Eric Minton Class of 2015 Among 15 Military Enlistees Honorerd by Southington

As published in the Southington
Citizen, June 19, 2015, enhanced for
digital publication

Saluting 15 graduates of the Southington H.S. Class of 15 who have enlisted in the service of our country.




Fifteen students of the Southington High School Class of 2015 were honored at a luncheon-ceremony last week by the School administration, Board of Ed, Town officials and the BOE Veterans’ partnership in the presence of their parents. 

As military enlistees, each received a certificate, military challenge coin, blue star banner, pocket flag and service cord. Each will receive a gift laptop from CSC upon completion of their basic training to help stay in touch with their families.  Each of the 15 has a unique story of his accomplishments, hopes and dreams.

One story came to my attention in the spring through Social Studies Department Chair, Heather Allenbach. Naval enlistee Eric Minton, SHS Class of ‘15, has done some exceptional work as a history student since his sophomore year.  With the approval of his teacher in 10th grade, he prepared his first presentation to his history class on the WWII experiences of his grandfather, USN Lt. Joseph Ardell Minton, who served as a Navy submarine sailor in the Pacific and was later captured and moved to a POW camp. Eric said, “I’d heard my grandfather’s WWII stories from my father since my early childhood, understanding more as I grew older. By sophomore year, I wanted to tell that story including some of the horrific graphic details of his 882 days as a POW.”

Eric’s interest in history grew through his junior and senior years during which he continued to approach his teachers who enabled him to continue the class presentations. Asked about the attention of his fellow students, Eric said, “Knowing how some talks result in student distraction, I watched for their reaction.  But I can remember no time seeing a student turning to his cell phone or looking lost in other thoughts during my presentations.” Students seemed to be open to the genuine reality of the WWII experience presented by Eric, perhaps because they identified with him and understood his personal reality, making history more of a living experience.

This spring, Allenbach stated, Eric gave a series of multi-class 40-minute presentations to World History classes, integrating photos and documents ultimately wearing the Navy uniform of his dad, Steven Minton, a Navy submariner during the early 90’s Desert Storm era. “History teachers raved about Eric’s work”, Allenbach said.  Eric said his focus in high school was history, the telling his grandfather’s story and joining the Navy as a submarine sailor. He and others recognized connections between Joe Minton’s story and that of Louis Zamperini as told in his best-selling book of 2010, “Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival and Resilience.” Eric learned that his grandfather was in one of the same POW labor camps as Zamperini.

Joseph A. Minton grew up on a farm where, at age 10 in 1933, during the lean years of the Great Depression, he took on the responsibility of working the fields, tending the animals and looking after seven younger siblings, attending school through 7th grade.

Shortly before the start of World War II in 1941, Joe Minton joined the Navy at age 18. Volunteering for submarine service, Joe was assigned to the USS Grenadier SS-210, a Tambor Class sub as it sailed from Hawaii to a secret naval base in Australia without convoy support.

In 1943, the Grenadier was attacked by a Japanese dive bomber in the Strait of Malacca where they’d been hunting enemy merchant shipping.  The Grenadier dove to the bottom of the strait suffering multiple damages. The shockwave knocked out diesel engines, deck guns, radio and anti-aircraft weaponry, rendering the vessel unable to use heavy machine guns against air assault. When a Japanese reconnaissance Zero flew overhead, US sailors fired small weapons, hitting the enemy craft, killing the pilot, but not before their position was radioed to the enemy. Within an hour, a Japanese destroyer picked up the sailors of the sinking Grenadier who were brought to Penang, Malaya for interrogation and torture for information. The group was split in two, officers and enlisted. Minton was taken to Yawata, Japan, Fukuoka Camp #3, where POWs were used for factory slave labor. Held more than 2 years, the POWs were brutally and routinely tortured, beaten, starved, deprived of medical treatment and subjected to means of torture beyond humanly credible.

Upon the surrender of the Japanese, American forces liberated the POWS.  Minton was safe and continued his naval service for 23 years. He died in 1991 before his grandson, Eric, was born.

Eric Minton Class of '15 with parents
Laura-Jean and Steve Minton

Eric is grateful to SHS for his education and will follow two courageous generations of Naval submariners when he leaves next month for boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, then on to “A” (Auxiliary) school for job training and rating before assignment to submarine life.

John B. Durbin,
Lt. Col. US Army &
SHS History Teacher

SHS history teacher, 
John Durbin, said of Eric:


“Eric - A quiet, focused individual who knows exactly what course his life will take. Eric is also caring and willing to help others in any way he can. Humble, yet with a sense of awareness, unusual in someone so young.”

A few post publication comments of Eric Minton's history teachers: 

Mary Tess Tran said:  
"As a student, Eric is hardworking; intelligent; loves history; thoughtful; engaged; empathetic.  As a person, Eric is dedicated; incredibly respectful (one of the most respectful students I have ever, ever encountered); loves his family, friends, and country (as seen in the way he acts, his presentation about his grandfather, and his enlistment in the navy)Eric always asks me how I am and genuinely seems interested; he's a student that students like and teachers like; that shows a lot about him."

Killian Murphy said: 
"Eric is a polite, respectful young man who is very passionate about history, regardless of the area: world, Asia, Middle East, Africa. He first presented about his grandfather during his sophomore year in World History.  Since then, Eric has done extensive research over the past two years to learn more about his grandfather's experiences during WWII.  His love of family and history are what motivated him to acquire as much information about his grandfather.  As a result of his motivation, the presentation on his grandfather has improved dramatically.  I think the best way to explain how much the presentation has grown is to say that he'd make a great history teacher!  So if he finds that a career in the military doesn't suit him, he has options. He  consistently gives his best effort regardless of the rigor or challenge he's confronted with.  He's the type of person who learns from errors or mistakes, academically at least, and works to make modifications to improve his performance in the future. Eric has been motivated to join the navy as far back as his junior year in high school, to my knowledge.  He will represent this nation impeccably."

                Anchors Aweigh, Eric!