A Sailor's Journey Across Two War Fronts

When World War II started with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Michael Milochik was attending high school in Aliquippa, Penn. Mike, like most of his classmates, had never heard of Pearl Harbor or Hawaii. He admitted that his main objective in life at that time was chasing girls around the city swimming pool in warmer weather but things were about to change.

With his country now at war, Mike realized that he was ready to leave home and serve his country but he would have to wait until he was 18 years old.

On Jan. 3, 1943, Mike enlisted in the United States Navy and reported to the...