On Three Ships Sunk in the South Pacific-- Part 1

From the May 2nd Chicago Tribune obituary "Frenchy served in WWII, became citizen, sales exec" by Joan Giangrasse Kates.

Germain J. Maurais came to America from Quebec in 1927 and his English was so broken he got the name "Frenchy" and that name followed him into the Navy during World War II.  Enlisting as an apprentice seaman, he rose through the ranks to chied petty officer before being discharged.  He served in the Pacific, European and North African theaters on destroyers and Higgins boats and earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts.

Jim Maurais, 90, died April 25th in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

From Quebec, his family moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, and he joined the Navy in 1939 and was assigned to the USS McCook, a transport escort in the North Atlantic.  He went on to serve on three other ships, the USS Atlanta, the USS McCawley and the USS John Penn, all of which were sunk in battle in the South Pacific.

More to Come.  --GreGen