June Hays Oral History

June Hays married Wesley Hays in 1943, and experienced life on the home front during World War II while Wes served aboard Intrepid in VBF-10. Hays began her interview by discussing her childhood in Santa Anna, Texas. She also explained how she met Wesley Hays. June then recalled Wes joining the Navy, getting engaged to Wes, getting married in Pensacola, and having their first son, Wes Jr. As the interview continued, June noted that Wes was eventually stationed in Groton, Connecticut, and that she drove with their five month old son from Texas to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in order to meet Wes. She also explained a series of events that occurred while in Harrisburg, which almost caused her to return to Texas. June then continued, discussing their travels across the country, including their move to Groton, Connecticut, their return trip to Texas, and their eventual arrival in Alameda, California, where Wes went aboard Intrepid. June also noted that she had spent a brief amount of time on Intrepid because she helped Wes unpack in his room. She then discussed saying goodbye to Wes and the other wives saying goodbye to their husbands. After describing her return trip from California to Texas, the interview transitioned to a discussion of life on the home front. June covered topics such as writing letters to, and receiving letters from, Wes, rationing, taking care of her son, family life, and life in Santa Anna during the war. She then discussed how she felt when she heard the war was over and described Wes’s return home. June even recalled Wes Jr.’s reaction to seeing Wes. As the interview came to an end, June was asked what she would want a young person to know about her experience at home during the war. In response, June recalled when she picked up the Abilene paper, which said, “The Intrepid Hit by Kamikazes.” She said that the only thing she could see was Wes being on the ship, and she described how she felt while he was away, noting that you did not know what to expect next. The interview then ended with June discussing life after the war with Wes and their four children.