A Life of Devotion: C.C. Collie Jr.

HPUMC honors the service and lives of our World War II veteran congregants, who are now over 100 years old. In May 2023, the HPUMC team had the unique opportunity to speak to C.C. Collie Jr. about how his faith and years in the war molded him. C.C. is now 101 years old.

C.C. Collie Jr. was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on December 6, 1922. He grew up during the Great Depression that swept America with his mother, father, and sister. His grandparents and aunt joined him during the tumultuous time—all seven of them in a two-bedroom house.

C.C. said he fondly remembers riding his bike as a child and spending time with his sister, who was three years younger than him. The siblings were close until they grew up and went to different schools before entering adulthood.

C.C. went through a four-year Reserve Officer Training Corps Program before graduating from college. He got his commission in the Navy on the same day he got his degree in 1943.

“A lot went on that day,” C.C. said. “I put on the uniform in 1940 as a cadet, but in ’43 I put on the uniform of an officer and reported to my ship. It was under construction in the Navy Yard outside of Brooklyn and commissioned in 1943.”

That ship was the destroyer USS Blue (DD-744). C.C. said 330 enlisted men and 19 officers were on the ship, and he was struck by how young everyone was. He was 19 when he went aboard, and he was not the youngest on the ship.

“Our captain was a three-stripe commander, 36 years old, and we called him ‘the old man,’” C.C. said. “He was a sweetheart, the greatest captain a ship could ever have, and he served with us for a couple of years before he was replaced by his exact opposite.”

C.C. said the USS Blue weighed 600 tons, while the Japanese submarines weighed thousands of tons and carried seaplanes in a superstructure on the deck. Planes were shot off, and then would come back to land on floats before a crane lifted them back aboard.

“They had three of these submarines, and each had three planes, heading to the Panama Canal,” C.C. said. “Their plan was to launch these nine planes and bomb the Gatun Locks in the canal. As they came back, we captured one of them.”

C.C. said kamikazes were the biggest threat in the war, and that starting on October 25, 1944—during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history—the ship would face kamikaze attacks every day.

“They were suicidal,” C.C. said. “We didn't know when we were going over in our little motor launch to board the submarine if they were going to blow it up after we got on board.”

The war took a toll on C.C. and his fellow officers in more ways than one.

“I realized the biggest take-home from the war was fatigue,” he said. “We had to be at battle stations day and night. We never could get enough rest. We were always lacking sleep.”

While the war had its challenges, C.C. is proud of the victory that resulted and that he was in seven major battles, for which he has medals—the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with six battle stars, and the Philippine Liberation Medal with a star representing the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

He also fondly remembers the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on September 2, 1945. It was broadcast to the fleet through speakers around the ship so that they could also hear Douglas MacArthur, General of the Army, speak.

“I was on my ship up on the conning tower with binoculars watching the ceremony,” C.C. said. “There were generals and admirals from nine different countries, and one representative of each of those nine countries, starting with MacArthur.”

After six years of service, C.C. went into real estate and banking before retiring in his eighties. He has three children—now in their sixties and seventies—five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. He said they are close and very supportive of each other.

“They're proud that I was in the war and that we won,” C.C. said. “I want them to love this country as much as I do. And we've lost a lot of good men who were killed fighting for this country. In my prayers every night, I pray for the souls of the around a half a million guys that have died over the years fighting for our freedom.”

C.C. starts his days by making breakfast, reading his Bible, and praying. He also reads The Upper Room devotional, the Wall Street Journal, and books about World War II. After lunch, he exercises, which he says is his secret to longevity. He is also in the Rotary Club of Park Cities.

C.C. joined Highland Park United Methodist Church in 1972 and still attends when he is able. He said he enjoys camaraderie with other congregants as well as the preachers, of which he has lived to see three: Rev. Leighton Farrell, Rev. Mark Craig, and current Senior Minister Rev. Paul Rasmussen.

Through his faith, C.C. has learned lessons that have stayed with him for life, messages that he also shares with others.

“Enjoy living,” C.C. said. “Be a straight shooter. Save your money. And be active in the church; it shapes your life. It gives you a moral basis for everything you do—love thy neighbor.”