U S S R E E V E S (DLG-24/CG-24) A SSOCIATION

Winter 20122012----20132013 Volume 5, Issue 4

The Ironman—A Double Ender’s Newsletter

Membership Scorebox REEVES Survives Accidental Bombing Current 61 This story has been deliberately This is the official news release: Past Due 98 avoided by the Newsletter editorial The pilot of a Navy F/A-18 Hornet Snail Mail Ad- board (that would be me) for several that dropped a 500-pound bomb on the 264 dresses Only years. It’s not that there is something cruiser USS Reeves in the Indian Email Address 458 shameful about the bombing of a capi- Ocean "mistook the Reeves for his in- tal ship, it’s the simple fact that there tended target" during night weapons Total Shipmates 2,350 are shipmates in the here and now that practice, the Navy said Tuesday. were shipmates back then, like there Dues Notice! when the world went to hell. Please be sure to check your mailing label or email nota- We have to consider how it must tion. have felt to someone standing in a If it doesn’t say Current bombed space within minutes of find- above your name at the top ing an injured shipmate. Many of us of the label, you should re- new your annual dues. To often walked into the areas near the reach the greatest number of chain lockers, paint lockers and other shipmates, we will publish the complete Association utility areas in the forward bow. newsletter to any valid email or snail mail address. Your dues payments make this possible. But it was still not clear how the Inside this issue: pilot became so confused that he could bomb an American warship, Lt. Cmdr. President’s Message 2 Craig Quigley said, adding that the Shipmates’ Deck Log 3 cruiser was not towing a target during USNCSA Membership Assist 4 the weapons practice."Clearly he mis- Consider Portland 5 took the Reeves for his intended tar- Financials/Objectives 6 get," Quigley said. "The best we have View from the forward MG sets. Bow is that there was a floating target about About When We Were Born 6 anchor chain and port lifelines are missing. Gulf War Syndrome 7 5 miles away" from the cruiser. The Navy jet pilot was being de- Agent Orange Exposed Ships 9 We can see the area is opened like The Volunteers 11 briefed Tuesday aboard the aircraft a beer can. That’s what the official carrier USS Midway, where he re- Membership Application photos show. This was pretty far for- 12 turned after Monday night's bombing. ward from the forward missile house. The Midway's battle group was 32 There is a problem with letting a miles from Diego Garcia in the Indian guy who served on board back in the Ocean when the accident occurred at early 70’s reconstruct the forward sec- 9:06 p.m. Monday local time (1:06 tion of the ship in his addlepated mind (Continued on page 8) in the 2012’s. PageP a g e 222 The IronmanIronman————AA Double Ender’s Newsletter The President’s Page Happy Winter & not include a Presidential election, Sailor Association has been instru- Season’s Greet- and that alone should represent a mental in adding 166 confirmed ings to the considerable reduction in back- snail mail addresses to our mem- Reeves Associa- ground noise. ber database. This provides us tion Family Now that we’ve summarily with another method to reach po- avoided the most recent cataclys- tential members to see if they may By the time this mic threat to the universe, we can be interested in joining our ranks. edition of the move right along into matters con- You would think that a world Reeves Association Newsletter is cerning the Reeves Association. filled with internet and Facebook printed and delivered to everyone, We have a few new items in the links to us would no longer require we can rightly assume that the de- Ship’s Store that may interest you. snail-mail addresses to find ship- cision to end the Mayan Calendar The first is the new Reeves Asso- mates. However, it is proven to be on 12/21/12 was more a matter of ciation Challenge Coins, which a prime method for our recruit- Mayan convenience than a note to were recently un-veiled at the ment efforts, so we’ll get newslet- predict the destruction of the plan- 2012 reunion in Charleston. These ters mailed out to them. et. Most academics and Maya very impressive mementos are You can also be of assistance scholars acknowledge that while available for $12.00 a copy (plus to the effort by contacting old the Mayan Long Count Calendar shipping) and can be ordered by shipmates that you may not have does indeed have an end-date that contacting Mike Robertson. They seen for years. If nothing else, tell correlates to December 21, the make greats gifts for you to give them about the challenge coins and Maya never mentioned an apoca- yourself, and for anyone who was send them a copy of the newslet- lypse associated with the date. proud to have been associated with ter. We’d be happy to add them to Picture a cartoon with a Mayan a Reeves Sailor. There’s more in- our mailings and provide them scribe, chisel in hand, who runs formation and pictures of the chal- with an opportunity to re-join a out of space on the tablet and says, lenge coins on the website. piece of their past. We are also "That'll freak somebody out some Mike has also recently had our trying to bolster member interest day." reunion ball cap logo (ships sil- in the organization by adding Given the fact that we are all houette) converted for embroidery member articles and stories to the still here to read the newsletter, onto t-shirts and polo shirts. The newsletter. While we’re not all we’ll also advance the assumption pictures are posted on the web-site writers, we all have favorite stories that we all have lived through a along with instructions on how to from our time aboard the Reeves. very Merry Christmas and are order one of these fine articles. They can be historic, informative, looking forward to a Happy and Keep in mind that we do not nor- sad, or just plain funny. We don’t Prosperous New Year in 2013. I mally maintain an inventory of care, as there are plenty of ship- hope all of our extended Reeves sizes and colors, so we would be mates out there who would love to Family had a great opportunity to assembling orders for a limited hear and relate to your stories. spend time with family and friends production run. Don’t let the “I’m not much of a over the holidays, and that 2013 We have also recently had writer” complex slow you down. looks to be more promising than some assistance with our ever- Scratch out the story and we’ll be the year we just completed. If ongoing effort to find and contact happy to re-write it into something nothing else, the New Year does Reeves Shipmates. The Cruiser printable for you – and even give you the credit. Your shipmates would like to hear those stories, so give it a try. Here’s wishing you a mild winter, fair winds, and following seas //tom Volume 5, Issue 4 PageP a g e 333 Mail/eMail/Decklog From Our Shipmates ——— Hi Mr Robertson, reserves - with a BMU-2 DET after a you how much all your hard work is I am sad to report that Billy M. seabee tour with NMCB-74 as S1 appreciated. You and your sweet wife Jones went to be with the Lord on which took me to 2MEF and the first have been the spark plug that made August 27, 2012. He had kidney can- gulf war on the kuwait border. the reunions so enjoyable. Our hats cer. After a very successful surgery, Dang cold war ending made me are off to both of you! My bride of sloppy nursing care allowed him to be leave the navy and have a successful over 62 years joins me wholehearted- found on the floor by his bed not IT career in business intelligence. I ly in these words of thanks. breathing, no heartbeat at can help with some website stuff as Unfortunately, we were unable to 0100. Mind you Bill was on Fall that’s’ my business...if you ever need attend the Charleston reunion and I watch restrictions. It is sad when a hand. somehow doubt that we will be able someone dies, but worse when they Life is complex enough...I think I to attend in the future. Our thoughts died from nursing neglect. He was a still have my old Reeves cap...proud and affection for the Reeves remains fighter and ready to go all the way of my time there even if I wasn’t the full strength however. I suppose that with the kidney cancer treatment. I greatest JO...sometimes you just have some slowing down might be ex- have read that kidney cancer can be to learn later. pected by the age of 85. I suspect that directly linked to service in Viet Regards, the ranks of the original (DLG-24) Nam. HIs widow should be able to Dave Samuels (1986-1989) plank owners is thinning considera- get disability or back disabil- bly. ity. Would you know anything about Hi Mike Once again, thanks for all the that or who I could contact? hard work and fun knowing you! Sorry to hear of Chief Jones' Bill , who was my step father or passing. bonus dad as I called him, was proud Woodie (Stegall) (1963-1965) of his many years in the Navy. A If I may, I believe REEVES visit- finer more honorable man I have nev- ed Australia in the summer of 1968, er met. He was buried at Ft Sam not in 1967. I remember that in 1965 This is a Houston with full military honors as on the initial WESTPAC deployment ship’s crest befitting a patriot. REEVES conducted operations in the that Woodie Regards, southern operating areas near Saigon gave to the Association Kathy Jones and the Delta in the South China Sea. I want to say probably May thru July when we Bonus daughter of 1965. The remainder of the de- first started ployment was spent operating off of the associa- Hi Mike - Danang and North Vietnam in the tion. It was I will hook up on facebook, Gulf of Tonkin. given to Woodie as a member of the though I finally shook my addiction 1966 thru 1968 was almost al- commissioning wardroom in Bremer- this year,,,lol. ways assignment to South SAR Sta- ton, WA, back on May 15, 1964, by I remember some other friends tion with an occasional two or three Bremerton Naval Shipyard. Woodie inhabiting your old stateroom - I lived week duty of plane guard which I was the commissioning Navigator. under the ASROC launcher between hated. Always trying to keep on sta- This plaque is present at all of our OPS and WEPS...I kinda liked it for tion while chasing the birdfarm. Give reunions. the most part. The CCTV studio was me South SAR any day. I know it Woodie’s Navy career extends pretty small - my 2nd class assistant drove the Bridge watch batty staying from World War II (and I don’t have was always getting me yelled at for within the five mile circle but at least all the particulars). Woodie is a switching the 3rd channel into the we had a valid and important purpose Mustang, something of which I know main feed...of course he wasnt watch- on South SAR. a little bit here and there. ing a kid friendly program when he Regards I’ve been tracing Woodie’s histo- did that. Don Carunchio ry backward. So far, this is what I’ve I still haven’t been to Hawaii. come up with: My highest rank onboard was Hi Mike, LTJG. I left the Navy as a LT in the I just wanted to drop a note and tell (Continued on page 4) P a g e 4 The IronmanIronman————AA Double Ender’s Newsletter USNCSA Helps with Member Database Before the Charleston reunion, we had at least a state. This includ- emailed newsletters costs about the Association (that would be me) ed those with everything from just $100 each year. So, our online provided a copy of our membership a state to a complete snail mail ad- costs are about $200 each year. list to the Navy dress. We didn’t provide any email It costs us about $2.00 per copy Cruiser Sailor Association addresses. (printing and postage) to snail mail (USNCSA) in an effort to help both Jim and Robert were able to fill a newsletter. We send about 360 organizations to find more ship- in snail mail addresses for 166 hard copies every year at a cost of mates. Two USNCSA officers more shipmates. What a boon to $720 each year. spent many hours researching and us! locating cruiser sailors from the So, the cost of keeping opera- Last year, our association re- tions going at our current rate is 1940’s to the present. ceived about $2,000 in dues and about $1,000 each year. Jim Cozine and Robert Kaplan donations from more than 60 ship- If we do an annual mailing to from the USNCSA have now mates. That money has been used worked for two months to help us all shipmates with a snail mail ad- to maintain the website and distrib- dress, if would cost about $528. fill out our membership database. ute quarterly newsletters. Nothing For the remaining three quar- (Your database guy is no slouch, if else. I do say so myself. These guys terly mailings, we can limit those to So now the association has a smacked me down.) USNCSA has current and past members, less than access to locating resources that we big problem. And, of course, it 60. That would keep us within our can’t afford or access. means dollars and cents: budgeted annual income but allow We provided USNCSA with Our website costs about $100 us to contact everyone possible at each year. Our bulk mailer for 848 names for shipmates for which least once a year.

Mail/eMail/Decklogs (continued)

ET1 Woodie Stegall, ET1, USS Hi Mike, first day, Sunday afternoon we ar- William Henry Hudson (DDR-743), I am sorry to learn of Steve Kel- rive in Vietnam 1966. It is very hard 1946-1951 ler’s condition with cancer. Sorry I to find any information on the LT Woodie Stegall, Navigator, am just getting back regarding this Reeves tour of duties in Vietnam . USS REEVES (DLG-24), 1963-1965 email. I am looking forward to join- My second ship most of the infor- mation is on the Internet. If anyone LCDR Woodie Stegall, CO, USS ing this letter regarding the Reeves Shipmates of the past. have or know how to obtain in re- Neuces (APB-40), 1969 garding the Reeves I would love to As Woodie says, the ranks of Please send me the info on the hear from you. plank owner is thinning—as are the letter or having contact with previous shipmates. Have a great Holiday and a hap- ranks of other crew members. How- py new year. Love to hear form any- ever, we have a good half dozen My is Eugene Willingham Sr., I one who might know any one from plank owner show up or check-in for am very sorry I didn't get the info in my time period aboard the Reeves. our reunions. time for the Charleston reunion. Eugene Willingham 1965-1968: We need to convince Woodie and I am looking to contact any of BT3, #1 Boiler Room with BT1 Claire to plan for our 2016 reunion the shipmates who serve on Brown from Kentucky in San Antonio. It’s going to be the Reeves from 1965 - 1968. I was close to home. transferred to the Tower January (This may be BT1 George R. 1968. Brown [deceased 2005] who was also a member of the original com- I am looking for any infor- missioning crew.) mation on the pilot we rescued the Volume 5, Issue 4 PageP a g e 555 Consider the Northwest, Consider Portland In preparation for Portland as our spend time in or way to see the Columbia River. next reunion city, Lorri and I will be outside a great Portland is the home to some 30 attending a Military Reunion city, Portland’s different breweries. There are pub Planner’s Conference next July at the it. and brewery tours aplenty. Red Lion on the River Motel. And so says No itinerary would be complete Portland has been described as the Portland without considering the Portland America’s most European city. If that Travel Site. Spirit Dinner Cruise. means a great walking city with tons USS Reeves Fresh Northwest cuisine, live of public transportation, a progressive was no stranger entertainment and grand scenery are to the Rose City. She made a few all the ingredients you need for a cruises to join in the Portland Rose memorable evening. Festival. On the Portland Spirit Dinner Heeding the call of the “Women’s Auxiliary” at the 2012 reunion, Portland is a perfect base for wine and vineyard tours west of Portland. There are river tours on both the Willamette and Columbia. Some tours use a jet boat, others use a stern wheeler. atmosphere that Of course, there are day trips to celebrates the arts, a Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. culture of great food, The Heart of the Gorge Land & artisan coffee, beer Sea Excursion is a fully narrated tour and wine and covering 60 miles of the Columbia Cruise, this flagship yacht combines a neighborhoods chock River aboard a jet boat and a classic nautical experience with a fine full of shops selling sightseeing motorcoach. dining atmosphere, while the Captain handmade clothes, provides entertaining narration on the crafts and furniture, outside deck. Major sights on the then we’d have to cruise include Memorial Coliseum, agree. the Rose Garden Arena, Oregon As fantastic as Convention Center, Spaghetti Factory Portland is to spend and Willamette Park. time in, it’s one of the These are only some of the easiest cities to spend time outside. The mountains, waterfalls, wine country and other assorted outdoor goodies Oregon is so famous for are all a short drive away. One half of the trip is done by jet So whether you’re looking to boat and the other half by motorcoach. There is no guarantee which half of the tour will be conducted on the boat and which half will be on the motorcoach. That decision is made on the day of the tour. This cruise portion has the added options to be considered. Finding a excitement of taking place on a high- hotel for the reunion is the first item speed jet boat - an experience just as of business. Stay tuned for breathtaking as the scenery. Fast and developments. comfortable, the jet boat is a great P a g e 6 The IronmanIronman————AA Double Ender’s Newsletter Financials About When We Were Born... USS Reeves Association It's hard today to envision -- "In fact, at that moment Washing- FY 2012 Income Statement or, for the dwindling few, to re- ton was the entire U.S. Pacific Income member--what the world looked Fleet. She was the only barrier be- Dues $1,480 like on 26 Oct 1942.The U.S. Na- tween Admiral Kondo's ships and Donations $446 vy was not the most powerful Guadalcanal. If this one ship did fighting force in the Pacific. Not not stop 14 Japanese ships right Reunion $10,592 by a long shot. So the Navy basi- then and there, America might lose Ship’s Store $1,160 cally dumped a few thousand lone- the Pacific war. .." Cost of Goods -$905 ly American Marines on the beach On Washington's bridge, Lieu- Total Income $12,773 at Guadalcanal and high-tailed it tenant Ray Hunter had the conn. out of there. Expense He had just seen the destroyers Nimitz, Fletcher and Halsey Walker and Preston blown sky Advertising $148 had to ration what few ships they high. Dead ahead lay their burning Newsletters $894 had. wreckage. Hundreds of men were

Postage $715 swimming in the water and the I've written separately about Reunions/Other $10,441 the way Bull Halsey rolled the Japanese ships racing in.

Total Expense $12,199 dice on the night of Nov. 13, 1942, Hunter had to do something. violating the stern War College The course he took now could de- Net Income $574 edict against committing capital cide the war, Lippman writes. FY 2012 (YTD) Assets ships in restricted waters and in- ''Come left, he said. Cash Assets $3,789 stead dispatching into the Slot his ...Washington's rudder change last two remaining fast , Liabilities $658 put the burning destroyers between the South Dakota and the Wash- Net Equity $3,131 Washington and the enemy, thus ington, escorted by the only four preventing her from being silhou- destroyers with enough fuel in etted by their fires. Charitable/Educational Objectives their bunkers to get them there and The move made the Japanese back. The USS Reeves Association is an edu- momentarily cease fire. Lacking cational, non-profit 501(c)(3) organiza- Those American destroyer radar, they could not spot Wash- tion registered with the Internal Reve- captains need not have worried nue Service, FEIN 86-1163983. For ington behind the fires. about carrying enough fuel to get that purpose at the 2010 business meet- ...Washington raced through home. By 11 p.m., outnumbered ing, it was recommended that future burning seas. Dozens of destroyer excess funds be used for donations and better than three- to-one by a mas- men were in the water clinging to scholarships as determined at business sive Japanese task force driving floating wreckage. Get after them, meetings starting in 2012. down from the northwest, every one of those four American de- Washington! one shouted This newsletter is published by: stroyers had been shot up, sunk, or Sacrificing their ships by ma- The USS Reeves Association set aflame. And while the South neuvering into the path of torpe- 15709 N Sycamore St Dakota -- known throughout the does intended for the Washington, Mead, WA 99021 fleet as a jinx ship -- had damaged the captains of the American de- Newsletter Editor - some lesser Japanese vessels, she stroyers had given [ADM] Michael Robertson continued to be plagued with elec- “China" Lee one final chance. Phone: 509-315-8107 trical and fire control problems. Fax: 703-740-9161 Blinded by the smoke and E-mail: [email protected] "Washington was now the only flames, the Japanese All comments, suggestions, submissions intact ship left in the force," writes Kirishima turned on her search- and criticism are welcome. My email is naval historian David Lippman. (Continued on page 10) always open... Volume 5, Issue 4 PageP a g e 777 Gulf War Syndrome Gulf War illness, the series of several studies, and then built a the- the next several weeks will include symptoms ranging from headaches ory based on the results of that theories as to what caused the syn- to memory loss to chronic fatigue work. The doctors had funding dromes. The study should encour- that plagues one of four veterans of from Congress until 2010, when age Congress to devote more mon- the 1991 Persian Gulf war, is due to they were dropped by the Depart- ey for Gulf War illness research, damage to the autonomic nervous ment of Veterans Affairs after be- Sullivan said. The disease affects system, a study released 26 NOV ing accused of wasting millions of up to 250,000 veterans, according shows. "This is the linchpin," said dollars in research money. That to the Institute of Medicine. the study's lead author, Robert Ha- came directly after a 2009 study "Knowing the medical basis for a ley, chief of epidemiology at the from Haley showed that neurotox- disease focuses the search for spe- University of Texas Southwestern ins such as anti-nerve agent pills, cific treatments and makes it possi- Medical Center in Dallas. "The dis- insect repellent and the nerve agent ble to test them in clinical trials," ease itself is so difficult to express sarin caused neurological changes Sullivan said. "If VA continues to and to understand," Haley said, ex- to the brain, and that the changes be reluctant to fund research, then plaining that veterans described seem to correlate with different Congress should hold hearings that simply that they "don't feel well" or symptoms. prompt VA to do the right thing for "can't function," without being able After they lost funding, Haley our veterans." [Source: USA TO- to further explain a disease that af- and the other researchers continued DAY | Kelly Kennedy | 26 Nov fects the automatic functions of their work on their own time. "This 2012 ++] their bodies, such as heat regula- is the most important study of all," The article is highlighted be- tion, sleep or even their heartbeats. Haley said. "The veterans want to cause there are many Reeves ship- "Docs don't know what the disease know what's wrong with them. mates who were part of the first is, so they can't help," Haley said. Now, for the first time, all the doc- Gulf War effort in 1989. "But if you can figure out what the tors in the country can say, 'Oh, disease is, the other problems will maybe these are autonomic symp- fall in line." toms.' If you're not thinking auto- Researchers spent 15 years re- nomic, the symptoms can sound searching a hypothesis, and then kind of flaky." For years Gulf War Remembrance Web Page "we planned the ultimate study that veterans have been told the symp- proved that hypothesis," Haley said. toms were all in their heads, which If you have access to the inter- Along with Steven Vernino, chief Haley and other researchers say is- net, a new web page was added to of the neuromuscular division at n't true. There is no known treat- the web site over a year ago. On Southwestern, Haley sent 97 veter- ment for Gulf War illness, Haley the index column, it’s called Re- ans through 25 tests, including said, but a diagnosis can lead to membrance . It’s purpose is to re- brain imaging, in seven days. The clinical trials and a possible solu- mind us of shipmates that have group had been drawn from a sam- tion. Veterans of suffering from passed and are no longer with us. ple of 8,000 Gulf War veterans. Gulf War illness tend to fall in three With the update of our database "Veterans have high faith in Dr. categories: from the Cruiser Sailors Associa- Haley's dedicated and informative S Syndrome 1, or cognitive and tion, we have been able to update research," said Paul Sullivan of depression problems. the information. Veterans for Common Sense and a S Syndrome 2, or confusion There are now 29 names for Gulf War veteran."This finding is former shipmates. If you are able important because for the first time ataxia, which is similar to early Alzheimer's disease. to view the page, and notice some- physicians who care for Gulf War one is not listed, please let me S Syndrome 3, or severe chron- veterans now have a medical expla- know. I am able to do some re- nation for many of the unusual ic body pain. search to gather important dates. symptoms." The team conducted Haley said studies released in P a g e 8 The IronmanIronman————AA Double Ender’s Newsletter REEVES Survives Accidental Bombing (continued) p.m. Monday EST). how the fuse was set on this partic- spent the night fighting the fire. Five sailors aboard the Reeves ular bomb or whether the pilot Luckily no one was killed but the were slightly injured from flying who dropped the bomb was a vet- damage was extensive and there glass and the force of the blast, but eran or rookie. were several injured sailors. In a Navy officials were relieved the End of the official news re- lucky twist of fate the accident 500-pound Mark 82 "general pur- lease. happened just after dusk when the pose bomb" caused no serious in- ship called in all sailors for lights juries or damage to the ship. out operations.

And then this from the USS For anyone who ever worked "It appears in this particular Cochrane website: the line pulling back in the towed case that the explosive force of the During the 89 IO cruise the bomb did not occur in the interior target I thought this story would Cochrane handed over the towed bring back some memories. of the ship but stayed on the exte- target used by the USS Midway rior," Quigley said. "It does not appear that the damage was major at all." A 5-foot circular hole was re- ported on the main deck near the bow. The Reeves, based at Yoko- suka, , with the Midway, was in port at Diego Garcia Tuesday so Navy officials could assess the damage. Quigley said the angle at Where was that target when planes to the USS Reeves before which the bomb hit the ship and the bomb was dropped? Astern? making a port call inside the how it was "fused" to explode Close-hauled? And, did that pilot “footprint of freedom” for the would determine how much pene- have communications with CIC night. That night while dusk was tration and damage it would do to and realize that targeting exercises falling the USS Reeves took a a target. had been ended? (Photos from the 500lb bomb to the bullnose and Quigley said he did not know internet.) Volume 5, Issue 4 PageP a g e 999 Agent Orange Exposed Ships To submit a claim to the VA for an Refer to shipmates who have contracted ill- Agent Orange related medical con- http://www.publichealth.va.gov/ex nesses from Agent Orange even dition you must be able meet the posures/agentorange/shiplist/not- though Reeves is not listed as a prerequisites of the feet on the on-list.asp for instructions on how combatant that sailed in Vietnam- ground policy or prove that you to add a ship to this list. For ques- ese inland waters and was exposed were aboard a ship that had expo- tions about your eligibility for disa- to Agent Orange. sure. To assist you, the VA pro- bility compensation refer to Considering all the times between vides a list of naval vessels that http://www.publichealth.va.gov/ex 1965 and 1975 when Reeves was have been confirmed as having posures/agentorange/disability- deployed into the Tonkin Gulf and been exposed to Agent Orange. If compensation.asp. For contact in- the SAR positions, the probability your vessel is not included in the formation on your nearest VA ben- of the ship encountering the effects Mobile Riverine Force, ISF Divi- efits office refer to of Agent Orange just 50-100 miles sion 93 or listed designations at http://www2.va.gov/directory/guid offshore are very high. http://www.publichealth.va.gov/ex e/division.asp?dnum=3. [Source: posures/agentorange/shiplist/index. http://www.publichealth.va.gov/ex We have already seen shipmates asp#find, check the alphabetized posures/agentorange/shiplist/list.as fatally effected in the last 20 years by Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. list of ships at either p#B Nov 2012 ++] There are shipmates who are cur- http://www.publichealth.va.gov/ex ********************** posures/agentorange/shiplist/list.as rently undergoing classification p#B or the attachment to this Bulle- USS Reeves was definitely one of and qualification issues with the the many ships that were exposed Veterans Administration for their tin titled, “ Agent Orange Exposed Ships Nov 2012 ”. Ships will be to Agent Orange in the 10 year pe- afflictions. We need to be mindful regularly added to the list based on riod of the Vietnam War. Many of of our own generational casualties, our shipmates remember entering and those of the current generation information confirmed in official records of ship operations. Current- into the inland waters of Vietnam who are experiencing injuries un- ly there are 244 ships on this list. for various operations. We have heard of in our time.

Shift Colors In Remembrance To receive the Navy‘s Shift Colors Shipmate Jack Stewart has reported Frank went from RM1 to RMC while newsletter via email send the follow- the passing of Association Charter Mem- attached to Reeves from 1965 thru 1968. ing information to ber RMCM Frank Feeser on Tuesday, He was close friends with BM1 Coward, [email protected] -- First September 18, 2012 in , CA GM1 Anderson, MM1 Stewart, BT1 name; Last name; E-mail address; Frank was born on August 29, 1937, Charlie Brown and numerous other Ship- Title (Mr., Mrs., rank, etc.); and Mili- to C. Guy and Mary (Walter) Feeser on mates from that era. He will be missed... tary affiliation (retiree, surviving their farm, 1 mile west and 3/4 mile south Survivors include his wife, Connie, spouse, veteran, other). There is no of Gresham, NE. He attended Fairview and her family of San Diego, Calif.; sons, grade school and graduated from Shelby Phillip and James Feeser, and their fami- longer any funding for hard copies to High School in 1954. He joined the Unit- lies of the ; brother, Hollis be printed and mailed. To receive ed States Navy that same year. (Pat) Feeser, of Rochester, Minn.; sister, Shift Colors it does not matter wheth- He proudly served his country in vari- Joanne (Feeser) Nekl, of Shelby; and er or not you‘re retired, active duty, a ous posts including the Philippines, Vi- brother, Dennis (Cindy) Feeser, of Ser- veteran, a surviving spouse, or just etnam, Japan, Hawaii and aboard many geant Bluff, Iowa; numerous nieces and someone who‘s interested in receiv- ships. Upon retiring, Frank worked 25 nephews; along with extended family and ing the newsletter years as an electrical engineer in San Die- friends. go. He enjoyed meeting his family and Frank was preceded in death by his friends in Las Vegas yearly. Frank was a parents, Guy and Mary Feeser; his first member of the American Legion, V.F.W. wife, Carmen; and his brother-in-law Eu- and the Naval Reserve Club in Imperial gene (Nick) Nekl. Beach, California. P agea g e 10 1 0 The IronmanIronman————AA Double Ender’s Newsletter About When We Were Born… (continued) lights, illuminating the helpless own. Japanese forces down the hill that South Dakota, and opened fire. As Platoon Sgt. Mitchell Paige the positions were still manned. Finally, as her own muzzle blasts and his 33 riflemen set about care- The citation for Paige's Con- illuminated her in the darkness, Ad- fully emplacing their four water- gressional Medal of Honor picks up miral Lee and Captain Glenn Davis cooled .30-caliber Brownings, man- the tale: When the enemy broke could positively identify an enemy ning their section of the thin khaki through the line directly in front of target. The Washington's main bat- line which was expected to defend his position, P/Sgt. Paige, com- teries opened fire at 12 midnight Henderson Field against the assault manding a machine gun section precisely. of the night of 25 Oct 1942, it's un- with fearless determination, contin- Her radar fire control system likely anyone thought they were ued to direct the fire of his gunners functioned perfectly. During the about to provide the definitive an- until all his men were either killed first seven minutes of 14 Nov 1942, swer to that most desperate of ques- or wounded. Alone, against the the "last ship in the U.S. Pacific tions: How many able-bodied U.S. deadly hail of Japanese shells, he Fleet" fired 75 of her 16-inch shells Marines does it take to hold a hill fought with his gun and when it at the battleship Kirishima. against 2,000 desperate and moti- was destroyed, took over another, Aboard Kirishima, it rained vated Japanese attackers? moving from gun to gun, never steel. At 3:25 a.m., her burning Nor did the commanders of the ceasing his withering fire." hulk officially became the first ene- mighty Japanese Army, who had In the end, Sgt. Paige picked up my sunk by an American battleship swept all before them for decades, the last of the 40-pound, belt-fed since the Spanish-American War. expect their advance to be halted on Brownings -- the same design Stunned, the Japanese withdrew. some jungle ridge manned by one which John Moses Browning fa- Within days, Japanese commander thin line of Yanks in khaki in Octo- mously fired for a continuous 25 Istook Yamamoto recommended ber of 1942. But by the time the minutes until it ran out of ammuni- the unthinkable to the Emperor -- night was over, the Japanese 29th tion, glowing cherry red, at its first withdrawal from Guadalcanal. Infantry Regiment had lost 553 U.S. Army trial -- and did some- But that was still weeks in the killed or missing and 479 wounded thing for which the weapon was future. We are still with Mitchell among its 2,554 men, historian never designed. Sgt. Paige walked Paige back on the malaria jungle Lippman reports. The Japanese down the hill toward the place island of Guadalcanal, placed like a 16th Regiment's losses are uncount- where he could hear the last Japa- speed bump at the end of the long ed, but the [US] 164th's burial par- nese survivors rallying to move blue-water slot between New Guin- ties handled 975 Japanese bodies. around his flank, the belt-fed gun ea and the Bismarck Archipelago ...... The American estimate of 2,200 cradled under his arm, firing as he The very route the Japanese Navy Japanese dead is probably too low. went. And the weapon did not fail. would have to take to reach Aus- You've already figured out Coming up at dawn, battalion tralia. where the Japanese focused their executive officer Major Odell M. On Guadalcanal, the Marines attack, haven't you? Among the 90 Conoley was first to discover the struggled to complete an airfield. American dead and seriously answer to our question: How many Yamamoto knew what that meant. wounded that night were all the able-bodied Marines does it take to No effort would be spared to dis- men in Mitchell Paige's platoon; hold a hill against two regiments of lodge these upstart Yanks from a every one. As the night of endless motivated, combat-hardened infan- position that could endanger his attacks wore on, Paige moved up trymen who have never known de- ships. Before long, relentless Japa- and down his line, pulling his dead feat? nese counterattacks had driven sup- and wounded comrades back into On a hill where the bodies were porting U.S. Navy from inshore their foxholes and firing a few piled like cordwood, Mitchell Paige waters. The Marines were on their bursts from each of the four alone sat upright behind his 30- Brownings in turn, convincing the (Continued on page 11) Volume 5, Issue 4 Page 1 11 1

About When We Were Born… (continued) caliber Browning, waiting to see before." Joined by Paige, this ad Hasbro Toy Co. telephoned some what the dawn would bring. hoc force of 17 Marines counterat- years back, asking permission to One hill: one Marine. tacked at 5:40 a.m , discovering put the retired Colonel's face on that this extremely short range al- some kid's doll, Mitchell Paige But "In the early morning lowed the optimum use of gre- thought they must be joking. light, the enemy could be seen a nades. They cleared the ridge. few yards off, and vapor from the But they weren't. That's his barrels of their machine guns was And that's where the unstoppa- face on the little Marine they call clearly visible," reports historian ble wave of Japanese conquest "G.I.Joe." Lippman. "It was decided to try to finally crested, broke, and began And you probably thought that rush the position." For the task, to recede. On an unnamed jungle was an ARMY Doll....!!! Major Conoley gathered together ridge on an insignificant island no "three enlisted communication one had ever heard of, called Gua- personnel, several riflemen, a few dalcanal. company runners who were at the But who remembers, today, point, together with a cook and a how close-run a thing it was -- the few mess men who had brought ridge held by a single Marine, in food to the position the evening the autumn of 1942? When the

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