Havasu Veterans | Robert Shumake: Coast Guard veteran rescued two men at the age of 17

After his father noticed his absence, Shumake reappeared only to notify his father of his enlistment into the Coast Guard.

“He says, ‘Well, the man’s ready to sign you up for the Marines,’” Shumake recalled. “I said, ‘It’s too late, dad. I’ve already joined the Coast Guard,’ and he was madder than hell.”

With it being 1958, Shumake traveled east to Cape May, New Jersey to attend basic training. He learned routine skills at the training center that included knot tying, he says. Following his time in New Jersey, Shumake embarked to his first duty station in Charlevoix, Michigan.

It was there that his life would take a turn during a tragic search and rescue mission.

Receiving his first call of duty, as Shumake explains, members aboard the USCG Cutter Sundew broke through a frozen Lake Michigan. The crew had received a call about a freighter, the Charles D. Bradley, that sank under the water. Those aboard the sinking ship had either froze to death or drowned, he says.

After nearly eight hours of breaking through ice, two survivors were recovered by Shumake and his fellow members. The men, Frank Mays and Elmer Fleming, had suffered from hypothermia due to the incident.

“I kept in contact with them once they got out of the hospital,” Shumake said. “Even when I was here, I still had their phone numbers.”

Some time after in 2003, a book was published about the event entitled, “If We Make It ‘til Daylight.” Holding tight to a copy in his home, the book is a retelling from survivor Mays. Flipping to a middle page, a photograph highlights Shumake and fellow guardsman Robert Fritz after they rescued Fleming.

The duration of Shumake’s service was dedicated to the Coast Guard’s search and rescue team. He describes his duties as searching for “bodies or survivors, any sign of life.” Once his time in Charlevoix was completed, he attended a diesel mechanic school in Groton, Connecticut. He later returned to the Great Lakes area and was reassigned to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Close to two years had passed when Shumake’s ship was transferred to Detroit. Never departing from the states, Shumake eventually transitioned to California through a Coast Guard transfer.

Referring to the process as a “mutual,” Shumake switched duty stations with a member situated in San Pedro, California. The guardsman previously resided in Shumake’s location of Detroit, while Shumake’s parents lived close to San Pedro. After the transfer was approved, Shumake performed his duties in California until his ship was decommissioned.

A Coast Guard station in Newport Beach, California became Shumake’s next and final stop. Boarding an 83-foot ship, he continued his search and rescue duties until his enlistment ended. In July 1962, Shumake received his discharge while in his early 20s.

Finding new employment led Shumake to the dairy industry, where he packaged and bottled milk. During this time, he met and married his first wife. The pair ultimately separated after his wife left within a five-month span, he says.

Remaining single for close to eight years, Shumake married his current wife in 1969. The couple resided in California until their move to Lake Havasu City in 1991. Between that time, Shumake started a family of his own and worked in various jobs, including construction.

Although he entertained the idea of having a military career, Shumake disliked the low pay distributed to him. His monthly paycheck equaled less than $90, he remembers, which kept him aboard his ship quite frequently.

The written tale of Shumake’s rescue efforts along with his recollection are deeply cherished by him. Cradling his remaining copy, Shumake bookmarks the page that displays his heroism.

“It made me a better man. I loved the Coast Guard,” Shumake expressed. “If you can get in it, join it and you’ll have a lot of benefits when you get out for the rest of your life. The experience is going to make you a better person just by joining.”