"...I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth … and touched the face of God".
Posted on 10/10/2009 3:58:40 PM PDT by Saije
Michael Kuryla Jr. found strength from his fellow stranded Navy comrades floating in shark-infested waters of the South Pacific for nearly five days in 1945 during World War II.
Their ship, the USS Indianapolis, sank in just 12 minutes after being hit by two Japanese torpedoes shortly after the ship had delivered the atomic bomb that would level Hiroshima.
Three hundred of Mr. Kuryla's shipmates died that day when the ship went down. Nine hundred were left floating in only life preservers, facing a harsh sun and sharks, as three SOS calls went unanswered. An anti-submarine plane spotted them four days after the attack, and only 317 had survived when help finally arrived.
Mr. Kuryla, who for years was reticent to share details of the ordeal unless asked, found his voice -- and strength -- once again from his comrades. He and other survivors of the USS Indianapolis came together to help exonerate their ship's captain, who they believed was unfairly court-martialed for putting the ship in harm's way.
"They made numerous trips to Washington, D.C., to meet with government officials to speak on his behalf," said Mr. Kuryla's son, Michael.
Mr. Kuryla and the group succeeded in clearing Capt. Charles B. McVay III's name through an act of Congress, which was signed by President Bill Clinton in 2000. Mr. Kuryla remained an active speaker, a living example of extraordinary sacrifice for country...
Mr. Kuryla, 84, of Bartlett, who also served as a former public works director for the village of Hillside, died of cancer Saturday, Oct. 3, in his home, his son said.
"If you're lucky in life, there's a handful of people that really inspire you," said longtime Hillside Village President Joe Tamburino. "Mike was one of those people. He was extraordinary."
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
I have no doubt he is now enjoying a well-deserved leave on a heavenly shore...
Bless this man for his service, sacrifice and loyalty to his Captain.
Salute Michael Kuryla Jr., SIR! Rest well.
Michael Kuryla Jr. dies at 84; sailor survived sinking of Indianapolis in WWII
+1
That was the book I was assigned during Chief’s Initiation. It was very interesting read. I guess I can’t use initiation anymore. :)
"...I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth … and touched the face of God".
It’s nice to hear about something good coming out of Chicago, for a change. Not his death, but his life.
RIP.
Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss): You were on the Indianapolis?
Brody (Roy Scheider): What happened?
Quint: Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side, chief. It was comin’ back, from the island of Tinian Delady, just delivered the bomb. The Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in twelve minutes. Didn’t see the first shark for about a half an hour. Tiger. Thirteen footer. You know how you know that when you’re in the water, chief? You tell by lookin’ from the dorsal to the tail. What we didn’t know... was our bomb mission had been so secret, no distress signal had been sent. Huh huh. They didn’t even list us overdue for a week. Very first light, chief. The sharks come cruisin’. So we formed ourselves into tight groups. You know it’s... kinda like ol’ squares in battle like a, you see on a calendar, like the battle of Waterloo. And the idea was, the shark comes to the nearest man and that man, he’d start poundin’ and hollerin’ and screamin’ and sometimes the shark would go away. Sometimes he wouldn’t go away. Sometimes that shark, he looks right into you. Right into your eyes. You know the thing about a shark, he’s got...lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eye. When he comes at ya, doesn’t seem to be livin’. Until he bites ya and those black eyes roll over white. And then, ah then you hear that terrible high pitch screamin’ and the ocean turns red and spite of all the poundin’ and the hollerin’ they all come in and rip you to pieces.
Y’know by the end of that first dawn, lost a hundred men! I don’t know how many sharks, maybe a thousand! I don’t know how many men, they averaged six an hour. On Thursday mornin’ chief, I bumped into a friend of mine, Herbie Robinson from Cleveland. Baseball player, boson’s mate. I thought he was asleep, reached over to wake him up. Bobbed up and down in the water, just like a kinda top. Up ended. Well... he’d been bitten in half below the waist. Noon the fifth day, Mr. Hooper, a Lockheed Ventura saw us, he swung in low and he saw us. He’s a young pilot, a lot younger than Mr. Hooper, anyway he saw us and come in low. And three hours later a big fat PBY comes down and start to pick us up. You know that was the time I was most frightened? Waitin’ for my turn. I’ll never put on a lifejacket again. So, eleven hundred men went in the water, three hundred and sixteen men come out, the sharks took the rest, June the 29, 1945. Anyway, we delivered the bomb.
You forgot to say that Quint was played by Robert Shaw.
That was one of the best scenes in any movie ever.
Godspeed to a true American hero.
This brave man survived horror that nobody should ever endure, he is now in the loving arms of his Savior.
Robert Shaw was a great actor-and that scene was unforgettable.
I remember going to see “Jaws” with my father when I was eight and I didn’t “get” that scene at all. Since then I’ve seen the movie dozens of times and I know believe that Quint’s description of the USS Indianapolis makes the movie and VERY FEW actors (maybe Robert Mitchum or Steve McQueen) could have done it the way that Shaw did. Shaw was also great in “The Sting”.
It was actually JULY 29 1945, not JUNE.
Yeah! He played Mr. Lonniman.
Your life counted. Your service to our Country counted. You made a difference.
Thank you, rest in peace.
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