A story of service and strength

For more than 80 years later, Lee O. McKinnon has been telling the story of the North Africa invasion in 1942, when the then-17-year-old Navy steward stood on the deck of USS Calvert as war exploded around him.

"All of a sudden, the firecrackers began. Submarines were hitting those ships-men screaming, fire, burning…"

On July 29, the Columbia VA Health Care System honored McKinnon ahead of his 100th birthday with a centenarian coin and a certificate from the VA Secretary, presented by Columbia VA Health Care System acting Executive Director and CEO David Brett Vess.

"What an honor it is to be able to recognize the service of Mr. McKinnon," said Vess. "Men like Mr. McKinnon are the salt of the Earth, and the sacrifices that he and others made in service to our country will never be forgotten. We at VA will make sure of that"

Born in Valdosta, Georgia, in August 1925, McKinnon was raised by his mother and grandparents. He described his grandfather as a hardworking woodcutter and farmer, a man of discipline and tradition. At 13, McKinnon left the farm and began working in a local drugstore. It was during a delivery on a quiet Sunday morning that he first heard the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

"I got back to the store and everybody was standing around the radio," he said. "Miss McCree said, 'The Japanese just bombed Pearl Harbor.'"

McKinnon tried to enlist in the Army but was turned away for being too young. Then a Navy recruiter told him he was "Navy material." His mother signed the papers. He was just 17 when he shipped off to Norfolk, Virginia, for boot camp.

When he stepped onto his first Navy ship, McKinnon said, "I looked at it and said, 'Good God, what a whopper.'" Though he didn't yet know what awaited him, he trusted that he was exactly where he needed to be. "I was proud to serve," he said. "Still am."

In October 1942, McKinnon was assigned to USS Calvert and later joined a massive convoy headed toward North Africa. McKinnon operated a 40-millimeter anti-aircraft gun on the ship's starboard side. "I was the pointer, and Doug was the trainer," he said. "We worked together. He had the trigger on the foot." Though he had never seen a German aircraft, he recognized the insignia as enemy planes tore through the sky.

McKinnon survived the battle and returned home, but he re-enlisted soon after, making the Navy his career. He served aboard several ships while also crossing both the Arctic Circle and the equator during his career, earning the honorary titles of Blue Nose and Shellback.

During peacetime, McKinnon trained Canadian forces on missile systems and helped support logistics operations across the Pacific.

In 1946, McKinnon was selected as part of Operation Crossroads, the U.S. military's atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. He had no idea what he was sailing into. His ship, USS Artemis, was positioned near the blast zone to study radiation effects on naval vessels and crew.

"When the bomb went off, there was nothing standing but a frame," he recalled. "Everything above water was gone. My hair was gone. It never grew back."

Despite the physical and emotional toll, McKinnon continued to serve with pride. Over his 30-year Navy career, he earned six Good Conduct Medals, the American Area Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, a World War II Victory Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Navy Occupation Service Medal.

He retired in 1972 as a steward petty officer third class and settled in Islandton, South Carolina, with his wife and children. He later worked in civil service and the local school district.

Reflecting on his century of life, McKinnon said his faith, family and character carried him through. "One lesson I learned was to live right," he said. "Do the things you were raised to do. Stay honest. Be a man."

What he's most proud of, he said, is simple: "My family. And getting to come home."

As for what turning 100 means, McKinnon said he still has a few wishes. "I want to go see the USS New Jersey and the USS Olympia up in Philadelphia," he said. "They're the first real battleships. I've never been to them."

This article was originally published on the VA Columbia South Carolina site and has been edited for style and clarity.