USS HOUSTON CA 30

“The galloping Ghost of the Java Coast”

OTTO C. SCHWARZ

OTTO C. SCHWARZ, USS HOUSTON (CA-30) SURVIVOR, IN THE WORDS OF JOHN KEITH SCHWARZ, NEXT GENERATION AND SECOND SON OF OTTO (04/22/05)

It would be nearly impossible for me to totally put into words my deepest feelings of being proud of, and in admiration of what is the being of my dad, Otto C. Schwarz. I hold the utmost respect for his service to country, comradeship to his fellow shipmates, and his will and success in surviving imprisonment at the hands of the Japanese during World War II.

There are many who feel, and probably always will, that the saga of the USS Houston (CA-30), within the context of the early part of WWII and just after the Pearl Harbor attack, does not get the historical mention/recognition befitting of its service/accomplishments/plight. Although I do not disagree with that, I am comforted in what I believe is fact, which is that given an absolutely magnificent memorial to the USS Houston (CA-30) in the city of Houston, and other memorials of sorts spread out in various places, THE MEMORY OF THIS SHIP AND WHAT THESE MEN MEANT TO THEIR COUNTRIES WAR EFFORT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, INCLUDING THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE MADE BY SO MANY OF HER SHIPMATES. What these men did is in the books, it is there for the entire world to research and study for the rest of time (I personally say, amen to that).

My dad began to attempt to keep the bond of communication alive with regard to all of the USS Houston survivors back in either 1949, or 1950. From that time until his health caused him to have to hand that responsibility over to a Next Generation person (due to Otto's 1997 blindness), he communicated to these men every three months via a newsletter. That led to the creation of the USS Houston Survivors Association including efforts to gain benefits for survivors, help establish those many memorials mentioned earlier, and in total showed the continuing total commitment to his ship, shipmates, and dedication to duty and country. From that came the establishment of the Next Generation, of which I am a proud member. My fellow Next Generationers share a tremendous common bond ourselves, and I trust we all express that same admiration to our kin who served on the USS Houston.

Last but not least, and having said what has already been stated, there may be an even larger legacy that my dad represents, as does I would say all of his peers. That is this; when all was said and done they came back from those war experiences and started families, and dedicated the rest of their lives to making life better, easier, more enjoyable for their sons and daughters. My dad and mom are those that I give total thanks to for being at the core of enabling me to have everything that I have today. And I, like most of my peers, have so much more than our parents ever had.

I COULD NEVER THANK MY FATHER, AND MOTHER, FOR ALL THAT THEY REPRESENT AND HAVE GIVEN TO ME ENABLING ME TO BE WHAT I AM TODAY, AND ALL OF THE BLESSINGS THAT I HAVE TO ENJOY EACH AND EVERY DAY.

THEY TRULY ARE, AND DO REPRESENT THE GREATEST GENERATION AMERICA HAS EVER SEEN.

Read Otto Schwarz: One Man’s Story