One reason why I LOVE selling real estate here in Burbank, is that I meet such interesting people, often with remarkable life stories that come to the forefront when faced with one of those important crossroads in life, which, for a variety of reasons, often involves selling a home. That said, I would like to introduce Mr. Verlin Buzz Fortin, my new client whose home I will be putting on the market next week. But more importantly, as Buzz reluctantly departs his home and Burbank, the city he has called home for 50 years, I wanted to share a little about Buzzs remarkable life and why hes a true hero from Americas Greatest Generation! Like so many of his generation, Buzz enlisted in the U.S. Navy before finishing high school at the onset of World War II. He served on the USS Indianapolis, and near the end of the war, in 1945, survived one of the most horrific, and in many ways, tragic episodes in U.S. Naval history. Im sure many of you may be familiar with the story, in part because of the movie, Jaws, but if not, please Google USS Indianapolis for the complete story. In short, on July 26, 1945, the Indianapolis had delivered the first operational atomic bomb to the island of Tinian and then had been directed, without escort, to join the battleship USS Idaho at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines to prepare for the invasion of Japan. Just after midnight on July 30th, the Indianapolis was struck by two torpedoes fired from a Japanese submarine. The first blew away the bow, the second struck near midship on the starboard side adjacent to a fuel tank and powder magazine. The resulting explosion killed many of the 1,196 crew, with 900 going into the water as the ship sank, including Buzz. Few life rafts were released, with survivors, many seriously wounded, only having a standard kapok life jacket or debris to cling to as they battled open ocean, unbearable cold and heat and the utterly terrifying menace of shark attacks, which began at sunrise of the first day, and continued until they were rescued from the water, NEARLY FIVE DAYS LATER! Buzz didnt know how to swim and clung to remnants of a potato crate while hearing the screams and watching in horror as shipmates succumbed due to wounds suffered; extended exposure to the cold of night and the brutal tropical heat; starvation; delirium from drinking salt water and the unimaginable terror of the unrelenting shark attacks! Of the 900 crew members that went into the water, only 317 were rescued - including now 89 year-old Buzz. Asked what kept him going during those five horrific days, Buzzs daughter, Linda, told me that her fathers will to survive was largely due to his love for his high school sweetheart back home, Viola, whom, after months of recuperation and return home, would become his wife and the mother of his three children. After the war and relocating to Burbank in 1964, Linda said that Buzz rarely talked about what he had endured for those five days. Like so many of his generation who fought for this country, Buzz thought he was just doing his duty and simply caught a bad break. He didnt complain or surrender his life to those terrible images and memories. No, he did his duty, helped his country accomplish the mission and got on with building and living his life, which included 30+ years working for the City of Burbank as a sanitation truck driver. It wasnt until a few years ago, after suffering a stroke, that Buzz started to talk about what he had gone through. A few years ago Buzz and some of his family went back to Indianapolis to reunite with the ever shrinking number of survivors of the USS Indianapolis. TODAY, BUZZ IS ONE OF ONLY 22 SURVIVORS REMAINING! I truly feel privileged that Verlin Buzz Fortin, a GENUINE HERO in my book, along with his family - daughters Judy and Linda and son-in-law Greg, have entrusted me with selling Buzzs long time Burbank home! God Bless you Buzz, and know that you will be sorely missed here in Burbank!
Posted on: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 01:26:07 +0000
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