Project 888
Name: Wayne Aron BRIDGE
Rank / Rating: S2-Seaman Second ClassService #: 317 36 27 DOB: Jun 14, 1927 From: Wagner, SD Parents: James A. Bridge and Phylis Bridge Went Aboard: May 12, 1945 Age When Ship Went Down: 18 years, 1 months, 16 days Spouse: Children: Grandchildren: Bio Submitted By: Lee D Bridge |
 BRIDGE, Wayne A |
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Wayne A Bridge was born June 14, 1927 (flag day) on the family farm northwest of Wagner, SD, southwest of Armour. He had four older sisters (Louise, Ruby, Bernice, Marjorie) and five younger brothers, a total of eleven children in the family. Six brothers went into the military service.
Joe Bridge- US NavyWW1I 1942-1945
Wayne Bridge - US Navy WW1I 1945 - lost at sea MIA
Ray Bridge - US Navy- Korean and Vietnam 1947-1968
Cliff Bridge - US Air Force - Korean and Vietnam 1950-1953 -1959 US Army Reserves 1972-1990
Alvin Dean Bridge - US Air Force 1955-1958
Darold Bridge - US Army 1956-1970
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 I stayed home and took care of the home front. I still have a sailor cap that he gave me when he was home on leave. I was four years old at the time.
Wayne lived with his family on a farm until 1930, then moved to Wagner. On the farm it was terrible, dust storms and tornadoes. From 1942-1945, Wayne worked on his brother-in-law's and sisters' farm. He liked living on the farm, taking care of the cattle and hogs. He quit high school in the 9th grade. Wayne asked his dad to sign the enlistment papers because he was only 17 years old. After loosing Wayne, "papa" never did sign up anyone else in the military. When the family moved to town in 1930, we had a three bedroom home. The four girls had one bedroom, the parents and two boys shared one bedroom , three boys in the back porch which had no heat, and one in the cellar room. Not much room, but that was it!
Wayne worked on the farm until he joined the US Navy in 1945. All of us boys did everything there was to do on the farm. We had no hot water and bathed in the pond after work. There was no electricity, no running Wayne had to pump water from rainwater we would save and also water from the wind mills.
I was 14 years old when Wayne died at sea at age 18.He had one furlough from the Navy. When he left to go back to the USS Indianapolis he couldn't tell us where he was going. He wrote one last letter to our mother and we still have a copy of the letter. The last thing we heard was when the telegram got to us that his ship was down in the Pacific Ocean.
Wayne was always a hard working farm boy! Wayne and brother Ray did many things together while working on the farm when they were 14 and 17. They had to pick up heavy bundles of grain when we threshed. They picked corn by hand. They even tried to dry out the bundles with the tractor pulling a big piece of wood (sled). It got hot and started the fire in the field. They had to walk home at night from school, no lights, eleven or twelve miles. Wayne picked up a gallon of paint in the house not knowing the lid was loose and was going to shake the can of paint. It went all over the room, ceiling, floor and furniture. We made our own sleds in the winter time and hooked them onto cars to get a good ride. Brother Joe had a BB gun and he told Wayne to run and then he would shoot at him. Wayne and brother Ray rode two horses in a slough and got the horses stuck in the mud. Wayne would take the runts of the little pigs and feed them special feed to help them survive.
I still treasurer the sailor cap he gave me.
Lee D Bridge
607 2nd St SE
Wagner SD 57380
P.S. Mary Lou, thank you so much for writing a book for the lost at sea sailors! You are definitely an angel of God. God has blessed you with your talents.
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