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Ron Moran secured this Bronze Star to honor his father, a former U.S. Navy aviation ordnance chief.
Ron Moran of Ladysmith has been trying for years to find information about his father, who served in the Navy during World War II. |
BY CATHY DYSON
For most of his life, all Ron Moran knew about his father was that he was a chief petty officer in the Navy during World War II.
Moran didn't get to play catch with his dad or listen to his war stories. He never met the man whose blood runs through his veins--or even saw a photo of him.
His mother, who raised Moran alone, always told him his father died before he was born.
"I always got the same answer," said Moran, who lives in Ladysmith in Caroline County.
When his mother passed away in 2003, Moran made a discovery that changed his life.
As his wife, Roben, searched for clothes to bury his mother in, she came across photos of his parents' wedding day, along with a wallet full of military identification.
The cards contained the all-important service number of Moran's father--the ticket Moran needed to find out more about the man he never knew.
"I started crying, I just lost it," Moran said.
After he got through the emotional weeks of settling his mother's estate, Moran began his quest to learn about his father. His mission lasted almost five years and ended last month with an impressive medal ceremony.
"I just did my part to see my dad was recognized the way he should be," Moran said. "I would hope that any son would do that for his dad."
'MY DAD IS A HERO'
Moran is no stranger to the military world. The soft-spoken man, who has a goatee and punctuates his conversation with "Ma'am" and "Sir," has worked for defense-related agencies for 28 years.
He's currently an information technology specialist with the Defense Logistics Agency at Fort Belvoir.
The information he gathered about his dad was more than he could have imagined.
"I started looking at his service record, and I was like, 'Wow, my dad is a hero,'" said Moran, who turns 51 this month.
He got his father's records by writing to the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. He requested a DD214, which lists date of enlistment, military campaigns and medals won.
Moran learned that his father, Raymond T. Moran, joined the Navy in 1935 and was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked or shortly thereafter.
He then served aboard PBY Catalina seaplanes--craft so gigantic that people called them "flying Dumbos." They were designed as patrol bombers, but after the massive naval losses at Pearl Harbor the PBYs were used for all types of missions, Moran said.
Raymond Moran made it out of some harrowing scrapes in the Pacific, but many in his squadron weren't as fortunate.
They perished on the Philippine island of Corregidor or as part of the Bataan Death March.
As Moran looked through his father's military records, he also discovered that his father died in 1963.
"I went into this thinking he might still be alive but I was 5 when he died," Moran said. "I could have known him briefly."
MYSTERIES FROM HIS PAST
Moran feels that he missed out on a lot by not knowing his father.
He doesn't know why his mother was so tight-lipped. She named his father on Moran's birth certificate and gave her son the same middle name as his.
She never used any of her husband's military benefits, though, which boggles Moran's mind. She had a hard life as a single mother; she never remarried because she said she didn't want anyone to mistreat her son.
She didn't make much money, so Moran started working at age 9. He had paper routes and mowed lawns to put food on the table.
Likewise, Moran doesn't know why his father never contacted him, but he finds it pointless to dwell on that.
The important thing, he stressed, is honoring the service of a man who, like others, put his life on the line for his country.
That's why Moran's journey hasn't ended with his father's service records and good-conduct medals.
He still wants to find someone who served with his father, to speak to another sailor who might have seen the chief petty officer do his job.
He came close last year, when he visited the PBY Memorial Foundation's Web site. He got in contact with the son of a commander who might have served on the same missions as Moran's father.
That sailor also had died, but his son mentioned that his father had been awarded the Bronze Star, and that Moran's father was eligible for it as well.
So began another quest.
FULL MILITARY HONORS
The Department of the Navy determined in 1992 that sailors and Marines who defended the Philippines from December 1941 to May 1942 were eligible for the Bronze Star.
Moran got confirmation that his father qualified and was asked how he'd like the medal to be presented. Through his connections with the defense agency, he requested a ceremony with full military honors.
It took almost 10 months, but he got his wish a few weeks ago.
Rear Adm. Mark Heinrich presented the award to Moran, who stood among a sea of sailors in dress blues. About 50 of Moran's family, friends and co-workers attended the Fort Belvoir ceremony.
"Ron and his family were overjoyed," said Cmdr. Tiffany Schad, who coordinated the program. "It was as though Ron was finally meeting his father."
Moran said a few words about his lifelong desire to know more about his dad.
"It was pretty awesome," said Kevin Moen, the pastor at Moran's church, Bowling Green Baptist.
Moran is satisfied with how far he has come, and would be even happier if he could meet one of his dad's squadron mates, even though he knows time is running out for World War II veterans.
For now, he looks at the framed images of his father, prominently placed among family photos.
"I guess my dad is proud of me, I hope so," he said. "This took some doing, but I did it for him and all the vets."
Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Email: cdyson@freelancestar.com
