Sampson Boots Reunited
Norm Gassett and Ivan McGranaghan
Norm and Ivan were in Co. 248, Nov-Dec 1944
Their story is unique in that they enlisted on the same day in Rutland, Vermont but they didn't meet then. They rode the same train to Springfield, Massachusetts and joined a large group of guys. (They still had not gotten aquainted.) They rode a troup train to Sampson, went through physicals, etc. and then they were assigned a barracks. They finally got aquainted after a couple of days and found there were just three of them from Vermont: #667 62 87 was Richard E Wood, Springfield Vermont (he enlisted in the morning of the same day); #667 62 88 was Norm from Putney, Vermont (enlisted about noon-same day); and #667 62 89, Ivan McGranaghan, from Barre, Vermont (enlisted in the afternoon). Ivan and Norm volunteered for the Seabees and they only spent 4 weeks at Sampson before going to Davisville, Rhode Island for earthmoving school. They then went to Port Hueneme, California for assignment to the 36th Special
Construction Battalion, and then on to Okinawa in the 5th wave of the invasion. In January, Norm was assigned to the USS Gurke, DD783 and Ivan was assigned to the Los Angeles Cruiser. Norm came back to the States to San Diego and went to Boston in July 1946 for Discharge. While he was waiting for the drafting to be complete, he heard Richard E. Wood (#667 62 87) and they rode the train back to Boston and then on to Bellows Falls, Vermont. Richard had stayed in Sampson for 8 weeks, and was assigned to a minesweeper in the Pacific. Ivan didn't get discharged until late August 1946-his ship was deployed down to the Phillipines, then back to the states. Richard is not in very good health, but Norm still sees him from time to time. Ivan lives about 100 miles north of Norm (Springfield, Vermont) and also joined the NSVA Island X1 of Vermont so Norm and him get to see each other quite often.
Do you have a story and/or picture you would like posted? If so, please e-mail Diana Fackler as to what you would like posted.
