| Abstract |
Commander Conger discusses his childhood in Georgia and his experiences at the U.S. Naval Academy as a part of the USNA Class of 1941. He reports on duty in the USS IDAHO before and after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, including patrols in the North Atlantic, South Pacific, and Aleutian Islands. He comments on the bombardment of South Pacific Islands late in the war and Japanese occupation duty after the war. After assignments to the USS TARAWA and PORTER, he describes engagements as CO of the USS LAFFEY in Korea in 1951, especially dealing with mines and shore batteries in Wonsan Harbor. Subsequent duty stations described include assignments to the U.S. Naval Academy faculty, WESTLANT, and CINCLANT. |
| General note | Interviewer: Donald R. Lennon. Interview date: April 26, 2001. |
| Access restriction | No access restrictions. |
| Cite as |
Henry J. Conger Oral History Interview (#OH0198), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. |
| Terms of use | Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law. |
| Acquisitions source |
Joyner- Gift of Henry J. Conger. |
| Biographical note | Cdr. Henry J. Conger, USN (Ret).was born in Norman Park, GA, on May 11, 1916, to Isaac Young and Mary Willis Conger. He lived in Tifton, GA, and was a 1933 graduate of Tifton High School. Conger also attended Marion Military Institute from 1934-1935. In 1936 he enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated with the Class of '41. During the next four years, Conger served on the USS Idaho, participating in the Atlantic Neutrality Patrol, as well as twelve major engagements in the south and northern Pacific. Conger also served on The Board of Inspections and Survey in Washington, D.C., and as Head of the Electrical Engineering Department at the U.S. Naval Academy. In addition, he was an executive officer on the USS Porter and commanding officer on the destroyer USS Laffey, DD-724. As commanding officer of the USS Laffey, his ship received several citations for knocking out shore batteries in Wonsan Harbor during the longest ship-to-shore battle of the Korean War. Conger was awarded the Bronze Star with a "V" for valor for this engagement. Conger retired from military service in 1961 and went on to obtain his Master's Degree in Physics and Mathematics from the College of William and Mary. He joined the Norfolk School System, where he taught physics at Norview High School. Conger retired from teaching in 1981 as head of the Science Department. Conger was a member and Deacon of Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church, as well as a life member of the Retired Officers Association, the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and the American Philatelic Society. He died in 2012 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. |
