World War II, James "Al" Mentges

James “Al” Mentges Sr., of Sedalia, was shocked to be called to serve in World War II. He was 37 years old, married and a public housing accountant for the federal government in Washington, D.C. He had a daughter and two sons between the ages of 5 and 11.

The Navy told him he would be a range finder.

“I told them I didn’t know nothing about range finding. They said, ‘By God you are going to know all about it by the time we get to the fighting area.’ And I did,” he said.

After high school, Mentges decided to join the Naval Reserves.

“I thought that was being a big shot. You know how a young kid is,” said Mentges. His father came to the United States from Germany when he was 18 and later joined the Navy. “My dad was a great guy and I had to follow him,” he said.

In the Reserves, Mentges trained recruits how to fight the enemy.

After the war broke out, he left South Carolina on the USS Stokes (AKA-68). This attack cargo ship carried military cargo, landing craft and Marines to enemy shores in the Pacific Theater during amphibious assaults.

While being on the high seas didn’t bother Mentges, it did take its toll on the Marines. One Marine was so sick, he asked Mentges what to do. Mentges went down to the cook and asked for a handful of lemons. He brought them to the Marine and told him to eat them. They did the trick.

The men found ways to pass the time while waiting to arrive at their destination. They loved playing cards in the evening. One night, an Italian sailor asked if anyone liked pizza. Mentges didn’t have a clue what pizza was, so the sailor went down to the kitchen, made one and brought it back up. The men ate it while playing. Mentges said it was very good.

When things were calm, he was a storekeeper third class. When general quarters was sounded, every sailor was assigned a battle station to man. Mentges was positioned at the front of the ship out in the open.

“At times it was scary. I guess I would be lying if I said no. With airplanes coming to shoot you down, I guess anybody would be scared,” said Mentges.

Being a range finder was a very important job. Mentges had to calculate the range, bearing and course enemy planes and ships were taking. He then phoned those numbers to the men at the back of the ship who fired the big guns. The gunners would set the coordinates and fire.

Suicide bombers attempted on numerous occasions to dive bomb their ship, but they never were successful.

Mentges said one of the hardest things he witnessed was watching grown men cry, because they feared they would never see their families again. This struck a chord with him, because he was missing his own family.

“It’s just one of those things you know, when you’re a young kid ... you think, oh it’s fun. But it’s not when you go into the war,” he said.

After he got back to the states, he returned to his accounting job. His sons decided to follow in his footsteps and joined the Air Force. His oldest son, Jim Jr., later became a pilot for United Airlines.

One thing Mentges loved about his service was being able to travel the world. He felt bad his wife, Evelyn, missed out on that and decided to surprise her. He took her to numerous places, including the Virgin Islands, Ireland and Hawaii. They were married for 76 years, before she died on Oct. 23, 2005, at the age of 93.

Four years later, he is still going strong at Sylvia G. Thompson Residence Center at 101 years of age.

“I’m no hero. I was just a regular sailor. I’ve had a good life, a good job and it seems like everything fell my way,” he said.

Editor's note: Mr. Mentges died Nov. 26, 2009, at the age of 101.