Dave Yoho was born August 19, 1928 in Philadelphia.  He grew up in a row house, during the difficult times of the Great Depression, commenting that he had no real “fun”.  He did not participate in sports, parties or dances:  he worked on weekends and helped to support his family.  When the war came, Dave remembers that there was a high sense of patriotism at the time:  12.5% of the population or 16 million volunteered! Dave attempted to volunteer at age 15, after he heard about Pearl Harbor at school and from the newsboys on the street corners.  Dave falsified his birth certificate and was considered truant by the Navy and was turned down.He did join the US Maritime Service, or Merchant Marines at age 16, having threatened to run away from home if his parents disapproved. He attended boot camp at Sheepshead Bay, NY, and his first ship was the SS Great Meadows, a T-2 Turbine Refueling Tanker. He was assigned as a Water Tender, and they patrolled the Atlantic seaboard.  Later they transited the Panama Canal to the Pacific Island of Ulithi. Dave served in the three theatres of WWII: Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific.  The convoys were always on the alert for submarine wolfpack (U Boats) and aircraft (Kamikaze) attacks.  By the end of the war Dave had malaria and bleeding ulcers.  He also suffered from PTSD but suppressed his emotions. It was not until 1988 that the Merchant Marines received official recognition as veterans and were entitled to the GI Bill and other benefits. He became a salesperson, manager and business owner, building his own empire.  Crestwood students were able to interview Dave Yoho over zoom in September 2024.