The sound of virtual explosions echoes through the basement as our grandsons, Ethan and Aiden, huddle around their gaming console. Between soccer matches and dirt bike rides, these energetic boys find adventure in the digital realm of video games. As a grandfather, I often struggle to keep up with their high-tech pastimes. But on this day, the pixelated battlefield on their screen bridges generations in ways I never expected.
“Look,” I said, pointing excitedly at the screen. “It’s the USS Arkansas!”
The Arkansas – not just another graphic in their game “War Thunder,” but the same battleship that my father, Louis S. Bottitta, called home during World War II.
A SON OF IMMIGRANTS ANSWERS THE CALL
It was April 1943, just a week after his 19th birthday, when my father traded the familiar streets of Newark, NJ, for the vast uncertainty of the US Navy. That same year, his older brother, Tony, joined the Army. As first-generation Americans born to Sicilian immigrants, they felt an overriding duty to serve the country that had given their family a new home.
“I joined the Navy for the hot meals and clean clothes,” Dad would quip. But beneath the humor lay a deeper truth: the desire to serve, even if it meant facing his fear of water head-on. Despite not knowing how to swim, he embarked on a journey that would take him across two oceans and earn him a special place in our family history.
FROM “FIREMAN” TO FIRE CONTROL
For years, we kids thought Dad had been a literal fireman on the ship, imagining him lugging hoses and dousing flames.
The reality was far More intense: as a Third Class Fire Controlman, he manned the big guns that covered our infantrymen landing on beaches in three critical WWII battles.
The USS Arkansas, affectionately dubbed the “Arky” by her crew, was a World War I Veteran. Refitted with imposing 50-foot cannons, she was ready to write a new chapter in US naval history.
GLIMPSES OF HELL: FROM D-DAY TO KAMIKAZE ATTACKS
It wasn’t until after Dad’s untimely passing in 1980, at just 56 years old, that the full scope of his wartime experience came to light. The USS Arkansas’s Pacific War Diary, a treasure trove of memories akin to a military yearbook, revealed a journey that spanned the globe:
- The beaches of Normandy on D-Day, where the Arkansas’s guns roared in support of the landing troops.
- The black sands of Iwo Jima, as Marines fought tooth and nail for every inch of volcanic rock.
- The relentless kamikaze attacks off Okinawa, where the sky seemed to rain fire and death.
For nearly three months, from April 1 to June 22, 1945, the waters off okinawa were a killing zone. 34 ships sank beneath the waves, 5,000 sailors lost their lives, and another 5,000 bore wounds that would last a lifetime. Almost 2,000 Japanese pilots perished in these desperate attacks. Amidst this chaos, my father made a solemn vow: if he survived, he would attend Catholic Mass every Sunday for the rest of his days. It was a promise I watched him keep faithfully throughout my youth.
THE UNSPOKEN BROTHERHOOD
Dad rarely spoke of his time at sea, but one passage from the ship’s diary hints at the bonds forged in those harrowing days: “The prickly heat, the monotony, the dysentery, the long days and nights spent at General Quarters and Air Alert stations… the companionship and the silent understanding that comes only among men who have gone through great danger together.”
These words paint a picture of the challenges faced by the crew – not just the dangers of combat, but the daily struggles of life at sea during wartime. The camaraderie born from shared hardship became a silent strength that many veterans carried with them long after the war’s end.
THE USS ARKANSAS: A LEGACY OF VALOR
As a tribute to my father, his shipmates, and allour veteranss here’s a brief history of the USS Arkansas, a ship that sailed through two world wars and into the annals of history:
BEGINNINGS OF A LEGEND
Commissioned in 1912, the USS Arkansas was a Wyoming-class battleship that proved its mettle long before World War II. She cut her teeth in World War I, patrolling the eastern seaboard and shepherding vital convoys across the Atlantic. Between the wars, Arkansas underwent several modernizations, emerging stronger and better armed, ready to face the challenges of a new global conflict.
JOINING THE FIGHT
The attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 thrust the United States into World War II, and the USS Arkansas answered the call without hesitation. Initially, she took on the crucial role of convoy escort in the Atlantic, safeguarding the lifelines between America and its allies against the ever-present U-boat threat.
A KEY ROLE IN D-DAY
June 6, 1944 – D-Day. As part of Task Force O, the Arkansas played a pivotal role in the Normandy Invasion. Her 12-inch guns spoke with thunder, softening German defenses along Omaha Beach. For hours, she maintained a relentless barrage, providing vital cover for Allied forces as they stormed the beaches, her firepower clearing a path for the troops to advance. Arkansas was selected as a target ship for nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll – a dramatic end for a vessel that had served through two world wars.
A LEGACY REDISCOVERED
As I watch my grandsons navigate their virtual USS Arkansas through digital battles, I’m struck by the strange turns of history. Here, in a video game, the valor of my father and countless other brave sailors lives on unexpectedly.
The real USS Arkansas may have met her end as a target in atomic bomb tests, but her legacy – and the legacy of the men who served aboard her – continues, inspiring new generations to remember the sacrifices made in the name of freedom.
Next time you hear about a World War II game or see an old battleship in a movie, remember: behind every steel hull and gun turret, there are thousands of personal stories waiting to be told. Some might even be hiding in your family tree, just waiting to be discovered.
