be a routine reclassification of the Leyte; turned into a deadly chain of events.

Mitchell remembered that day in October like it was yesterday…“That day I had stood a fire watch…and we were down in the office below the mess deck and when the explosion happened we were spun around and we tried to get above decks.” Through the confusion, Mitchell and other members of the crew stuck to their training and remained calm in the face of danger. Unknown to Mitchell at the time was the extent of the damage and loss of human life that resulted from an explosion in the port catapult machinery room.

The explosion sent fire and smoke to the surrounding corridors making a fast exit very difficult. Mitchell stated that,” Six of us ended up in a little machine shop. We were there for about three to four hours...until someone came and got us.” Also unknown to Mitchell was that one of his friends, who took his watch that day, had been killed in the explosion. “One of my good friends Jim Winslow, he was on the list; he had gotten killed during the explosion...He had taken my fire watch.... That was the biggest experience that I had. At the time I didn't realize how big it was. He was gone and I was still around to continue.” Mitchell would speak of the cleanup efforts and more in his three part interview focused on his Leyte service.

The United States Navy Memorial honors Gunner's Mate Seaman John E. Mitchell, featured within a new series titled, Stories of Service, Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial.