Don enlisted in the Navy in January of 1944 as a eighteen year old young man. He was assigned to the USS Cofer APD 62 which was a Destroyer escort. Don made several invasions landing Army troups mostly in the Philippines. Many were under heavy fire from the Japanese. They were also attacked by Kamikaze’s planes which they fired back furiously knocking many out of the sky. Don also brought back many American POW’s of the Japanese which Don said were just skeletons and the smell was awful. The Cofer also landed many UDT teams (Underwater Demolition Teams) which were the beginning of what today are called the Navy Seals into the Philippines and other islands.