West Point Speech
The next day, the Michel sent their scout plane out and launched the torpedo boat to pick up all the wreckage from the Sawokla.
No trace was found of the ship and the survivors were declared legally dead. I still have my death certificate issued by the Navy Department as a reminder.
All my wages ceased once I was considered dead. The Government started to make some small insurance payments.
The survivors received good medical care if the injuries were caused only by the attack on the Sawokla. I was badly injured and operated on numerous times.
During my captivity and rehabilitation on the Michel, two other ships were sunk in what seemed to be a 90 day period. There were only about 35 survivors altogether from the 3 ships.
We observed that the Michel's masts were extended. The lookouts used extra long binoculars -- 2 to 3 feet in length. The lookouts were changed about every 15 minutes.
