Ernest John Sabol

“My grandfather rarely spoke about his wartime experience, but I do know that the USS Aurelia went through the typhoon depicted in the movie Caine Mutiny, something I learned from my Dad (also a Naval Academy grad, 1954).

I once asked my grandfather about the Okinawa invasion; all he would say is that it was one of the most horrific things to witness. In his later years, before he passed away in 1990, my uncle went through some photos in the family collection from his time in the war and my grandfather teared up and couldn’t look at more.

He loved the Navy, was so very proud of his service, but talking about it proved truly difficult for him. He much preferred to discuss the patents he earned designing railroad equipment or learning the family genealogy. Because of the contacts he made with Sabols in Czechoslovakia in 1974 when he visited, I’ve been able to ‘meet’ via email relatives still living in Slovakia.”

– Steve Sabol, Professor, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Ernest John Sabol, remembered by his grandson, Steve Sabol

After the invasion of Okinawa, Sabol led the return of several Marines and their service dogs to the U.S.

Ernest John Sabol was the oldest son of two Slovak emigrants (Jan and Barbara Sabol). They settled near Pittsburgh, Pa. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1927, but resigned his commission during the early part of the Great Depression. He remained in the Reserve and in 1940 was recalled to active duty.

He was an officer on the USS Alcor on December 7 when the ship received a telegram about the attack on Peral Harbor. By war’s end, he was in command of the USS Aurelia (an Artemis-class attack cargo ship), which participated in the invasion of Okinawa and went to Japan to take Marines back to the U.S. after the war. A part of the cargo was a group of Marines and their service dogs, an unusual cargo for sure. He also brought back several “souvenirs,” including Japanese rifles, two swords (one officer’s and one samurai), and some tea cups he found while walking around Nagasaki. After the war he stayed in the Reserve, eventually retiring as a captain.