Richard G Welsh Radarman 3rd Class

Entry 79
Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2000 Time: 3:51 PM EST
Email=
Name= Richard G Welsh Radarman 3rd Class Petty Officer
Served= 1958 to 1961
Ship / Unit= USS Wilhoite Der 397 & USS Hopewell DD 681
Age= 59
City= Las Cruces
State= New Mexico
Zip= 88001
Country= United States
Phone= 505 522 0688
A URL to share= No
How did you find this site?= Followed link from another page
Reasons for reading about the Vance= To find shipmates, Other
Comments= I hope no one resents my comments since I came from a sister ship rather than the Vance.
     When I read the book on the USS Vance, I felt proud for the crew having to serve under such a questionable officer and still maintain their high status as a fighting ship. That speaks wonders for the ship's company. A "Toast" to the 387!
     And the strawberry incident; reminds me of Bogart in the film Caine Mutiny. Must have felt somewhat like a de javu. We had a similar situation with a large can of peaches on the Wilhoite. The Skipper found it under some metal deck plates in CIC. Of course it was a complete "surprise" to us radarmen how it got there. We all were punished by losing 2 days of liberty at Pearl--no big deal; we slept in.
     You're doing a great job keeping your shipmates informed of reunions and helping them tell their stories with photos and excerpts from their past. I wish someone from o'l Willy would do that. I don't have the expertise or time, but it would be nice.
      We tied up alongside the Vance at Pearl many times, and we highlined with her off the coast of Umnak, Alaska. When we watched her at sea, it gave us the chance to see how we looked to others since we were all DERs. There's something very captivating about watching DE/DERs and DDs as they maneuver in storms or calm seas. Even more captivating to have served on them.
     Navy--best choice of service for any 17 yeard old straight out of high school.
Richard
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