Summary

Column Left – The next day, August 9, 1944, Delucchi ordered the men to fall in to prepare for work. Docked at the pier was the empty ammunition ship USS Sangay. Delucchi ordered his chief petty officer, Elmer Boyer, to hurry the men into formation because some of them were milling around. The men marched to a T in the road, where Delucchi ordered the column left toward the pier. The men refused. Delucchi asked if they would go back to work. They refused. Delucchi ordered Small front and center, who refused to return to duty. The men of the unit refused to go if Small refused to go. Delucchi then headed to the administration building. About 15 minutes later, Jefferson Flowers, a military chaplain, went to see Small and his men to see what is going on. Flowers attempted to persuade the men...