John Fahey - 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 ET2 World War 2 John Fahey served in the US Navy as an Electronics Technician. for three years from 1943 to 1946.  Like every sailor, John attended Basic training, or Boot Camp, before reporting for his primary job training at a Naval A School where he learned to be an Electronics Technician (ET). ETs are responsible for electronic equipment that send and receive messages, computer information systems, long-range radar, and test equipment calibration. They maintain, repair, calibrate, tune, and adjust electronic equipment for communications, detection and tracking, recognition and identification, and navigation. John was stationed on the USS Sangamon, CVE-26, an Escort Carrier operating in the Pacific Ocean.  The Sangamon was a repurposed and converted T3 oil tanker with a 502-foot flight deck specifically made for carrier escort duty.  John joined the ship in Bremerton, WA, after she was repaired from a torpedo strike during the Battle of Samar. He was assigned to the V-6 division, working on the ship’s radars. John and the ship participated in Operation Iceberg, the invasion of the Ryukyu Islands.  John specifically remembers having to execute a very scary emergency surface radar repair while the ship was pulling into San Francisco in dense fog. John also served during operations off Okinawa, Japan.  He recalled that on 4 May 1945, a Japanese Kamikaze attack from a G4M “Betty Bomber” impacted the center of the flight deck.  The crew had to save the ship from multiple fires and restore emergency operations.  After that incident, USS Sangamon returned to the US and commenced repairs at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. John was discharged as a Petty Officer Second Class (ET2) in 1946. Interestingly, his service ended the same day the ship he served on was decommissioned at the war's end.  John returned to his home in the Boston area of Massachusetts.
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John Fahey - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
US Navy ET2 World War 2 John Fahey served in the US Navy as an Electronics Technician. for three years from 1943 to 1946.  Like every sailor, John attended Basic training, or Boot Camp, before reporting for his primary job training at a Naval A School where he learned to be an Electronics Technician (ET). ETs are responsible for electronic equipment that send and receive messages, computer information systems, long-range radar, and test equipment calibration. They maintain, repair, calibrate, tune, and adjust electronic equipment for communications, detection and tracking, recognition and identification, and navigation. John was stationed on the USS Sangamon, CVE-26, an Escort Carrier operating in the Pacific Ocean.  The Sangamon was a repurposed and converted T3 oil tanker with a 502-foot flight deck specifically made for carrier escort duty.  John joined the ship in Bremerton, WA, after she was repaired from a torpedo strike during the Battle of Samar. He was assigned to the V-6 division, working on the ship’s radars. John and the ship participated in Operation Iceberg, the invasion of the Ryukyu Islands.  John specifically remembers having to execute a very scary emergency surface radar repair while the ship was pulling into San Francisco in dense fog. John also served during operations off Okinawa, Japan.  He recalled that on 4 May 1945, a Japanese Kamikaze attack from a G4M “Betty Bomber” impacted the center of the flight deck.  The crew had to save the ship from multiple fires and restore emergency operations.  After that incident, USS Sangamon returned to the US and commenced repairs at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. John was discharged as a Petty Officer Second Class (ET2) in 1946. Interestingly, his service ended the same day the ship he served on was decommissioned at the war's end.  John returned to his home in the Boston area of Massachusetts.