Foot Locker Talk Newsletter

Transcription

1 U S S F R A N K E. E V A N S ( D D ) A S S O C I A T I O N, I N C. Footlocker Talk Newsletter 2009 Second Quarter Foot Locker Talk Newsletter MAA 2 MICHAEL ANTHONY MONSOOR - SEA, AIR and LAND(SEAL) by Timarie Jablonski Dawson Master At Arms second class Michael A. Monsoor, Delta Platoon SEAL Team Three was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for jumping on a grenade in Iraq, giving his life to save his fellow SEALs. Twenty-four year old Mike Monsoor was the third of four children born to a Marine father in Long Beach, California. Afflicted with asthma as a child, Monsoor strengthened his lungs by racing his siblings in the family pool. He attended Garden Grove High School in Garden Grove, California where he played tight-end on the football team. During Mike Monsoor s funeral in San Diego, as his coffin was being moved from the hearse to the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, Navy SEALs were lined up on both sides of the Pallbearers route forming a column of two s, with the coffin moving up the center. As Mike s coffin passed, each SEAL, having removed his gold Trident from his uniform, slapped it down embedding the Trident in the wooden coffin. The slaps were audible from across the cemetery. By the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from the Tridents pinned to it. This was a fitting sendoff for a warrior hero. FREEDOM ISN T FREE SOMEBODY PAID I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e : In Memoriam New / Returning Members FEE Medals & Ribbons. 3 Featured 40 s 4 & 5 From Down Under 5 Featured 50 s 6 & 7 Featured 60 s 8 Flash News 8 2 Foot Locker Talk Newsletter 1

2 In Memoriam Gayle Allred FA Brenda AZ Deceased Gayle Allred, was born 15 May 1939, in Fountain Green, Utah 18, Allred. Married Carolyn Frances Conlon on 8 May 1960, in Ely, NV; later solemnized in the Manti LDS Temple on 8 June Gayle served in the US Navy for four years on the USS Frank E Evans (DD 754) and worked for Dugway Proving Grounds and the Tooele Army Depot where he retired in Survived by his wife Carolyn Allred, Mt. Pleasant, UT; children, Jeffery Collin (Sylvia) Allred, Tooele, UT and Connie LaRue Allred (Bruce Baker), Tooele, UT; siblings, Edice (Curtis Von) Allred, Provo, UT; Perry Neil Allred, Apple Valley, UT; Susan (Shirl) Jackman, Mapleton, UT; Robert (Jan) Allred, Nephi, UT; sister-in- law, Lueine Allred, Ely, NV. Preceded in death by his parents, son, Daniel Gayle Allred; brother, James Earl Allred. Funeral Services were held on 3 Jan. 2009, 1:00 p.m., Mt. Pleasant 3rd Ward Chapel. Interment is in the Fountain Green City Cemetery. Ted Mortenson SN Butte, MT Deceased Ted Mortenson was born 18 March 1929, in Hogeland, Montana. He died 2 May 2009, following a courageous battle with cancer. He was at home in Butte, Montana at the time of his death. Ted was a carefree man who loved life to the fullest. He served his country from 1946 to 1954 beginning in the Air Force and finishing in the Navy. He was the father of two children, Walt and Sherri. He is survived by his daughter, Sherri (Paul) Baker of Butte; daughter-in-law, Barbara Krum Mortenson of Georgetown and Butte; sister, Edith (Les) Klabunde of Medford, Oregon.; brother, Paul Bud Mortenson of Mountain Home, Idaho; grandchildren, Joani (Greg) Hanley of Butte, Ted (Julie) Deshner of Butte; and three great-grandchildren all of Butte, Ted Deshner, Amber Hanley and Jena Hanley. He also had 12 nieces and nephews that he loved very much. Memorial contributions are asked to be sent to Highlands Hospice in Butte, or to Fort Harrison VA Hospital in Helena. WELCOME NEW MEMBERS The USS Frank E. Evans (DD 754) Association welcomes its new members. Dale Brandon Brother of Robert Brandon Lost 74 Paramount CA James Bourke SK Pensacola FL Charles Cunningham BT Long Beach CA Heather Gill Grand Daughter of Earl Marchbank Raleigh NC Kelli Kraus Daughter-In-Law of Stephen A Kraus Vista CA Talley Sowell Sister of Henry West III Lost 74 Easley SC WELCOME RETURNING MEMBERS The USS Frank E. Evans (DD 754) Association welcomes its returning members. Nancy Benson Widow of shipmate Tom Benson Mounds View MN Orville Brinkman RM Sarasota FL William Bristow RM Louisville KY Vernon Cash MMC 69 (s) Rio Rancho NM James Murray GM Gilmer TX Mary Olson Widow of shipmate Robert Olson Glendale CA Joe Powell SN George West TX Robert Reed SN (s) Wellsville OH Bill Richardson Brother-in-Law of Cal Rankin Loveland CO Edward Salinas MM Tucson AZ Carl Smith SO Reedley CA Dale Witmer FN Surprise AZ Foot Locker Talk Newsletter 2

3 Dear Sir, I would appreciate information on ribbons or medals the USS Frank E. Evans (DD 754) received during the period while I was onboard from Thanks, Roy Stephens,Plank Owner, S 2/c Response: Roy, the following are the medals and ribbons awarded to: 1 Star/OKINAWA GUNTO OPERATION: Assault and Occupation of Okinawa Gunto: Jun 1945 USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754) Oct 1967; 1-13 Nov Nov 1967; 1-20 Dec Jan Star/FIRST U.N. COUNTEROFFENSIVE-KOREA: 5 Feb-19 Mar Star/COMMUNIST CHINA SPRING OFFENSIVE: 22 Apr-8 Jul Star/U.N. SUMMER-FALL OFFENSIVE: 9 Jul-17 Aug Star/SECOND KOREAN WINTER: 20 Apr-17 May 1952; 21 Jul-18 Oct Star/TET COUNTEROFFENSIVE: 1-20 Feb Star/VIETNAM OPERATIONS: 2-15 May 1969 CHINA SERVICE MEDAL: 2 Sep Mar 1946 NAVY OCCUPATION SERVICE MEDAL (Asia Clasp): 2 Sep Mar 1946; 6-11 Sep Sep 1953; Sep 1954; Oct 1954;30 Oct - 9 Nov 1954; Feb Star/KOREA, SUMMER-FALL: Jul Star/VIETNAM DEFENSE CAMPAIGN: 29 Jul-6 Aug 1965; Sep Star/VIETNAMESE COUNTEROFFENSIVE PHASE II Aug 1966; 1-4 Sep Oct 1966; 1-24 Nov Star/VIETNAMESE COUNTEROFFENSIVE PHASE III: GREEN HILLS MEMORIAL PARK 24TH ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVANCE Come join us for this year s Memorial Day observance. The USS Frank E. Evans (DD 754) Association will participate as one of the color guards in this years ceremony. As in the past we will be carrying the banner of our 74 Lost. This yearly event draws approximately 5,000 participants and is recognized as the largest Memorial Day service in California. It is resplendent with the sights and sounds of patriotism: color guards, marching bands, sky divers, fly-over's, dignitaries and thousands of American Flags. Date: 25 May 2009 Time: 9:00 A.M. Location: So. Western Ave. Rancho Palos Verdes CA Please contact Pete Peters, Director of Survivor Relations at or for any additional information. KOREAN and UNITED NATIONS SERVICE MEDAL 23 Jan-24 Aug 1951; 14 Apr-24 May 1952; 19 Jun-21 Oct 1952; 17 Jul - 5 Sep 1953; 29 Sep - 1 Dec 1953 REPUBLIC OF KOREA PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITA- TION BADGE: 23 Jan - 24 Aug 1951; 14 Apr - 24 May Jun - 21 Oct 1952 FOR OUR INTERNET USERS The 2006 USS FRAN E. Evans Memorial dedication video at the Mount Washington Forever Cemetery in Independence, Missouri is on-line for your viewing pleasure. Go to: Click on the icon USS Frank E Evans and enjoy the video. It runs about an hour. You can re-live the moment and also see your fellow shipmates. Foot Locker Talk Newsletter 3

4 FEATURED 40 s - PAUL EUGENE WARD PLANK OWNER Abstract from an oral interview...courtesy Texas Tech Paul E. Ward (nickname Pew. His initials are PEW, so his shipmates would say peeeww) was assigned to USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754) before the ship was commissioned and remained aboard until shortly after the end of the war. Paul served in the U.S. Navy as a Water (Boiler) Tender from 1938 to 1945 and again during the Korean War aboard USS Alfred A Cunningham (DD 752) from 1950 to THE EARLY YEARS I, Paul Eugene Ward, grew up through the Depression in Columbus, Ohio. Born in To make money, I mopped the floors and did the windows weekly at the barbershop and a drug store. NAVAL RESERVE While growing up, I never thought about joining the military. I had a friend who was in the Naval Reserve. He kept talking about it. So as soon as I turned 17, I enlisted in the Naval Reserve. The starting pay was $21.00 a month. I was put in the fire room where the boilers are. I didn t volunteer, they just put me down there. That s how I ended up doing that kind of work. Other than eating and sleeping, I don t remember a whole lot now what we did when off duty. We d cruise around up there on Lake Michigan. I remember on the weekend we went into Petoskey, Michigan where we got a chance to go ashore. Had a lot of fun at 17, if you know what I mean. When I first entered into the Naval Reserve I never gave any thought to destroyers. I didn t know what a destroyer was. The Navy began asking for volunteers where we could enlist for three months up to a period of one year. I thought that would be a good way to find out if I liked the Navy. I M IN THE NAVY NOW In July of 40 I left home. I didn t go to boot camp. I left home one day, got in Norfolk the next. I was aboard USS ELLIS (DD 154), an old four stacker. She was built in I became a water tender, which was what you eventually attained after being a fireman. I was on that ship for 4 years. Eventually, I had promotions and ended up in charge of the fire room. NEW CONSTRUCTION In October 1944, I was transferred to new construction. I was assigned to a new destroyer, a brand new one, which ultimately became USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754). The ship was being built by Bethlehem Steel Works in Staten Island. I m a plank owner. The four stacker, ELLIS number was DD 154 and I went to the 754. That was kind of an oddity, going from 154 to 754, an interesting heck of a coincidence. FRANK E. EVANS FIRE ROOM The first time I actually stepped into the fire room was prior to her being commissioned. Going from a ship built in 1919 to one being commissioned in 45, there was quite a difference. I used to say, it was like going from hell to heaven the difference between those two ships because of the difference in ages. LIVING CONDITIONS Living conditions were not too bad. On the old 4 stacker our bunks and our mess tables were in the same area. We did not have a regular chow hall. We ate and slept in the same area, whereas FRANK E. EVANS had a regular chow hall separate from the living area. FRANK E. EVANS was roomier. She carried a few more men. As far as riding in the ocean, the waves, there wasn t a whole lot of difference. I was quartered in the after section at the extreme end. I was clear back on the fantail. AVERAGE DAY An average day at sea was to stand four-hour watches. Off watch, we had magazines and books. Each evening we saw a movie in the mess hall. A lot of us would go in and watch the movie. We would exchange movies with the other ships that were steaming with us. THE PACIFIC THEATER FRANK E. EVANS was commissioned 3 February We did our shake down cruise down in Guantanamo Bay. On 8 May 1945, which happened to be VE Day, we were headed to the west coast via the Panama Canal. We continued straight to Pearl Harbor, then on to the Marshall Islands. By the time we got to a secured Iwo Jima, it was July of 45. The war, for all intents and purposes, in that area, was pretty well over. From Iwo Jima we went to Okinawa. We were still doing picket duty, running plane guard for carriers. It was August when we first heard about the atomic bomb being dropped. I think a few days later, the other A-bomb was dropped. Then, Foot Locker Talk Newsletter 4

5 shortly afterwards, there was surrender. I was real glad. LIBERTY We didn t get a whole lot of liberty. Prior to the war ending we got a little liberty of course there in Pearl Harbor. I don t remember having any liberty after that until the war ended. We went to Korea right after the war ended in 45 and had some liberty. I saw the remains of USS ARIZONA. I kind of knew what to expect because I d seen pictures. It was kind of sad. I have since been out there. I went out there a few years ago to Hawaii. We went aboard the memorial part where you can still see oil coming to the surface from ARIZONA. I had a couple of friends from high school who were killed aboard her. They re probably still aboard. DISCHARGE I stayed aboard FRANK E. EVANS until the war ended. I had enough points for discharge right then but they classified me as a military necessity My name is William Russell, I served on HMAS Melbourne in 1969 and was there when the Melboune collided with the USS Frank E. Evans. I am still haunted by the events of that night and will be, I suppose, for the rest of my life. What disturbs me most these days is that the full picture surrounding the collision is conveniently omitted from the history of the event thus diminishing the gravity of what the ships were doing at that time and place. This, in turn, diminishes the sacrifice of the lives of the 74 men who died, and the price the one and a half thousand who survived (Evans and Melbourne crews) have had to pay. In short, the Australian and US governments of the time, and subsequent governments, have failed to put right the spin produced by two embarrassed nations (and, in fact, SEATO). This has disrespected the men who died, and those who survived that day. When we offer our lives for our countries we expect only one thing until another water tender came aboard to relieve me. Six weeks later I took a troop ship to Portland, Oregon, and a train to Toledo, Ohio. That s where I got my discharge in November of I did however sign up for another four years in the reserves. I got recalled to active service again in 1950 and went aboard another ship, almost a sister ship to FRANK E. EV- ANS called USS ALFRED A. CUN- NINGHAM (DD 752). I had to stay aboard her until my 14 months were up. This time when I got discharged, I d had enough of the Reserves. Being married and having a child, I didn t want anymore to do with the Navy. We had another girl and a boy. None of them followed in my footsteps into the Navy. REMINISCING I have a big picture of FRANK E. EV- ANS hanging on the wall in my family room, not a photograph but a drawing. Sometime, I can t remember just when, I saw an article in a Navy magazine that you could order pictures of any ship you served on. I already had a good photograph of ELLIS, the four stacker, but I didn t have anything on FRANK E. EVANS. So I sent in for it. It s an 8x10 but it s a drawing more than it is a photo. It s just a drawing of a 2200-ton class destroyer, which all looked alike anyway. They just inserted the number 754 in the proper location. USS FRANK E. EVANS In 50 when they put FRANK E. EV- ANS back in commission, she was practically right next to my other ship USS ALFRED A. CUNNINGHAM (DD 752). We operated together during the Korean War. I remember that happening because I still belong to the FRANK E. EVANS Association. I get newsletters. Of course I heard about FRANK E. Evans. That happened in My first reaction when I heard the news was sad, all the lives lost. Half of her went down, the other half they used for gunnery practice, as I understand it. SPECIAL FROM DOWN UNDER TO OUR HISTORIAN (PDF FILES AVIALBLE UPON REQUEST) Dear Sir, in return: that we, and our families, be respected when we return or In The Wake by Jo Stevenson, Hale better covered in other texts like are lost on the battlefield; after & Iremonger 1999; HMAS Melborne by all, aren t we offering our lives to Timothy Hall, Allen & Unwin, 1982; preserve the quality of respect in No Pleasure Cruise by Tom Frame, our nations. Allen & Unwin, I am sure I don t need to rattle on in this . However, as you are putting together the history of the USS Frank E. Evans, I thought you may need some facts all too often ignored or overlooked. To this end, you will find two attachments to this the first is of a photograph of myself and one of the American survivors (I would love to know his name). If you would like a better quality copy of the photograph, it can be supplied by the Australian War Memorial. The second attachment is a pdf file. This is an abridged and somewhat condensed version of a larger document I have written. It is copyright, but I am happy for you to use what you need (with the appropriate acknowledgements made). The tracts removed from the document mostly relate to my own personal experiences on that morning and to matters This Only A Pawn (the attached pdf document) has been published in that it has been circulated in various government departments in Australia. I want to build on it (particularly from the perspective of US sailors from the Evans) and have it published in a booklet. Incidentally, I am the photographer that took the photograph on the Association s site Photo Gallery labeled Photo of USS Frank E. Evans taken from HMAS Melbourne, 1969 I may have also taken some of the photographs at the top of the Gallery I wish you luck with your publications and look forward to seeing the results when they are completed. Sincerely yours, William Russell Foot Locker Talk Newsletter 5

6 FEATURED 5O S - CARL W. LENZ anyone up for watch. It was the first night sleep any of us got. My name is Carl Lenz Jr. I served aboard USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754) from I am only 87 pounds heavier than when you last saw me. Some of us remember some things about our Navy days and some of us remember other things. Combined, they some how complete the whole picture. Some of my memories include the first time I saw FRANK E. EVANS tied up at the pier with the other ships being brought out of mothballs. She didn t look like much but it was what I wanted, duty on a destroyer. I remember the first time we took her out to sea for a shake down cruise. We watched those bulkheads move back and forth, and up and down. The aft deck was lined up with sea sick sailors. Some of us tried to act like it didn t bother us. Our first liberty in Japan, I could not believe my eyes. What a gloomy, dirty place. All the glitter about oriental countries vanished. Heaser and I returned to the ship long before liberty was up. We left for Korea sometime near the end of January After working with Task Force 77, we arrived at Wonsan harbor. After the first engagement with the enemy, we were old salts with all kinds of tails to tell. While in Wonsan harbor, we fired at targets of opportunity. On one session, we fired a 5" round every 11 minutes, day and night. Of course they used mount 53, where most of us engineers bunked. It's hard to believe, but we did manage to sleep with that mount firing. Between the 11 min ordeal, and some of the battles from ship to shore, the projectiles burned the paint off the gun barrels. We were out to sea 65 days on that tour, shelling the rail junction at Wonsan. I recall our entry into Yokosuka harbor with the paint mostly burnt off Mount 53. Boy, were we proud! This time Japan didn t seem so bad, maybe it was the fact we found a few beer halls and art galleries. speak. In 1951, on the first tour to the combat zone, I wrote all my letters back home as though we were in Japan. The Des Moines newspaper put an end to that. Our encounter in the Wonsan Harbor was printed in that newspaper, in very accurate detail, as to the length of the encounter to the number of men injured when we were hit by enemy shore batteries. The only thing they missed was the number of holes we had in the superstructure (48 or 52). Now we were real salts and had a purpose which really bound most of us into a proud bunch of fighting men. The skipper at that time, CDR Christie, was very intelligent when it came to maneuvering the ship so as not to be hit. This encounter lasted 1 1/2 hours. The skipper received a medal for his performance. After we secured from battle stations, I made a mad dash up the starboard ladder out onto the deck and looked around. I saw many small holes in the superstructure and smoke stacks. I looked over the side and down a bit. I noticed three holes in the bulwark, about three feet apart. One hole lined up with some empty 5"/38 shell casings in their aluminum flash casings. I removed the lashing rope and moved a few of them. To my amazement, there was one of these casings laid open from the impact of shrapnel. I reached We departed 2 January 1951 for Korea. Degroot spent the whole day with his head in a bucket, as did some others. Hawaii was impressive to me, as was Midway. The storm we had to ride out en-route to Japan was something else. This is when Meagher lost his teeth MM2 Dietz and MM2 Tokar, were two and Campbell (Harry) went flying WWII reservists called into service backwards over a table on the mess during the Korean conflict. None of the deck with food and tray. What a ride guys called back into service was that was! I remember arriving in Japan, happy about it; however, they were the night before, you could not get the men who taught us the ropes, so to Foot Locker Talk Newsletter 6

7 through the gash and came up with two pieces of shrapnel. I gave one to the mailman, who happened over to investigate and I kept the other one, which I still have. We had to turn them in for analysis. Several months later the pieces of shrapnel were returned. The report read: size 105mm or larger, fired from a World War II Japanese gun. Out of all this came the silencing of the gun emplacements in Wonsan Harbor. Now it was on to other fields of endeavor. It wasn't battle stations 24-7, so checkers, chess and card playing made for good pastimes (see photo). The lid off somebody s foot locker improvised for a table. In 1952, on our second trip overseas, we experimented in how to blow up a Chinese junk and all it's occupants. Planes fired rockets at them and we fired 5" projectiles. We inspected the junks after each demonstration, with the damage being minimal. Then we tried the coup-de-gras, a depth charge set to go off very shallow. The results were fantastic. There are dummies in these craft and you can barely make them out after the depth charge did it's dastardly deed. (see Photo) After that, it seemed fairly repetitious. Back to Korea, work with the task force, then go in looking for targets of opportunity, if it be Wonsan, or up the coast, then back to Japan for liberty. It seemed we broke the monotony talking about back home and our experiences in civilian life. Getting Nichols and Simpson up to relieve the watch would have to go down as one of the toughest tasks I had to perform. I ll never forget the time Chief Burns poured water on Nick to wake him up! If they would have sent them both over on the beach with Burns facing south and Nick north, I believe Nick would have kicked his a all the way to Manchuria, wiping out anyone or anything in you path. Just think, it would have shortened the conflict by years. One of the last liberties, was Mexico. We got back late and ran from the bus to the ferry boat landing only to find out, between us, we had no money! Thanks to Nick s quick wit and charm, they hauled us out to FRANK E. EV- ANS free of charge. Within a week of being discharged, I was employed at Asher Motors in Spencer, Iowa. In November 1955, I married Margaret Burns from Estherville, Iowa. In June 1957 I became one of Iowa s finest, a term we used to identify Iowa Hi-way Patrolmen. For 12 years, 24 hours a day, I stuck it out. It was quite interesting and sometimes not so boring, like the time I stuck a sawed off shotgun in the face of an armed bank robber. (I won!) He was a cool one, good thing because only my launderer knew how scared I was. For the most part it wasn t too bad. When I watched a young girl and her father burn to death in a semi, from Dallas, Texas, I decided I d had enough, although it took another six or seven years before I actually quit. Worked for Morton Buildings for 10 years, then finished up with Purolator Courier for another 10 years or so. It was during this job I drove through a heavy blanket of 2-4-D fog, which disabled me with central nerve damage called peripheral neuropathy. This happened in 1988 and I have been disabled ever since. Nick, what you have done with the reunion of USS FRANK E. EVANS is great. Just think, we didn t know if each other was alive or dead. It rekindles a part of the past very dear to most of us. At least, it should give us a chuckle or two. Hope to hear from you about your memories. Fast forward to B. J. s activities have been cut down after a heart attack before the first Missouri reunion. He hasn't been able to travel much since then. He is the shipmate who cut out all the little wooden animals we have had in the Ship Store. BJ enjoyed working in his workshop for hours on end before his health problems. USS FRANK E. EVANS (DD 754) 40 TH MEMORIAL CEREMONY The USS Frank E. Evans (DD 754) Association will conduct a memorial ceremony in honor and recognition of our Lost 74 Shipmates 3 June :00 AM Long Beach Navy Memorial Pier Point Landing Kindly Respond to Pete Peters (cell ) (home ) rep1029@aol.com Foot Locker Talk Newsletter 7

8 I, Lawrence Larry Cuzzupe, was born 1 November 1944, at Eugene, Oregon. My eyes and hair are brown. My father was Italian and my mother was Irish. I'm the oldest of three. My sister lives in Riverside, New Jersey, and my brother in Lincoln, Nebraska. Late in 1962, before my 18 birthday, and before graduating from Lincoln Northeast High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, I joined the Navy as a kiddie cruiser. Boot camp was at Great Lakes, Illinois where I also went to Interior Communications A school. FEATURED 60 s LAWRENCE (LARRY) P. CUZZUPE My first duty was aboard two training ships: USS LAMAR (PCE 899) in Milwaukee, and USS PARLE (DE 708)in Chicago. On 15 April 1964, I was received for duty on board USS FRANK E.EVANS (DD 754). I was assigned to R Division. The first advice I got was to, Never bring back the movie Shane from the movie exchange. If you do, something bad will happen to you. Evidently, prior to my arrival, the movie had been overdone to the point of mutiny. I never did!! I remember being in dry-dock at Long Beach. There were two other ships in this one dry-dock with us; a LPH carrier in front with FRANK E. EVANS and another destroyer, side by side, behind it. I regret never getting any pictures of this unusual situation. When we left for Westpac in 65, we carried a blaze orange, 16 or 17 ft. remote controlled speedboat on our helo deck. Evidently it was to practice firing on North Vietnamese torpedo boats which were considered a threat at that time. (This was shortly after the Gulf of Tonkin incident.) The boat was launched. Each group was to take turns firing at it. We were second or third. Our gun crew blew it to a smithereens, which ended the firing exercise. It was a great experience aboard FRANK E. EVANS. I had never been outside the continental U.S. I'll never forget my first sighting of Diamond Head, all the exotic places we visited, and being out to sea. It was late I was twenty-one years old and returned to Lincoln, Nebraska. For the first few years, I had three different jobs, then joined a Vet Medicine Company, which later was purchased by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, were I spent a 30 year career in 1999, I retired officially. My three children are all married. I have three step-children, five stepgrandchildren and four grandchildren. ******************************************** FLASH NEWS PENNSYLVANIA 3 JUNE TH CEMENONY Sharon Shirack reports that she was unable to obtain approval for our memorial stone and dedication ceremony in a national cemetery in the state of Pennsylvania. Sharon is continuing to search for an alternate location but will be unable to complete all the necessary agreements and make arrangements prior to 3 June We will keep you updated once a date and location are confirmed. *************************** ANOTHER REAR ADMIRAL IN THE FAMILY Received information from Emmett Tidd that his son, Mark, is being promoted to Rear Admiral, the notice read: Navy Captain Mark L. Tidd has been nominated for appointment to the rank of Rear Admiral (lower half). Tidd is currently serving as command chaplain, U.S European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. Being an Admiral must run in the family; of course we all know that Muggs is still totally in charge. Best wishes and congrats to the entire Tidd Family. Foot Locker Talk Newsletter 8