HENRY LEWIS SHOLAR, US NAVY WW II USS BACHE DD 470

HENRY LEWIS SHOLAR, son of  Emit Henry Sholar and Rutha Belle Chadwick. He was born July 17, 1914 in Dover, Stewart County, Tennessee, and died April 23, 1996 in Clarksville, Montgomery Co., TN.

HENRY LEWIS SHOLAR, son of  Emit Henry Sholar and Rutha Belle Chadwick. He was born July 17, 1914 in Dover, Stewart County, Tennessee, and died April 23, 1996 in Clarksville, Montgomery Co., TN. He is buried at the Memorial Gardens Cemetery in a mausoleum crypt in Clarksville, TN He married MARY GENEVA MOORE, b. August 31, 1917 in Fredonia, TN

 Henry saw military service during WWII in the US Navy as a Seaman 1c, serving aboard the destroyer USS Bache DD 470 in the South Pacific. While on board, The Bache was attacked by a "kamikaze"off the coast of Okinawa on Mother's Day, May 13th, 1945 Casualties were 42 killed, 14 missing, and 32 wounded. He was one of the wounded. He was badly injured by shrapnel in the left leg and for his wounds received in combat, he was awarded the Purple Heart. Henry also received the Silver Star for his bravery during combat. While the Bache was under heavy Japanese attack and was severely crippled due to enemy action, Seaman Sholar, wounded,  and another sailor stayed with their duties and were able to keep the boilers functioning and the ship under power. In doing so, the Bache was able to maintain it's fighting capabilities. By the time Henry recovered from his wounds the war was over.

 The Bache was also a veteran of the Battle of Surigao Strait October 24 & 25, 1944. In all, the scoreboard on the bridge wing showed the Bache was involved in sinking 1 Battleship, 1 Cruiser, 1 Destroyer, shooting down 7 Japanese planes, and was involved in 15 Invasions and 43 Bombardments In a diary of one of the sailors on board, EM2 Leo Helmboldt, he wrote that on April 22, 1945 upon arriving at Okinawa shot down 49 planes during an air raid.

An interesting fact is that while Henry Sholar was at sea off the coast of Okinawa doing his part in the war, his brother, Judd, went ashore in the second wave of the attacking force for the Battle of Okinawa

In civilian life, Henry made his career as a pipe fitter working with boilers and did so all of his life. This is also what he did aboard ship in the Navy.

Information on this story comes from his son, Gene Sholar, as well as US Naval sources.

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