In the Navy

The official involvement of the United States World War Two began following the attack on Pearl Harbor by Naval and Air Forces of the Empire of Japan on December 7, 1941, while Bud Fensterwald was in his final year at Harvard College.

Shortly afterwards, on February 16, 1942, he registered for the draft at the local Board in Nashville. On that same day, he applied to the US Navy to undertake Supply Corp. training. Ultimately, this initial  application was denied because his educational background was unsuitable for that type of position. Thereafter, his application to be a Deck Officer was approved on April 3, 1942 and his Commission as an Ensign was received two weeks later. 

Following his June graduation from Harvard College, in August, 1942, he was ordered to Dartmouth College for training. 

While it is not entirely clear how it transpired, on November 2, 1942, Adlai Stevenson, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, received a letter from former Senator and family friend Luke Lea, requesting that Bud be transferred to the “Code and Courier Service”. This request was approved two days later. The following week, Bud was transferred to Communications in Washington, DC. 

During the ensuing months until September, 1943, Bud served as a Code Watch Officer while completing correspondence training in Communications and International Law. 

From September, 1943 until the end of the war, Bud served at sea. From then until March, 1945, he served upon the USS Henry T. Allen. Originally built as a military ship during World War One and then converted to a Navy transport vessel in late 1941. She served in support in both the North Africa and Pacific theaters. She arrived in the Pacific In January, 1943 where she was made the flagship for a 7th Fleet Amphibious Force. SW Pacific. (For a more detailed history of the Henry T. Allen, please visit its Wikipedia page.)

On October 1, 1943, Bud was promoted to Lieutenant JG.

On January 1, 1945, he was promoted to First Lieutenant.

In March, 1945, Bud was reassigned to the USS Blue Ridge, a newer Amphibious support flagship that saw much action in the Philippines and supported the invasion at Leyte Gulf. The USS Blue Ridge traveled to Subic Bay, Philippines in June, 1945 then to Pearl Harbor in July, 1945 for repairs. 

At this point, Bud was scheduled to continue on with the USS Blue Ridge to China. However, in late July the Navy received a letter from Dr. Samuel Riven, his parent’s physician, asking that he be assigned to CONUS duties due to their poor health. Therefore, he did not proceed to China. 

Thereafter, he was assigned to assist in the demobilization efforts and he traveled to Washington DC until he was dismissed from active duty until May 1, 1946. 

Bud remained in the US Naval Reserves until 1962 with the rank of Lieutenant. (AUTHOR’S NOTE: He used to say that he was the longest serving Lieutenant in the Navy.)