Editor’s Note: This is the first installment in a year-long series of articles telling the stories of Moapa Valley’s remaining World War II veterans. This series celebrates the 70th anniversary of the U.S. involvement in World War II which began with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

By Catherine Ellerton

Moapa Valley Progress

Al Biederman

Last week, local veteran, Al Biederman celebrated his 92nd birthday. Biederman was born on December 25, 1919 during his family’s Christmas Dinner in Cedar City, Utah. Twenty-two years later, momentous world events began that would shape Al’s life forever. And that is a story worth telling.

On December 7, 1941, Al Biederman was working as a Conductor/Brakeman on the Union Pacific and Santa Fe Railroads. The passenger train he was working was on its way to Los Angeles when it received the infamous message: PEARL HARBOR BOMBED! Biederman remembered that he had to walk through the train making the announcement to the passengers.

Because he worked on the railroad, which was essential to the war effort, Biederman could not enlist in the armed forces. He tried for over a year to enlist. Finally he went to Salt Lake City, gave two weeks notice and then headed to Faragut, Idaho for training. He enlisted in the Navy.

Part of that training was guns. Since Al’s hobby is guns, that training ended up being only three days when he put five shots dead center. He had to repeat that feat three times before the instructors would believe it. So, off he went to Gunnery School in San Pedro, California.

Biederman volunteered for a one man draft and became a member of the Pointer Gun Crew in the Navy Gunnery. He was assigned to the SS Mark Hopkins – a Liberty Ship (Merchant Ship).

Their mission was to deliver supplies to the troops wherever that might take them. They loaded the ship with ammunition, medical supplies, boots and other equipment and headed out on a one year journey around the world.

The ship was armed with many guns in the bow and stern plus machine guns along the side in order to protect themselves.

Through the South Pacific to the Philippine Islands, around Australia to Hobart, Tasmania through the Bay of Bengal to Calcutta, India, back around to Bombay, up to Karache, Pakistan across the Arabian Sea to Saudi Arabia, south to Yemen then on to the Red Sea. They were finally stopped at the Suez Canal because of the heavy bombing. Then on to Egypt, to Libya, across the Mediterranean where they waited at Gibraltar for a convoy to join and then headed back across the North Atlantic to Savannah, Georgia for repairs.

Another one man draft for a “Pointer” came up while he was in port. Al volunteered for this and soon was headed to Seattle where he joined the gun crew of the SS North Pacific (a freighter).

Biederman’s last year in the service was spent on the Aleutian Islands and on the west shore of Alaska. They were in Bristol Bay waiting out a storm when the A Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and the war ended soon after that.

Al and his wife, Phyllis, have four children. One son and one grandson have been in the Navy. They originally settled in Cedar City where they bought a bar and restaurant and began selling line bait to fishermen. This led them to buy the bait shop in Overton which they ran for about eight years. Biederman then went to work for the Nevada Power Company and helped to build the Nevada Power Complex. After 19 years, he retired as a Materials Control Technician.

Bruce Hollinger, the State Commander of the VFW, advised that at 92 years young, Al Biederman is the oldest member of local post 8336.