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'" *At1 HANDS* 1 . "A. t# .... 1 96 8 Nav-Pers-0JUNE 1968 NUMBER 617 ~ VICEADMIRAL CHARLES K. DUNCAN, USN TheChief of Naval Personnel REARADMIRAL BERNARD M. STREAN, USN The Deputy Chiefof Naval Personnel CAPTAIN JAMES G. ANDREWS, USN AssistantChief for Morale Services TABLEOF CONTENTS Features WhatMakes aHero? The Boatswain‘s Mate WilliamsStory ................ 2 World Record Breakersin Diving ............................................................ 7 Somethingto Celebrate: A HundredYears at New London .................. 8 Talking Hands-Job of the LSE .............................................................. 1 1 Navy‘s BigBrothers: Program Buoy ........................................................ 12 Three DD VeteransChalk Up Matchless Records .................................... 16 Pathfinder of the Sea-USSTowhee ...................................................... 19 Wright on Full Power ................................................................................ 22 Gunships of the Skies .............................................................................. 36 Huntingfor Mines .................................................................................... 37 Here Are Latest Rules on Handling OBA .................................................. 38 SpecialFeature What’s In aName? Christening Navy Ships .......................................... 24 Centerspread TakeYour Choice: Navy Art inFour Colors .......................................... 32 Departments Lettersto the Editor .................................................................................. 58 Servicescope: News of OtherServices .................................................... 40 TheWord .................................................................................................. 42 Bulletin Board HealthBenefits Program: Payment forCivilian MedicalCare Under CHAMPUS ................................................................................................ 44 Reenlistment Incentives inHostile-Fire Areas .......................................... 46 CI/SERETraining forVietnam Duty ........................................................ 47 Shipping HHE: WhenGoing to Restricted Area .................................... 49 Seavey Segment 8-68 .............................................................................. 50 Shipping HHE: WhenYour Ship Is To Be Commissioned ...................... 52 Cash Awards for Beneficial Suggestions .................................................. 54 Listing of OverseasTour Lengths ............................................................ 56 Taffrail Talk ................................................................................................ 64 John A. Oudine, Editor Associate Editors G. Vern Blasdell, News Don Addor, Layout & Art AnnHanabury, Research Gerald Wolff, Reserve ~~~ 0 FRONT COVER: BATTERY PLOT-Navymen at work inMain BatteryPlot aboard USS Canberra (CA 70). Left to right are: Seaman Alan K. Lewis; Warrant Officer, WO1, Lawrence 6. Rhaden; Fire Control Technician 3rd ClassCarl Scheffler; and Fire Control Technician 2ndClass Larry Jordan.-Photo by R. D. Moeser, JOC, USN. 0 AT LEFT: WIDE STANCE-Henry 1. Pricer,BM2, operates a winch aboard USS Diamond Head (AE 19) during replenishment of another ship.Operation of a ”yard and stay” rigin cargo handling is an important iob aboard the Atlantic Service Force vessel. 0 CREDIT: All photographs published in ALLHANDS Magazineare official Department of Defense photos unjessotherwise designated. PhMas on page 38 by Denzil 0. Evans. A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW-PBRs cruise in Formation. Rt: PBRs andtroops team in sweep of winding Vietnam river. way in. By now, the dredge was sink- Exhausted and withtheir lungs hatch,and fought for the surface. ing faster. nearlybursting, but knowingthere Gasping, Williams and Binder broke Swimmingback to the exposed was no time to surface again for air, through to air with an unconscious- portion of the barge,Williams thetwo men swam eight feet into but-still alive Pops cradled between shoutedto the man insideto work the flooded compartment and found them. his way through the hull to a posi- Popsclinging beam.ato They On board the 105, Pops, gagging tion in line with the hatch. grabbed him, pulled him through the from water and oil he had swallowed, Williams and Binder thenmade was in shock. His feet and legs were repeated dives, surfacing only for air. “MOSTDECORATED” cut and burned. Williams, who was They soon discovered the hatch was exhausted himself, administered first obstructed by two pipes. Listedbelow are military deco aid anddirected emergencytreat- Unableto move the obstacles rations won by BM1 James E. Wil mentwhich further helped to save themselves, the twomen surfaced liams during his Vietnam servicc Pops’ life. between May 1966andearl) and hailed the rescuetug, called Williams and Bindereach were for a line, and then dove back under 1967. He was twice wounded anc many times a hero. In round fig awarded the Navy and Marine Corps and fastened the lineto the pipes. Medalfor heroic achievement. Wil- The tug pulled them away. ures he has earned some two dozer medals and awards. liams was personallycited for his By this time, the trapped man had direct responsibility in the saving of 0 Medal of Honor made his wayto a position in line eight lives. with thehatch. However,his com- 0 Navy Cross partment was rapidly filling, and he Silver StarMedal DAYS LATER,Williams was in called, “There’s no more air!” Navy and Marine Corps Meda SIX Bronze Star Medal, with Com. charge of a PBR combatpatrol that stopped a major enemy supply ENSING THE PANIC in the man’s bat DistinguishingDevice, plus 2 voice, Williamsreturned tothe <tarindicating a second Bronzt movement across the Nam Thon surface and shouteddown encour- Star. branch of the Mekong.There was agement:“Hang on, we’re almost Navy CommendationMeda a fierce firefight,during which Wil- there. We’ll have you out in less with CombatDistinguishing De. liams earned the Navy Cross for ex- thana minute.” vice. traordinaryheroism. Here is what Back under, Williams and Binder PurpleHeart, plus a star ir happened, as described in the cita- foundthe hatch warped and dam- lieu of a second Purple Heart. tionwhich accompanied the deco- aged and jammedfast. Williams Vietnam Gallantry Cross, plur ration: knew that another line from the tug a star indicating a second award. Williams haddirected his PBRs could probably pull it free, but also One of the most decorated Navy to the suspected VC crossingarea. realized that the man, who now was menof recentyears, Williams re He was taken under intense fire from treading water inside, would drown ceived a variety of othermedal: fortifiedenemy positions and from or suffocate beforea line could be and awards, including the Vietnam along the river banks. passed and rigged. jervice Medal (one sar); Republic After coordinating South Vietnam- )f VietnamCampaign Medal; Na- After surfacing for onefinal breath ese and U. S. strikes, Williams led of air,Williams and Binderdove ional Defense Service Medal (one the three PBRs back into the hostile :tar); UnitedNations Service back to the hatch to make one last area to destroy enemy sampans 2 Id desperate effort toopen it. They viedal; Korsan Service Medal (two supplies. :tars); Korean Presidential Unit took hold andstrained with all the The citationcontinued: “Fre- strength theemergency could muster. ;itation; and five awards of the =ood Conduct Medal. quentlyexposing himself toenemy The hatch sprang open. fire, Williamsdirected his units in JUNE 1968 5 school equivalency credits under the USAFIGeneral Educational Devel- THE MEDAL OF HONOR opmentprogram, was married in 1949, and beganto think in terms On May 14, 1968, ?he Presidedof ?he Uni?ed States in ?he name of The Congress presenled of the Navy as a career. ?he Medal Of Honor to Boa?swain's Male Firs? Class James E. Williams, United States Navy: "For conspicuous gallanlryand intrepidity even largerconcentralion of enemy boats. ILLIAMS MADE seaman before re- at ?he riskof his life above and beyond ?he "No? waiting for the arrival of ?he armed Wenlisting in August1950, and call of duty as a member of River Sec?ion 531 helicopters, he displayedgreat ini?ia?ive and then spent 20 months on board uss during combat opera?ions on ?he Mekong boldlyled ?he patrol through ?he intense Douglas H. For (DD 779). He de- River in ?he Republic of Vietnam. enemy fire and damaged or destroyed 50 cided that BM was therating for "On 31 Oc?ober 1966, Petty Officer Williams enemy sampans and 7 iunks. This phase of him, despite all he had heard about wasserving as Boa? Cap?ainand Pa?rol ?he action completed, and with ?he arrival of tightadvancement quotas and slim ?he armed helicopters, Pe??y Officer Williams Officeraboard River Pa?rol Boa? (PBR 105) chances for promotion. accompanied by ano?her pafrolboa? when directed ?he altack on ?he remaining enemy ?he patrolwas suddenly loken underfire by force. He next pulled two years of shore two enemy sampans. Petty Officer Williams "Now itwas vir?ually dark, andalthough duty at Naval Base, Charleston, S. C., immedia?elyordered ?he fire returned, killing Pe??y Officer Williamswas aware ?ha? his and served as a Sixth Naval District ?he crew of one enemy boat and causing the boalswould become even be??er ?arge?s, he shore patrolman. In September 1954, o?her sampan ?o ?aka refuge in a nearby ordered ?he patrol book' search lights ?urned he reported to uss Thomaston (LSD river inle?. on ?o be??er illurninale