Saturday, November 11, 2017 Veterans Day DEDICATION CEREMONY 1:00Pm Allison & Howard Lutnick Theater
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1 Dedication Ceremony To Honor Those Who Have Served Our Country Saturday, November 11, 2017 Veterans Day DEDICATION CEREMONY 1:00pm Allison & Howard Lutnick Theater RECEPTION 2:00pm–3:30pm Great Hall (Aft end of the ship) INTREPID MUSEUM’S VETERANS DAY CEREMONY 3:30pm Pier Opening Remarks Susan Marenoff-Zausner PRESIDENT Introduction Matt Costantino MANAGER, DONOR AND FORMER CREW MEMBER RELATIONS Induction of Honorees LCDR Robert B. “Bob” Brunson LT Jerome Goodman USNR 1942–1950 USN 1959-1963 BM3 Charles “Chuck” Coppess COX Richard P. Niemiec USNR 1959-1961 USN 1943-1946 TEC4 John J. Evans PO3 Michael W. Reppucci USA 1946-1947 USN 1957-1960 4 VETERANS DAY 2017 HONOREES LCDR Robert B. “Bob” Brunson, USNR 1942-1950 BM3 Charles “Chuck” Coppess, USNR 1959-1961 PILOT IN FIRST EVER CARRIER BASED NIGHT-FIGHTER LOVE YOU - PATTI, MIKE, KRIS, PATTY, PAUL AND JASON. SQUADRON VF(N)-101 ASSIGNED TO ENTERPRISE (CV-6) AND INTREPID (CV-11) Charles “Chuck” Coppess was born September 21, 1940, in Gary, Indiana. He along with other classmates from Tolleston High School decided to join the It took a league of officers and a fleet of battle-ready ships to get them there, Navy together. Not all passed and none went in together. After graduation in but it was 12 kids and two commanding officers who did the nighttime work and 1958 he was off to boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, for a couple of weeks. air cover to protect the fleet of 20 or more ships. He and his squadron became He was assigned to Intrepid as a “deck ape.” the first in two categories: first carrier-borne night-fighters and first to operate the Vought F4U-2 Corsairs from aircraft carriers. From January 1944 to July 1944, He found out about and joined the Former Crew Members Association after he he and his squadron mates were part of Task Force 58 and participated in and his wife attended Fleet Week in 1996. It was a proud and exciting moment Operation Hailstorm. Twenty-two-year-old LTJG Brunson vectored to the tails coming to Intrepid after 35 years. of enemy aircraft in the stealth of darkness. They flew with no lights on the planes or on the carriers to prevent the enemy from finding the fleet and launching Chuck has dedicated his retirement years to Intrepid and the Former Crew their torpedoes. His squadron shot down the first five enemies in night combat. Members Association. He has sought out and located many former crew As a second assignment, he escorted seaplanes to embattled areas to find and members and hosted several reunions. He has served as Midwest States Chapter pick up survivors of aircrews of damaged aircraft that were unable to return to Representative as well as chairman of the States Chapter Representatives for their carrier. This was a better assignment, done in the light of day. many years. Designated as Squadron VF(N)-101, the 14 pilots were divided: Brunson’s group Chuck is truly dedicated to his family, friends, shipmates, Intrepid and the of seven were assigned to Enterprise (CV-6) and the remaining seven to Intrepid United States of America. (CV-11). Pilots and aircrews were kept in the air by dozens of dedicated mechanics and ship’s crews working day and night. All played a part in winning the war. Thank you to Museum supporters Sanford Schlesinger and Lianne Lazetera for making this dedication possible. VETERANS DAY 2017 HONOREES 5 TEC4 John J. Evans, USA 1946–1947 LT Jerome Goodman, USN 1959-1963 YOUR DEDICATION & LOVE OF GOD, COUNTRY AND FAMILY USS LLOYD THOMAS DDE 764 WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED. YOUR DEVOTION TO COUNTRY AND FAMILY INSPIRES US! MAY YOU REST IN PEACE ANNE, KAREN, PETE, JACK, WITH LOVE AND PRIDE, LIN, JIM, SYD AND WES BRANNON Jerome (Jerry) Goodman served in the U.S. Navy from 1960 to 1963, John Joseph “Jack” Evans was born and raised in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. during the time of elevated tensions surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis. Jack’s father, an Army veteran of World War I who served overseas, died when Born in Ridgewood, New Jersey, in 1936, Jerry attended the University of Jack was 18, during his freshman year studying chemical engineering. As the Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where he met his wife, Elaine. He had several oldest son, Jack took on the family responsibilities and found employment as career opportunities upon graduation but chose to enlist in the Navy to follow a surveyor assistant in the engineering department for the Philadelphia and in the path of an elder and admired cousin. He was assigned to the USS Lloyd Reading Coal & Iron Company. Thomas as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps, where he was charged with overseeing supplies for all areas of the ship, ranging from food and utilities Jack was drafted into the Army on March 1, 1946. He was assigned to the for the mess and ward rooms to spare parts for the gun mounts and laundry. 1092nd Engineer Utility Detachment in Seoul, Korea, later that year. His duties During his tenure, Lloyd Thomas underwent a FRAM II conversion at the included charge responsibility for supply, procurement section, material Brooklyn Navy Yard where it was redesignated DD-764. Upon reconfiguration, requisition, record retention, disposition and supervision of four clerks. the destroyer sailed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for refresher training. It was also He was promoted to Tec 4 Administrative NCO 502 and worked in the capacity one of the first ships to rush to the site of the Texas Tower devastation. of sergeant major. His captain and major recommended him for the Army Commendation Ribbon in April 1947. Jack continued as head of household Jerry’s time in the U.S. Navy has been a major influence throughout his life. and was discharged in 1947. His love and loyalty to our country and to the men with whom he served has led to deep patriotism and lifelong friendships. His duties as the supply officer Jack declined Officer Candidate School. He graduated from Penn State aboard Lloyd Thomas shaped his future in business and his work ethic. He went University in 1950, utilizing the GI Bill. During his career, he worked on on to receive an MBA from New York University and became a partner at the prototypes of jets, quality control propulsion engines for Admiral Rickover’s accounting firm of Flackman, Goodman and Potter. Jerry and his wife Elaine nuclear submarines and as a reliability analyst at an aerospace company. continue to follow international events, partake in programs at the U.S. Naval War College, and attend political and naval lectures. Jerry is also a life member Jack married in 1963 and had a daughter, Karen. He died in 1988, prior to of the U.S. Navy League. Karen’s marriage. Karen and her husband have two sons. They are all excited and comforted by this memorial opportunity. Jerry attributes his dedication, perseverance and patriotism to his time in the U.S. Navy and has deeply imbued these admirable qualities in his ever-grateful children and grandchildren. 6 VETERANS DAY 2017 HONOREES COX Richard P. Niemiec, USN 1943-1946 PO3 Michael W. Reppucci, USN 1957-1960 PROUD TO HAVE SERVED AS A GUNNER ABOARD IT WAS MY HONOR TO SERVE WITH VF-74 ON THE USS INTREPID. FLIGHT DECK OF INTREPID IN SERVICE TO MY COUNTRY. FOREVER MISSED BY YOUR LOVING FAMILY. Michael was 17 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After completing Richard P. Niemiec had many names and titles throughout his life, but he was boot camp, he went to guided missile school for Sidewinder missiles and was most proud to be a crew member on USS Intrepid in the U.S. Navy. He served assigned to squadron VF-74 in Oceana, Virginia, which was converting its 20 on Intrepid during World War II from 1943 to 1946. He was a gunner and earned millimeter guns to air-to-air missiles. He participated in Operation Top Gun in two commendations. The first occurred on November 25, 1944, when Intrepid Huma, Arizona, where squadron VF-40 placed second in a weapons competition. came under heavy air attack. Serious fires started in many parts of the ship. He received a commendation for it along with his crew. The fighting spirit and the heroic and unselfish efforts of all hands saved Intrepid from possible disaster. Despite constant danger, every man remained Serving on Intrepid, he was first assigned to the flight deck, which could be a at his station and performed his duty in a manner in keeping with the highest pretty scary place at night between the catapults. As a young man he learned traditions of the naval service. The second occurred on May 1, 1945, when to have no fear and the importance of complete trust in crewmates because Richard was a member of the gunnery department. His conduct and skill their lives all depended on each other. He recognized how important it is to take while under heavy enemy air attacks contributed to the destruction of at least responsibility, especially for other people’s lives. He is honored to have served 10 enemy aircraft. on Intrepid and believes serving in the U.S. Navy made him a better man. November 25, 1944, was the worst day in Intrepid’s history. Sixty-nine lives Michael feels the Intrepid Museum represents a piece of American history. were lost when two kamikaze aircraft crashed into the flight deck and started It should be preserved and respected in the highest manner as a tribute to the numerous fires.