Billie Ray Lyerly Joined the U.S. Navy in June of 1941. He completed boot camp in Norfolk, Va., and became a Yeoman Striker on a light cruiser, the USS Nashville.  In April of 1942, Lyerly took part in the first American air strike on Japan. In December of 1944, the Nashville was struck by a kamikaze while in route to the Philippines. 310 crewmen were killed or wounded. In 1945 Lyerly was transferred to a heavy cruiser, the Los Angeles as a flagship yeoman. He was discharged in 1946.

Transcript Number 011 Title: Billie Ray Lyerly: Remembering World War II Interviewee: Billie Ray Lyerly Interviewer: Thor Ronningen Date of Interview: July 28, 1998 Location of Interview: Wilmington, NC Description: 1 VHS Cassette Tape (ca. 28 Minutes) sd. col. Note: Microphone malfunction @    min. Tape continues without sound. Documentation: 1 Typed Transcript Series: World War II Veterans Oral History Preservation Project Series: Voices of Experience