Richard Ensign
Active Duty U.S. Navy: August 1942 thru September 1945
Story by Dan Edwards
We are honored to highlight a valued member of the Greatest Generation, Mr. Richard Ensign, as our Veteran of the Week. Born on November 10, 1926 in Jennings, Louisiana, tragically Richard’s father died three months prior to his birth. At the age of just three months, Richard’s mother moved him and the family to Houston, Texas. Richard attended schools in the Houston area and graduated from Milby High School. Today, Richard is a resident of Houston.
Richard joined the U.S. Navy in March 1942, just months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At the time, he was only 15 years and 9 months old. To circumvent the military’s age requirement, Richard’s recruiter listed him as 17 years and 9 months old. Because of this official documentation discrepancy, the Pentagon records artificially list his age as 101 today. Richard will correctly celebrate his 100th birthday later this year, November 10, 2026.
Following basic training in San Diego, California, Richard was sent to Seattle, Washington, where he joined the pre-commissioning crew members on the escort carrier USS Barnes. The USS Barnes (CVE-20) was a vital Bogue-class escort carrier that served the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II, earning three battle stars over the course of her service.
While the brutal ground fighting for Guadalcanal had concluded by early 1943, the air war over the Solomon Islands was still raging fiercely. In July 1943, a 16-year-old Richard and the crew of the newly commissioned USS Barnes sailed into the South Pacific on a vital logistical lifeline. Loaded to maximum capacity with P-38 Lightning and P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes, the USS Barnes delivered the fresh aircraft American pilots needed to maintain control of the skies over Guadalcanal and launch the next phase of the Pacific offensive.
Only a few months later, with the skies over the Solomons secured, Richard and his crew were thrust directly into the inferno of front-line combat. In November 1943—just days after Richard turned 17—the USS Barnes joined the massive armada bound for the Gilbert Islands. During the notoriously bloody Battle of Tarawa, the ‘jeep carrier’ shifted from a transport role to an active combat flight deck. For days, Richard worked under relentless pressure as the ship launched waves of F6F Hellcat fighters and TBF Avenger bombers, tearing apart Japanese beach fortifications to support the Marines fighting below and keeping defensive air patrols over the vulnerable American fleet.
During this time, Richard was injured in a ship accident that required hospitalization. He was sent by a transport vessel back to San Diego, a journey that required eight days at sea. His last name of Ensign came in handy when hospital staff in San Diego assumed he was a commissioned officer. He was provided first-rate accommodations that were much better than those of his fellow enlisted seamen, although he was very careful not to correct the mistake.
Richard was honorably discharged from the Navy in September 1945, just weeks after the unconditional surrender of Japan. On February 3rd, 1948, Richard married his wife, Mary Lou. Now back in Houston, in 1954 they utilized the GI Bill to purchase the very home that Richard resides in today. Their monthly mortgage payment was just $48. Raising five children in their modest, two-bedroom home was filled with blessings despite the tight quarters.
To make ends meet, Richard worked for 27 years with the Armour Meat Company. He spent another ten years working for Texas Marine Ship Supplies, from which he retired. Richard is a current member of American Legion Post 586 and was active for many years with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
Accompanied by his friend and guardian, Gary Clifford, Richard participated in the Honor Flight Austin excursion to Washington, D.C., on April 25–26, 2025. In June 2025, the Gary Sinise Foundation’s Soaring Valor program sponsored their travel to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans to commemorate the museum’s 25th anniversary and the 81st anniversary of D-Day, which was June 6, 1944. Though his wartime service concluded over 80 years ago, Richard’s connection to naval history remains active. Today, his ultimate dream is to travel to Hawaii to visit the historical sites of Pearl Harbor, including the USS Arizona Memorial and the Battleship Missouri. For a sailor who began his journey as a teenager on a Pacific flight deck, standing where the war both started and ended would bring his historic military journey completely full circle.
It is truly our great honor to celebrate the life and military service of Mr. Richard Ensign. Good luck Richard and thank you for your service! Congratulations on being MCN’s Veteran of the Week.