Jesse Key Woody

Conflicts & Campaigns

• Armed guard aboard merchant ships.

Significant Duty Stations

• Naval Recruiting Station, Macon, Georgia; Naval training Center Norfolk, Virginia; US Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia; Receiving Station Brooklyn, New York; AGC New Orleans, Louisiana; US Naval Hospital, New Orleans, Louisiana; Naval Receiving Base, New Orleans, Louisiana

Decorations & Citations

• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; Good Conduct Medal
• European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
• Navy Combat Action Ribbon

Notes

Born; Cairo, Georgia. US Navy service number 268-87-58. Sailing to the British Isles in a convoy through what were once the most hazardous waters of the world was the tamest voyage of Jesse Woody's year and a half as a US Navy Armed Guardsman. The Cairo, Georgia Gunners Mate Third Class arrived at a British port aboard a cargo ship as one of the gun crews which guard it from enemy attack. En route to Murmansk, Russia some months ago, another freighter on which he was stationed was subjected to 10 days of continuous air attacks. After safely making port the overworked guns and weary crews fought off an average of eight air raids a day for several weeks. Woody enlisted in the Navy August 13, 1941, got bored with the lack of action and requested armed guard duty, to which he was assigned in January 1942. Since then he has been to Russia, Iceland, Greenland, Cuba, South America, Dutch West Indies and the United Kingdom. Burial; Laurel Hill Cemetery, Thomasville, Georgia.