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NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2000
Marianas - Western Caroline Islands - Iwo Jima - Okinawa |
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SUMMER June 20, 2000 Summer, 2000 FULLAM Veterans: Thanks to Mike Plessl, I am including the latest mailing list of our newsletter. According to my count, there are 125 names made-up of 101 shipmates, 14 widows, 7 sons or daughters, and 3 Miscellaneous. Please note that a lost shipmate was found - Franklin Martin, a former MM1/c on the ship - and he is on this list. Sigmund Migden, and Ed Fletcher are endeavoring to locate other lost shipmates from the ship's roster published in the Ketchikan newspaper in October, 1945. Once again, please look this list over carefully and if you know of any shipmates and their addresses not on this list, please let me know so they can be included in future letters. Since my spring newsletter, I am sorry to report the loss of two more shipmates. Harold Kasparian passed away on March 13 and Ed Langlois passed away on April 7. Also, keep Walt Dudutis in your prayers as he is undergoing a serious bout with cancer; Walt can be reached by E-mail at dudutis@ziplink.com. (Bob Note: His daughter Cindy notified us Walt passed away July 4.) Although short in numbers, those of us at our mini-reunion in Baton Rouge last April had a great-time once again just getting together and reminiscing our FULLAM days. It's always interesting to me how many memories some have of certain events and others have no recollection whatsoever and vice versa! Here were the attendees: Joanne and Paul Beyer Don Hewson Bill Ellerman Beverly and Garrett Lynch Bill Enos Sigmund Migden Ed Fletcher Mike Plessl The highlight of our reunion was spending a few hours aboard the USS KIDD and, thanks to Garrett, being able to visit areas where regular visitors do not have access. For example, we all sat around the wardroom table and took pictures - not an officer in sight! Also, we entered the pilot house which brought back many memories to Hewson and I of our days aboard ship. The employees and volunteers who work on the KIDD have done a fantastic job in restoring this ship to its appearance in 1945. If any of you are ever close to Baton Rouge, be sure and make every effort to visit the KIDD as it is as close to returning to the FULLAM as any of us can ever realize. On the next page I have included a recent article from our local paper about some "garden spots" we all remember. Maybe if the Mighty "F" was still around we could all get together and settle the problems down there we did it before and we can do it again! Old bullets fuel a new conflict U.S. shells were buried on Solomon Islands The Associated Press NGALIBIU, Solomon Islands- The bullets were made for U.S. soldiers battling Japanese troops in the Jungles and mountains of the malaria-ridden island of Guadalcanal, a pivotal battlefield in World War II. Once buried in ammunition dumps around the island, the shells have been dug up and pressed into service in a new conflict: the fighting between Isatabu militants who want to push migrant Malaitans off Guadalcanal, the South Pacific nations main island. When the violence erupted last week the Malaitans quickly gained an edge, stealing machine guns and weaponry from an armory. So their foes, the Isatabus, retreated into the jungle and foraged for weapons left behind by American GIs. Isatabu rebel leader Andrew Tee said his troops have no need to buy more ammunition from outside the Solomon Islands: "We get our arms from the American rubbish, what they 'left'," said Tee, wearing a maroon beret and a thick green combat belt with a U.S. Army supply pouch and canteen hanging on it. The crisis, which began last week when Malaitans seized the capital, Honiara, prompted the resignation Wednesday of the prime minister, who has agreed to let a 12-member of government and opposition leaders negotiate peace with the warring islanders. The Solomon Islands are rich in American war history. President John F Kennedy's PT-109 patrol boat sank there, and he sought refuge on one of the hundreds of islands in the archipelago. U.S. forces won a six month battle against the Japanese, the first major offensive in the Pacific. The victory began the Island-hopping campaign that brought Allied forces to Japan's doorstep. The island group, slightly smaller than Maryland, is also the home of Iron Bottom Sound, the underwater graveyard of more than 40 U.S. and Japanese warships. Remnants of the war can be seen at Isatabu roadblocks outside Honiara, where fighters proudly show off U.S. made shells strung together in bandoliers made from strips of rubber cut from the inner tubes. "Sure, they still fire. They're from the United States," one fighter said. The Isatabus say they have plenty of other American weapons, including rifles and machine guns, although they would not display U.S. ammunition dumps or other World War II vintage weapons. Most of the rebels at the roadblock carried homemade single-shot rifles with handcarved stocks and pipes fashioned into barrels. A spring snaps a pin that fixes the 61 mm bullets. The guns are no match for the M16 machine guns wielded by the Malaitan rebels, who with about 500 fighters control the capital, a small strip of shops and modest A-frame houses on stilts sandwiched on one side by the South Pacific and a small mountain range on the other. One long road runs through Holniara, and the Malaitans have sealed it off with roadblocks on the east and west ends. Men in camouflage cargo pants, floppy Australian military sun hats and bandoleers of M-16 bullets stop the occasional car that dares to cross rebel lines. Many of the Malaitans came to Guadalcanal with U.S. troops, who used them to carry supplies. Thousands more followed and settled in squatter villages or bought land from the Isatabus. The Malaitans, who hold many of the best jobs in the capital, have a reputation for being more industrious than Isatabus, whom they say are lazy and waste good farm land. The Isatabus' complain that the Malaitans are arrogant and too aggressive, and should move back to their homeland. Isatabus have been Isatabus have been kicking the Malaitans off land in Guadalcanal, and about 20,000 were forced to return to Malaita in the last 18 months. Malaitans then took up arms against a government they said was ignoring their plight but with Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa'alu's resignation Wednesday, the crisis may be ending. The move was applauded by Malaitan leader Andrew Nori, who predicted a smooth transition of power. Nori said his forces will turn in their weapons if all parties agree to a peace deal and the complaints of evicted Malaitan are addressed. But Tee, the Isatabu leader, was disappointed to hear Ulufa'alu had caved in and resigned. However, the fighter said his forces were ready to continue honoring a cease-fire, which ends Saturday. |
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++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Mailing list June 20, 2000
USS FULLAM (DD474) Ship's Complement (06/20/00) Gus Anderly (C) 21253 Yontz Road, Lot #1 Brookville, FL 33512 J W Armstrong 5905 Navaho Trail Alexandria, LA 71301 Russell A Arnett (b) 5617 Los Santos Drive Long Beach, CA 90815 Russell Bacon 63 Gale Street Malden, MA 02148 Richard Balzomati (0) Route 2, Box 290 Eureka Springs, AK 72632 501-253-5339 Edward Banach (C) 48 Hillcrest Drive Bernardston, MA 01337 Joseph Banach (C) 23915 Gilford P1 Valencia, CA 91354 John A Barton (S) 8709 Elden Street La Mesa, CA 91942 619-469-6952 Mrs Edgar Berry (C) 135 East 74th Street New York, NY 10021 212-861-9150 Paul T Beyer (C) 11915 Grandview Overland Park, KS 66213 913-451-4982 Mrs 5 W Blackman (C) 5 Jessamine Place Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 Stanley Blosk (F) 8345 Lakemont Drive Jacksonville, FL 32216 904-642-7129 Albert Bosbach (0) 4 Robin Road Reading, MA 01867 781-944-5317 Peter Boychuck (0) 104 View Terrace East Haven, CT 06512 Franklin A Boyd (E) 37582 Centerville Road Centerville, PA 16404 Mrs Gideon M Boyd (Capt) 19561 Scotland Drive Saratoga, CA 95070 408-867-2465 Karl Brandt (b) 328 Quettie Park Drive Annville, PA 17003 Mrs Joseph Bratton (b) 68 Lantern lone, Vnit #2 Dracut, MA 01826 Edmund F Bromirski 209 Amboy Avenue, #J Metuchen, NJ 08840 Mrs Tom Bruce (C) 2079 Mountain Avenue Scotch Plains, NJ 07076 908-322-8530 Mrs Vernon Callender (0) 8620 Kelso Drive(D-405) Baltimore, Mb 21221 410-780-3653 Bruno Contamessa 195 Norfeld Boulevard Elmont, NY 11003 516-352-6510 Donald E Cantlin (E) PO Box 877 Enfield, NH 03748-0877 James J Carey 9803 52nd Place College Park, MD 20740 Louis Castaldo (0) 215 Eucilid, Apt 213 Long Beach, CA 90803 310-438-7854 Joseph J Cherniak (0) 30 Summit Street Southington, CT 06489 Jeremiah Ciancia (C) 10 Glenwood Avenue Leonia, NJ 07605 Leo Collins (C) 1 3 Riding Club Road Troy, NY 12180 Lester Connors (C) 28870 Snead Drive Sun City, CA 92586 Jules Crane 1310 NE 46th Street Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334 800-523-4407 Ernest Croteau 2 Pollins Street Concord, NH 03301 John Crowther (C) 21 Mt Vernon Drive Claymont, bE 19703-2461 302-798-7140 Frank Curreri (0) 1946 West 12th Street Brooklyn, NY 11223 718-373-7114 Phillip D'Alessandro (D) 2456 Victoria Drive Hermitage, PA 16146 Mort G Dagenkolb (C) 1652 Wright Lone Virginia Beach, VA 23451 804-428-6229 Joseph Daley 427 Muzzy Hill Road Milan, NH 35088 603-449-6708 James Darcy (C) 123 Beverly Street Fall River, MA 02720 508-672-1332 Eugene Bascani (b) 1014 Moon Lane Connellsville, PA 15424 James Davy (C) 4335 Tiffton Saginaw, MI 48603 517-792-1308 William DeMorco (0) 27 Hutchinson Street Revere, MA 02151 781-289-1596 Vincent DePaulo (0) 189 Brimbal Road Beverly, MA 01915 978-927-8742 Joseph DeSisto 366 Waverly Oaks Road Waltham, MA 02452 781-893-4865 Walter E Behn (E) 44 Hudspeth Lone Pueblo, CO 81005 Roland Desmaris 106 Pond Street Attleboro, MA 02703 Vincent R BiMaio 240 Connecticut Avenue West Haven, CT 06516 Walter Duclutis (0) 70 Hooper Road Dedham, MA 02026 781-329-9157 William L Ellermann (D) 610219 SW, PO Box 645 Bothell, WA 98041 Clarence "Bill" W Enos (0 1405 South Main Street Fort Scott, KS 66701 316-768-0252- Patrick F Ferguson (0) 57 Rhoda Avenue Smithtown, NY 11787 516-265-9149 Richard F Fernandez (C) 6670 Royal Palms Blvd, #305 Margate, FL 33063 954-974-7910 Ms Beth Finney(Watters)(C) PO Box 10750 Ft Irwin, CA 92310 Guy Fiorentino (b) 123 Miry Brook Road Hamilton Square, NJ 08690 609-587-6545 Edward Fletcher (E) 1746 Sparta Circle Sebring, FL 33872 Herbert W Foedisch (0) 10 Elizabeth Circle Greenbrae, CA 94904 415-925-0243 Edmund J Friel (E) 9 Honeysuckle Road Westford, MA 01886 Albert Garrison 3665 East Auantia Road Mims, FL 32754 John T Glencross (D) 98 Little Neck Road Ipswich, MA 01938 978-356-5298 Millard Gordon (0) 214 Birch street Lady Lake, FL 32159 Donald F Hewson (C) 1455 St Clair Road Englewood,FL 34223 Homer Iredale (S) 619 N.W. 90th Street Vancouver, WA 98665 Mrs Walter P Jarosz 133 Ft Shantok Road Uncosville, CT 06382 Charles Jerolaman (E) 175 Claremont Road Bernardville, NJ 07924 908-766-3141 Edward 5 Johnson (0) HC 62, Box 5, Harvard Road East Branch, NY 13756 Russell E Johnson (S) Box 13 Woodhull, IL 61490 309-334-2344 Stewart S Johnson (C) 170 West Alvina Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53207 Charles F Jones 1845 Tarpon Lane, G?105 Vero Beach, FL 32960 Ms Gail Jones 25 Laval Street (Apt 19) Manchester, NH 03102 Lyman Jones 2273 Bethel Road Liberty, MS 39645 Mrs Arawana Jordan 1010 South 2nd Street Arkansas City, KS 67005 316-442-6767 Mrs Glenn Karcher RD 2, Apulia Road Jamesville, NY 13078 Archie Kellems (E) 1941 Treseder Cr El Cajon, CA 92019 ???-447-8562 Mrs Olivia A Kelly (Capt) 825 Bayshore Drive, #307 Pensacola, FL 32507 William H Kelly 956 Calle Cortito Santa Barbara, CA 93109 S Price King (C) 85 Donna Lane Hollister, CA 95023 Clarence Kritchen (E) 102 Lookout Court York, PA 717-767-9466 Frank Longlois 2940 Oakley Court Bend, OR 97701 Mrs Mildred Langlois 429 Kiely Boulevard Santa Clara, CA 95051 408-243-7601 Harold B Lantis (C) 107 Poplar Street, Apt #14 Redwood City, CA 94061 John LaSasso (C) 501 Briarwood Circle Hollywood, FL 33024 650-365-9787 Garrett C Lynch (D) 1681 South Elaine Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70815 225-924-7654 Arnold Madsen (E) 2 Foxboro Court Whiting, NJ 08759 Franklin Martin (E) 102 Emerson Circle Oak Ridge, TN 37830 Mrs William McCabe 10309 Ist Avenue South Bloomington, MN 55420 Harry Middlebrooks (E) 7402 Mulberry Road Hanover, MD 21076 410-766-1479 Sigmund Migden (E) Ventnor S267 Deerfield Beach, FL 33442 Mrs William Modrell (C) 3053 37th Street SW Seattle, WA 98126 Andrew "Mo" Molitoris (C) 137 Drake Lane Ledgewood, NJ Mark S Moore, CWO USCS 7497 South Tongass Highway Ketchikon, AK 99901 Corral Mull (E) 105 South Wilson Street Flat River, MO 63601 Ralph E New (b) PO Box 93 Moro, AR 72368 W Lawrence Newton (0) Aptdo, Correos 2239 La Palmas, SPAIN E-35080 Max O'Bara (0) 99 Beaumont Avenue Chicopee, MA 01013 413-592-4304 Thomas Pam (C) 2320 8th Avenue South Great Falls, MT 59405 406-761-4932 Mr Tom Peltin, Editor TCS PO Box 100 Somerset, MA 02726 Mike Plessl (C) 37 Old Forms Road Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 845-462-2684 Mrs Edna Purdy 35 Rubble Street Midland Park, NJ 07432 201-445-5648 Wayne G Robideau (D) 4793 North Seeger Street Coss City, MI 48726 Phil Ricci (0) PO Box 1214 Lake Ponasoffkee, FL 33538 Joseph Roberts PO BOX 129 Chugiak, AL 99657 Robert Ross (USS Hudson) 60 Oakland Street Melrose, MA 02176 781-662-7237 Ms Joanne Sovitkas PO box 175 Glen, NY 03838 Earl R Schwass 421 Belleview Avenue, 28 Newport, RI 02840 401-846-8497 Dennis Scott 383 Wintergreen Drive Brentwood, CA 94513 510-634-6410 Glendon S Shockley (E) 2800 Beechwood Lane Maryland Heights, MO 63043 314-739-5250 James Slife (C) 14617 14th Avenue SE Mill Creek, WA 98012 Mrs Albert W Smith 919 Osprey Drive, Suntree Melbourne, FL 32940 W J Smith 3823 Foxcroft Road Charlotte, NC 28211 Charles Square 1051 Broadway, Apt #301 Millbrae, CA 94030 415-697-8330 Edwin M Summers (C) 1067 Ridge Park Drive Concord, CA 94518 Wallace Thorpe 3223 Meadowlark Drive Lewiston, Ib 83501 Paul J Trella (E) 2426 NE 14th Street, Lot 84 Ocala, FL 32670 William 8 Viglione (C) 24934 Marine East Pointe, MI 48021 Wayne W Watkins 5805 Friars Road, 2302 San Diego, CA 92110 619-293-7516 Willis Webber (0) PO Box 1778 Mainville, MA 02762 Ernest Weeks (E) 83 King Avenue Weymouth. MA 02188 William L Weir 3527 South 57th Ct Cicero, IL 60650 708-652-9130 Fred A Weishelpl (E) 1521 West 6th Street Oshkosh, WI 54901 Benny Wentland (0) 6247 Medford Kalamazoo, M1 49009 Emmet White 3 Paul Road, Chelsea East Newcastle, bE 19720 Philip Whitney (0) 6 Beverly Avenue Marblehead, MA 01945 781-631-1841 John R Wier (0) 522 Barbara Avenue Solana Beach, CA 92075 619-755-2381 Chester A Williams (0) 1113 Drake Avenue Panama City, FL 32401 904-763-5649 Thomas 0 Wilson (0) 4165 East 44th Street Tulsa, OK 74135 Max Yergin (b) 232 Janice Street Lodi, OH 44254 330-948-2455 Louis Zorko 21610 Crystal Avenue Euclid, OH 44123 216-731-3740 |