Wayne J. Chutz, 93rd NCB

 St. Helena Parish, Louisiana

 From "St. Helena Vets Remember World War II: Personal Interviews With World War II Vets", published by St. Helena Historical Association, 1995. File prepared by D.N. Pardue and submitted by Inez Bridges Tate. Compiled and edited by Inez Bridges Tate and reprinted with permission.

      Wayne J. Chutz was born January 3, 1915 in a small settlement, Grand Levee, in Pointe Coupee Parish.  He attended Morganza High School.  After high school in 1933 during the Great Depression he entered the CCC's.  The company was formed at Camp Beauregard in Alexandria and from there he was sent to Camp Bolivar E. Kemp, Greensburg.  After a year in the CCC's, Wayne went to work for a dredging company headquartered in New Orleans.  At the beginning of World War II, he was still with the same company working in Key West, Florida.  In 1942, he got a release from the company and traveled to New Orleans and joined the Navy C.B.'s (Construction Battalion).  This was in November 1942. 

 He reported for duty in February 1943 and was sent to Camp Perry, Virginia, a large C.B. base for his basic training.  Completing his basic training, his battalion boarded a train for Camp Endicott, Rhode Island, about 30 miles from Providence, Rhode Island.  Here he had advanced training. On July 6, 1943 they left for California to Camp Raussan at Port Huneme, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.  There they had more training. On October 14, 1943 his Battalion boarded a ship bound for the South Pacific.  The 93rd C.B.'s finally reached its destination, Baulka Island of the Russel Group some 60 miles northwest of Guadalcanal.  There they began the construction of roads, air stirps, warehouses, hospital, communication lines, radar station and all of the things they had been trained to do.

In February 1944 a convoy was formed and he headed for Green Island which was their first invasion.  The first few nights he said they spent most of the time in foxholes due to air raids and bombings.  On this island they began the process of building: roads, bridges, hospital, air strip for fighter planes and large bombers.  They remained on Green Island about eight months.

 Wayne said they shoved off again on October 25.  All of the equipment was loaded on the freighter.  They landed on New Guinea on October 31.  In New Guinea a large convoy made up for the invasion of the Philippine Islands.  On November 14, 1944, the ship Wayne was aboard pulled into Leyte Gulf in the Philippines.  They got into some small landing boats and made land on Samar.  There all the equipment was unloaded and there on the southern part of Samar we had reached our destination.  Here we bagan to build air strips for fighters and bombers, hospital, communication lines, radar towers and all necessary buildings.

 July 4, 1945 Wayne was one of 200 men who was sent to the United States for a rest period.  While he was home on leave the atomic bomb was dropped and when the Japanese did not surrender, the second bomb was dropped and then the Japanese surrendered.  On November 12, 1945, Wayne reported to the Naval Base in Algiers where he remained for two weeks.  He was shipped back to Camp Endicott, Rhode Island where he remained for about four months at which time he was discharged.  This was in February 1946.

 Returning to civilian life, he worked for Ethyl Corporation for 17 1/2 years when he was laid off when the plant down-sized. He then worked construction work for seven months.  For the following 17 years he operated a grocery which he owned.  During this time he also operated a gravel pit.  In 1983, he sold the gravel pit, closed the store, and he and his wife traveled some.

 Wayne and Miss Miriam Calmes were married on July 11, 1948. They were the parents of four sons and have two grandchildren.  Since the death of his wife, he lives alone near relatives.  He enjoys growing vegetables and visiting friends and relatives.

* * * * *