Battle of Saipan veteran celebrates 100th birthday

“I don’t think I have done anything that 400,000 other sailors didn’t do. I was just one of many and am completely devoid of heroics.”—Lloyd C. Glick

That quote is from an email correspondence I had with Lloyd Coulson Glick, a World War II veteran who served aboard the USS North Carolina during the pre-invasion bombings of both Saipan and Guam and whom I had the pleasure of meeting and the honor of giving tours to when he made a pilgrimage to both islands 70 years later.

There was media coverage of his “hero’s return” in our local papers, and on television here and in Guam. However, for those who aren’t familiar, I’ll share Lloyd’s military service origin story as chronicled in the book, From Bugle Boy to Battleship.

1941

Born in California on Dec. 28, 1923, Lloyd Glick was a naive 18-year-old boy watching a movie at a theater in downtown Berkeley, California, on Dec 7 1941, when the movie was interrupted to announce Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor.

A few days after the attack, Lloyd, already an accomplished trumpet player as 2nd Trumpet Chair for the University of California Symphony, took his desire to serve his country, his passion for music, and his dream of attending the prestigious U.S. Naval School of Music, and showed up at the Navy recruiting office in San Francisco.

Four months later, with his parents’ signed permission, he joined the U.S. Navy as a way of entering their Naval School program. That decision would ultimately land him the position of Musician Second Class aboard the USS North Carolina as a member of the ship’s band while it participated in the bombings of Saipan, Guam, Palau, Pohnpei, and battles throughout World War II’s pivotal Pacific Campaign.

2014

Seventy years later, Lloyd and his wife, Judy, were booked on a cruise that would dock on both Guam and Saipan in February 2014. It would be the first time Lloyd would return to this region since his military service. They contacted me to arrange tours of both islands, and during the months of planning, we became email buddies and I (secretly) chronicled Lloyd’s story and presented him with a surprise—his biography in book form as part of the welcome ceremonies on both islands.

2019

In 2019, Lloyd—along with other veterans—was invited back to Guam as an honored guest and grand marshal for the 75th commemoration of the Battle of Guam.

2020

In November 2020, Superior Court Judge Johnny Gogo—a Guam native recently nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Districts of Guam and Northern Mariana Islands—contacted me by email after reading Bugle Boy and included the following:

“My parents are both Chamorro, born on Guam right before the island was invaded and captured [by Japan] on 12/8/41. Both were still small children when the island was liberated in 1944 [by the U.S.]. My father eventually enlisted in the military and served 20 plus years with the Air Force and Army. I have had a deep sense of respect, gratitude and admiration for those who have served in our military.”

Gogo has made it part of his life’s mission to “track down living WWII veterans and others who served and helped liberate Guam.”

INTERIM

In the years since his service, Lloyd has been a proofreader at the Los Angeles Times newspaper, a police officer, an insurance claims adjuster, has played in many different bands—both “swing bands” and professional–level community groups—and after retirement, joined the Los Angeles Police Department Band, playing for department graduations and other official functions.

In 1995 he accepted appointment as a reserve police officer and became the LAPD department bugler, spending a total of over 40 years in police uniform.

More recently, Lloyd has served as a docent on the battleship USS Iowa in the Port of Los Angeles (one of 10 museum ships) where he gives tours of the ship and often signs and gives away copies of his book (available on Amazon) to curious visitors.

2023

And on Dec 28, 2023, Lloyd, along with anywhere from 50-100 family and friends, will celebrate his 100th birthday at his home.

As someone who’s gotten to know him over the years, and as evidenced by this article’s opening quote, I can tell you that Lloyd shuns the limelight and feels, quite frankly, undeserving of the accolades as a “hero.” However, he’s definitely cognizant of the significance of the war effort in shaping the history of these islands and the wider world as well as how others view the significance and contributions of everyone involved in that effort. With that, I invite you to share your well-wishes with him on his special day in the comments (if you’re reading this online) or by email!

Contact Lloyd at lloyd@bugleboyglick.com, and for more details of the above timeline (including links to full stories, videos of Lloyd playing trumpet, plus more photos), visit https://www.bugleboyglick.com and watch for a video recap/tribute on the @discoversaipan Youtube channel!