‘That’s How They Did Things - ’Veteran Shares Story of WWII Service with the Navy in the Pacific

World War II veteran Clifford L. Holt of Holts Summit, Missouri, served as a U.S. Navy gunner aboard USS LSM-498 in the Pacific during the closing months of World War II. Following the war, he became New Bloomfield's first African American chief of police and later spent more than three decades serving local children as a school crossing guard. Courtesy of Jeremy P. Amick.

Editor's Note: This article was originally written following an interview with World War II veteran Clifford Holt. Holt passed away on May 21, 2019, at the age of 94. The article is presented in memory of his military service and lifelong commitment to the New Bloomfield community.

Clifford Holt became something of a local celebrity in and around the community of New Bloomfield, Missouri. He enjoyed escorting area children safely to school by serving as a crossing guard and, many years earlier, was the town's first African American chief of police.

When interviewed for this story, the World War II veteran displayed few signs of slowing down and was often found in a local convenience store swapping stories about his days in the military over a cup of coffee with several of his close friends.

Born in 1925 in the near-forgotten Callaway County community of Dixie, Missouri, Holt recalled coming of age in a small African American community and attending a local school held inside a building he described as little more than “an old house.”

“When I graduated the eighth grade, I went to work on a farm, that is until I turned 18 and got my draft notice in the mail,” he recalled.

The young man then traveled to St. Louis to take a physical and, while undergoing the military induction process, was asked whether he wanted to become a soldier or a sailor.

“I told them that I wanted to be in the Army, so they put me in the Navy,” he chuckled. “That’s how they did things back then.”

With his branch of service now identified, Holt was transferred to Norfolk, Virginia, to complete several weeks of basic training.

“When I was in Virginia, they were working on the boat that I was supposed to be assigned to,” said Holt. “So while that was happening, they sent me to a Navy base in Oklahoma until it was finished being built and it was time for me to report to the ship.”

During his stay at the base in Oklahoma, the sailor attended a naval gunnery school and, because of his ability to hit targets, was appointed to serve as the rear gunner aboard his new ship.

According to naval records, USS LSM-498 was completed by the Brown Shipbuilding Company and launched on April 7, 1945, followed by its commissioning a month later. The ship, Holt explained, was classified as a Landing Ship Medium (LSM) and designed to transport troops and cargo in support of the war effort in the Pacific.

After commissioning, the ship was sent to support U.S. forces during the Battle of Okinawa, an 82-day campaign that became the largest amphibious assault of World War II. During this battle, Japan lost more than 77,000 soldiers while Allied forces suffered more than 14,000 fatalities.

As Holt recalled, one of the greatest threats to the safety of the men aboard the LSMs came from Japanese aircraft. Though prepared to defend the ship with his 20mm gun mounted on the stern, he said the opportunity never presented itself.

“We went over there to fight, but most of the time the Japanese planes were so far off you could hardly see them,” he said. “The biggest threat we encountered were those stormy seas—they seemed worse than a tornado. Those waves would push you way up in the air and then would drop out from under you and slam the ship down into the water. Let me tell you, that just about made everybody seasick.”

At the close of their service in Okinawa in June 1945, Holt's ship and the other LSMs were preparing for the planned invasion of Japan. On Aug. 9, 1945, Holt recalled their vessel operating along the southern coast of Japan when they witnessed a historic event that helped bring the war to an end.

“We were close enough to see when they dropped the second atomic bomb,” said Holt. “That was really something to see.”

Days later, following Japan's surrender, USS LSM-498 remained in the Pacific as part of the occupation forces until April 1946, when the ship returned to San Diego and Holt was discharged from the Navy. Returning to Mid-Missouri, he married, raised two children and worked as a truck driver until suffering a heart attack in his mid-40s.

“I then went to work as a deputy for Callaway County for several years until I was hired as the chief of police for New Bloomfield, which I did for 28 years,” he said.

Following his retirement from law enforcement, Holt remained deeply involved in his community. For more than three decades, he served as a crossing guard for New Bloomfield Elementary School, becoming a familiar and beloved figure to generations of local children. His service was so appreciated that, upon his retirement, the school district honored him by naming the crosswalk he supervised in his honor. He was also remembered as New Bloomfield's first African American chief of police, a distinction that reflected both his pioneering role and his dedication to public service.

With all the veteran was able to see and experience during his months of service that carried him across the Pacific during wartime, he proudly stated that one of the most memorable moments of his military career was demonstrating his marksmanship abilities during training.

“Yes, the one thing the military taught me was that you'd better learn to respect others or they're going to give you a hard way to go,” he grinned. “But mostly, what I'm proud of is that I showed them how I could shoot a gun.”

He added, “I qualified by hitting the airplane target the first time around, and that's why they made me a gunner. It was probably because of all the rabbit hunting I did back when I was a kid that I was good at it—or at least I thought I was,” he chuckled.
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Clifford L. Holt passed away on May 21, 2019, at the age of 94. Looking back on his life, it is clear that his legacy extends far beyond his military service. From serving aboard USS LSM-498 during the closing months of World War II, to breaking barriers in local law enforcement, to protecting schoolchildren for more than 30 years as a crossing guard, Holt dedicated much of his life to serving others.

His story stands as a reminder that some of the most enduring contributions are made not by famous figures, but by ordinary citizens whose quiet acts of service leave a lasting impact on their communities.

Jeremy P. Ämick is author of the military compilation "Show-Me Veterans." 

USS LSM-498, a Landing Ship Medium, carried troops and supplies in support of Allied operations in the Pacific during World War II. Clifford Holt served aboard the vessel as a 20mm gunner during the Battle of Okinawa and remained with the ship during the occupation of Japan following the war. U.S. Navy photo.