Charles H. (TIM) McCoy
PATRIOT, Chapter 1919
Navy, WWII, Pacific
Charles H. McCoy was
born in 1924 in San Angelo, Texas. In early childhood, his family moved to
Dalhart and after eight years there they lived in Lubbock for another seven
years. They then lived for two years in Dallas. At that point, still before
America’s entry into WWII, Charles enlisted in the Navy. He entered active
duty on November 1, 1941, went through basic training in San Diego and then
was assigned to duty aboard the Submarine USS Trout, (SS-202).
The Trout accomplished a daring mission after the
fall of Manila in the Philippines. During its second war patrol, Trout
delivered ammunition to the besieged garrison on Corregidor Island and took
aboard gold, silver and other securities, the contents of the treasury of
the Philippine Government, that had been moved there for safekeeping. On
February 4, 1942, the sub slipped away from Corregidor, successfully
evaded the Japanese and arrived safely at Pearl Harbor. The precious cargo
was then loaded aboard the cruiser USS Detroit (CL-8), and
transported to the United States. Charles
H. McCoy was among the crew receiving the Silver
Star for that action aboard Trout, which also earned the Presidential
Unit Citation for the vessel and its crew. Subsequently, Charles was
assigned to the Submarine USS Grenadier (SS-210) and he was a Seaman
First Class when he reported on board.
On the night of April 20, 1943, during its 6th war
patrol, when hunting in the Strait of Malacca off the coast of the Malay
Peninsula about 10 miles northwest of Penang Island, Grenadier was
discovered, attacked and damaged by enemy aircraft. Losing all power and
lighting, the submarine sank in 270 feet of water and settled to the bottom
while still leaking badly and with a fire burning in the control cubicle.
After lying helpless on the bottom for nearly an entire day, and against all
odds the crew was able to contain the damage and effect repairs sufficiently
to raise the disabled vessel to the surface just as night fell on the
following day. With a damaged propeller shaft, Grenadier could barely
move, was vulnerable on the surface and unable to dive. They were detected
by a Japanese ship and as it closed in on them, the Captain ordered the men
to scuttle the sub. All hands were then taken prisoner on board the enemy
ship and brought ashore at Penang where they were confined in the buildings
of the Catholic Convent on Light Street.
The crew suffered cruel torture at the hands of secret
police interrogators every day for the next five months that they were in
the convent in Penang. The men scratched their names on two sections of a
wall and on one of the wooden doors and those are still maintained to this
day by the convent as a tribute to the “brave crew of an American
submarine.” The men were then moved to Changi Prison in Singapore and after
two months there were sent to Yokohama in Japan. At Yokohama, the crew of
Grenadier was split up and Charles
McCoy was part of the half that was sent to
Fukuoka #3 Camp on Kyushu, the southernmost island of Japan. Until
liberation at the end of the war, he would remain in that POW camp as a
slave laborer, working in the Yahata Steel Mills, a part of what at that
time was the second largest steel mill and shipyard in the world.
After WWII, he remained in the Navy and was
commissioned as an Ensign on July 2, 1958. He retired June 25, 1965 in the
grade of Lieutenant after more than twenty-four years active duty. Except
for the period he had been a Prisoner Of War, the entire time was in
assignments to Submarines, Submarine Rescue Vessels, Submarine Tenders or
Submarine support activities of the Pacific Fleet.
Upon retirement from the Navy,
Charles McCoy came to
Austin, Texas as Director of the Military Division for National Western Life
Insurance Company. He was promoted to Director of all Marketing Divisions
of the company and served in that position until he resigned in 1972 to
establish his own business, NEAT Management Group. NEAT Management Group
has grown to be one of the largest National Insurance Brokerage firms in the
United States, marketing specialized plans designed for the senior age
market.
Charles McCoy organized
and served as the first commander of the local Austin area Texas Capitol
City Chapter of the American Ex-POW’s Association. At this writing, Tim has
been a Mason for over fifty years, being a member of the Blue Lodge, York
Rite and Shrine. He is an inspirational public speaker who has traveled to
many places throughout the United States to make motivational presentations
to various audiences, one of his most frequent speeches is entitled: “One
Moment of Glory – Then What?”
He lives with his wife of 59 years, Jean,
and his son, Timothy J. McCoy, who is President and CEO of NEAT Management
Group. |
