Jackson Augustus "Jack" Ashton, Senior was born in February 1925 in Brewton, Alabama. He had a brother and sister. Growing up, his father worked for the WPA [Annotator's Note: the Works Progress Administration was a federally sponsored program that put unemployed Americans to work during the Great Depression] and, as a result, Ashton moved frequently around the state of Alabama. He attended five different schools during his childhood. He graduated in Tuscaloosa [Annotator's Note: Tuscaloosa, Alabama] in 1942. The Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression, a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945] made little impact on him since his father maintained a job all the time. Ashton was 16 years of age when he heard of the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] as it was announced over the radio. It was a shock, but it did not mean much to him at the time. It was sort of expected. He was disgusted with the Japanese. Ashton joined the Naval Reserve prior to his 18th birthday and enrolled in the University of Alabama [Annotator's Note: in Tuscaloosa] and subsequently Georgia Tech [Annotator's Note: Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia] in the Navy's V-12 program allowing him to stay in school [Annotator's Note: V-12 US Navy College Training Program, 1943 to 1946]. He wore uniforms to school, had drills and physical exercise every day. When his grades deteriorated after he contracted an illness, he flunked out of Georgia Tech and went to boot camp in Bainbridge, Maryland.

Jackson Augustus "Jack" Ashton, Senior volunteered for quartermaster school in the Navy. He was advised to sail on as small a vessel as he could. He learned communication and navigation at the quartermaster school over a three- or four-month period. His boot camp and quartermaster training were both in Bainbridge, Maryland. He then went to PT boat [Annotator's Note: patrol torpedo boat] training in Melville, Rhode Island for another four months. The crew of a PT boat had to be versatile enough to do the work of other crewmen who might not be able to perform their functions. He learned to pass ammunition for the 20mm [Annotator's Note: Oerlikon 20mm antiaircraft automatic cannon] and radar operations for an oftentimes seasick radarman. There were two officers and nine enlisted men on the PT boat. They were all young and eager individuals. The skipper [Annotator's Note: captain, or commander] was a lieutenant and the exec [Annotator's Note: executive office of the boat] was a lieutenant. Ashton was the pilot of the boat. Ashton shipped out of San Francisco Treasure Island [Annotator's Note: Naval Station Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, California] onboard a Dutch troopship bound for the Pacific. The voyage took them to Honolulu [Honolulu, Hawaii] but passengers were not allowed to leave the ship. Ashton's destination was PT Boat Squadron 28 and Boat 381 [Annotator's Note: Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 28 (MTB RON 28), PT-381] where he was a replacement on an existing crew. He never learned what happened to his predecessor. As quartermaster, he served as the pilot of that boat.

Jackson Augustus "Jack" Ashton, Senior [Annotator's Note: of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 28 (MTB RON 28) aboard PT-381] and PT-381 patrolled throughout Leyte Gulf [Annotator's Note: Leyte Gulf, Philippines] from November 1944 until the war was over. The mission was to discover and engage fleeing Japanese vessels. The PT boat had a 40mm [Annotator's Note: Bofors 40mm antiaircraft automatic cannon] on the stern. Two twin .50 caliber machine guns [Annotator's Note: Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun]. A 20mm [Annotator's Note: Oerlikon 20mm antiaircraft automatic cannon] was on the portside and a 37mm [Annotator's Note: M3 37mm anti-tank gun] on the bow. The boat carried four torpedoes and depth charges [Annotator's Note: also called a depth bomb; an anti-submarine explosive munition resembling a metal barrel or drum]. It was a gunboat. Missions were mainly at night. Ashton's tour was uneventful except for the occasional Japanese they rescued out of the water. On one occasion, a Japanese swimmer refused to be rescued and had to be eliminated. It was not the nicest thing to do, but it was war. From boot camp, the new sailors were indoctrinated to believe the Japanese were heathens. Ashton hated them. Captured enemy troops were brought to prisons. As the war ended, Ashton did not have enough points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home] to return home, so he was assigned to an LCI [Annotator's Note: landing craft, infantry] to transport prisoners from island to island. PT-381 was based in Leyte Gulf. While at base, two torpedo mounts were removed so that rocket launchers could be installed in their place. The crew assumed that their boat would be involved in an invasion. Fortunately, the bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945] precluded that need. PT-381 patrolled usually accompanied by two other boats. Patrols were planned to be every third night. The boat was on drydock during the invasion of Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, 1 April to 22 June 1945 at Okinawa, Japan]. When the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the boat was in Leyte Gulf. Ashton was happy to hear the news. The skipper [Annotator's Note: captain, or commander] authorized the crew to celebrate by firing all their weapons. After the war's end, Ashton was assigned as master of arms [Annotator's Note: Master-at-Arms, responsible for law enforcement in the US Navy] and then as a crewman on an LCI. With the accumulation of enough points, he returned home.

Jackson Augustus "Jack" Ashton, Senior served at many bases during the war [Annotator's Note: as a member of (MTB RON 28) aboard PT-381 and in other assignments]. Ashton was discharged from the Navy in April 1946. He was happy to be home. He returned to Alabama and attended the University of Alabama [Annotator's Note: in Tuscaloosa, Alabama] on 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]. The G.I. Bill allowed him to complete college. It was great. Ashton earned a degree in Civil Engineering. He graduated in 1949. He met his wife at the university and was married in 1948. They had three boys and a girl. He is very proud of them. Ashton went on to work as a deep-water surveyor for Shell Oil Company. He spent 37 years with Shell. He has visited the museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana] and recommends it to everyone. He was anxious to see PT-305, a Higgins PT boat [Annotator's Note: patrol boat manufactured by Higgins Industries in New Orleans, Louisiana], since he had served on an ELCO PT boat [Annotator's Note: patrol boat manufactured by Elco, Electric Launch Company, later named Elco Motor Yachts]. It is definitely important to teach the next generation about World War 2 history. He is happy the way things turned out.