Members Spotlight

In Memory of Anne McCarthy 1933 - 2006

DESA mourns the sudden loss of Anne on 15 November 2006.
We have lost a dear friend and colleague. DE researchers are indebted
to Anne for her years of extensive research and assistance to others.
She did not live to see her book published on this website but her
final copy was submitted and will be published in her memory.

Bob Fowler, USS SILVERSTEIN DE-534
DESA Board of Directors, past member

Robert "Bob" Fowler, 73, of Ojai, CA, passed away Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006, in the garden at his home with his wife, Marlene, by his side.

Bob has been the organizer of Navy shipmate reunions since his retirement. He had enormous pride in his country and his service, and of others who were also in service to their country.

He worked tirelessly with DESA. Bob was instrumental in updating the "Ship Contact List" to enable members to coordinate their activities and keep in touch with each other. His work will continue to be invaluable to DESA.

Bob will best be remembered for his generous giving of his time and service. His kindness, sincerity, and generosity are foremost in those whom he befriended and loved.

Services with military honors were conducted on Friday, Oct. 27, at Riverside National Cemetery.

Frederick J. Collins
DESA Chaplain

Fr. Collins, of Boston, passed away 13 June 2005 and was buried at Quincy, MA., Friday, 17 June 2005. He served aboard USS FARQUHAR DE 139. Fr. Collins was a wonderful man who gave freely of his time and talents to DESA. He was loved and respected by all who knew him. Our heartfelt sympathy is extended to his family and shipmates.

CMDR Richard Elon Warner Deceased

I recently received word of the passing of another of our beloved WWII Destroyer Escort Commanders, Richard E. Warner, USNR (ret) at his home in Lodi, CA. He passed away February 8, 2005.

Those at SLATER won't ever forget his enthusiastic spirit during the times he visited us as part of the DECO delegation, another time with his Grandson Bradley and most recently with the reunion of the USS KENDALL C. CAMPBELL DE-443, when he toured the SLATER decks with "his boys"and daughter, Katie Burke. Comdr. Warner served as Executive Officer of DE-443 during the Pacific Campaign and was appointed to the Command of USS GEORGE DE-697 following the Japanese surrender.

Dick worked tirelessly on SLATER's behalf and contacted many of his former DE associates and their families to secure donations for the ship. It was also through his efforts that SLATER received the donation of 15,000 Visitor's Guide brochures from the Duncan Press in Lodi. This firm was founded by a former DE sailor, Donald Bedford, USS PETERSON USCG DE-152 and his family provided this special printing in tribute to his memory.

I am also posting the Death Notice on SLATER's Bulletin Board. True to form, Dick had requested that any memorial tributes on his behalf be sent as donations to USS SLATER DE-766; Destroyer Escort Historical Museum, PO Box 1926, Albany, NY 12201-1926.
Submitted by
Pat Perrella

Noted DE Commander Sails His Final Sea

Rear Admiral (Ret.) Sheldon Hoard Kinney
of Annapolis, Maryland, died December 11, 2004 at age 86.

Kinney served aboard USS STURTEVANT DE 239 and took command of USS EDSALL DE 129 in 1943, becoming the youngest Commanding Officer of a destroyer-type ship. He then commissioned and took command of USS BRONSTEIN DE 189. BRONSTEIN was credited with sinking three German U-boats in one night (U-603, U-709, U-801) and putting U-441 out of action.

Lt. Kinney was awarded the Navy Cross for this extended action and USS BRONSTEIN received a Presidential Unit Citation. Admiral Robert Carney, Chief of Naval Operations (1953-55), described BRONSTEIN’s fight that night as “the most concentrated and successful antisubmarine action by a U.S. Navy ship during World War II.”

For the complete obituary and to leave a bulletin board message, view this webpage.

Kinney was a member of DESA and DECO. DESA extends its heartfelt sympathy to the family of RADM Kinney.

In Memory of Roy Caldwell, USS Robert F. Keller DE 419

In Memory of Robert "Bob" Babcock, USS Menges DE 320

DESA has lost two special members. Mr. Caldwell and Mr. Babcock both sailed their final seas while attending the annual convention in Denver, CO. Mr. Caldwell passed away Saturday, September 13. Mr. Babcock passed away Wednesday, September 17th.

Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathy is with the families and shipmates of these fine men. They will be greatly missed.

Rear Adm Robert W. Graham,
USS RICHARD W. SUESSENS DE 342

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Rear Admiral Robert Wallace Graham (Ret) died August 7, 2003
at the Community Hospice of Northeast Florida. He was 92.

Admiral Graham commanded USS Richard W. Suesens (DE-342) in the Pacific Theater, one of two combat commands he had during World War II. He was a 1934 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and was an active member and past president of the Jacksonville USNA alumni association.

He received numerous military decorations including the Silver Star, awarded for action during the Okinawa invasion in March, 1945. DE Richard W. Suessens earned the Navy Unit Citation for that and other actions.

Tom Gruber

In Memorium
June 19, 2003

USS Haverfield DE/DER 393

Dedication and Devotion Above and Beyond

The following email was received by the webmaster. I asked permission to share this information with you. I know it will warm your heart as much as it did mine. Well Done, Mr. Boddicker.

"On the evening of Dec 6th, I received a phone call from a lady in Uhrichsville, Ohio and this is what she said : " Mr. Boddicker, I found your name on the Haverfield website a few minutes ago. Ensign James Haverfield was born and raised in our little town and many years ago we erected a memorial to him in our City Park. Over the past 50 years the memorial has been badly neglected...the plaque cracked..and the site overgrown. This year we cleared the site, restored the plaque, and erected a large flagpole. Now, our local war hero can be proud of the new memorial. Now, as tomorrow is Pearl Harbor day, we would be honored if you would attend our Pearl Harbor/James Haverfield ceremony and lay a wreath on his memorial" I said , "Of course. It is I who would be honored to attend". The bad news soon followed...I asked the time of the ceremony and was informed it was to be held at 7AM!!! Why? That was the time in Pearl Harbor when James was killed. Soooo...Phyllis and I were up at 3:AM...freezing cold ( 8 above)...drove 150 miles ...just in time for a beautiful sunrise and very touching ceremony. Their local Mayor presided...patriotic songs were sung....a VFW honor guard fired a 7 gun salute (which I'm sure woke everyone for miles around) We raised the flag...I made a brief address on behalf of all of you, and placed the wreath on the memorial. I thought you might like to know that even as we have not forgotten each other, his little home town has not forgotten Ensign James Haverfield."

Larry and Phyllis Boddicker

USS Weber DE 675/APD 75 Reunion

click for a larger view

USS Weber held their 18th reunion September 12-15 in Florence, KY. One of the activities was a visit to the Turfway Race Course, where a race was run in honor of the Weber group.

DESA Southwest Florida Chapter Celebrates DE Day

DE Day Observance

June 16, 2002
Destroyer Escorts celebrated at Fishermen's Village

PUNTA GORDA- Dozens gathered Saturday at Fishermen's Village in Punta Gorda for the first local Destroyer Escort Day ceremony in honor of those who died serving on the mighty ships.

The Southwest Florida Chapter of the Destroyer Escort Sailors Association sponsored the event, which included several speeches and the placement of a red, white and blue wreath into Charlotte Harbor.

After a short invocation by the chapter's chaplain Paul Hefflefinger, Charlotte High School's NJROTC student Nathan Edwards led the audience in "The Pledge of Allegiance."

The chapter's president, Ed Eastman, then gave Edwards a certificate and chapter pin before leading the crowd in a thunderous rendition of "God Bless America."

Punta Gorda Mayor Marilyn Smith and Charlotte County Commissioner Matt DeBoer each presented proclamations declaring Saturday "Destroyer Escort Day."

DeBoer mentioned to the crowd that his father served in World War II. "Some of you may very well have protected him," DeBoer told the audience of predominately veterans. "I want to thank you all. God bless you for everything you've done."

The national president of the Destroyer Escort Sailors Association, Tom Kidd, provided a history of the ships that "rode like a bucking bronco over one wave and under the next."

Following the history lesson of the ships' service in WWII, the names of each ship lost during that great war were read aloud -- which took more than five minutes, as so many of the destroyer escorts were lost.

Coast Guard Destroyer Escort sailor Joseph Hrabchak and U.S. Navy sailor William Larkin carried the red, white and blue floral wreath to the water and tossed it into the harbor as a way to remember those who served on the destroyer escorts.

Following the ceremony, veterans and attendees were invited to tour the Military Heritage Museum in Fishermen's Village, which is currently displaying artifacts from the destroyer escorts.

By CHRISTY ARNOLD
Staff Writer
Sunline © 2000 All rights reserved.
Sun-Herald online

Mrs. John (Patricia) Cosgrove

In Memory
of
Patricia O'Hara Cosgrove
January 17, 2002

Pat was the wife of John P. Cosgrove, Chairman, DESANews Editorial Board and National Representative of DESA. She attended regularly the annual DESA Conventions and participated in the reunions of her husband's ship, USS GENDREAU DE 639, since their first gathering in New Orleans.

Pat is no longer with us, but this special lady will never be forgotten

Ron Schilke
USS LOWE DE/DER 325

It is with great sadness that DESA informs you of Ron's death, May 19, 2002.
Ron loved DESA and his shipmates. He was a very active member of the Southwest Florida DESA Chapter. Ron maintained the USS Lowe website.

On 4 June 1944, a hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captured the German submarine U-505. This event marked the first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the nineteenth century. Read the full story, Citations and see photos.

In Memorium

As DESA webmaster, I received the following email dated 29 May, 2002. It is with great sorrow that I post this information:

It is with sadness that I report the death of Rear Admiral George W. Cassleman (Ret) who as a lieutenant commanded the USS Pillsbury (DE-133) during the historic capture of the German submarine U-505 in 1945. A recent film dramatized this event. He had been living in Arcadia, CA and died on May 22 of pneumonia at the age of 91. He was a childhood and lifelong friend of my father. His hearty laugh will always live in my memory. I attended a rosary for him last night and gave him a smart salute for all his shipmates.
Robert Huber (FT-3)
USS Kawishiwi (AO-146), 1966-68, Vietnam
RobinCH@aol.com

click photo for a larger view

USS Brough DE 148 Reunion, 2001

Sederstrom Plaque.jpg (30440 bytes)

It was recently my honor to be given a medal to honor all WW2 veterans by the state of Missouri. The representative to my left is Rep. Ed Hartzler of the Missouri house of representatives

Bob Gardner USS Sederstrom DE-31
Raymore MO 64083
email: Rgardd3@juno.com