This blog is completed. The blog's earliest posts are the earliest in time; to read chronologically, the first post is here:
January 1, 1942 - Thursday - 80 years ago today
Advance through the posts using the Newer Posts button.
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Another way to read is the chronology pages. These pages contain links for each post, in order for each year.
Posts - Chronological - John F. Skinner, Jr. - 1942
Posts - Chronological - John F. Skinner, Jr. - 1943
This blog is completed. The blog's earliest posts are the earliest in time; to read chronologically, the first post is here:
January 1, 1862 - Wednesday - 160 years ago today
Advance through the posts using the Newer Posts button.
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Another way to read is the chronology pages. These pages contain links for each post, in order for each year.
Posts - Chronological - John A. Baer -1862
Posts - Chronological - John A. Baer -1863
Mary McLaughlin had continued with mostly the same activities since early in the war; working at Dun & Bradstreet in downtown Boston, living at home and helping with her younger brothers and sisters, and going to the USO events at the downtown Y and other nearby places. Even as the war was over, things had continued as before, with servicemen coming and going.
On a night in February, 1946, Mary had gone to the Y. She was surprised when she looked into the lounge, and told her friend Doris Welch, that she though she saw John Skinner in there. It hardly seemed possible; but there he was, and he took them to dinner that night. He had gotten a car after getting back, and decided to go to Boston, as he told Mary, to see if she was still there. The rest you can easily guess......
Mary McLaughlin:
One night in February 1946, I looked into the lounge at the Y and who should be there but John Skinner. He took Doris and me out for supper at the Lobster House at 10 o'clock at night. He had finished his six-year enlistment in October and come back to see if I was still there, he said later. We started dating and he stayed until March. We had decided to marry the following summer, so he had to go back to Indiana and enroll in school and find a job for a few months. He planned to come back in May when I would have my vacation.
All this worked out as we planned. We were to be married in August, so John decided to work around Boston and found a job painting houses. We found a lot to do in Boston that summer. We went to Pops concerts on the Esplanade, went dancing, to the beach, etc.
We were married on August 18, 1946, and after spending a few days at Rockport and York Beach, started for Indiana. We went from York up through New Hampshire and stopped at Rosebrook Inn where the McKennas gave us free lodging as a wedding gift. We traveled around the Finger Lakes and Lake Placid and beautiful areas of New York, then through Ohio and finally reached Indiana.
As an epilogue to John Baer's Civil War experience, we have the below that was published in 1888, and gives a small biography of John as he has returned to farming for many years since returning to Tippecanoe County 33 years before.
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John A. Baer one of the well and favorably known citizens of Sheffeld Township, is a native of Missouri, born in Ray County, October 8, 1841, a son of Jacob Baer, who died in Missouri, in February 1852. The mother of our subject died in 1848. Being left an orphan when in his eleventh year he has always had to fight the battles of life alone.
He came to Tippecanoe County when a lad, and here he grew to manhood, spending his youth in working on farms. At the breaking out of the Rebellion, he enlisted, April 17, 1861, in Company A of the 10th Indiana Infantry for three months, and in September following he re-enlisted in Co. A., 40th Indiana Infantry and during his term of service was promoted to 1st. Sergeant.
He was taken prisoner at Kennesaw Mountain and was confined in Andersonville prison. He received an honorable discharge from the army and returned to this county, where he resumed the more peaceful pursuit of farming.
Mr. Baer is a member of the Stockwell Lodge No. 439 I.O.O.F., and is also a Comrade of Carrol post G.A.R, at Stockwell. He is a member of the Christian Church and one of the respected men of the township. Politically he casts his suffrage with the Republican party.
Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, p. 763-764
Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago,IL.; 1888
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From <https://40thindiana.wordpress.com/2012/03/20/john-a-baer-company-a/>
Status - John Skinner
The St. Croix entered San Francisco Bay on December 16th with returning veterans. John Skinner made his way to Chicago where he would be discharged from the service on New Year's Eve, December 31st, 1945 after 6 years and 18 days in the Navy. His discharge was issued at the Great Lakes Naval Station in Chicago, and he received $100 in mustering out pay.
It was no doubt a Happy New Year, and as John waited for the train back to Indiana, we can picture him thinking about all that had happened since he left. Initial training was followed by a posting to the new destroyer O'Brien, and the shakedown cruise went all the way to Argentina and back with many stop in South America. Several months in the Caribbean, then back to the States and then escorting Wasp in the occupation of Iceland. Next was training for anti-submarine warfare and escorting transports to the Mid-Ocean Meeting Point.
While refurbishing in Norfolk, the news of the Pearl Harbor attacks meant a trip through the Panama Canal and redeployment to the Pacific. Several months of escort duty, much of it near Pago Pago, then preparation for going to the Solomon Islands. O'Brien was torpedoed just after Wasp, and wandered the South Pacific for a few weeks looking for repairs, after which it sank on the way back to the States.
A month at home, and then to Boston for a few months waiting for a new destroyer. Fullam was the new ship but John soon moved to Daly and was back to the Pacific. An attack by airplanes during the invasion of New Britain sank a ship just in front of Daly; a ship that may have actually been in Daly's place that day.
Long months followed hopping across the north side of New Guinea, supporting invasions, shelling the shore, and looking for attacking planes. Daly was part of the Battle of the Surigao Strait, the last surface battle featuring battleships fighting each other.
A return to San Francisco, and then to the Pacific Northwest to pick up a new ship, St. Croix. The troop transport made many trips around the Pacific, and there was relief that there would be no invasion of Japan. Returning to the States for the final time led to Chicago on New Year's Eve.
John had some plans already; the GI bill would help pay for college at the local university, Purdue. John's parents had bought another farm, partly with money he had sent home from the service. He would need to find a car to drive into town for classes. Good things were in the future.
But with all that, was there still a question in his mind, something unresolved?.......
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More Information:
NEXT POST: 1946
Status - 40th Indiana - 4th Army Corps - 2nd Division - 2nd Brigade
The 40th Indiana has been mustered out of the service on December 21st and begun to return to Tippecanoe County.
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John Baer - Home, Tippecanoe County, IN
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40th Indiana
The 40th Indiana Regiment spent almost 4 full years in service to the Union, having been mustered in on December 30th, 1861, and remaining in service until December of 1865. All of their service was in the western theater of the war.
John Baer fought in the Battle of Rich Mountain early in the war as a member of the 10th Indiana 90 day regiment.
