Ralph Griffey - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series

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World War 2

Click on Veteran's photo to see their service story. These Warriors served during the World War 2.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where can I donate?

I have created a way to accept donations to grow the project, use the WWII Veterans Portrait Series Go Fund Me.

Where are you located?

I live in the San Diego area but have traveled to many locations to interview and photograph Veterans.


How Long is an Appointment?

Appointments usually last an hour. But please free up time for Mickey to set up lights and cameras, hold the interview, and take some still photographers for in the project.

Do you accept reservations?

Yes is the simple answer to the question. Each appointment is set up as an individual session. Group sessions have been set up when I visited a senior living facility or many of the California Veterans Homes.

Copyright © 2024 Mickey Strand – Veterans Series
US Navy RDM3 World War 2 Ralph Griffey was born on January 12, 1927, and served in the US Navy from December 1944 to July 1946. Ralph served as a Navy Radarman and rose to the rank of Petty Officer 3rd class or RDM3. Ralph's enlistment was not for 1 or 2 years, but like most service members, Ralph signed up for the duration of the war plus six months. Ralph served with the US Merchant Marines as a member of the Navy gun crew. As a member of the Armed Guard Service, stationed on US merchant ships as a support crew for the fleet of transports and USMMC ships, it took to move troops and supplies around the globe. The Navy contingency on board was comprised of a few Officers, Gunners, Marines, and Radarmen. His first ship was the SS Enos A. Mills, a liberty ship. EC2-S-C1Type: Emergency Cargo, between 400 and 450 feet in length. She was part of a three-ship group out of Seattle tasked to take a Navy Construction Battalion, aka “Seabees," up to Alaska. The ship had the new SO8 radar units installed on the ships, and Ralph's team was assigned to test out this new technology to help protect these under-defended ships. The War ended during the ship's return to Seattle after deploying the Navy Unit. Petty Officer Griffey was then assigned back to San Francisco, Treasure Island, Home of the Armed Guard Pacific Fleet, where he was reassigned to the SS Lurline, an ocean liner reassigned during the War, to the Merchant Marines as a troop transport. The Ship was assigned to transit occupation troops to Japan and return Wartime service members home. After only one of these trips, they were reassigned to transiting US war brides back to America from New Zealand and Australia. Ralph remembers they brought hundreds of service members and their brides back on this 2-month trip. They even had a birth during transit with a service-members newest dependent. Ralph completed this transit and had enough points to return to civilian life. He was released in 1946 at the end of his enlisted obligation service.
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Ralph Griffey - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
US Navy RDM3 World War 2 Ralph Griffey was born on January 12, 1927, and served in the US Navy from December 1944 to July 1946. Ralph served as a Navy Radarman and rose to the rank of Petty Officer 3rd class or RDM3. Ralph's enlistment was not for 1 or 2 years, but like most service members, Ralph signed up for the duration of the war plus six months. Ralph served with the US Merchant Marines as a member of the Navy gun crew. As a member of the Armed Guard Service, stationed on US merchant ships as a support crew for the fleet of transports and USMMC ships, it took to move troops and supplies around the globe. The Navy contingency on board was comprised of a few Officers, Gunners, Marines, and Radarmen. His first ship was the SS Enos A. Mills, a liberty ship. EC2-S-C1Type: Emergency Cargo, between 400 and 450 feet in length. She was part of a three-ship group out of Seattle tasked to take a Navy Construction Battalion, aka “Seabees," up to Alaska. The ship had the new SO8 radar units installed on the ships, and Ralph's team was assigned to test out this new technology to help protect these under-defended ships. The War ended during the ship's return to Seattle after deploying the Navy Unit. Petty Officer Griffey was then assigned back to San Francisco, Treasure Island, Home of the Armed Guard Pacific Fleet, where he was reassigned to the SS Lurline, an ocean liner reassigned during the War, to the Merchant Marines as a troop transport. The Ship was assigned to transit occupation troops to Japan and return Wartime service members home. After only one of these trips, they were reassigned to transiting US war brides back to America from New Zealand and Australia. Ralph remembers they brought hundreds of service members and their brides back on this 2-month trip. They even had a birth during transit with a service-members newest dependent. Ralph completed this transit and had enough points to return to civilian life. He was released in 1946 at the end of his enlisted obligation service.