The Pace Setter The American Legion Post 23 Newsletter In Loving Memory of Legionnaire Julian Pace Issue #2 2006 Donnie Brown - Editor Edwin Phelps - Reporter LEGIONNAIRE RECOGNIZED By Edwin Phelps Post 23 Legionnaire Collins Vance was recently recognized on both floors of the Kentucky Legislature in Frankfort. Prior to an overnight AARP trip to attend a legislative session, it was brought to the attention of House Speaker Jody Richards of Bowling Green that Legionnaire Collins Vance had witnessed history being made in Tokyo Bay in 1945. Speaker Richards wanted to recognize Vance prior to the afternoon House session on 14 March 2006. After lunch in the Capitol basement, I accompanied Collins as we arrived at the House door at 1:30 p.m. The Main House Doorman, who “Lets the people in and puts the people out,� met us at the main House door. He said, “When I open the door for you to come in, walk all the way down the aisle to where Speaker Richards sits. Then turn around and face all the representatives.� He handed me two passes. In a few minutes, he opened the door, and we walked in. A proclamation was read. Speaker Richards and Representative Jim DeCesare greeted Vance. Pictures were made and two proclamations were presented to Vance. All stood and applauded. As we left, a gentleman in the hall asked if we would like to be recognized by the Senate. I said, “Sure, now who are you?� He said, “I’m the man who opens the door to let people in the Senate, and I open the door to put people out.� He said, “Write on a piece of paper what Mr. Vance did in the Navy and bring it with you.� We reported our plans to our group upstairs in the House gallery. Then we went to the Senate. I knocked on the Senate door and asked for our friend. Sure enough, he came out and said, “They have started voting, but just hang loose and I’ll get you in.� He took the note I had written. In about twenty minutes, we were ushered in. Senate President David Williams and Senator Brett Guthrie greeted us at the rear of the chambers. My notes were read. More pictures were made and all stood and applauded to honor Collins Vance. Now for what all the to-do and honoring was about. Collins Vance, a Reedyville and Butler County native, enlisted in the U. S. Navy in Louisville on 18 November 1940 for six years. This was three days after his 18th birthday. From the Great Lakes Training Station, he took the train to San Francisco. Vance took a troop ship to Manila to join his brother Bill on the USS Marblehead, a light cruiser. But Bill got promoted and reassigned to the Napa. (Bill was later captured and spent the duration of the war in a Japanese POW camp.) I spent a few weeks in Butler County surveying some property lines. This past fall Collins replaced the power steering box on his Dodge van (twice.) He is currently replacing the brakes on his van. He and Mae raise a big garden, and Collins hopes his grapes turn out well this year for his homemade wine. The Vance’s have been married 62 years and have a son, a daughter, and four grandchildren. They lost one son at age fourteen. They attend the Barren River Baptist Church near their home. Vance stayed with the Marblehead. On the way to engage the Japanese, the Marblehead was carpetbombed. She received three hits -- on the bow, the stern, and the superstructure. The rudder was also damaged, and the only way to steer was with the screws. The Marblehead was sent back to Brooklyn, NY for repairs. They returned by way of the Indian Ocean, South Africa, South America, and Miami. Vance was assigned to the heavy cruiser Vincennes, but he caught the German measles and “missed the boat.� A new battleship called the USS Missouri was soon commissioned, and Vance was assigned to it. He headed back through the Panama Canal and saw action at the battles of Iwo Jimo and Okinawa. He said the Kamikazes were mainly trying to hit the aircraft carriers, but two nearly got the Missouri. One actually hit the side of ship and broke apart across the deck, but it didn’t explode or catch on fire. Vance said they watched through the sun as another one was coming right at them. The 40mm guns kept firing at it, and at the last second, it veered off in the water about 100 yards from them. But Collins’ claim to fame came on 2 September 1945 when the war ended. Collins was aboard the USS Missouri and on the superstructure about fifty feet away when the Japanese party of about six boarded the Missouri. Dressed in top hats and black suits, they bowed to General MacArthur and the fleet commander and then signed the surrender to end World War II. They reboarded their plain little open top boat and left. Vance said the boarding and signing didn’t take much over twenty minutes. Of the thousand or so who actually witnessed the signing of the surrender, I’d suppose only a few hundred are with us today. There were six Vance brothers. Two were in the US Navy and four served in the US Army. Four were in WWII and two served in Korea. After the war, Collins returned to Louisville. Finding work scarce in Kentucky, he went to Detroit and worked at Chrysler for 32 years. Collins and his wife Mae returned to Warren County and have lived here ever since. Collins and Mae are still very active. Vance recently American Legion Post 23 First Vice Commander, Charlie Bush, recently celebrated his 87th birthday with a private party hosted by his daughters. Entertainment was provided by son Sam Bush, some Grand Old Opry entertainers, and some local talent. Charlie was a close personal friend of the late Roy Acuff. He held a permanent back stage pass to come and go at the Opry as he p l e a s e d , and he still has many d e a r f r i e n d s there. You can find Charlie every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday as he sells the early bird bingo packages at Post 23 and on the last Wednesday of each month as he never misses a meeting. We all wish Charlie many more happy birthdays, and we thank him for all he has contributed to Post 23.