Sergeant Fred Tenore - Continued
Throughout
those campaigns, Fred's artillery battalion provided the crushing fire support
that preceded countless infantry assaults. In January 1945, the division sailed
with Convoy MIKE 1 through repeated kamikaze attacks before storming ashore at
Lingayen Gulf during the invasion of Luzon. Advancing north from the beaches,
Tropic Lightning fought one of the Pacific War's most difficult campaigns at
Balete Pass, where steep mountains, dense jungle, and determined Japanese
defenders turned every mile into a brutal struggle.
After more than four years in
uniform, Fred was fortunate to return home before Japan's surrender and the
tremendous surge of troops returning at war's end. On July 27, 1945, only
sixteen days after stepping ashore from the USAT Elizabeth C. Stanton in
San Francisco, he was honorably discharged and returned to civilian life in New
Jersey. Years later, Fred—known affectionately as "Pop" by his
family—recorded his memories of Pearl Harbor and the Pacific War, preserving a
firsthand account that became the foundation for this story. His journey
carried him from the surprise attack on Hawaii through some of the fiercest
fighting in the Pacific, leaving a legacy of courage, endurance, and faithful
service to his country.