By Auggie Brown
Glasgow News 1
Korean War Veterans Armistice Day on July 27 is putting a spotlight on the stories of military members who served. In Glasgow, that includes 95-year-old U.S. Navy veteran Harry Word, who shared memories from his time aboard the destroyer USS Laffey also known as “The Ship That Would Not Die”.
Word said he enlisted in the Navy when he was about 21, hoping to join the Seabees and learn heavy equipment skills. Instead, he was assigned to the destroyer force and trained as a gunner’s mate, responsible for operating and maintaining the ship’s guns.
Word recalled that his home port in the United States was Norfolk, Virginia, but he spent much of his four-year enlistment at sea. He says the USS Laffey operated in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the North Atlantic. During the Korean War, Word’s ship was sent to North Korea’s east coast as part of the blockade around Wonsan Harbor.
He described Wonsan as a major harbor where submarines were coming in from Russia and said the Laffey and other ships were ordered in to disrupt that activity. Word said the operation was intense, with the destroyers bombarding targets on shore and coming under fire from enemy batteries. He recalled that his ship had six 5-inch guns and numerous smaller weapons, and that gunner’s mates were responsible for keeping every gun ready to fire without mistakes.
The work did not end when the shooting stopped, according to Word. He described how the crew washed salt water off the guns, swabbed out the barrels with long brushes and oiled the metal to prevent rust, saying a ship is essentially “a platform for guns.”
Word said he was “petrified” at times during combat but feels fortunate that no one on the Laffey was killed during the Wonsan action.
He later received several decorations, including a Korean presidential unit citation, a Korean medal with three battle stars, a China service medal, a United Nations service medal, a good conduct medal and a national defense ribbon.
After leaving the Navy, Word returned to Kentucky and used the GI Bill to attend barber school before eventually entering the insurance business.
He said his Navy service took him to about 30 countries and twice around the world, and he enjoyed visits to Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal and time with shipmates, who became lifelong friends. Word said he “loved the Navy” and that military service gave him skills, experiences and friendships that stayed with him long after he came home.
As for the USS Laffey, it has been converted into a museum in Charleston, South Carolina.
Key Facts
• Korean War Veterans Armistice Day is July 27.
• Word served four years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.
• He was a gunner’s mate on the destroyer USS Laffey.
• The Laffey took part in the blockade and bombardment of Wonsan Harbor in North Korea.
• Word says his ship spent hours under enemy fire while firing hundreds of rounds.
• He recalls being scared but says no one on his ship was killed during that action.
• Word received multiple medals, including a Korean presidential unit citation and several combat and service ribbons.
• He says he loved his time in the Navy and traveled to about 30 countries.
• His story is being highlighted locally ahead of Korean War Veterans Armistice Day.
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