Indianapolis, IN

North Bay World War II veteran recalls Indianapolis sinking, shark attacks

Published

9 months ago

October 6, 2023

North Bay World War II veteran recalls Indianapolis sinking, shark attacks

BENICIA — Fleet Week is meant to recognize and thank those who go to sea in defense of the nation but, for some, the sacrifice can be hard to imagine. A Navy veteran living in Benicia survived one of the most harrowing ordeals in World War II.

An American flag flies over the Benicia home of Harold Bray. At age 96, Navy veteran Bray’s living room is adorned with paintings and memorabilia from the only ship he ever served aboard, the USS Indianapolis.

In July 1945, the war in Europe had already ended when the Indianapolis left Mare Island in Vallejo carrying a secret cargo that the military hoped might end the war with Japan.

Bray was 17 and had just left boot camp. He said few on board knew the importance of the mission.

“It was just a trip out of Mare Island but we took on a bunch of kids and I was one of them,” Bray recalls.

The ship carried a secret weapon — the first atomic bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy.”

Bray said the bomb’s carrying crate was secured on the ship’s quarter deck and he once sat on top of it, having no idea what it was. The cargo was delivered safely to Tinian Island but it’s what happened afterward that people remember the Indianapolis for — thanks in large part to a gripping scene in the movie Jaws. In the film, Quint, the shark-obsessed boat captain, explains what happened to the Indianapolis.

“Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into our side, Chief. We was comin’ back from the island of Tinian to Leyte. Just delivered the bomb, the Hiroshima bomb. Eleven hundred men went into the water. Vessel went down in twelve minutes.“

Bray remembered what that was like for him.

“I don’t know how I was so lucky. I just hit the side and swam away from the ship and I hollered for guys. I had my arm over a raft and I got aboard. Eighteen guys on my raft,” he said. “Guys were fighting each other for room on the raft. Well, I’m not going there, I’ll hang onto somebody that’s hanging onto the raft. So, that’s what I did.”

In the movie, the fictional Quint continues with a fearfully factual description of the Indianapolis sinking.

“Very first light, Chief, the sharks come cruising. So, we formed ourselves into tight groups. Shark comes to the nearest man, he starts pounding and hollerin’ and screaming. Sometimes the shark go away. Sometimes he wouldn’t go away. Lost 100 men. I don’t know how many sharks, maybe a thousand. I don’t know how many men. We averaged six an hour.“

Bray said he didn’t like the way the experience was portrayed in the movie but not because it was fake. He says it was painful because it was so true.

“It was a bad experience. There was nothing good about it. Every time you looked around, somebody was gone,” he said, his voice softening. “The sharks were there. That was a terrible scene. The sharks got a few young guys. Oh, I don’t want to talk about it…”

Out of a crew of nearly 1,200, only 318 survived.

Because the mission was secret, no distress signal was sent. They were in the water for five days when a plane happened to spot the men and they were picked up and taken to a hospital on Guam.

“I wasn’t hurt at all. Except memories, you know?” Bray said. “A lot of guys I helped in the water that were hurt. It’s just, they’re always there, the guys that didn’t make it.”

Bray says he still thinks about the experience nearly every day. After the war, he came home, became a Benicia police officer and raised a family.

His wife, Stephanie, says he still never talked about it to anyone.

“When Jaws came out — the movie — they were talking about it at the police department and he happened to be in the room and he said ‘Oh, I was on that ship.’ And that was the first that they ever knew.”

Then Indianapolis survivors began planning regular reunions and Stephanie said it helped them to be around people who truly understood.

“And very healing, too, for them,” she said. “Because they had been instructed by the Navy: ‘Go home and forget about it. Don’t even talk about it.’ His parents never knew.”

Time, of course, has taken its toll on the crew and, when a fellow shipmate recently died, Bray became the sole remaining survivor of USS Indianapolis. In July, Benicia thanked Harold for his service to his town and country, with a life-size bronze statue of him as that young sailor, fresh out of boot camp.

Not surprisingly, he responded with quiet humility.

“I was wondering why they picked me because I was — I didn’t do anything spectacular.”

Bray finished out his enlistment but the Navy never asked him to sail again and, to this day, he says he’s not comfortable on the water.

John Ramos

John Ramos accidentally launched a lifelong career in journalism when he began drawing editorial cartoons and writing smart-alecky satire pieces for the Bakersfield High School newspaper.

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Indianapolis, IN

Deadly shooting marks 100th homicide of 2024 in Indy

Published

1 hour ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Deadly shooting marks 100th homicide of 2024 in Indy

INDIANAPOLIS — A deadly shooting on the near south side of Indianapolis marks a deadly milestone.

Less than halfway through the year, the city has now reached 100 total homicides.

Answering a knock at the back door of a home in the 2200 block of south Meridian around 7 o’clock Thursday morning, witnesses claim a man inside the home told someone outside to go away.

That request was quickly met with gunfire.

The shooter fled while the 30-year-old victim died on scene. That death bought the total number of homicides in 2024 in Indianapolis to 100 and counting.

“A hundred homicides is a hundred too many. Any loss of life we take seriously. That’s a hundred families that are missing loved ones and dealing with the aftermath,” said IMPD Sgt. Anthony Patterson.

While they sympathize with every victim, IMPD insists total violent crime is down by double digits compared to last year.

IMPD reports aggravated assaults are down 34 percent year to year. Robbery cases are down 19%. Criminal homicides are down 17%. Total violent crime has fallen by 28% compared to 2023.

“We have noticed a steady decrease in our numbers. Violent crimes, homicides and non-fatal shootings are all down, but there’s a lot of work to be done,” said Patterson.

The numbers show,100 homicides on this same date is lower than the last four years, although the figure is still significantly higher compared the years prior to the pandemic.

By comparison there were 113 homicides on the same date in 2023,107 in 2022, 119 in 2021,106 in 2020, 72 in 2019 and 76 in 2018.

“We’ve got to continue to do better. We have a ton of work to do across the board,” said reverend David Greene with the concerned clergy.

Greene said homicides can’t be prevented by IMPD alone because issues like poverty, housing instability and easy access to illegal firearms, which drives a lot of violence.

“We still need innovative programs we need to support and ultimately we have to address the core issues. If we don’t do that, things won’t change,” said Greene.

IMPD points out more than 20 of this year’s homicides have been deemed non-criminal. Those include officer involved shootings, cases of self-defense and other killings that can be justified under the law.

Anyone with information about the Meridian shooting should call IMPD Detective Christopher Edwards at the IMPD Homicide Office at 317.327.3475 or e-mail the detective at Christopher.Edwards@indy.gov.

Alternatively, they can call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317.262.8477 or (TIPS) to remain anonymous.

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Indianapolis, IN

Colts announce training camp schedule, reveal some practices will cost $5

Published

8 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Colts announce training camp schedule, reveal some practices will cost $5

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts will kick off training camp at Westfield’s Grand Park on July 25.

Rookies and veterans will report for camp a day earlier on July 24.

This marks the sixth time the team has held camp at Grand Park. The team will hold 12 practices open to fans, with the first one at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 25.

Seven of the 12 practices are free, while “Primetime Practice” days will cost $5 for fans 18 and over. Those practices are July 27, July 28, Aug. 4, Aug. 14 and Aug. 15. The last two dates are joint practices against the Arizona Cardinals ahead of their Aug. 17 preseason game.

In the past, fans obtained a free ticket for practices. However, the team said a “nominal $5 charge” was added for some practices this year to “allow event organizers to better plan for the number of attendees and give fans a better overall experience with respect to activities, seating, concessions, safety and security.”

The practices with additional cost fall on some of the most historically attended practices, including the first weekend of camp. Training camp is still free for attendees 17 and under; they’ll need to download a free ticket.

The Colts said ticket fees would benefit the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis’ new flag football program, which launches this summer and will serve 200 kids.

Grand Park will charge a parking fee per vehicle; fans can get a parking pass for $5 in advance or pay $10 onsite. Advance parking passes are available here.

If weather becomes an issue, practice will move indoors, which has limited seating. Ticket and parking fees will be refunded for fans who aren’t able to attend if that’s the case, the team said.

Here’s a look at theme days for this year’s training camp:

Camp Kickoff, presented by Koorsen Fire & Security – Thurs., July 25
NFL’s Back Together Weekend – Sat., July 27 & Sun., July 28
Family Day – Fri., Aug. 2
Give Back Sunday, presented by Meijer – Sun., Aug. 4
Back-To-School Day, presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors – Mon., Aug. 5
Salute to Service Day, presented by Vet Tix – Wed., Aug. 7
Kicking The Stigma Day – Fri., Aug. 9
Fan Appreciation Day, presented by CenterPoint Energy – Wed., Aug. 14
“Thirsty Thursday,” presented by Bud Light – Thurs., Aug. 15

Fans will also find Colts City this year, which will be open each day of open practice through Aug. 15. Activities include:

Colts Play 60 Field, featuring football drills, 40-yard dash & punt returns,
Colts In Motion, the team’s interactive traveling experience
Colts inflatables
Colts Pro Shop
Appearances by team mascot “Blue” and Colts Cheerleaders
Interactive partner displays and exhibits

If practice moves indoors, Colts City will close. Learn more about training camp at the Colts website.

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Indianapolis, IN

'UnPHILtered' | Honoring Indianapolis broadcaster Amos Brown

Published

15 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

'UnPHILtered' | Honoring Indianapolis broadcaster Amos Brown

by: Dylan Listner and Jay Adkins

Posted: Jun 26, 2024 / 11:26 PM EST / Updated: Jun 26, 2024 / 11:28 PM EST

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A tribute to legendary Indianapolis broadcaster Amos Brown. That’s the goal of a fundraiser to establish a scholarship in his name. Joining us Wednesday for our UnPHILtered segment is Amos’ sister Oveda Brown and his granddaughter Aar-Yana Willis.

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