John Hancock, U.S. Navy, World War II

John Hancock grew up in Georgia shooting quail, so becoming a gunner aboard the USS Yorktown in World War II came pretty naturally to him. In 1942, Hancock served in the first carrier battle in world history and later that year fought at the pivotal Battle of Midway, although he was forced to abandon ship as the Japanese sunk the Yorktown.

In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Hancock describes what combat was like for him, shares his memories of Midway, and walks us through his service at Leyte. He also tells us about transitioning from naval gunner to fighter pilot and targeting Japanese kamikaze planes.