It was early morning on the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, 1943, when Gunner's Mate Third Class Chester "Chet" Jozwiak was preparing for his duties aboard the USS Liscome Bay, a light escort carrier providing tactical support for the invasion of Makin and Tarawa atolls in the Gilbert Islands in the Pacific. His duty station was a Bofors Medium twin 40 mm anti-aircraft gun mount near his semi-private quarters. Just after 5 a.m., a torpedo from a Japanese submarine struck the ship and hit the engine room, blowing up the bomb magazine along with aircraft and fuel on and below decks. The carrier sank in 23 minutes with a loss of 646 of the 918 man crew, including the ship's captain and a rear admiral who commanded the Air Support Group. Also killed in the attack was Cook Third Class Doris "Dorie" Miller, who had manned a machine gun aboard the USS West Virginia to help repel the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 and was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism.



As the Liscome Bay exploded and scattered debris and burning fuel, its bow rose in the air and surviving crew members had one thing in mind--to abandon ship. Jozwiak scurried down a Jacobs ladder (rope with knots in it) and then, when the rope ended, dropped the remaining 25 feet to the water. Wearing a life vest, he survived the sinking ship by first hanging on to a cargo net (flotation ring) and then swimming away from the ring to avoid being strafed by any Japanese planes in the area. Although situated between two islands, he soon realized that he drifted with the current away from the other men and the ship's locale and now was alone in the water. Fortunately, a ship on the horizon, returning to look for stray survivors, got closer, spotted Jozwiak, and hoisted him aboard.

"It was the destroyer USS Hughes," he recalled. "I thank God over and over for them. If they hadn't picked me up, I would have floated into the Pacific and drowned. I was very, very lucky."

Having enlisted in the Navy on Dec. 7, 1942, the former gear cutter for Abarts Gear & Machine Shop in Chicago had earlier served aboard the USS Barnstable, an attack transport.

On Nov. 6, 1945, Jozwiak was discharged from the Navy with the rank of Gunner's Mate Second Class, and received the Purple Heart, Philippine Liberation Campaign Medal with two battle stars, American Area Campaign Medal, and the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal.

On Jan. 29, 1948, Jozwiak enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Class II with the rank of sergeant to complete his reserve obligation, serving at Headquarters, 9th Infantry Division, located at Navy Pier. He was discharged on Feb. 24, 1950.

After his discharge, he returned to Abarts Gear, remaining with them for two years, held several other jobs and then worked for Illinois Gear.

Jozwiak married Chicagoan Helen Klosinski and together they lived in a single-family home in Jefferson Park on the city's far northwest side for 55 years until moving in 2006 to Norwood Crossing, a long-term care retirement community in Chicago's Norwood Park.

After retiring in 1983, he devoted the next four years to completing myriad projects around the house. Unchallenged afterward with so much free time, he went to work for an Amvets thrift shop on Harlem Avenue, a job that lasted 10 years. He retired for good at age 80.

Among his hobbies were fishing, woodworking and gardening, and taking vacations with his family to northern Wisconsin. Chet and Helen had two children, Elaine, who was adopted but died at age 41, and Gail, who is their birth daughter.

Jozwiak, who prides himself on always wearing a suit and tie to church, said: "I always thought of my family first." He attributes his strong character and work ethic to his mother, whose personal life set an example.