by Brian Manning
WALSENBURG — Sam Haun served aboard an auxiliary minesweeper during World War Two. These ships were responsible for clearing enemy mines before our ships could be damaged or sunk. They were extremely important to the Navy.
Sam grew up in the country near Cleveland, Tennessee, with his brother. When the war broke out, Sam felt he had an obligation to serve his country. He decided to join the Navy.
In 1943 he signed up and was sent to the Naval Training Center, Bainbridge Port Deposit, Maryland. The camp was activated in October 1942. After boot camp, he was stationed at the base waiting for an assignment. He signed on at the opportunity to serve aboard the USS Triumph.
Their ship was always in the rear until mines were detected, and then all the other ships would move out of the way to let them through. Mines were detected using radar. Once the danger was found, the ship would set floats out to snag the moorings, then cut them with jaws or a saw like projection. The mines would float, and the crew would use small arms to detonate them safely. The Triumph was assigned to the South Pacific.
When the war was over, he returned to Tennessee to finish school, going to college on the GI bill. There he saw his future wife. He liked her immediately. He bought a ring and held onto it for two years before he had the nerve to ask her to marry him. The arrangement worked well and they stayed married for 62 years.
After Sam graduated from college, he took a job as a machinist and later worked for the Federal Land Bank. Eventually he took a job at Trinidad College teaching shop, woodworking and drafting subjects he loved. He retired after 20 years.
Sam and his wife had two sons, 3 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren. He now lives at the Spanish Peaks Veterans Community Living Center at Walsenburg, where he has been for the last six years. He says it is the best place to live if you can’t live at home. He is a true hero that served his country at a time when he was needed.
