Rating: Third Class Petty Officer, Interior Communications Electrician. Was eligible for promotion to Second Class Petty Officer, but elected not to extend enlistment.
Sea Duty: USS Higbee (DD806),
Action: Cruised to WestPac, in 1965 - 1966, and 1967 - 1968, aboard the destroyers Higbee and Hull, engaged enemy off the coast of Vietnam while delivering Naval gunfire support to forces ashore.
Awards: National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
"On 19 January 1968 the veteran destroyer [USS Hull DD945] began her third and most recent Vietnam deployment. Conducting shore bombardment missions along the south coast and in the Demilitarized Zone, Hull poured over 25,000 rounds of five-inch ammunition into enemy strongholds and destroyed or damaged over 220 structures and bunkers. On seven occasions North Vietnamese gunners in the DMZ took her under fire, but in each instance she managed to escape damage while directing a barrage of her own fire at the attacking batteries. As a result of her performance during this deployment, the ship was awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation." |
(((((HUGS)))))