Chester Bahan

Seaman First Class Chester Bahan began his basic training at Newport Naval Training Center in December, 1941. In February, 1942, he was transferred to the Naval Air Station in Puerto Rico and assigned to the Fire Department for the next 25 months. He was then stationed in Newport News, VA where he helped put the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga in commission, serving aboard her for sixteen months. Chester engaged in raids on Luzon, Leyte, Formosa, Shanghai, Swatow, China, and Saigon, French- Indo China as part of the Pacific Fleet. The Ticonderoga was hit by two Japanese suicide planes off Formosa in January, 1945. It returned to active duty for the Battle of Okinawa and was the Third Fleet off Tokyo at the end of the war. Seaman Bahan was honorably discharged in October, 1945 at Lido Beach, NY