I. J. Karpay was born in Brooklyn, New York [Annotator's Note: Brooklyn is one of the five boroughs in New York, New York] in March 1925. He was the eldest son of three children. His family moved around the borough as he grew up. He did not like his childhood. His family did not suffer through the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States] like other families he knew. His father worked in the construction business and collected rent. After Karpay graduated high school, he attended NYU [Annotator's Note: New York University in New York, New York] for six months and then wanted to Join the Navy. Karpay was not aware of the rising hostilities in Europe or Asia. Karpay was first aware of eminent war was when he heard FDR [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] over the radio delivering his speech after the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. Karpay, being a patriot, wanted to do something, but was not old enough to join the service. Gasoline became rationed. Karpay joined the Navy with his mother's permission in March 1943. He received a physical and took some tests. Karpay was sent to Great Lakes Naval Training Center [Annotator's Note: Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County, Illinois] for boot camp with Company 128. During training, he slept in a hammock and the weather was cold. The physical training was hard for him, but he bulked up fast. Upon completion, he attended merchant signal school in San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California]. Overall, he enjoyed his experience. Karpay was given a list of possible areas to specialize in, and he chose signalman [Annotator's Note: job that combined visual communications and lookout]. After training, he was sent to New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] for a short time. He then received orders to the Brooklyn Yard [Annotator's Note: Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York]. He caught a train that was carrying the Barnum and Bailey Circus staff. When he arrived in New York, he was placed into the Naval Armed Guard [Annotator's Note: US Navy Armed Guard] and assigned to the merchant ship, the SS Frederic C. Howe, in Mobile [Annotator's Note: Mobile, Alabama] for shipping voyages in the Caribbean and in American coastal waters. The first voyage was to Puerto Rico where the ship picked up a supply of rum.

I. J. Karpay enjoyed being an Armed Guard [Annotator's Note: US Navy Armed Guard] on a merchant ship [Annotator's Note: the SS Frederic C. Howe] because of the relaxed discipline and familiar nature of the small, 28-man crew. He never had to wear his uniform but wore blue jeans instead. No saluting was required, and everyone was friendly. His ship had two close calls with enemy submarines, but the gunners were never called to fire on them. They did lower their nets, in which they found evidence of torpedoes. Another time, they had to change course dramatically. They started out in a convoy, but eventually broke off. He stopped in various ports while in service, including Wales [Annotator's Note: Wales, England], North Africa, Le Havre [Annotator's Note: Le Havre, France], and Paris [Annotator's Note: Paris, France]. Karpay saw a dummy camp set up along the Suez Canal [Annotator's Note: Suez Canal in Egypt] to trick German aerial reconnaissance crews. Karpay was assigned as a signalman [Annotator's Note: job that combined visual communications and lookout] on merchant ships. He used international flags, blinker lights, and radio, when available, to communicate with ports and other sea vessels. He also brought the chronometer, the ships clock, into to port for adjustments. Karpay was aware of the progress of the war while he served overseas. After the war in Europe was over, he went to the port in New York. As his ship passed the Statue of Liberty, he and others cried. That same ship went to Ceylon, India and brought 200 monkeys to the United States for use in infantile paralysis research. After the war, Karpay was never satisfied with the VA [Annotator's Note: Veterans Affairs]. When Karpay heard the news that the war in Japan was over, he was thrilled. He was discharged in March 1946 with the rate of SM2c [Annotator's Note: Signalman second class] at Sampson [Annotator's Note: Naval Training Station Sampson in Seneca Lake, New York]. He used the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] to buy a house and found a career in construction like his father.

After being discharged from service, I. J. Karpay did not have a hard time adjusting to civilian life. He used the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] to buy a house and found a career in construction like his father. Karpay's most memorable experience of World War 2 was visiting his distant uncles while he stopped in England. He fought in World War 2 because he loves America. The war made a man out of him and made him realize how great America is. It was worth fighting for. He is proud to be an American and flies the American flag. He does not have much confidence in the young American generation, especially those who have not served in the military. All politicians should serve and believes that young people should be required to serve. He believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and they should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations because no one else it is telling the story. People are trying to erase history today, like tearing down statues.