Please join us at the Holmdel Library to hear this untold tale of naval bravery: The USS Houston CA-30, a U.S. Navy heavy cruiser warship that fought gallantly during the early part of WWII.

This presentation will focus on the fate of the warship, including its fierce battle in 1942 leading the ship and 700 servicemen to their heroic end, as well as its POW’s suffering for years following the battle as slave laborers. It will include a story about our country's "Greatest Generation" and touch on the real experience of 1957's epic war film The Bridge on the River Kwai.

 

Presented by John K. Schwarz, the youngest son of USS Houston CA-30’s shipmate and survivor Otto C. Schwarz. He has recently revived the story, originally presented by his late father. John is a retired U.S. Postal Service Manager and certified Elementary School Teacher who has also worked eight years as a part-time substitute school teacher. He has been around his father’s fellow shipmates, survivors, and this story for his lifetime.