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The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
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Cape
Gazette • Covering Delaware's
Cape Region |
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
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| Veterans
of USS Rich gather for reunion in
the Cape Region |
| By
Jim Cresson |
At
a time when many Americans have
sharp eyes on the war in Iraq and
a renewed spirit of supporting
their loved ones in uniform, a
group of former Navy veterans
reunited in Rehoboth Beach to talk
about their shared service and
exchange stories from their time
on the destroyer USS Rich.
Georgetown businessman Harry
Marker, who served aboard the Rich
from 1966-68 as a communications
specialist/radio man while the
destroyer was providing offshore
fire power for troops in Vietnam,
hosted the tenth annual reunion of
USS Rich veterans. More than 120
former sailors and officers and
their wives traveled from 13
states to the Heritage Inn at
Midway, where they spent April
10-13 touring, meeting and sharing
stories from their service days.
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Above,
USS Rich veteran sailors (l-r) Dave Dore
of South Carolina, Marshall DuBois
of Florida and L.E. Beeman of North
Carolina shared a "highly enjoyable
tenth reunion in the Cape Region, April
10-13. Below right, photos of the
USS Rich, which was commissioned the
DD/DDE820 in May 1945, show the destroyer
after it went its major modernization in
1967. It served in the Korean War,
Vietnam War and the Cold War. Below
left, the Hunter/Killer logo of the USS
Rich emphasizes both roles it played: as
an antisubmarine destroyer in the Atlantic
Fleet during the Cold War and as a battle
destroyer that saw duty in Korea and
Vietnam. |
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The Rich was built in Texas and
commissioned as the Navy’s
DD/DDE820 in May 1945. It was
stationed out of Florida for a
while and later out of Norfolk,
Va. and was an integral part of
the Atlantic Fleet. It saw service
in the Korean War, Vietnam War and
extensive service as an
antisubmarine destroyer during the
Cold War. After a mid-sea
collision with another ship in
1967, DD/DDE820 was underwent a
$10 million modernization and
served until it was decommissioned
in 1977.
The veteran sailors and officers
who journeyed to the Cape Region
for their reunion served at
different times on the ship and
each had different stories to
tell. As reunion organizer Marshal
K. DuBois of Florida noted:
“Even though we didn’t serve
together, when a veteran tells his
story about the Rich, all of us
can relate to it.”
Veteran L.E. Beeman of North
Carolina, a former officer aboard
the Rich, had this humorous
assessment of the reunions: “We
tell the same old war stories,
only differently, each time we
meet. I love it.”
One veteran brought his
4-foot-long, 18-inch tall handmade
model of the 390-foot ship armed
with six 5-inch artillery guns, 12
40-mm canons, 11 20 mm canons and
10 21-inch torpedoes. Others
brought their old ship-board
photos. One veteran who served at
the Rich’s commissioning, brings
his ceremonial plank to each
reunion.
“We had an absolutely fantastic
time here,” said Marker. “Who
could have asked for anything
better. The Heritage Inn showed us
its heritage. Every room in the
hotel has a red, white and blue
decor. They treated us like
royalty. Local businesses
contributed generously to our
auction and the event itself. The
folks at the BayCenter gave us a
great dinner and dance. It was a
memorable reunion.”
Next year the Rich veterans will
meet in Ohio. For more information
on the USS Rich and its veteran
group, visit www.ussrich.org.
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