Hundreds mark 70th anniversary of USS Indianapolis attack

It’s hard to hold back tears after 70 years.

So they didn’t.

Instead, sons and daughters of sailors who were aboard the USS Indianapolis before it sank near the end of World War II cried together, paid their respects and wrapped their arms tightly around each other Sunday morning.

A four-day reunion at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Indianapolis ended with a memorial service at which more than 450 people gathered to remember the men who died at sea and celebrate the sailors who survived.

Of the 317 men who survived, 31 remain. Fourteen survivors attended this year’s reunion.

The group also mourned the loss of one who died while they celebrated life.

Florian Stamm, a resident of Mount Horeb, Wis., died Saturday in his home state. He was 91.

Stamm rarely spoke of the war or the attack, his family said. But he started attending reunions in the 1960s. The sailor hitchhiked from California to Wisconsin after surviving the attack. He had $8 in his pocket when he left.

His youngest son, David Stamm; David’s wife, Barbara; and their son Mitchell had traveled from Madison, Wis., to Indianapolis for the reunion.

They learned of his death right before the banquet.

But they felt a sense of comfort, David Stamm said, as they were surrounded by families from across the country who have experienced the same loss.

“They will always be brothers,” Mary Larson said softly after reading the names of survivors who have died since 1945. “Their story will live on forever.”

Larson’s father, Eugene Stanley Morgan, died in 2008 at age 87. He told stories of having a “brother” on the ship.

That sailor’s name was Glenn Morgan. They weren’t related, but they felt connected because they had the same last name. His son, Tom Morgan, was also in attendance Sunday. He traveled more than 900 miles from Weatherford, Texas, to attend the reunion.

Larson traveled from Seattle.

Lyle Umenhoffer, a 92-year-old survivor, hopped a plane with his grandsons from California to Indianapolis for the reunion.

Umenhoffer still drives and does his own yard work, his grandson Brian Gonser said. He also still shares memories of what happened that day.

“I’ve heard this story ever since I was a little boy,” Gonser said. “It’s amazing that they can still come together once a year.”

The sinking of the USS Indianapolis occurred the night of July 30, 1945. The ship was returning from a U.S. base on Tinian Island in the Philippine Sea, where it had delivered enriched uranium and other components for an atomic bomb. That bomb would later be dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

A Japanese submarine slammed two torpedoes into the Indianapolis. The ship sank inside 15 minutes. The 900-some crew members not killed in the initial attack went into the water, poorly equipped, some without so much as a life jacket.

The men battled hunger, dehydration and sharks.

Seventy years later, their story lives on.

A reunion was held periodically at first, but organizers (the children of survivors) have turned the reunion into an annual gathering for those who remain.

“We’re getting older now,” Umenhoffer said after the memorial service. The men, some in wheelchairs, others using canes, speak softly about life after the attack.

Survivor Donald McCall, Champaign, Ill., who attended this year’s reunion, went on to become a brick layer after the war. His daughter Peggy McCall Campo, also of Champaign, helps organize the reunion every year.

Each year it grows, with more families attending.

“They are just a humble group of men,” Campo said. “They don’t feel special in any way, but they were put in a place in 1945 where their story became a part of history. They’re honored to be a part of that story."

Hollywood has recently taken interest in their story. Two major motion pictures about the sinking are in the works. Oscar winner Nicolas Cage began filming in June. His film, “USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage,” could be followed by another involving Robert Downey Jr.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Gonser said. “It should have happened a long time ago.”

The survivors of the USS Indianapolis attack already have plans to meet again next year.

Star reporter Will Higgins contributed to this story. Call Star reporter Cara Anthony at (317) 444-609. Follow her on Twitter: @CaraRAnthony.