The Veterans Breakfast Club remembers with honor and gratitude Julian Moses, who passed away on May 31, 2025, at the age of 100. A Navy veteran of World War II, Julian served aboard the USS Bushnell (AS-15), a submarine tender that operated in the Pacific Theater in support of America’s “Silent Service.”
Born in Brooklyn in 1925, Julian was just 18 years old when he entered the Navy in 1943. After completing boot camp at Sampson Naval Training Station in New York and electrician’s training at Iowa State College, he volunteered for the Navy’s submarine service. “We underwent heavy psychological testing,” Julian recalled in a 2023 Veterans Breakfast Club interview. “Not everyone was eligible to get in there.”
Julian never served on a combat submarine, but his work as an electrician aboard the Bushnell was vital to the war effort. Stationed in the Marshall Islands and later Guam, the Bushnell was home base to Submarine Squadron 14, tending to battle-worn submarines between patrols. These boats—many battered by depth charges or strained by long missions—came in for urgent repairs. Julian and his fellow crew members worked around the clock to get them ready for their next deployment.
“I’d go out to check on submarines,” Julian said. “There was always something to fix. I had one bad experience where a panel board blew up in my face and burned my eyes.” Despite the dangers, he remained on duty, even after the war ended. His specialized skills made him “essential personnel,” delaying his return home while other sailors shipped back.
The Pacific submarine campaign was one of the most dangerous assignments of the war, and Julian understood the risks. “You always wanted a captain who was a family man,” he noted. “They were less likely to take awful chances.” The toll was sobering: 52 American submarines were lost in the Pacific, and more than 3,500 sailors never came home. Still, these subs played an outsize role in defeating Japan, sinking over 1,300 enemy ships and crippling supply lines to the Japanese mainland.
Julian served with humility, as was typical of his generation. He viewed his time in uniform not as heroic, but as necessary. “My motivating factor was to get home,” he said simply. “I didn’t have control over what was going to happen. My life was now in the hands of the military.”
After the war, Julian took full advantage of the GI Bill, studied accounting, and built a long career as a CPA. He also earned a high school teaching certification and taught adult learners in New York City. “They were immigrants, mostly,” he said, “coming back to get their diplomas. I had fun doing it.”
Julian remained active and engaged well into his later years. At 98, he sat down with the Veterans Breakfast Club for a wide-ranging conversation about his service, his life, and the quiet contributions of those who supported the submariners on the front lines.
We invite you to watch Julian’s full interview with us here: Julian Moses VBC Interview
Julian Moses leaves behind a remarkable legacy of service, duty, and dedication. He was part of a generation that faced global catastrophe with resolve and integrity, and he did so with a quiet sense of responsibility. As we remember him, we also remember all those who stood watch with him—on deck, below deck, and beneath the sea.
Fair winds and following seas, Julian. We’re eternally grateful for your service.
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Interview: Veterans Breakfast Club YouTube Channel
Learn more about submarine warfare in WWII: Naval History and Heritage Command
