Toy Boats and Tin Soldiers

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Eric Warner was a military surgeon in Key West, Florida in 1940. He had few responsibilities, occasional surgeries, and his own forty-foot fishing boat. On December 8, 1941, the U.S. Navy pulled all of their ships and airplanes out of the base, sending them to the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Key West was a ghost military base. The Gulf Stream offshore was soon trafficked by hundreds of ships each day carrying guns and oil to European allies. Hitler dispatched U-boats to the U.S. coast and dozens of ships were attacked each day. Doctor Warner was suddenly swamped with wounded sailors from the merchant fleets. Only three Coast Guard ships defended the entire U.S. Coast. The Navy response was to commandeer civilian boats. Navy personnel manned the ships, which were used for harbor patrol and convoy duty. Eric found himself doing double duty...part time surgeon and boat captain rescuing seamen from burning ships in the waters off Key West. This is his story.