More about Gene
Eugene McClarty was born on 7 September 1917 in Missouri, USA. In 1940 he was accepted into the US Navy although he had never seen the sea or been in a ship. As a crew member of destroyer USS Downes (DD-375) he sailed to Australia on a good-will tour in early 1941. There he met ‘Bobby’ Corbett who he married in Bel Air, Maryland, USA in 1946. Throughout the Pacific war Gene served on destroyer USS Bagley (DD-386). He later served in Korea. After twenty years in the navy, Gene retired as Chief Petty Officer and in 1962 he, Bobby, and their son Michael returned to Sydney, Australia. Now age 86, Gene is still well and living in Adelaide, South Australia. He is a member of the American Legion, and of the Tea Tree Gully branch of the Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL). He is also a member and past president of the Tea Tree Gully Probus Club in Adelaide. He has an active interest in helping young people and regularly speaks at schools and other meetings in Adelaide. 

Gene and Bobby at their home in Adelaide, South Australia, June 2003