April 1944

On April 3, 1944, Lt. Charles M. Dillon came aboard USS Mason to observe the crew during shakedown. But his duties didn't involve gunnery or depth charge drills. He was sent by the Bureau of Personnel. Records show more attention was shown by Navy "brass" to the ship's cleanliness than it's preparations for combat duty.

To his credit, Dillon later served in the Special Programs Unit and played a central role in reversing the navy's discriminatory policies.

Lorenzo DuFau remembers the observers this way:

"You had these people, observers, come aboard; they were personnel officers. But we knew we were there to see how we'd do. And we were fully aware that we would be under the microscope, and we realized the load was on us. And looking back, I'm glad I didn't know as much then as I know now, because I probably would have been shaken up a bit to know what weight we had to carry. But it was a puzzle to me why we had to be studied like something in a laboratory. We were human beings, blood running in our veins, loyal American citizens doing everything that was required."

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