He was assigned to the dental section shortly, and to the 2nd Div. where he remained until assigned to the staff of Rear Admiral Willis A. Lee. He was officially detached from the Washington at various times to serve in other battleships with Adm. Lee, which included the USS Indiana. Massachusetts and North Carolina.

His memorable experiences include the third battle of Savo Island where he was in the powder handling room of the No. 2. sixteen inch turret; bomhardment of Tawara and Nauru.

While on the Washington they had a collision with USS Indiana and he returned to the states for reassignment in the Washington when she went to Bremerton for repairs.

He was awarded the European Theater, American, Asiatic-Pacific w/8 Battle Stars, WWII Victory, Good Conduct w/.5 Stars. Qualified to serve in the Submarine Force. Served in the Commander Submarine Force Atlantic Fleet.

Final discharge June 1, 1965 as chief yeoman. His daughter Joan was born in 1942. He was remarried in 1958 to Gloria Elena Tijerina-Torres. He was blessed with two sons, Richard and Ronald and a daughter Laurie Lynn. They also have ten grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

After retiring he worked as a claim adjuster supervisor for Texas Employers Insurance. Retired after 15 years and became a legal consultant for maritime and workmens' compensation claims.

His wife was born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1933 and immigrated to the US in 1953 and became a citizen in 1960. She graduated from the University of Houston. Taught in high school for 22 years. She received a masters degree as a professional counselor. Currently occupied with volunteer church work and just plain enjoying life.

Shirley went through training at the NTS in Norfolk, VA, Platoon 309. and was assigned to the USS Washington (BB-56) Dec. 24, 1941. His first onboard assignment was to the 5th Div. His battle station was upper handling room, 5" twin mount #1.

After 18 months, sometime after the ship's first visit to Pearl Harbor, he transferred to F Div. where he continued to serve until he transferred for discharge, Sept. 29, 1945 at Terminal Island, Long Beach, CA. He had advanced to EM2/c.

In July 1949, Shirley took a two-week Naval Reserve Cruise from Charleston to New York aboard the USS PC-1191. While in Brooklyn Navy Yard he saw the Washington brought in by tugboats for some mothball work.

His memorable experiences include the early morning they had the collision with the Indiana. He was sleeping in one of the mess halls because his bunk, on the third deck over one of the engine rooms, was too hot to sleep in some nights. They didn't have air conditioned living quarters then. He felt something shake the whole ship. He thought they had taken a torpedo. General alarm sounded and they started passing the word for certain officers to report in. At that time, they didn't know that their staterooms had been demolished.

After hearing a little "scuttlebutt" here and there they finally found out what had happened. Knowing what had taken place didn't ease the shock of going out on deck after daylight, walking forward, and finding the whole bow missing!"

He was awarded the American Theater, EAME, Asiatic-Pacific, Good Conduct, National Defense and WWII Victory w/15 Battle Stars.

He later settled down in Comelia, GA and married Eloise Cochran, March 3, 1951. He has two sons, Michael and Jeffrey and two granddaughters. He retired March 1, 1981, from a Johnson & Johnson Medical Products plant with 42 years service.

He told his daughter in 1941 that he saw enough action to last him a life time. He earned 15 Battle Stars. Returned home in 1946 after the war and went from job to job until he found a steady one. In 1947 he went out to a dance one Saturday night in Brooklyn and met and fell in love with Lita Citrin. He said, he fell in love with her the first time he saw her.

He married Lita Siegal Jan. 10, 1948. They had four children: two sets of fraternal twins, his younger daughter Rochelle Siegal died Feb. 3, 1997. His other children were Ruth Sara, Ira Joel and Charles Barry. He was married to his wife for 25 years before she passed July 7, 1975. When he passed away Dec. 7, 1996, he had two grandchildren he adored, Adam William Liberti and Joel Siegal.

In September 1939, he first saw service under wartime conditions on the USS Dallas (DD-199), a WWI era destroyer assigned to the "neutrality patrol" to protect Allied shipping in the North Atlantic against German submarines.

He was assigned to the USS Washington as a boatsman's mate first class on March 31, 1941. Sloper was placed in charge of the 5th Div. and started the task of building up the division's manpower and training to become a battle ready unit. He participated in the Washington’s commissioning ceremony on May 15, 1941 with his wife Grace, present as a guest.

Sloper remained on the Washington throughout it's time in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans including the tragic sinking of the HMS Punjami and the Murmansk runs. and in the Pacific Ocean through the sinking of the Japanese battleship Kirishima in the third battle of Savo Island.

After promotion to chief boatswain's mate, and was reassigned in 1943 to new construction in the US, Sloper returned to the Pacific for the invasion of the Philippines aboard the seaplane tender, USS San Carlos, participating in the D Day landings on Leyte. After the capture of Manila and Corregidor, the San Carlos was one of the first US ships to enter Manila Bay. With the harbor at Manila locked by sunken Japanese ships, the San Carlos was based in the former US naval base at Cavite.

Sloper retired in 1949 after serving as CBM on the USS Atlanta. Recalled to service during the Korean War in 1950, he served in San Diego and Long Beach before retiring for a second time in 1952.

He was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/5 Stars, the EAME Campaign Medal w/Star, the American Defense Service Medal w/2 Stars, the American Campaign Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal w/2 Stars, the WWII Victory Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.

Sloper retired from the State of California Military Department in 1975 and lived in Long Beach, CA with his wife, Grace. Harold passed away Oct. 19. 1997. He had one son, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

While at sea he participated in all Pacific engagements and the Murmansk Runs.

His favorite stories were the sinking of the Kirishima: being on watch at the time of the collision with the Indiana (and never feeling good being forward of Frame 21 again); the South Dakota (he used a nickname for her) breaking formation and silhouetting herself.

He was awarded the American Theater Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific w/10 Stars, EAME w/Star, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, Victory Medal, American Defense Ribbon w/Star. Smith was discharged Dec. 17, 1945 and is survived by two sons, Allen and Charlie, as well as one grandson, Christopher. Donald passed away Nov. 6, 1996.

After attending radio school, he was transferred to the USS Wilkes-Barre. He was discharged as RT2/c on Oct. 25, 1945.

He was awarded the American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific w/Bronze Star, Philippine Liberation, Good Conduct, China Service, EAME and Occupation Service Medals.

He began working for the New York Telephone Co. in Brooklyn during May of 1946 and retired in 1979. He married Peg Gilson on Sept. 13, 1941.They have three daughters and five grandchildren. He died Nov. 1, 1981 and is buried in Hackettstown, NJ.