Hey Seahawk
 

U have a friend that served in th PT Boats during the War. U mentioned the Slot which was the Solomon Islands. By any chanch was he in the same PT Boat Squadron as JFK. If so one of my now passed away relatives was in that Squadron and knew Kennedy very well. After the war he remained active in the PT Boat Veterans Org. His name was John Lupa.

Ironically I got a call last Friday from a cozin, that Johns wife Stella is fading fast, she is 92.

John told me that most of the officers in the PT Boats were Ivy League types that had experience with sail boats before the war.

He has never mentioned JFK. But I will ask him about Mr. Lupa. My step father-in-laws name is Reiff Landes. Great man. I'll see him Thursday.

Tabs,

Mr. Landes just left...I forgot about this thread until he and I had about an hour waiting for my wife, daughter and mother-in-law to return from shopping for my daughter's birthday.

He did not know John Lupa. Kennedy was already gone when he arrived in theater. He said that two or three boats from Kennedy's Squadron were assigned near him, but most were lost in battle.

Mr. Landes was in PT Squadron 25 with stints in PT Squadron 24. He was on both PT 349 and 344. His CO was LCDR Davis.

His patrol areas where initially the slot then New Britain (Rabaul) and Papua New Guinea. He later patrolled zero latitude and ended up in the Philippines as the war wound down.

He was, as always, a gracious man.

Edit; I have to add this. Reiff is undergoing treatment for prostrate cancer. He has 12 more treatments. He is 86. He didn't tell me today or during our time during Thanksgiving, my wife just did. She found out from her Mother, today. These f'ing guys are amazing.