Tualatin veteran to be honored by Wu

By Ed Johnson

The Times, Nov 12, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

Robert Derbyshire

Jaime Valdez / The Times

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World War II veteran Robert Derbyshire will have his day in the spotlight Saturday.

The 85-year-old Tualatin man is one of about 50 veterans who will be honored during a Veterans Congressional Recognition Ceremony at the U.S. Navy Station Swan Island in Portland.

U.S. Rep. David Wu, a Hillsdale Democrat, will present the group of distinguished World War II and Vietnam War veterans with certificates of Special Congressional Recognition.

Derbyshire has lived in Tualatin with his wife Ora since 1979.

“I don’t think that we were recognized as much as we should have been,” said Derbyshire who served as Navy gunner in the Naval Armed Guard Service aboard merchant ships from 1943 to 1946. “But I think it’s a nice gesture on the part of our elected leaders.”

The ceremony has been months in the making.

Last May, Wu set out to locate World War II and Vietnam veterans deserving of the recognition in Oregon’s 1st Congressional District.

During World War II, some members of the U.S. Navy Armed Guard defended merchant ships delivering much-needed supplies to the war effort. Although these soldiers served admirably and regularly saw combat, they have been largely unrecognized because they were not stationed on a military vessel, Wu said.

Legislation was passed in 1999 to give members of Congress the authority to recognize the contribution of these veterans.

Veterans who received the Vietnam Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, or the Vietnam Campaign Medal for service in the Vietnam War are also eligible for the certificate of Special Congressional Recognition.

Robert Derbyshire has always been very patriotic.

When he was 15, he lied about his age to train with Civilian Military Training Corps, eventually earning the right to join the machinegun company.

“I believed in preparing myself for the war that was coming, and being able to hit the target,” Derbyshire said.

In 1943, he joined the Navy and was stationed aboard various merchant ships, based out of Treasure Island in San Francisco and Brooklyn Navel Yard in New York.

From there, Derbyshire traveled all over the world, making stops in Australia, Sri Lanka, India and various other locales.

“I went around the world two and half times. Saw a lot of country and a lot of people. It gave you quite an education about the rest of the world and the people who live in it.”

Derbyshire said that one of his most memorable moments in the service was when he participated in the sinking of an enemy submarine in the Bay of Bengal, south of India.

“The commodore ordered us to fire our guns to test them out, and a sub came up,” he said. “He chased us for three or four days. Evidently, he was out of torpedoes.”

Eventually the fleet Derbyshire was with trapped the sub and dropped depth charges. They never saw it again.

“I would recommend joining the service to any young fella. It builds character,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing to be a veteran.”