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UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY

SIXTIETH GRADUATION ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLASS OF 1940

This is a transcript of "The Long Voyage of the Class of Forty-U. S. Naval Academy" taken from the book The Class of Forty After Fifty Years © W. M. Carpenter 1990. Original text by C. H. Hall and W. D. Lanier.

In June 1950, the North Korean invasion forces launched hostilities, and we were once again off to the wars. Ed Donley, with the U.S. Army Advisory Group, was first on the scene. Jack Partridge commanded an engineer battalion in the fighting retreat from "Frozen Chosin," and won his second Legion of Merit and second Bronze Star, plus three Presidential Unit citations. Erwin Wann commanded a battalion in the landings at Inchon, and won his second Bronze Star. Gordon West commanded a battalion that saw extensive service. Dave Wolfe flew combat missions as CO, VMF-513. George Herring, as CO of HMX-1, commanded a helicopter squadron and was badly hurt in a helicopter crash.

Bill McKinney, commanding UDT-3, led his group of frogmen in clearing the mines and underwater obstacles at Wonsan and also led raids behind enemy lines. He won a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and a Legion of Merit. Willie Walker commanded APD BEGOR that carried Bill's UDTs on raids behind enemy lines. Bill Pennoyer, a non-graduate, eyes, who had been augmented to the regular Navy, had command of a DE off Korea.

Many of us commenced our service in that undeclared war as execs of destroyers. Ozzie Osborne was exec of SOUTHERLAND, one of the "brave little ships" at Inchon. Rue O'Neill was exec of COLLETT, which lost her bow to a mine. John Chase was exec of HOLLISTER, Al Cook of BUCK and Early Winters of TALLADEGA. Tom Nicholson was exec of HANK, then returned to Korea as skipper of STRONG.

Bill Lattimore, Paul McArthur, Norm Faerber and Kent Bulfinch were among those who resigned after WWII and were recalled for service during the Korean conflict. Lawrence McEwen and Tom Bellinger, non-graduates, were also recalled.

Wartime losses and peacetime attrition had reduced our ranks by more than half, as we came up for promotion to commander in the winter of 1950-51. 185 of us, in the unrestricted line, made the jump. Our class served during WWII and the beginning of Korea as the "can do" officers, the officers in key spots who got things done, the guys who did most of the work and got little of the credit. During Korea, as we settled in as commanders, we entered the ranks of "senior officers," with more authority and more access to policy decisions. As we moved up the ladder, we assumed weightier responsibilities in a wide range of operational and staff assignments.

To the great joy of most of us, we could now expect to command destroyers. A few of us had the good fortune to command destroyers for short periods at the end of WWII as lieutenant commanders, frequently as an expedient to get them home for decommissioning. The submarine contingent now came, as commanders, to command destroyers as well as submarine divisions. Some of us had problems, but most of us delighted in command. We took our destroyers to Korea and the Far East for ComSeventhFlt and to the Med for ComSixthFlt. Then we returned to CONUS and went back to sea for exercises for First Fleet in the Pacific and Second Fleet in the Atlantic, and for the ASW flag commands, and for the amphibious force commands, with carrier division commanders and OpDevFor filling in any chinks. Our ships were ravaged of personnel to man ships deployed to Sixth and Seventh Fleets, so that we always operated short of electronics technicians and machinist mates and boiler tenders and quartermasters. But for all of us, in spite of long periods at sea, and day and night operations, and personnel shortages, destroyer command was a high point of our lives, an experience we look back on with high pleasure.

There were those who thought then and who still think that though there might be more prestigious duties, command of a destroyer provided the utmost in personal challenge and personal satisfaction. Some of those commanding destroyers in Korean waters were Willie Trice, HICKOX; Jim Vellis, PHILIP; Art Berndtson, STICKELL; Bob Bogardus, GURKE; Cliff Bundy, MACKENZIE; Bill Caspari, MASON; Chief Ereckson, FOSS; Roy Joslin, CARPENTER; Tad Lothrop, CURRIER; Mac McFarland, DEHAVEN; Terry McGillicuddy, MANSFIELD; Jim Phelan, PURDY; Stan Orser, HAMNER; Harv Seim, BARTON; Tom Wells, CHANDLER; Fred Pennoyer, with two commands, MCGINTY and UHLMANN; and Ozzie Osborne, TWINING.

Carl Adams served on the staff of Commander, United Nations Blockading and Support Forces. Ed Hearn was Flag Secretary, ComCruDiv One, in ST. PAUL. Stookie Steuckert served as Chief of Staff, Landing Ship Flotilla Three. Bill Braybrook was gun boss in NEW JERSEY, and Oscar Gray, gun boss of MISSOURI. Bob Newcomb was navigator of ESSEX.

In the air, Swede Carlson won a DFC and an Air Medal as squadron commander, VA-195. One of his more interesting missions involved torpedoing a reservoir. Don Bruce commanded Air Group 19. Art Maltby commanded VA-55, and Dick Mueller commanded VF-23, all three operating from PRINCETON. Dave Marks commanded ANTIETAM's VC-35.

Here again we paid a price. Denny Phillips was shot down and lost in January, 1953, and John Micheel was killed in action just a week later.