Unsung Hero On The Sea

Charles "Toby" Stoudt was born into a loving farm family on July 2, 1927 in Leland, Illinois. He and his siblings (12 children in all) grew up during the Great Depression. He was named Charles, but got his nickname Toby from his sister, who teased him about waiting excitedly for a peddler named Toby. His nickname stuck. His family lost the farm due to the Depression and they moved 25 miles away to Sandwich, Illinois. His father got a job as custodian and they continued to be very self-sufficient. His mother tended a big garden and his father butchered hogs for meat. Their big family was well fed. Toby's father died when he was ten. Everyone helped out. Young Toby went to work in a bakery when he was in high school. He was also a good player on the basketball team. When Toby was 16 years old and a sophomore in high school, he dropped out of school and joined the Merchant Marines, where he served from 1944 to 1946. His mother signed the papers for him to join up. He already had a brother serving in WWII as a bombardier, another serving as a tank mechanic, and a sister was in the WAVES. The story of the Merchant Marines during WWII is largely untold and often forgotten in the history books. Although those in the Merchant Marines provided services absolutely essential to the war effort, transporting troops and supplies, they were not recognized as military veterans until 1988. This was in spite of the fact that Merchant seamen suffered a higher casualty rate than any of the other services, far higher than the Marines, the Army, the Coast Guard or the Navy. One out of every 26 men who put out to sea in the Merchant Marines never came home. Loss of life was largely due, especially early on, to the fact that Merchant Marine ships were neither armed nor had armed escorts. They were frequently bombed and sunk. By 1945, the ships on which Toby served were finally armed, with 5-inch canons and 20-mm guns. Toby served on two ships, the SS Oneida Victory and the SS Winchester Victory. In spite of the dangers, Toby said he enjoyed his time in the Merchant Marines. He got to know all kinds of interesting people on board ship, and all worked well together to accomplish their jobs. On the Oneida, Toby served as an assistant baker, making sure the officers got fed. On the Winchester, he worked as storekeeper. Before he left for overseas duty, Toby returned home to Sandwich, Illinois on furlough. He asked a friend to set him up with a date, and that led to marriage. He only dated Leona May Swanson, from Orion, Illinois, for two weeks. She agreed to marry him in that short amount of time! They were wed on January 8, 1952 and have shared their lives together ever since. They eventually had two sons, Brian and Charles Arland. Toby learned welding and worked for a manufacturer, then went into business in Orion, Illinois at Swanson's, a hardware and Maytag appliance store. Swanson's is now closed, and Toby is retired, but he proudly displays his many photos and medals from his years in the Merchant Marines and the Army in the back rooms of the former store. His trip on an Honor Flight has provided him with additional photos for that remarkable display.

• | Author: Daymion Williams, A. Book A Book by Me, Najah Vesey
• | Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• | Publication Date: Dec 12, 2017
• | Number of Pages: 24 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1981653678
• | ISBN-13: 9781981653676