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  • 2021-08-27 (xsd:date)
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  • Was Navy Seaman Elgin Staples Saved by a Life Belt Made by His Mom? (en)
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  • In August 2021, many internet users were introduced to the incredible story behind the rescue of U.S. Navy Seaman Elgin Staples after the sinking of the USS Astoria during World War II via a viral Facebook post. The Facebook page Time To Go Home wrote: This story, incredibly, is largely accurate. Staples was aboard the USS Astoria when it sank during the Battle of Savo Island, and he survived, in part, because of a life belt that was manufactured at the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company plant where his mother, Vera Mueller-Staples, worked. While it is very likely that Mueller-Staples had a hand in manufacturing the specific belt that saved her son's life, we have not been able to independently verify this. Staples was truly aboard the U.S.S. Astoria when it was struck by torpedoes and sank during the Battle of Savo Island. More than 200 Navy men went down with the ship, but Staples survived, thanks in part to his life belt and the careful aim of his countrymen. Staples was quoted in an October 1942 news article from the United Press: The life belt Staples wore while he awaited rescue was truly made in the plant where his mother worked. However, the earliest versions of this story did not say that Mueller-Staples had a personal hand in the life belt's manufacture. In fact, in October 1942, Mueller-Staples herself said that there was a one in three chance that she personally inspected the belt. The United Press reported: Other articles from the time also reported that Staples was saved by the type of belt made by his mother in the Akron factory. Here's a newspaper clipping from December 1942 that shows Mueller-Staples and six other women who were honored for their work to support the war effort: 04 Dec 1942, Fri The Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) Newspapers.com It's unclear if this story was embellished over the years, or if it was later found that Mueller-Staples truly had inspected the very life belt worn by her son. In either case, the viral version of this story that circulated on Facebook is supported by Staples himself. Staples wrote a story entitled Against All Odds for the book Chicken Soup for the Veteran's Soul: Stories to Stir the Pride and Honor the Courage of Our Veterans. Staples' version of the story mirrors the text that was circulated on Facebook. He wrote: (en)
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