POWERGRAMS

4 Since boyhood, Steve and Wayne Johnson have heard about the mysterious circumstances shrouding their uncle's death in World War II. Three years ago the brothers uncovered the truth, bringing long overdue closure for their family. Armed with only a few facts about the incident, Steve began delving into military websites for answers. He knew his uncle, Ernie Lee "Sonny" Palmer, had been stationed in 1943 in North Africa as part of an American/British campaign. When the Germans were defeated, the 19-year- old corporal and his Army Air Corps unit were dispatched to their next assignment. "The telegram our grandparents received from the War Department only told them their son had died in heavy fighting in heavy seas and all were lost," said Steve, Concerns Program manager, Ethics and Corporate Concerns. "Most of the guys who had been fighting in North Africa had been shipped to Sicily and Italy, so we always assumed that's where he had been killed." Steve's research led him to a website listing all the ships sunk during that time. He discovered his uncle's name on a casualty list for the HMT Rohna, an old British transport ship that was attacked from the air and destroyed in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Algeria on Nov. 26, 1943. The Rohna was part of a convoy of ships transporting troops to fight the Japanese in Burma. Palmer's unit was being dispatched to build airstrips for the new B-29 bombers and to erect communication lines. Through his research, Steve discovered two historic facts that had been kept under wraps for years. The sinking of the Rohna was the first time a German remote-controlled rocket had hit a merchant ship carrying U.S. soldiers, which launched the modern missile age. With the deaths of more than 1,015 soldiers, the tragedy marked the greatest loss of life of U.S. troops at sea. Soldiers had never seen anything like the weapon that destroyed the ship, said Steve. Using a large airplane, the Germans towed about 20 glider-like planes loaded with explosives. When the miniature planes were released, one fell into the Rohna's engine room and the glider bomb exploded. Meanwhile, the other gliders dropped harmlessly into the sea. "The U.S. government was scared and thought it was a super weapon," Steve said. "They swore all the survivors to secrecy because they didn't want the Germans to know the ship had been hit." Wayne, who joined his brother in the search for answers, said because of deplorable conditions onboard the rat- infested Rohna, it was no wonder so many men died. "The crew was from India and didn't speak much English, so they could not communicate with the men," said Wayne, Environmental Affairs specialist, General Services Complex-Fuel/Environmental Testing Lab. "They couldn't lower most of the lifeboats because they were fastened to the ship by rusty chains. And the crew escaped on those boats that weren't rusted." Wayne said the Rohna passengers were given inflatable, round life jackets that were top-heavy, which led to some drownings. The men received no instructions on the proper use of the life jackets. "Conditions had been so bad on the Rohna that when its sister ship, the Rojna, was sent several weeks later to pick up the survivors, who had been waiting in Africa to continue their mission to Burma, many refused to go aboard, and waited for another ship to rescue them," Wayne said. The at-sea tragedy remained top secret until the passage of the Freedom of Information Act in 1966 allowed the release of confidential government documents. Many families still did not know the fate of their loved ones until survivors began sharing stories in recent years. "My aunts, Doris Carroll and Frances McPherson, wrote several letters to the War Department during the 1960s and 1970s, but the only answer they got was that all the records had been lost in a fire," said Steve, adding that his grandparents and aunts died without knowing what happened to Palmer. Since uncovering the real story of their uncle's death, Steve and Wayne have joined the Rohna Survivors Association. Through its website, they have learned details about the calamity and read survivors' accounts. The brothers discovered their uncle's name is on a monument called the Tablets of the Missing at the North Africa American cemetery in Carthage, Tunisia. Closer to home is a memorial dedicated in 1996 at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Seale. "I was so excited when I found my uncle's name on that casualty list. It had always been a family quest to find out what happened," said Steve. "For my mother, Bobbie Johnson, knowing what happened to her brother is pretty special. It brought closure for her and the rest of the family," added Wayne. By Carla Davis 'All Were Lost …' SALUTING VETERANS Wayne and Steve Johnson with photos of their uncle. Photos by Nik Layman JOHNSONS UNCOVER HOW UNCLE WAS KILLED BY GERMANS IN 1943 Letter from Palmer to family during World War II.

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