4th Division

Turret # 4 was where the 4th Division called home. 

click here for 14" gun details

Larry-Parisi-4div-43-46.jpg (340820 bytes)

Lawrence Parisi

Div. 4, 1943-46

Lawrence Parisi joined the Navy, and the U.S.S. Texas in early summer 1943. He was a Gunners Mate serving in Division 4 as a sightsetter (or 'pointer' responsible fot the 14" gun's elevation). He took part in the Atlantic convoy crossings, and the Normandy Invasion, and the battle at Cherbourg. He was also with the ship in the Pacific, taking part in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and the "Magic Carpet" duties.
His favorite memories include going ashore in Italy and purchasing fresh fruits, passing through the Panama Canal, and meeting his brother Nunzio in the So. Pacific.  He said he was never scared, even at Normandy or Iwo Jima - just too young to be scared.
He left the U.S.S. Texas, and the Navy, late in 1946.  Larry currently lives with his wife Pam in Yarmouth, Maine.