Bill Butler, younger brother of our namesake, John C. Butler, was a B-24 pilot in the US Army Air Force, serving in the Pacific theater during the war. Bill, flying over the invasion fleet at the Okinawa campaign commented on how the ships were visible as far as the eye could see. Mrs. Irene Butler, mother of John, Bill and subsequent siblings, christened the John C. Butler DE 339 upon its commissioning in 1944, which, among other service, was a survivor of the Battle off Samar Island as an integral part of Taffy III. 

 

 

 

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

                 Ruth and Carl Martz

 

 

 

Henry and Barbara Hight

Charles Finch, USS Andres, DE-45

Charles Finch, Fire Controlman 2nd class, served aboard USS Andres DE 45 from enlistment in March 1942 to the end of WW II. While on shakedown in 1942 in the Bermuda area Andres made contact with enemy subs on a few occasions and attacked with possible results, but no confirmed kills. Andres did considerable escort work in the Atlantic and Mediterranean covering for many supply operations to North Africa in support of the aftermath of Operation Torch, the invasion of that continent against Rommel's German forces. Charles was discharged in October 1945. 

 

 

 

Wilbert Reed, USS Aaron Ward, DM-34

USS Aaron Ward DM 34, an Allen M. Sumner class 2200 ton Destroyer Minelayer, originally designated a DD, replaced the original Aaron Ward of WW I vintage. USS Aaron Ward fired the first shot of WW II sinking a two-man Japanese sub off the entrance of Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. That kill was only recently confirmed. 

 

Wilbert was aboard when the ship was attacked by a swarm of Kamikaze aircraft, six of which penetrated the defenses and crashed onto Ward's decks at Okinawa. In the same attack three Kamikazes crashed into and sank USS Little, both ships on picket Station 10. Listing and with starboard deck awash, the Ward limped back to New York on one engine. The war ended as repairs were begun and Aaron Ward was subsequently scrapped. Wilbert, as a radioman for Commander Air Support Group, was attached to the Ward for communications. He was subsequently transferred to USS Bradford DD 545 for a time then completed his hitch on board USS Frazier DM 25.

 

    <--- Summer 1952 - alongside USS AJAX, repair ship, Yokosuka, Japan       

 June 1953, Sasebo, Japan - the hat was "liberated" from a Brit sailor -                                                                                                                            it reads HMS CONCORD - Tom still has the hat --->

Right after his 18th birthday in December 1950 in Phoenix, Arizona, Tom enlisted in the Navy and departed for recruit training at NTC, San Diego. As Tom puts it, he signed up for a harbor cruise, but no one told him the harbor was in Korea.

One half of Tom's four year hitch was aboard a small seaplane tender, USS Onslow, AVP-48 (at 309' in length) where he rose to the lofty rate of Radarman 3. Onslow tended a squadron of PBM Martin Mariners from harbors in Iwakuni, Japan, near Hiroshima, and Chinhae, Korea, west of Pusan. Onslow made two tours in those waters starting in mid-July '51 until Tom transferred in late March '53.

While at the Naval Receiving Station, Treasure Island, California, Tom requested a transfer to any destroyer on the west coast. Why a destroyer? Because they were much larger at 367' to 390' depending on class. Tom had no interest in a ship larger than a 390' Gearing class destroyer or as slow as Onslow. The US Navy applied its usual machinations and ordered Tom aboard USS McGinty, DE-365, home port Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii. Now Hawaii is the westernmost state in the USA, so that part of Tom's request was a little more than bargained for, however, not only was McGinty 3 feet shorter than Onslow, but was only about two knots faster.

Tom's claim to fame came one night as the mid-watch was coming up to relieve the evening watch. Tom was on the radar when he spotted an object in the water dead ahead of McGinty at 1500 yards and appeared dead in the water. The contact showed up as a floating metallic object on the radar A scope. The contact was reported to the bridge as such and Tom was certain the object was a floating mine. The Skipper and XO were called to the bridge and as we radarmen plotted the contact while drawing closer to it, GQ was sounded and the crew was rousted out of their sacks at about 0030. As McGinty closed with the object she veered to starboard and stopped engines. Tom was thinking in terms of receiving the Medal of Honor or at least the Navy Cross for saving ship and crew from that potentially explosive mine, when the Skipper called down the voice tube for the radar operator to come out on deck and see the target. Tom stepped out on the 01 deck and his jaw dropped when he saw, illuminated by the ship's searchlight, a wooden potato crate with its wires and steel straps sticking up in the air. It was the steel straps the radar signal picked up, which prompted Tom to think "floating mine." Two destroyers had lost their bows when hitting mines in the same general area off Wonson Harbor, Korea. After securing from GQ, the Skipper called down the voice tube telling us we had better put a jock strap on the radar gear. The whole crew had a shorter than usual night's sleep that night. 

One day after his 22nd birthday in November 1954, Tom divested himself of the navy and went back to work and school where he had left off in December 1950. Tom and Barbara raised three daughters and a son who are all doing OK for themselves. Two live in Arizona and two in Washington on or near Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. Their four children produced six grandchildren and and two of those produced six great grandchildren, four girls and two boys. 

 

Del and Olga Krause, USS Robert L. Wilson, DDE-847

 

Mel and Eileen Kowal, USS Savage, DER-386   Web Page  Tora,Tora,Tora Movie

Al Guier, USS Goldsborough, DDG-20

John Weber, USS Collet, DD-730

Bob and Barbara Tull, USS McGinty DE-365

In March, 1951, I was a college sophomore when along with 8 of my classmates, we decided (over lunch one day) to join the Naval Reserve in Kansas City, Missouri.  I stayed in the active reserve, going on 2-week reserve cruises at the Great Lakes Training Center, Lake Michigan, on a DE and 2 weeks at Norfolk on a DD.  After college graduation I went to work for the General Motors Corporation, in Kansas City, as an accountant.  While in the Kansas City Reserve I was promoted to DKSN and handled the reserve payroll.  In July, 1954 I went on active duty and was assigned to the USS McGinty DE-365.  We sailed to Japan in November, 1954.  Returned to Pearl Harbor, May 1955.  I was promoted to DK3 in March, 1955 and DK2 in March, 1956.  I was transferred to the USS Edmonds DE-406 in April, 1956 and released in July, 1956 to inactive reserve.

 

John Rusinek and daughter Lynda, USS Dennis J. Buckley, DDR-808

Bob Smithson, USS William C. Lawe, DD-763          

   Bob Kessler, USS Kenneth M. Willett, DE-354

Bernice Ridgeway & Ray Hawthorne USS Gustafson, DE-182   

    Joanna Burgan, USAF

Hank Trieckel, USS Cross, DE-448

It was early 1952 when some of my friends received their greetings from Uncle Sam to report to the US Army induction center. For fear that I may be next on their list to be included in the draft; I rushed to the nearest US Navy recruiting center and enlisted only a few days before my infamous letter from Uncle Sam arrived.

I served in the Navy on active duty from 16 April 1952 until 11 April 1956 and was honorably discharged on 15 April 1960 after 4 years of Naval reserve duty. Boot camp was 13 weeks in Bainbridge, MD followed by 7 months of Electronics Technician Class A School at Great Lakes, IL. At graduation I was assigned to the USS Cross, DE-448. (a John C. Butler Class ship) operating out of Newport, RI and Boston, Mass. (1^st Naval District). We sailed with NATO forces and convoys in the Atlantic theater and served as a training ship for New England Naval Reservists. The Korean conflict did not become a factor in our activities and there are no war stories that I can share. An exciting event however did take place in the summer of 1954. We were cruising out of Boston harbor on our way to the Mediterranean to join NATO exercises. We were about to enter open sea when one of the twin screw shafts became uncoupled from its propeller. The Engine Room lost its “load” and power throughout the ship. We were “dead in the water”. A distress message was started on the emergency radio transmitter when it broke down. The Skipper sent someone chasing after me to get it repaired and on air quickly. Luckily I was successful getting it back in operation without too much delay for our distress call. Needless to say, it was several hours before a tug arrived to tow us back into the harbor and later onto a floating dry-dock. 

In mid 1955 the Cross was deactivated and I was transferred to a Navy auxiliary sea worthy tug, the USS Keywadin, ATA-213. I thought life aboard the DE was rough at sea but the tug was more like a floating row boat. During my service on the Keywadin our
 duty consisted of towing Navy barges in the New England area.
Hank & Carol Trieckel
Trieckel aboard Cross    Trieckel on liberty in Chicago

 

   Ed Klemm Sr., USS Gustafson, DD-847

Bud Fronk   

Arnold Tropf, USS Chevalier,  DD-805