George Bernstein - 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.

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US Navy ENS World War 2 George Bernstein was born in New York, moved to Miami at 13, and graduated from Miami Sr. High School in the summer of 1941. He was attending the University of Miami when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec 7th. His father, a WW1 Navy veteran, encouraged him to serve in the Navy, ensuring a hot meal and a dry bunk if the ship was afloat. George entered the V-12 program at the university and graduated in January 1943. He reported to Plattsburgh, New York, an old Army Camp along Lake Champlain reconditioned as a Navy officer training command. George remembered chopping the ice off Lake Champlain for abandon ship drills. He graduated and received his commission at a ceremony with his mother and his fiancé both in attendance. He was assigned to Charleston Naval Base to a 40-foot Coastal Patrol ship with one depth charge. George was then assigned to Key West Anti-Submarine Warfare School. He was allowed to attend two familiarization dives on old R boats operated by the school. He reported to Naval Station Norfolk for duty on the USS Carter (DE-112), a Cannon-class destroyer escort primarily used for antisubmarine warfare and convoy escort service during WW2. Ensign Bernstein was assigned as a division officer and the assistant to everything else as the ship's only Ensign. His duties included the operation of the Mark 10 Hedgehog Anti-Submarine Projector. This system was a forward mortar projectile firing system loaded with depth charges. He also ran the 8 K Guns that launched depth charges, hurling the 300-lb. charge up to 150 yards away. Ens. Bernstein’s first at-sea convoy assignment was the crossing with a group of approximately 60 ships that took them to Oran, Algeria, from which she returned to Boston, Mass. on 20 January 1945. His second major deployment was an anti-submarine patrol that started in Portland, Maine’s Casco Bay. On 22 April, they picked up the German submarine U-518 as a sound contact during this deployment. In mountainous seas, the USS Carter and the USS Neal A. Scott (DE-769) joined in a hedgehog attack that sank the U-boat. In the last days of the war, on 9 May, the ship rendezvoused with the surrendering German U-boat U-858. They escorted the surrendered ship to the designated surrender area. Ens. Bernstein was assigned to the boarding party to accept the German officers' surrender. They moved the German officers to the USS Carter and returned the captive ship and crew to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 17 May. Ens. Bernstein was part of the decommissioning of the USS Carter in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on 8 November 1945 and was Honorably Discharged at Jacksonville Naval Air Station. George was married to Jean Wolf. George worked in the grocery industry and then the insurance industry for the rest of his working life.
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George Bernstein - Mickey Strand - Veterans Series
US Navy ENS World War 2 George Bernstein was born in New York, moved to Miami at 13, and graduated from Miami Sr. High School in the summer of 1941. He was attending the University of Miami when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec 7th. His father, a WW1 Navy veteran, encouraged him to serve in the Navy, ensuring a hot meal and a dry bunk if the ship was afloat. George entered the V-12 program at the university and graduated in January 1943. He reported to Plattsburgh, New York, an old Army Camp along Lake Champlain reconditioned as a Navy officer training command. George remembered chopping the ice off Lake Champlain for abandon ship drills. He graduated and received his commission at a ceremony with his mother and his fiancé both in attendance. He was assigned to Charleston Naval Base to a 40-foot Coastal Patrol ship with one depth charge. George was then assigned to Key West Anti-Submarine Warfare School. He was allowed to attend two familiarization dives on old R boats operated by the school. He reported to Naval Station Norfolk for duty on the USS Carter (DE-112), a Cannon-class destroyer escort primarily used for antisubmarine warfare and convoy escort service during WW2. Ensign Bernstein was assigned as a division officer and the assistant to everything else as the ship's only Ensign. His duties included the operation of the Mark 10 Hedgehog Anti-Submarine Projector. This system was a forward mortar projectile firing system loaded with depth charges. He also ran the 8 K Guns that launched depth charges, hurling the 300-lb. charge up to 150 yards away. Ens. Bernstein’s first at-sea convoy assignment was the crossing with a group of approximately 60 ships that took them to Oran, Algeria, from which she returned to Boston, Mass. on 20 January 1945. His second major deployment was an anti-submarine patrol that started in Portland, Maine’s Casco Bay. On 22 April, they picked up the German submarine U-518 as a sound contact during this deployment. In mountainous seas, the USS Carter and the USS Neal A. Scott (DE-769) joined in a hedgehog attack that sank the U-boat. In the last days of the war, on 9 May, the ship rendezvoused with the surrendering German U-boat U-858. They escorted the surrendered ship to the designated surrender area. Ens. Bernstein was assigned to the boarding party to accept the German officers' surrender. They moved the German officers to the USS Carter and returned the captive ship and crew to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 17 May. Ens. Bernstein was part of the decommissioning of the USS Carter in Green Cove Springs, Florida, on 8 November 1945 and was Honorably Discharged at Jacksonville Naval Air Station. George was married to Jean Wolf. George worked in the grocery industry and then the insurance industry for the rest of his working life.