History Project Keeps Veterans' Stories Alive

摘要

Brooklyn, N.Y.-born and the third of four Jewish boys, Sidney Maiten did not follow his older siblings into the Army (one named Meyer would be killed during the Battle of the Huertgen Forest) but joined the Navy. Following basic training at Newport, R.I., he was assigned as a gunner's mate to the command ship USS Catoctin and became an eyewitness to history for such operations as the invasion of Southern France on Aug. 15, 1944. After Catoctin sustained damage and casualties due to an enemy air raid, Maiten volunteered to learn new skills to fill in for a lost shipmate. He quickly became adept at keeping the ship's refrigeration units in working order - a feat that was most appreciated by Catoctin's commanding officer, CDR Charles Owen Comp. Thus, when Catoctin steamed to Sevastopol, Ukraine, in January 1945 on a special mission, Maiten drew some unique assignments.