Alden McCutchan

Birth date	4/10/21
Age they entered the service	21
Hometown	Bloomington, Minnesota
Branch of the service	US Naval Reserve
Rank	Lt. jg
Name of their unit	Light Cruiser, USS Atlanta CL104
When they served	1943 - 1946
Where did you serve?	Pacific Theater, Occupation of Japan
Did you enlist or were you drafted?	Enlisted
How did you feel about going to war?	I was doing what was expected. Either enlist or be drafted.
Did you have any family members that went to war? If so, did they survive?	Yes. Brothers Tom & Bruce. Both survived
Were you ever wounded? How and where?	No
Did you receive any medals? Which ones?	Yes, three - 1. Asiatic Pacific Campaign (2 battle stars), 2. American Campaign. 3. World War II Freedom Medal.

Do you have a war story you would like to tell?	Not of the combat type. Our ship did find itself in the heart of a major typhoon near Okinawa in which our 660-foot long ship was tossed about like a cork on waves reported to be 90 feet high! One of the cruisers traveling with us had it¹s bow (front part) blown completely off and had to travel backwards all the way to Guam just to keep the pressure off the watertight doors as it went for repairs.
What was your reaction when you found out the war was over?	Unbelievable relief, happiness, and tears because it was finally over. America had been officially at war since December 1942 (Pearl Harbor), and Hitler was invading the low countries of Europe in 1939 at the time I started college, so we had the feeling that it might never end.
What was the most frightening event of the war for you?	A general alarm and bugle call to battle stations aboard our ship in the middle of the night, as we were moving toward the war zone in the pacific. Our ship was entirely blacked out, but we had had drills so we knew how and where to go even in the dark. It had our hearts racing because it was the first time. It turned out to be a friendly aircraft in the dark sky!
What was the most cherished memory of the war for you?	Walking up the mountainside of Sakura Jima Yama (Cherry Island Mountain) at the southern tip of Japan while we were on occupation duty. Four very young Japanese boys made the trip with us. We developed an easy friendship and all had fun watching volcanic eruptions taking place on the mountainside below the crater on which we stood.
Do you have regrets about your service in World War II?	No. Mainly it gave me a chance to experience parts of the world and people I had never known - Trinidad, Panama, Guantanimo Bay in Cuba, Hawaii, Guam, The Philippine Islands, Ulithi Atol, several of the Japanese Islands (including Nagasaki site of atomic bomb #2), and some interesting parts of our own country - Harvard, Florida, and Newport Rhode Island.
How do you feel about America today?	I have to be honest and say I feel we are making the biggest mistake (war in Iraq) that our country has made in my lifetime - much worse even than Vietnam. It makes me very, very sad.
How do you feel about the war with Iraq?	None of the reasons we have been given for this war make sense. The only reason I see for it is total economic domination of Persian Gulf oil reserves, and the theft of the economy (banks, mines, industries) of a sovereign country in violation of all the formerly agreed upon rules of war.
Is there anything else you would like to add?	I DO believe Freedom is not Free - That we ALL need to be vigilant and active in the protection of the freedoms we have. Primarily that means the defense of the Bill of Rights of the American Constitution. MANY of these are currently endangered. Take a close look at the provisions of the U.S Patriot Act. Many of the first ten amendments to the constitution (Bill of Rights) are being threatened. Hardly any (if any) of members of the U.S. Congress even read this bill before they were panicked into approving it. ***This is an immensely challenging topic if students are helped to look beyond its just being a slogan.