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- [S27] The Daily Times, http://www.thedailytimes.com/, (Blount County, Tennessee), 21 Apr 2013.
Maryville resident one of six brothers to serve in World War I
By Wes Wade | (wes.wade@thedailytimes.com)
Kenneth Hammontree, a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, has hit a milestone that many in his family never had the chance to reach. One of six brothers who served in the armed forces during World War II, he’s the only one still alive, with the Maryville resident turning 89 years old on Saturday.
And, if it wasn’t already apparent, serving in the armed forces is also something of a family tradition. In addition to serving with his brothers, the 89-year-old’s father served in World War I and Kenneth Hammontree’s nephew, James Hammontree, served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
During World War II Kenneth Hammontree’s brother, Jimmy Hammontree, had already joined the Navy, while his four other brothers were enlisted in the army.
“I was deferred out of the service for one year and I got tired of people asking why my brothers had joined (and not me) and so I finally decided to go,” Kenneth Hammontree said with a smile.
He enlisted at the age of 19 and spent six weeks in boot camp before being immediately shipped off to the Pacific Ocean in November 1943, where he served as Seaman First Class on a tugboat during his entire enlistment. He had been gone about two months shy of three years when he finally returned home, he said.
Kenneth Hammontree served during two invasions and two sea battles while fighting against the Japanese. Yet he said he even through all of that, he was never scared of dying.
“They got you to where you’re not scared, the way they treat you in boot camp,” Kenneth Hammontree said.
In fact, the only thing that did frighten him was when harsh sea storms threatened to capsize his boat, the U.S.S. Potawatomi, named after the Native American Potawatomi tribe. At 210 feet long and 80 feet wide, the vessel had a crew of 80, the veteran recounted.
“The only time I got scared was when we got in the storms on the oceans,” Kenneth Hammontree said. “There were several times where we were almost capsized. They put us below (deck) and closed all the hatches when the storms came because we had 30-foot waves come hit us right in the face. It was the worst (experience).”
Retrieving troops
As a Seaman First Class on the U.S.S. Potawatomi, one of Kenneth Hammontree’s main duties in the war was pulling Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs) back from the shores of battle. LSTs were naval vessels created specifically to carry and drop off vehicles, cargo and troops directly to shorelines. The job of Kenneth Hammontree’s boat and others like it were to go back in and retrieve these LSTs, which would often get stuck on the beach or against reefs, Kenneth Hammontree recalled.
Several years after returning home, Kenneth Hammontree married a woman named Wilma and the two were married for 47 years before she died in 2001. About a year later, Kenneth Hammontree married Shirley Biggar, a woman he had known for 25 years after meeting at Oak Street Baptist Church, where Biggar taught a Sunday School class.
James Hammontree recounted that his uncle had called Shirley over for a cup of coffee one day.
“Uncle Kenneth called her and asked if she wanted to come get a cup of coffee,” James Hammontree said.
But Shirley Hammontree said didn’t stop after just one cup.
“It turned into several cups of coffee until we got married, because nobody could make coffee like me,” Shirley Hammontree said. “I told everybody I put sugar in that coffee.” With a laugh, she added, “And he doesn’t like sugar in his coffee.”
Growing family
While Kenneth Hammontree had a daughter named Crystal with his first wife, he said he now has more than a dozen grandchildren and great-grandchildren following his marriage to Shirley.
“I didn’t have any grandchildren before I got married (to Shirley),” Kenneth Hammontree said. “And now I have a house full of ‘em.”
Shirley Hammontree said they have nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Following an interview with the Daily Times at their home Saturday afternoon, the couple, who will have been married 11 years in June, joined their Sunday School group from Oak Street Baptist Church in attending an Elvis Presley tribute show in Pigeon Forge that evening to celebrate the veteran’s birthday.
Before her husband had a chance to answer a question about whether he was a fan of “The King,” Shirley Hammontree jumped in, saying, “I am.” She then immediately added, with a laugh, “I don’t think he’s dead.”
And while the 89-year-old veteran said he’s proud to have served his country, he’s glad he’ll never have to see battle again.
“After I came home I was ready to stay home,” Kenneth Hammontree said. “Sure I’m proud to have served. But I wouldn’t take a nickel or give a nickel to see it again.”
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 26 Apr 2013.
Myrtle Walker Trentham obituary
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 4 Apr 2001.
Wilma Hammontree obituary
- [S112] Census, 1930.
Name: Kenneth Hammontree
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1930
Event Place: District 3, Loudon, Tennessee
Gender: Male
Age: 5
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Birthplace: Tennessee
Birth Year (Estimated): 1925
Immigration Year:
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
District: 0009
Household ID: 199
Sheet Number and Letter: 10B
Line Number: 66
Affiliate Publication Number: T626, roll 2261
GS Film number: 2341995
Digital Folder Number: 4548175
Image Number: 00523
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head Robert Hammontree M 35 Tennessee
Wife Maude Hammontree F 34 Tennessee
Son Joseph Hammontree M 14 Tennessee
Son James Hammontree M 11 Tennessee
Son Harry Hammontree M 9 Tennessee
Son Charles Hammontree M 7 Tennessee
Son Kenneth Hammontree M 5 Tennessee
Son Malvin Hammontree M 4 Tennessee
Son R L Hammontree M 2 Tennessee
Daughter Ruth I Hammontree F 0 Tennessee
- [S25] Smith Mortuary Company, www.smithmortuary.com, 25 Sep 2014.
April 20, 1924 - September 25, 2014
Maryville, Tennessee
Kenneth Lloyd Hammontree age 90 went to be with the Lord on Thursday, September 25, 2014 at the family home. He was a Navy Veteran and retired supervisor for 51 years at the Co-op Fertilizer Plant in Rockford, TN. He served as a Deacon at Oak Street Baptist Church and also served as a Gideon for many years. He was preceded in death by: Mother & Father, Robert & Maude Hammontree; 1st Wife, Wilma Hammontree; Daughter; JoAnne Biggar; Two Sisters and Six Brothers. He is survived by: Current Wife, Shirley Biggar Hammontree; Children, Crystal Hammontree, Steve & Kathy Biggar, David & Annette Biggar, Angela & Jeffrey Proffitt; 11 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren. Memorial service will be at 5:30 PM, Sunday, September 28, 2014 at Smith Trinity Chapel with Rev. Keith Ross and Rev. Jed Emert officiating. Memorial donations may be made to: Oak Street Baptist Church, 218 Oakdale St, Maryville, Tennessee 37801. Family will receive friends from 4:00 until 5:30 PM, Sunday, September 28, 2014 at Smith Trinity Chapel. Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, Maryville, 865-983-1000, www.SmithFuneralandCremation.com.
- [S147] Find a Grave, (Memorial: 147684306).
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name: Bob Hammontree
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Marriage
Event Date: 08 Sep 1917
Event Place: Blount, Tennessee, United States
Age:
Birth Year (Estimated):
Father's Name:
Father's Titles and Terms:
Mother's Name:
Mother's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Name: Maude Brewer
Spouse's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Age:
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated):
Spouse's Father's Name:
Spouse's Father's Titles and Terms:
Spouse's Mother's Name:
Spouse's Mother's Titles and Terms:
Reference ID: see next images
GS Film number: 2073672
Digital Folder Number: 004646466
Image Number: 02065
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Groom's Name Bride's First Name Bride's Maiden Name County Date of Marriage File #
HAMMONTREE KENNETH L SHIRLEY H HODGES BLOUNT 06-28-2002 33222
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