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Maria Akers -- no stranger to adversity
"You brought flowers to me in memory of Paul Jr.! How thoughtful and kind." Maria Akers of Crocker, Mo., exclaimed as she gave Jay Skidmore a hug.
Skidmore and his wife, Mercedes, traveled from their home in Port Hueneme, Calif., to visit the mother of the youngest sailor to die on the USS Enterprise Jan. 14, 1969. Jay had served on the Enterprise at one time.
Eighteen-year-old Paul Akers was at his general quarters station when all hell broke loose on that day. A Zuni rocket onboard the ship exploded. The explosion set off fires and additional explosions across the flight deck. Akers was part of Repair 7 Alpha, portside on the 01 level at the extreme aft end of the ship. He watched as the burned and bleeding were dragged from the flight deck before the flames sealed the hatch.
He was part of the heroic efforts fighting the flames as twice parts of the ship were torn apart by bombs bursting from above.
He stayed at his general quarter station fighting the fire as two more bombs exploded and the remnants of 7 ALPHA evacuated forward. He died when six 500 pound bombs and two LAU-10, five-inch Zuni rocket pods blew up right over him. The blast carried all the way down to the third deck and burning fuel poured everywhere.
The fires were brought under control relatively quickly, but 27 sailors died and an additional 314 men were injured.
The fire destroyed 15 aircraft, and the resulting damage forced Enterprise to put in for repairs.
Paul had been on the ship less than three weeks, but his captain said he was so proud of his ship. He knew the responsibility and honor that came with the name Enterprise.
Maria brushed a tear from her eye, saying "I still miss him. I've often wondered why he didn't run or try to get out. He was such a good boy. I think he saved many lives by staying and fighting the fire. He got many to safety. His brother tried to join the Navy to take his place, but for health reasons they couldn't take him."
Even though her twinkling blue eyes belie it, Maria is no stranger to adversity. She was born just outside of Munich, Germany, before World War II began. Her family owned, and lived in a four-story townhouse and her father had an electrical business.
"When Hitler took over, things started changing. If you didn't belong to the Nazi Party, you were nothing, and my family was not a party member. We couldn't get meat, milk, butter, shoes -- nothing. One day my dad went to a Jewish business, but the doors were closed and locked. They had taken the entire Rosenburg family. They took all the Jewish people. I don't want to remember."
She bowed her head and rubbed her eyes before she continued. "My dad was forced to go to work in an airplane factory. He was good at what he did and they made him put clocks in a panel for the pilots. We were starving, but we were lucky to get out with our lives. We lived on what we could raise, and the fruit trees. I found a job at a guest house. I had to work from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. There were so many soldiers in the house we had to step over them. The matron was so mean to us and worked us so hard. She made us bury all her good wine, but a friend and I showed the soldiers where it was buried." She giggled and said, "They had a good time getting drunk on her wine, but I had to look for another job. It was good when the Americans arrived. The Germans were "very happy" when the Americans came, but not the Nazi!"
Maria found a job at the American fort serving the officers food. "I got a good dinner, but I had to work hard. I carried four plates on one arm," the tiny woman said. "But I met the man who was to become my husband."
Her dad got aluminum poisoning and didn't live long after the war. Maria and her fiancé, Paul Aker, had to do paperwork for a year and see the chaplain before they were allowed to marry. They had a simple wedding with her mother and immediate family members present. A week after the wedding, they spent 10 days on the ship crossing the Atlantic. They spent a week in New York and several days on a train to Kennett, Mo., which was Paul's home. They were on the road for four weeks before the new bride faced her new in-laws. Almost immediately, her husband was transferred to a base near El Paso, Texas, and she followed him there. They purchased a tiny travel trailer for $500 and it took them two years to pay for it. They had no electricity and the trailer was so small the ice man had to cut the 50-pound block in half to get it in her cooler so she could have milk for the two babies that soon came along.
Maria often remembered her family's huge house in Germany, but was happy to be in America. "Hitler killed his own people. We had it very hard. I don't want to think about those times. None of us ever believed Hitler died in that bunker -- he cut out and had a new face made. He had plans in force. He was the devil!"
Maria's husband stayed in the Army and they had six children. After he was diagnosed with cancer she cared for him lovingly for five years until he died. She has been able to put all five of her children through college and they became school teachers; however the remaining son, Otto, has become a safety engineer at a cancer hospital in Houston. Her youngest son chose the Navy over college. "We never took no welfare and the kids are all good tax-paying adults. I'm proud my son served this country. I still miss him, but I'm thankful for the freedom and peace we enjoy in America."