By KATE DANIEL

When Jim Boswell boarded the Queen Mary on Easter Sunday, 1944, his unwavering sense of duty to his country trumped any inkling of trepidation in regard to the journey ahead.

At 17 years old, Boswell had enlisted in the Navy in February 1944 and had attended basic training at Naval Training Station Sampson, New York. On Easter Sunday, he believed himself to be on the way to attend amphibious training in Fort Pierce, Florida. He was unaware that a mistake had led to his placement on the wrong boat — one headed for Roseneith, Scotland.

However unsettling the realization may have been for some — Jim Boswell had no amphibious training thus far, and would soon be sent to the front lines of battle — fear was a concept unknown to the young sailor.

Recalling the two years of his youth spent aboard ships during World War II, the Oak Harbor resident said matter-of-factly, “I didn’t care. I didn’t have any sense then.”

At 88 years old, Jim Boswell isn’t quite as agile as he was at 17. But, given the opportunity, he said he’d “100 percent” do it all again.

“It’s probably a good thing they don’t allow seniors in the military,” said his wife, Laura Boswell.

“Somebody would have to push my walker,” Jim Boswell said with a laugh.

Boswell was recently diagnosed with liver cancer. The diagnosis prompted his wife, who says she is “notorious for doing surprises,” to plan an event honoring her husband and his service.

On Tuesday Sept. 8, the Boswells gathered with close friends, family members and two active-duty sailors at Summer Hill Retirement Center, where Commander Ducanti discussed the veteran’s service and presented him with a veteran coin and a framed American flag. A flag in Jim Boswell’s honor was also flown at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

The presentation was completely unexpected by Jim Boswell, who said he was deeply moved by the ceremony and the gratitude expressed by those present.

He keeps the coin tucked away securely in his pocket, a reminder of the day and of the honor. The flag is displayed proudly in the couple’s home.

“Jim is a role model for everyone lucky enough to know him and is proud to be a veteran,” wrote Al Robinson, a friend of the Boswells, in an email.

During his time serving in the Navy, Boswell sailed four ships and encountered numerous near-brushes with death, including his first trip to France. During this voyage, his ship withstood heavy enemy fire from a beach battery on June 15, 1944, during the Battle of Normandy.

During the same battle and on his second trip, the ship on which he sailed withstood eight direct hits, with sailors ordered to abandon ship. Jim Boswell and a friend hadn’t heard the commands, he recalled, though they were fortunate enough to survive the blows.

His service in Normandy earned him a bronze star.

When the invasion of France ended, Jim Boswell took a short leave home in Connecticut before finally receiving his amphibious training at Fort Pierce.

Afterward, he boarded the U.S.S. Oglethorpe and headed for Japan, traveling through the Panama Canal. By the time Jim Boswell arrived, the Japanese had surrendered. He was soon after stationed on Kwajalein, where he spent the remainder of his time in the Navy as the base commander’s yeoman.

It was during this time that Jim Boswell received the honor of driving Major General Claire Lee Chennault, who had flown in to meet with “the big wigs.”

“I was the only one with clean whites,” said Jim Boswell, explaining his happenstance fortune of being chosen to drive the famous aviator and mercenary leader of the “Flying Tigers.”

In addition to his Bronze Star Medal, Boswell received WWII, American Campaign, Asiatic Pacific Campaign and European African Middle Eastern Campaign ribbons during his Naval service.

“I enjoyed the time I was in, every second of it,” Jim Boswell said.