Clifford C. Romey
World War II
Cliff Romey was born on December 20, 1921, on a farm south of Templeton in Audubon County. His parents were Nicholaus and Mathilda (known as Tilly) (Stangl) Romey. Nick Romey had served in the US Army in World War I. He died of cancer on October 26, 1924, before Cliff’s 3rd birthday. Cliff attended Sacred Heart School in Templeton. In the late 1930’s, he worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps and learned many construction skills. One of the projects he worked on was Springbrook State Park in Guthrie County.
On February 14, 1942, Cliff registered for the military draft. At that time, he was residing in Burlington, IA and working at the Iowa Ordnance Plant. He later was working on a defense facility in Nebraska.
Cliff was called to duty on January 8, 1943, in Omaha, NE. He was among the first to be assigned to the Navy’s Construction Battalions (Seabees) and was assigned serial number 648-77-32. He was sent to Camp Endicott, RI where the Seabees 84th Battalion was being formed. After three weeks of boot camp, the unit received liberty in Providence, RI. After additional training and a furlough to go home, the 84th Battalion was on their way to Camp Parks near Dublin, CA arriving there on April 27, 1943. The unit transferred to Camp Rousseau (later Port Hueneme) at Ventura, CA on May 15. On May 31, 1943, Cliff and his unit sailed to Brisbane, Australia, arriving on June 19.
On July 7, 1943, the bulk of the Battalion arrived at Milne Bay, New Guinea. They built a supply depot that included a wharf, two cold storage warehouses, admin buildings, an ammunition magazine, a water system and a 3,000-man recuperation center. This project was completed and the Battalion returned to Brisbane on March 31, 1944.
The 84th Battalion was engaged in various projects in Australia including hospital construction in Sydney. On August 16, 1944, they moved to Townsville, Australia and then back to Milne Bay. They boarded the USAT Evangeline and departed on September 23. They, and their equipment on the USS S.K. Barlow and four LST’s, arrived at Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies on September 27, 1944. This island had been captured 12 days earlier but US troops chose not to occupy the entire island. The 84th Battalion first built a 431-foot wharf completing it by October 8, 1944. They then built an entire Navy base with all buildings and facilities. They completed their work by January, 1945 and began to prepare for another move. During their time on Morotai, the men were constantly the subject of harassing attacks by Japanese soldiers still on the island as well as air attacks that totaled 173 red alerts.
On February 28, 1945, the 84th Battalion moved to Palawan Island, a part of the Philippines. They arrived on March 12, 1945, and immediately built a permanent camp with a 2,000-man mess hall. They followed that with the re-construction of a 10,000-foot runway that is still used today and known as the Puerto Princesa International Airport. Hostilities ceased with the atomic attacks in August. On September 10, 1945, the 84th Battalion prepared to return to the US.
Cliff returned to California on October 25, 1945, and was discharged from the US Navy on November 6, 1945 in Minneapolis with the rank of CM2c (Construction Mate second class). He returned to Templeton and, on January 18, 1947, married Beatrice Schwaller in Omaha, NE. He was a mason and worked on many construction projects throughout the Midwest. He died in Carroll on October 4, 2012 at age 90. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.