Veterans roll call | Page 4 | The Boneyard

Veterans roll call

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veryolddog said:
Since family members are also included, my Dad served in the US Navy Submarine Service on, I think, a Balto Class sub during WWII in the Pacific covering mostly the South China Sea trade routes to Japan. Jan 1942 to December 1945.

My Brother served in the US Navy during the Korean War on a Destroyer, 1953 to 1956.

With all of this talk of submarines, I was technically attached to the 3rd Recon Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, Okinawa. However, I was stationed in Groton, CT 1972 to 1981. because the submarines use to pick me up and provide forwarding transportation. These guys were always very nice to me, gave me a hot shower, new uniforms even though they were Navy, hot meals and clean sheets to sleep on in a small stateroom and bunk. Good guys!
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My Navy days were spent with Marines in a number of assignments. We always had friendly banter about being squids and jarheads. But,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, we squids knew who had our backs and carried the load. Thank you VOD and all of your Marine brothers, for being there.
 
My father served in the Merchant Marines during WW2. He was twice on ships that were attacked. One went down and the other did not. He never talked about it but my mother later showed me the article from the Daily Dispatch that wrote he spent seven days adrift on a lifeboat with some other men before being rescued.
 
Jackcatscal said:
I should put a pitch in for my friend Ken, who was in my (first) wedding party. He dropped out of college in the sixties and enlisted in the Army. Went from E-1, 2, 3, 4, 5. During that time, he went to Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, got his green beret, and served a combat tour in Viet Nam. Went to OCS, and went from O-1, 2, 3. Another tour in Viet Nam. The war ended, and he’s an officer without a college degree, so he gets cut. Went back to college, finishes, plus gets a master’s degree. (I think one or both degrees at Fordham.) Goes back in the Army, but his commission is gone, so he goes in with his reserve grade, which is E-6. Applies for his warrant, gets it, and goes from W-1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Retires out of the Pentagon. After he retired, he founded and ran a rehab program for military amputees.

I’ll also mention my friend Jim, who was an F-4 back-seater during Viet Nam. He was shot down over Laos, marched to Hanoi, and kept as a prisoner in the Hanoi Hilton for three years. John McCain was in the next cell, and Jim praises him for keeping the other prisoners’ morale high. After his release, Jim completed his Navy career, and retired as a commander. A very sweet and gentle man.
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Jack, you know how to pick your friends. As long as we have men (and women) like these among us our country can overcome any obstacle.
 
Steelerone said:
My father served in the Merchant Marines during WW2. He was twice on ships that were attacked. One went down and the other did not. He never talked about it but my mother later showed me the article from the Daily Dispatch that wrote he spent seven days adrift on a lifeboat with some other men before being rescued.
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My father was also in Merchant Marines (sole support for parents and a younger brother)... lots of North Atlantic convoy crossings. He stayed in until 1948, and saw most of the world. Never talked about it very much.
 
My father was in Alaska then on the Aleutian Islands during WWII, he served as a radio operator for the Command Group. He talked very little about it because he was one of the ones that had to send info on the deaths of the wounded US soldiers that were killed while in their hospital beds by the Japanese forces in their Kamikaze raids on the Aleutian Islands. One of my brothers was a U.S. Army combat medic in Viet Nam, during the Tet Offensive he and the hospital staff had to take the wounded off their beds and put the soldiers mattresses on top of them to help protect them from incoming mortar fire, he got out of the Army a few months after that and has never been the same person. My oldest brother was a Navy Seal stationed in Florida during the Cuban missile crisis and passed away in 79 while still on active duty as a Master Chief Petty Officer while stationed at San Diego Naval Base. To this day he has a Silver Star with a V cluster that were awarded to him that we have never been able to find out what it was for. The certificate and orders both say awarded for exemplary mission performance in Southeast Asia. When my parents asked what the medal was for they were told by the Navy that it is classified. Even one of our Senators could not get the Navy to say what it was for. My dad always thought it was for the mining of the Honoi harbor, he never found out before he passed on 11/11/2004.
 
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A lot of family going back to the Civil War. A grandfather and his brother who were in Maryland and Pennsylvania regiments respectively. One was infantry protecting the B&O railroad and C&O canals and the other was cavalry.

Seemed to skip the Spanish American War and the Great War. Had an uncle who was a paratrooper and served occupation duty in Japan and a great uncle who was in the Battle of the Bulge. Another uncle was a Marine in Vietnam in the "69 to '70 time period (doesn't say much about it except for a couple of stories about adventures on leave). Several cousins. One a Navy medical orderly on a hospital ship during the Vietnam war, one who was career Navy who retired as a captain if I recall correctly, and another cousin who was an MP in Germany in the early to mid '70's who had some interesting encounters with East German border guards.
 
dink32 said:
US Navy 1952-1954 USS Woodson DE 359
USS Barb SS 220
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dink32, What a record Barb had! The WWII commander of Barb, Medal of Honor winner Eugene Fluckey, was a neighbor when I was a young kid and my parents knew him. A few years and a couple of ownership changes later I live in that house he lived in. We still have a couple of old wooden shipping crates with his name on them. I've got an autographed copy of his book, Thunder Below!
 
MSGRET said:
My father was in Alaska then on the Aleutian Islands during WWII, he served as a radio operator for the Command Group. He talked very little about it because he was one of the ones that had to send info on the deaths of the wounded US soldiers that were killed while in their hospital beds by the Japanese forces in their Kamikaze raids on the Aleutian Islands. One of my brothers was a U.S. Army combat medic in Viet Nam, during the Tet Offensive he and the hospital staff had to take the wounded off their beds and put the soldiers mattresses on top of them to help protect them from incoming mortar fire, he got out of the Army a few months after that and has never been the same person. My oldest brother was a Navy Seal stationed in Florida during the Cuban missile crisis and passed away in 79 while still on active duty as a Master Chief Petty Officer while stationed at San Diego Naval Base. To this day he has a Silver Star with a V cluster that were awarded to him that we have never been able to find out what it was for. The certificate and orders both say awarded for exemplary mission performance in Southeast Asia. When my parents asked what the medal was for they were told by the Navy that it is classified. Even one of our Senators could not get the Navy to say what it was for. My dad always thought it was for the mining of the Honoi harbor, he never found out before he passed on 11/11/2004.
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Sorry for your losses.
If you desire, you may appeal the classification of your brother's actions taken that earned him the Silver Star with the V cluster (I'm sure you know, but for those not in the know that the "V" is for Valor under enemy fire), the actual operation, location and timing will tend to be at a classification that will never be declassified. The appeal should be directed to the Chief of Naval Operations with "copy to" both of your U.S. Senators, and your congressman/congresswoman. It may take a couple of years to move through the review process, which is why you send a copy to both Senators, and your congressman, so you can call their offices if you do not hear back from the CNO's office in two months.
I am not guaranteeing that you will ever get an answer back, but I would file the appeal sooner rather than later. Also, in your letter, please list all of the military background that your family has, and if you still have contact with anyone with Flag rank, they may be able to help your letter process faster.
God bless your familyn and bless your Journey!
 
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ETSA said:
dink32, What a record Barb had! The WWII commander of Barb, Medal of Honor winner Eugene Fluckey, was a neighbor when I was a young kid and my parents knew him. A few years and a couple of ownership changes later I live in that house he lived in. We still have a couple of old wooden shipping crates with his name on them. I've got an autographed copy of his book, Thunder Below!
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I also have an autographed copy of Thunder Below, and it is in my top five of books in my possession. My wife (now of nearly 34 years) got it signed at a book signing when I was out to sea, but due to a delay in his flight out of Hawaii, I met him at the main desk of Lockwood Hall on SUBASE Pearl Harbor. Very sharp individual.
 
FanHam said:
USMC, 1970-1972, Quantico, Va., corporal, court reporter, legal clerk and golfer.
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FYI, I was one of the few enlisted people who played golf. Quantico had a beautiful course and enlisted could play for free. Weekends there were pretty random pairings. As a result, I played with a LOT of brass.

Louis Wilson, who was later Commandant of the Marine Corps from '75 to '79, was the quintessential USMC officer: southern, understated, gentlemanly, a little rigid. John Wayne-ish. He always walked, carried his own bag and didn't talk much. I asked him once how he won his Medal of Honor and he said "Just followin' orders."

I played once with Leonard Chapman right after he retired as Commandant of the Marine Corps in '72. Pretty chatty, good guy, good golfer. He beat me, as I remember, and I was a pretty good golfer back then. He told me that corporals and sergeants run the Marine Corps, so he could be a bit delusional, lol. You had to cross the main drag a few times playing the golf course back then and drivers of cars saluted him from behind the wheel.

Dan Lauria, who played the father on The Wonder Years TV show from '88 to '93 was my company CO for a brief time: Headquarters Company, Service Battalion. Great guy: funny, irreverent, but still a straight arrow. He'd been to Nam and was getting out. It's my understanding that his roommates while he was a struggling actor in NYC a few years later were John Goodman, Bruce Willis, and Ed O'Neill, of Modern Family and Married, With Children fame. I can see it.
 
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Steelerone said:
Jack, you know how to pick your friends. As long as we have men (and women) like these among us our country can overcome any obstacle.
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A little more info. My special ops friend Ken has three sons. Two are career Army— one a senior NCO, and one who was just promoted to major. His youngest son has Down syndrome, and is an excellent cook and a true Elvis Presley fan.
 
The CDR-Ret said:
We still had the USS BARB's WWII Battle flag on display at CSS-11 in San Diego [SUBASE Point Loma] when I was there 1999-2002... I also read the WWII patrol reports as a breaking from studying for my Nuclear Engineer's Exam while I was at the Pearl Harbor COMSUBPAC classified library.

Thanks for your service!
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CDR-Ret, Did you know that BARB's battle flag is now on display at the Nautilus Museum in Groton? With the locomotive patch from when a landing party from the submarine set charges on a rail line resulting in destruction of Japanese train.
 
The CDR-Ret said:
Sorry for your losses.
If you desire, you may appeal the classification of your brother's actions taken that earned him the Silver Star with the V cluster (I'm sure you know, but for those not in the know that the "V" is for Valor under enemy fire), the actual operation, location and timing will tend to be at a classification that will never be declassified. The appeal should be directed to the Chief of Naval Operations with "copy to" both of your U.S. Senators, and your congressman/congresswoman. It may take a couple of years to move through the review process, which is why you send a copy to both Senators, and your congressman, so you can call their offices if you do not hear back from the CNO's office in two months.
I am not guaranteeing that you will ever get an answer back, but I would file the appeal sooner rather than later. Also, in your letter, please list all of the military background that your family has, and if you still have contact with anyone with Flag rank, they may be able to help your letter process faster.
God bless your familyn and bless your Journey!
Expand ...
Napoleon said, “A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.”
 
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Signal Corps, '62 - '65. Never considered myself a real veteran; to me, only combat veterans are true veterans.
I share my name with a cousin who was career Army. He spent a number of years as a golf pro in Germany. Apparently, generals like to have golf partners who can play the game.
 
McFly said:
Signal Corps, '62 - '65. Never considered myself a real veteran; to me, only combat veterans are true veterans.
I share my name with a cousin who was career Army. He spent a number of years as a golf pro in Germany. Apparently, generals like to have golf partners who can play the game.
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The pro at Miramar was retired Navy enlisted... took lessons from him, and he said the same thing... he was the admiral's partner and had standing orders to hit 1000 golf balls daily.
 
The CDR-Ret said:
I also have an autographed copy of Thunder Below, and it is in my top five of books in my possession. My wife (now of nearly 34 years) got it signed at a book signing when I was out to sea, but due to a delay in his flight out of Hawaii, I met him at the main desk of Lockwood Hall on SUBASE Pearl Harbor. Very sharp individual.
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I have a signed copy of Flukey's book. I also have a signed copy of Dick O'Kanes' Wahoo. For those who aren't familiar they were WWII submarine skippers and MOH recipients. I have not read either book in several years but I've now added them to my reading list.
 
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vtcwbuff said:
I have a signed copy of Flukey's book. I also have a signed copy of Dick O'Kanes' Wahoo. For those who aren't familiar they were WWII submarine skippers and MOH recipients. I have not read either book in several years but I've now added them to my reading list.
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I have a signed copies of two books, "It Doesn't Take a Hero, and My American Journey", by General's Norman Schwarzkoph and Colin Powell. They are currently packed away with almost 1,000 books that have yet to unpack from my last move to my current home.
 
uconnfan68 said:
The pro at Miramar was retired Navy enlisted... took lessons from him, and he said the same thing... he was the admiral's partner and had standing orders to hit 1000 golf balls daily.
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I live near Miramar NAS. I was surprised to learn that the Miramar golf course is open to the public.
 
ETSA said:
CDR-Ret, Did you know that BARB's battle flag is now on display at the Nautilus Museum in Groton? With the locomotive patch from when a landing party from the submarine set charges on a rail line resulting in destruction of Japanese train.
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That was my tavorite story. Blowing up a train on a night mission.....
 
mrmojack said:
US NAVY 1965-69 Fleet Weather Facility Keflavik, Iceland
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MrMoJack

Haven’t heard the MoJack phrase in almost 50 yrs. Served with Comiceaswgru/Comfairkeflavik from 71-74. Looked forward to FWF daily Wx forecasts, especially those putting us in Condition ‘Charlie’. Been back to Kef a few times since leaving. As you know, big changes. Base closed, family qtrs are now Univ of Iceland student housing. Toll on road to Reykjavik now gone, etc. After naval service, spent 30+ yrs in aerospace industry, retired and teaching at Naval Academy for past 5 yrs.
 
Jackcatscal said:
I live near Miramar NAS. I was surprised to learn that the Miramar golf course is open to the public.
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It’s a Marine base now I believe... I left SD in 1979. It was a Navy fighter base then. Played golf next to touch-and-goes by F-14s and the rest. They used to cruise out to sea right over Torrey Pines at low altitude too.
 
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