Charles Newton was born 5-Dec 1924 to Cecil Wellington (1904-1962) and Martha Blanche Newton (1905-1935) in High Gate Missouri. He had four siblings; Orel, Mary, Martha and Ella.
According to the 1930 Federal Census, the family was living at 6219 Plymouth Avenue in St. Louis Mo. Charles was five. By 1940, the family had moved to East Grand Street in Winterset Iowa. Charles was now 15 and indicated Charles had one year of high school.
By 1940, according to the Federal Census, Charles now 16 was living at 110 East Grade Street in Winterset, Madison, Iowa. It was reported he had completed one year of high school.
Sometime later in his life, Charles wrote a diary in his own words. Charles wrote: “This is a chronologically ordered outline of dates and service in my life which occurred immediately before, during, and after my service into the U.S. Navy. As of this date, it is not complete, nor have the dates and events been double checked against my service record.
From his diary we learn:
12/5/1942 – Quit Patterson (Winterset) High School Iowa high, hitchhiked to Des Moines IA and traveled by bus to mount McAlester Oklahoma.
Enlisted in the Navy in McAlester, Oklahoma where my dad was then living. His mailing address was Shady Grove Camp, McAlester Pittsburgh County Oklahoma which is the state’s Third Congressional District. My personal characteristics were documented as follows:
- Weight: 135 lbs.
- Eyes: blue**
- Hair: black
- Perplexion: Ruddy
**Editor’s note: “The army is never wrong, but sometimes they’re a little short of being right”… so the saying goes! The family indicates that his eyes were grey, but the army listed them as blue.
I was released to inactive duty for four days leave.
12/16/1942. Recalled to active-duty Naval Receiving Station (NAVRECSTA), McAlester Oklahoma and transferred to Naval Training Station (NAVTRASTA), San Diego CA.
12/19/1942 received it NAVTRASTA, San Diego after a three-day train ride from McAllester.
01/07/1943 I scored a 96 on my general classification test parenthesis (GCT). This was the third or fourth highest score in my Navy recruit company of 160. I think that the highest score was achieved by an ex teacher with a bachelor’s or master’s degree. I remember very clearly what he looked like, but I can no longer remember his name. Years later a transcript of my GCT score was sufficient to gain me admission to the MENSA organization.
01/26/1943 Rating changed to Seaman 2nd Class S2c).
02/10/1943 Fired Marksman Course on Marine Corps rifle range at La Jolla CA with a score of _____.
03/29/43 Commenced Fire Control School. NAVTRASTA, San Diego, California.
07/16/43 Graduated from Class A group 1 B fire control school (B). I was #25 in a class of 26. Some prospect for Admiral, huh?
7/25/43 transferred to RECSHIP, San Francisco CA for duty assignment by CSFSC (Commander, Subordinate Command, Service Force, Pacific Fleet), Pacific fleet.
08/09/43 Transfer to the SUBAD (Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet Administration), Mare island, California for assignment to duty. Editor’s note: Mare Island) was the administrative and logistical command facility for U.S. Navy submarines stationed or undergoing work at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California. It managed crew billeting, training schools, and tactical preparation for Pacific Fleet submariners.
09/20/43 Reported to CSD-22 (Submarine Division 22 ) relief crew, USNTS (Naval Training Center), San Diego CA.
11/12/43 CSD-22 Flag and Relief crew changed to CSD-45 Flag and Relief crew. Flagship was USS Snapper.
01/01/44 Rating changed this date from S2c to S1c.
01/30/44 Completed a six-week course on instruction and fire control school.
02/15/44 Serving outside the continental limits of the US on board the aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown, destination submarine base Pearl Harbor Oahu, Hawaiian islands.
02/20/44 Approximate arrival date at Pearl Harbor.
04/27/44 Completed two-week course of instruction in Radar Operators School with a final mark of 79. Authorized to operate SD/SJ radar during general quarters.
05/17/1944 Report it aboard the USS Stingray SS186 for duty.
For more of Charles’ story, click on the pdf below.
