Ashe County Veterans History Project: Myron Noffsinger

Myron Lewis Noffsinger was born in Harper, KS, in October 1924, to parents Perry and Elizabeth Noaks Noffsinger. Myron came from a large family; seven children counting himself: brothers Elwin, Wilbur and Harold; and sisters Blanch Barnard, Irene Oller, and Pauline Still.

Myron's dad was a wheat farmer on 320 acres, with a large fruit orchard at the home place, a big barn, lots of milk cows, horses and chicken. Mother canned lots of vegetables and meat, and baked bread every other day.

Myron graduated from Harper High in 1941. Dad bought me the first V8 Ford made, it was not new. Sold the farm and moved to Montrose, CO, and bought another large farm.

I would have been drafted, but I did not want that, so I volunteered for the US Navy. After I returned from the navy, I worked for Denver and Rio Grande Western (DRGW) Railroad Co. and worked in the superintendent office.

Married Velma Greer in 1962 in Grand Junction, CO. We loved to ski in the Rocky Mountains, and later moved to West Jefferson, NC, in 1982. We traveled to many places and met lots of wonderful people.

Joined Beaver Creek Christian Church in 1990 and was Chairman of the Board and Elder for several years until health problems later in life. I will be 97 in October 2021. God has been so good.

-- Submitted by Myron Noffsinger

In January 1941 I volunteered into the US Navy. Nine years later I was discharged. That was [80] years ago.

First I went to boot camp at Farragut, Idaho. After that I was there one more year for Radio Operator School. After [the] Farragut year [of] school I went to Oakland, Calif., for 6 more months of final schooling.

All this training was for International Morse Code, sending and receiving.

Then to San Diego where I boarded the "S.S. Jean Lafitte" ship to the South Pacific.

First stop Admiralty Islands; was there about one week. There was a big floating dry dock there. This would raise a ship up out of the water for repairs etc. Lots of Jap[anese] ships were sank here. Then on to Australia sub base. We did not go ashore there. But now our ship was on the way to New Guinea. This was a bad bad place. Hundreds of US Army, Marines and others were buried there. Now to Manila.

In Manila I went directly to the Polo Grounds and Radio Shack. There I was in communication with all ships in the area. I was always based on shore. We slept there on the Polo Grounds along with General Douglas MacArthur. We were always treated very good, especially in Manila, and had plenty of food, as well as two CJ1 Jeeps for our work.

After discharge, at home, I took flying lessons from two retired army pilots for my license.

-- Submitted by Myron Noffsinger