Charles Derby - Merchant Marine - RIP

Antipodean Andy · Jan 26, 2009

World War II, Korean War veteran Charles Derby has died -- Newsday.com

For Charles Derby, life was all about his allegiance to his country.

The U.S. and Marine Corps flags always flew outside his Islip home; his Jeep was emblazoned with stickers of the American flag and the Marine Corps and Merchant Marine insignia; and on his answering machine, he greeted callers with: "God Bless America. Semper Fi."

"He was so patriotic," said his grandson, Richard Scanlon, 35, of Sayville.

Derby, a World War II and Korean War veteran, died Tuesday of respiratory failure. He was 82.

Derby was born on April 7, 1926, in Brooklyn. Raised in St. Albans, Queens, by a family with a deep sense of patriotism, Derby joined the U.S. Navy just days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

"He really felt the need to serve his country," Scanlon said.

But because he was only 15 years old - one year short of the age requirement at the time - he was discharged after basic training.

Determined to serve, Derby joined the Merchant Marine, where he held the rank of Able Bodied Seaman, and transported cargo that contained supplies for Allied Forces.

His term of service ended in 1945, but he wouldn't stay away from the military very long. In 1952, during the Korean War, Derby enlisted in the U.S. Marines.

After serving for three years, he went to work as an electronic engineer at Airborne Instrument Laboratory, a defense contractor on Long Island. He retired in 1988.

All the while, Derby remained active in veterans organizations.

He was a member of the American Merchant Marine Veterans North Atlantic chapter, American Legion Post 411 in Islip, AMVETS Post 18 in East Islip and VFW Post 6431 in Brentwood.

Derby also was a six-time commandant of the Suffolk County Detachment Marine Corps League in Bay Shore. With 56 years of membership, he was the longest-serving member.

"His organizations kind of kept him busy," Scanlon said.

When the detachment was displaced during the expansion of a highway and was rebuilt in Islip, Derby put up his house as collateral.

"That's how much it meant to him," Scanlon said.

Because of his record of service, in 2007, Derby was the grand marshal of Islip's Memorial Day Parade.

Derby is survived by sister Betty Edie, 76, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
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