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Dear Mr. Freeman

My dad was on the USS Mount Hood when it exploded (I was 3 years old at the time). My mom received the usual telegrams and form letters regarding what happened. Around March 1945 she received a letter from Lt. Lester Wallace who was the senior surviving officer from the Mount Hood. He and several others (including Archie Trader that is noted in your Web page articles) had gone ashore to take care of the ship's business when the explosion occurred. Lt. Wallace's letter meant so very much to my mom and later to me. It was a letter from a real person that had been there. Mom said many times over the years that she would so like to meet "that kind Lt. Wallace" that had written her about my dad.

I have searched for Lt. Wallace for many many years. Through your Web Page and the Mount Hood story, I found Archie Trader's name and tried to contact him last year (2000). He had died about 2 months earlier. I thought that would likely be the end of my search.

Early this year (2001) more Internet searches led me to the AE Sailor's Association where I found a Mount Hood entry with a service date of 1944 (there have been two USS Mount Hoods). It was Grover Clingman (one of the survivors) who, as it turns out, had been the mail clerk. The last letter we received from my dad was dated the day before the explosion so it is likely that his letter was in Clingman's mail bag that morning. I found Grover's phone number from the Internet and called and talked with him. It was a very special phone call for me! During that conversation, Grover (now 86 years old) asked why didn't I call Lester Wallace. I told him that I had been trying to find Lester Wallace for at least 45 years. He said that I should call him, he lives in Pensacola.

Well, I called Lt. Wallace ... what a thrill for me! We had a long and enjoyable conversation. My wife and I met Lester and his dear wife Mildred at their summer home in the North Carolina mountains on June 23, 2001. We plan to visit with them again in Pensacola this winter. He is 85 years old and doing very well. Sorry to say that my mom didn't live to meet that "kind Lt. Wallace". He is truly a kind person.

Thank you so very much for your information on the USS Mount Hood. The photos and photo links provided on your site are the first I knew that such photos existed. There was one photo of the explosion in a newspaper clipping that my mom had but has been lost along the way.
Thank you again. I would certainly be interested in any additional information that you might get in the future on the USS Mount Hood.

Best Regards,
Lucien (Luke) Talley