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These days, Cal Brown doesn't spend much time working in the garage of his Salt Lake City auto-body shop. But at 85, Brown still heads into work, each morning, to do a few chores.
"Someone's got to feed the dog," the old mechanic says.
Brown also spends plenty of time in the lobby, chatting up his customers about their work, their children and the state of the nation. And it's not uncommon that another subject, close to his heart, comes up in conversation:
"The USS Salamaua," Brown says. "That was my ship."
Anywhere from 500 to 800 sailors were aboard the Casablanca-class aircraft carrier at any one time during her short lifespan. Between the rainy morning of May 26, 1944, when the 500-foot-long ship was commissioned at Washington's Kaiser Shipyards, and late 1946, when she was decommissioned and sold for scrap, thousands of sailors served aboard the Salamaua. Today, perhaps a few hundred remain. Only about 20 made it to the last ship reunion, Brown said.
The big moments in the life of the Salamaua will long be preserved by history: the Battle of Lingayen Gulf; the kamikaze attack of Jan. 13, 1945; the remarkable repair effort that allowed the badly damaged ship to return to battle just two months later.
Brown remembers all of those events, which form a frame, of sorts, for his memories. But it's the moments in between that paint the real picture of his service at sea.
And that's why among Brown's most prized possessions are a set of log books covering 2½ years of the Salamaua's history.
"The logs were kept by the officers of the watch," he says. "Every mile, every turn, everything we got done, it's all in those books."
Those are details likely to be lost to history once men like Brown are gone. But for now, the former sailor says, he's happy to share his memories with anyone who wants to listen.
Some of those memories — of friendships made and adventures had — remind Brown that life can be a beautiful thing, even in the midst of war. And other memories, of friends lost and dangers faced, remind him to count his blessings.
Ed Kenny, who served on the Salamaua, said he'll never forget being stuck below deck with Brown during a June 5, 1945, typhoon that tossed the 10,000-ton ship about in the ocean like a rubber duck.
"He was the best shipmate I ever had," Kenny said. "Nothing seemed to bother him."
Brown took the same approach when he opened his auto repair service in Salt Lake City in 1948. And even though he's no longer actively involved in the day-to-day operations of the business, he likes to have a few mementos of his time at war handy at the office.
"Sometimes, when someone gives you a hard time, you can say, 'Hey, come here and look at this,' " he says. "It's a reminder to me, and I hope to them too, to take things with a grain of salt."
Veterans Day events in Taylorsville
WWII veterans are grand marshals for a parade beginning at 11 a.m. on Veterans Day at 4900 S. 2700 West and traveling south to Taylorsville City Hall, 2600 W. Taylorsville Blvd., for a patriotic program at 12:15 p.m. For information, call 801-963-5400, or visit http://www.taylorsvilleut.gov. For a list of other events, visit http://www.sltrib.com.
A flag-raising ceremony is at 8 a.m. at Salt Lake Community College, 4600 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville, as well as the South City Campus and Jordan Campus with refreshments served afterward. For information, call 801-951-6067.
For a list of other events, visit http://www.sltrib.com.