September 2011 Volume 14 Issue 2 Official Newsletter of the USS EAG-128

Mississippi Pirate Special Points of Interest

 Do you remem- ber the POW/ MIA bracelets? Find out what to do with them now from our cover story.

 Paul Shepley’s Message is on page two.

POW/MIA Bracelets  Five newly lo- cated shipmates Maybe you remember the POW/ was able to get some bracelets are in Welcome MIA bracelets that were worn in the made and the response by the public Mat on page 2. early 1970s which bore the name, was overwhelmingly positive. Over rank, service, date of loss and coun- five million bracelets were distrib-  Taps honors 9 try of loss of a serviceman in Viet- uted over the next several years. former ship- nam. The idea for the bracelets was If you have a bracelet and would mates on page 2. started by college students Kay like to get information on the man

Hunter and Carol Bates as a way to whose name is on the bracelet, send  News from some remember American prisoners of war a letter to: shipmates on suffering in captivity in Southeast page 3 Asia. Their idea came from returning Defense POW/Missing Persons Office

American soldiers, Bob Dornan in ATTN: Public Affairs particular, who wore bracelets given 2400 Defense, Pentagon to them by the Montagnard hill tribes- Washington, DC 20301- 2400 men in Vietnam with whom they had fought beside. It served as a bond Give them the information off the with a far away friend who was still in bracelet and you will receive an an- danger. Dornan said it always re- swer. Be certain to ask them for the minded him of the suffering the war current status of the individual. You had brought to so many. Hunter and may also ask them about contacting Bates thought similar bracelets with the family or returning a bracelet to the family. the name of a POW or MIA on it Published by: would be a good way to draw atten- Many people want to know if their tion to the POW/MIAs and get the bracelet is unique, or does someone American public’s support in resolv- else have a bracelet with the same name. The answer is that there is no ing their status with the Vietnamese central control of the names that go government. After many frustrating failures to get funding for the brace- on the bracelets and there is no cen- tral registry of who has which brace- lets, Bates (Hunter had dropped out of the let. Thus, it is likely that many people P.O. Drawer 11399, Hickory, NC 28603 project have a bracelet with the same name Phone: 828-256-6008 or Fax: 828-256-6559 by now) on it. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] finally (Continued on page 2) On the web: www.mlrsinc.com/eag128 Page 2 Mississippi Pirate

(Continued from page 1) The , al- President Paul Shepley’s Message though many years in the past by now, is still fresh Ahoy Shipmates, in the minds of thou- sands who risked their It has been a long time since we were together at our Wilmington lives for our country—men Reunion. We miss you guys. Pam and I are fine. We hope you all con- who were welcomed tinue to have good health. There are plans in the works in Wilming- home by their families, ton to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the USS North Carolina bat- but not by their country. tleship. We are very excited. Others only made it home in coffins and are re- Shipmates, please plan to bring items for our annual auction. membered mainly by This is our way to make money for our ship newsletter, the Pirate. It their families. Others is a fun time, so everyone try to bring something. We are looking forward to our next made it home only after a reunion in Lancaster, PA. There will be lots of things to see and do. long captivity, and others have never made it home With the bad weather throughout our country, I hope you were all in safe places. at all. The bracelets are a ______reminder of these men— lest we forget. ______

WELCOME MAT TAPS The USS MISSISSIPPI Association cordially wel- The Pirate has learned of the following shipmates’ comes the following shipmates who have been located deaths since the last newsletter. The entire crew sends since the last newsletter. our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of We hope to see you at the next reunion, and we the deceased. hope you will take an active part in the association.

George Gordon Bob Robinson Frank Szurek Ray O’Neal (1953-54) Seaman 62 Oliver Rd SN Ex Div B Div 2010 Two Putt Ln Manchester, CT 06042 Date of death not reported Date of death not reported Panama City, FL 32404 850-874-9914 William Guiney Al Larkum Ace Warren [email protected] (1954-56) E Dvi Died March 25, 2009 (1952-54) SS2c Supply 213 Deerpath Ln Died June 6, 2011 F. C. Cunningham Hendersonville, NC 28739 Earl “Rocky” Mohrman (1949-52) 828-696-8638 (1952-56) MMFN M Div Vito Scurto 234 Lincoln Highland Dr [email protected] Date of death not reported (1954-55) SN S1 Div Corapolis, PA 15108 ______Died March 2011 412-874-1222 Charles Martin (1948-50) SN 3rd & S Div Melvin Ewert Leif Svensen Date of death not reported Died November 12, 1983 (1953-55) BM3 ______16 E 40 St George Rathbun Brantbeach, NH 08008 Died November 22, 2008

Mississippi Pirate Page 3 Volume 14 Issue 2 SCUTTLEBUTT

From Anthony Garramone: I served on the Mississippi from Oct ‘54 to Feb ‘56. It was a great ship with a fine crew. Over the years I have met some shipmates who were traveling through Utica, where I reside. I had the pleasure last week of reuniting with a shipmate that I haven’t seen since I left the ship. Lou Woods was passing through the area with his son and wife and I had the pleasure of taking them to lunch. Of course we spoke of all the places we went together and especially our trips to Virginia Beach. It is interesting that after all those years, seeing each other seemed like yesterday. He lives in Pennsylvania and I told him about the reunion and gave him all the Howard Storey served on the USS Mississippi from 1947 till 1950 as an information. FN in M Division.

Financial Statement STATEMENT OF PUBLICATION

The PIRATE is the official publication of the USS MISSISSIPPI Association. From now on it will be published quarterly in March, June, September, and December, sub- ject to receiving sufficient funding. The Newsletter is funded by voluntary contributions from the membership. All members are encouraged to support the voice of the MIS- Balance remaining after 03/11 SISSIPPI. A financial statement appears in each issue of the newsletter. $1109.29 The newsletter is intended to be a vehicle for the members to express opinions, Funds collected since 03/11 make suggestions and especially share experiences. $0.00 Unless otherwise stated, the views and opinions printed in the newsletter are those Funds available for 09/11 of the article’s writer, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Association $1109.29 leadership or the Editor of the Newsletter. Funds expended 09/11 All letters and stories submitted will be considered for publication, except unsigned letters will not be published. Letters requesting the writer’s name be withheld will be $141.52 honored, but published on a space available basis. Signed letters with no restrictions Balance for 12/11 will be given priority. $967.77 Letters demeaning to another shipmate will not be printed; letters espousing a politi- cal position will not be printed. This issue is being mailed only to Military Locator & Reunion Service, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of arti- those who returned the coupon to cles submitted for publication. It would be a monumental task to check each story. receive the newsletter by mail. Others Therefore, we rely on the submitter to research each article. may access the newsletter from the The editor reserves the right to edit letters to conform to grammar, and/or space web site www.mlrsinc.com/eag128. limitations. Send contributions to ML&RS, Inc. at You are encouraged to actively participate in the newsletter family by submitting our address on page four. your stories and suggestions. ______

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Submitted by Rich De Boer