Walter Kundis - Gunner's Mate 1st Class - PT 524

From a Gunner's Mate aboard a patrol torpedo boat, to a missleman with the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile system, Walter Kundis served his country well.

Walter Kundis was the first PT boat veteran I interviewed. Walt had a very distinguished military career that began with the Navy and ended with the Air Force.

This photo was taken when Walter retired from the Air Force. The number of ribbons, affectionately referred to as "fruit salad" by those in the service, is a testament to Walter's military career.

Here is how it all started:

"My father was a coal miner. He was only 48 when he died leaving a wife and seven children. All the kids had to pitch-in and help one another. That’s why I didn’t join-up after Pearl Harbor. I was just about to finish High School when the Japs attacked and so I stayed in until I graduated. I took my father’s advice, got out of the coalmines, and moved to Maryland to work in the steel mills. I worked there for one year and then decided to join the Navy in 1943. I volunteered for Gunner’s Mate School as well as PT boats. I had heard about the adventures of the PT boat fleet over the radio, and in magazines and newspapers. When I raised my hand to enlist in the Navy I was full of pride.

I received my Navy Boot Camp training at the Sampson Naval Training Base in New York. My training began on June 30, 1943 and lasted 8 weeks. I thought it was going to be tougher than it really was: the basic marching, drilling, keeping our barracks ship-shape, living with a group of men, and even handling an old whale boat using oars.

After you completed Boot Camp the Navy would classify your ability. I requested to become a Gunner’s Mate. I was sent to the School Section at Sampson and began my training on all type of guns the U.S. Navy maintained. I learned about various guns and the types of projectiles and powder that was used for each. This was a general get-acquainted type of course that lasted 12 weeks. I graduated on November 19, 1943.

After completing Gunner’s Mate School the Navy asked me what type of ship I wanted to be assigned to. I asked for PT boats or submarines. Because PT boats had the highest priority I was shipped to the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Training Center at Melville, Rhode Island, December 18, 1943.

Gunner's Mate Walter Kundis, Ligayen Gulf, Philippines, January 1945. Walter was part of the team that operated PT 524's stern mounted 40mm gun.

When we arrived by train we were greeted by a bunch of sailors on the platform that were unshaven, dirty, and they were shouting, “Go Back, Go Back!” It seems that because of the cold weather all the water pipes froze and burst and the only running water on the base was in the Mess Hall. My first thoughts were “What the Hell did I get into!” When they showed us the barracks that we were going to live in, they were full of snow. To get in we had to shovel the snow out and build a fire in a potbelly stove. This situation lasted almost two weeks. At least our training continued in heated classrooms.

I was trained on all the different type of weapons that were carried on a PT boat. The courses covered every weapon imaginable: from the torpedoes, to depth charges, 40mm, 37mm and 20mm cannon, .50 caliber machine gun, all the small arms and even the proper use of hand grenades. I was taught to repair and maintain all these weapons. I received most of my training firing guns, but the other ratings also had to learn how to fire all the weapons. We were taught all the ratings that served on the boats. Each man had to be able to take over another man’s position.

I was required to be able to take over the engine room duties. I sort of shied away from that as performing that job took a strong back to shift the gears and the heat was like being in Hell. I concentrated on being a good line handler, in operating the wheel, and docking. I was getting real good at it. We were trained on all the types of PTs available because no one knew at that time what type of boat they would be assigned to. About 60 percent was classroom and 40 percent was on the boats. The training was intense and lasted 12 weeks. I graduated on March 09, 1944.

Training in waters off Melville, Rhode Island.

My first PT boat ride was on the coldest day ever recorded and the seas were very rough. Our first four-hour ride on the boat made most of the class seasick. I wasn’t one of them. The cold weather and stormy seas didn’t dampen my determination to serve aboard a PT. I loved it. I felt I had made the right choice and at that time I was ready to meet the enemy head-on.

I was lucky because I was assigned to a brand new Squadron. We took delivery of PT 524 right from the factory, took her all the way to the South Pacific to fight the enemy, and I finished the war aboard her in Borneo. Once you were assigned a Squadron they told you what area of combat you were going to. We were told that we were headed to the Pacific. All squadrons were assigned the men to man the boats as soon as possible, so they could work as a crew. Other men were sent as replacement crewmembers right after graduation."

All photos in this post courtesy the personal collection of Walter Kundis.