Memoirs of Michelle Conners, daughter of Thomas G. Conners, US Navy veteran

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March 12, 2016

My father is Thomas Gerard Conners. He was a 2nd and lst Class Yeoman and served as the Officer Personnel Yeoman on the staff of the Sixth Fleet from October 5, 1952 until March 10, 1954. He served on the USS Salem (CA-139), the USS Des Moines (CA-134), the USS Newport News (CA-148) and a brief time on the USS Columbus (CA-74). He went from the Commander Carrier Division Staff on the USS Franklin Delano Roosevelt (CVA-42) to the Sixth Fleet Staff in 1952.

His liberty authorization signed by Chief of Staff R.B.Ellis:

These are his hand-written, day-by-day journal of his deployments as part of the Sixth Fleet from 10-5-1952 untiI 3-10-1954:

My mother, Betty L. Conners; I, Michelle Conners; and my brother, Dennis Conners, joined him in Villefranche-sur-Mer in December of 1952. We sailed from New York on the USNS Geiger arriving in Livorno, Italy where Dad met us and took us to Villefranche-sur-Mer. My brother, Edward Tom Conners, was born in a Nice, France clinic on October 5, 1953. We all returned to the US on the USS Constitution on March 14, 1954.

When we first arrived, we lived at Villa Clausis, Quartier St. Estève then we moved to Villa Denis, avenue de Verdun. I attended school at the Institut du Sacré-Cœur.

These are many photos from our time in Villefranche:

Dad at 92

Today my father is 92 and living in San Diego, California. I wished he could make the trip in January 2017 for the reunion/celebration but he just couldn’t make the long flight. He has very fond memories of Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Written by Michelle Conners