|
|
Now Over 350,000 Hits!
website counter
the USS Oklahoma City CL-91, CLG-5, CG-5 and SSN-723.
USS Oklahoma City
Shipmates Found To Date
1384
If you served aboard any of the ships named
USS Oklahoma City please enter your name
and other information into the Deck Log database.
Joe Caruso's OK City News Notes
Plebes First Day At The U.S. Naval AcademyGo to the Video Archive to see it |
Veterans Statistics from the Vietnam Memorial WallThere are 58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall, including those added in 2010. The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. It is hard to believe it is 63 years since the first casualty. The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth , Mass. Listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having been killed on June 8, 1956. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine Corps LCpl Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7, 1965. There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall. 39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger, 8,283 were just 19 years old. The largest age group, 33,103 were 18 years old. 12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old. 5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old. One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old. 997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam . 1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam . 31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. Thirty one sets of parents lost two of their sons. 54 soldiers attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia . 8 women are on the Wall, nursing the wounded. 244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of them are on the Wall Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons. West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation. There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall. The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 deaths. The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 - 2,415 casualties were incurred. For most Americans who read this they will only see the numbers that
the Vietnam War created. To those who survived the war, and to
the families of those who did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain
that these numbers created We are, until we too pass away, haunted
with these numbers, because they were our friends, fathers, husbands,
wives, sons and daughters There are no noble wars, just noble
warriors. |
For information on Mesothelioma, go to the Veterans page. |
| KIRCHGESLER, Kenneth, OSCS 70-74. My husband served on OKC from June 70- May 74. He passed in April of this year and thanks to the Navy and 2 HM's his ashes are on their way to Guam to be placed in the ocean with the OKC by the OKC. Diane Kirchgesler. |
EditorialHowever, the owner has been dealing with medical issues over the past few years and the web page has not been updated or maintained for some time. It is necessary for the Association to maintain a positive presence a good public image for it to be successful and the current web page does not meet these criteria. As such, the Association will be developing a new web page to be owned by the Association and dedicated solely to it. This will take some time, so please be patient. |
RebuttalSecond, when I started to attract hundreds and hundreds of former crew members, the Association felt compelled to write about the success of my website. And just as in the editorial above, they referred to the page without mentioning the author. Far more than a directory, it became an archive of memories about the U.S.S. Oklahoma City vessels. I spent more than twenty years and most of my free time writing, editing and publishing the site, all at my own expense, with no funds from the Association. The bulk of my information came from other crew-members and their loved ones who wanted to be a part of something that recalled a pivotal time in their lives. The only reason that the page slowed was that the Association directed all their efforts to social media. For the past five years, I have had no cooperation from the Association; no photos, no descriptions, no stories, nothing. The only thing I got was the reunion announcement, which was constantly being corrected and updated. And the president of the Association insisted that I make all the changes on demand, whenever he found another error in his own copy. It was interesting that I received this information only after it was sent out by email to everyone else. As for maintaining a positive presence, my site is an ARCHIVE. It is meant as a reference tool for like minded individuals. The president of the Association is entitled to his own opinion. But he is not entitled to his own facts, which is why I felt the need to set the record straight. Perhaps the Association should give up the quest for another website in favor of a search for another president. |
What You Need to Know About the |
 U.S.S. Missouri Commemorative Stamp available in June |
2019 Reunion InformationNow Available HERE |
New To The Crew*** BMSN - Now a writer and married with two teenage daughters. From March ’61 to December ’61, we did some shakedown sailing up and down the West Coast before taking off for deployment in Yokosuka, JP. We left Long Beach, CA, 12/01/61 for Pearl Harbor to commemorate the Gold Star Mothers on 12/07/61 . Upon stops in the Philippines and Okinawa, we arrived in Yokosuka on December 24, 1961 and 5 days later became Flagship 7th Fleet for 6 months. Enroute, through a typhoon, a ‘man overboard’ call came in from a Japanese ‘Maru’ but couldn’t stay searching as the waves were just too high. Coincidentally, upon joining the Ok City Radio Divn., there were 3 other Larry’s …. One 1st Class from Walnut Grove, CA, 2 other Seamen from Lincoln, NE and Cheyenne, WY . As in most places, we all had some sort of ‘nickname’ or were called by your ‘last’ name. Two years ago I found one of the Larry’s in Utah and my wife and I made a visit with them. Another Larry along with 4 others that have been OK City shipmates, (of which one is married to a lady with my last name but we can’t find a family connection) have been email friends for awhile. Married for 55 years to a beautiful woman from Louisville, KY (without an accent). With a Son, 51 and a Daughter, 48, born on my birthdate, 9/25 . Four Grandchildren ages 26, 17, 15 and 13 (only girl). Lived in Whiting, IN my 1st year with my Grandparents while my Father was still in the Navy aboard the USS Pennsylvania as a Chief Gunners Mate/Warrant Officer; he was discharged summer of 1945 and passed 1991. Wife retired from UTLX in E. Chicago, IN after 34 years and I retired in 2006 from my 9th career (lol) ; C&EI railroad accounting, Brady Motorfreight Terminal Clerk/Dispatcher/Terminal Mgr., Wills Trucking & Long Rock dry bulk hauling dispatcher/7 states Sales Mgr., The Budd Co.transportation/traffic clerk, Humana Healthcare-Medicare Divn. Sales/Sales Mgr., RollinOn RV Salesman, Blue Chip Casino/ Casino Guest Services Supvr. and last but not least, a Real Estate Title Co. as Assn’t Closing person. All without a ‘college degree’ but a ‘gift for gab’. Today and everyday, my wife and I have a varied life with various things to do, usually depending upon the time of year and the weather. I used to golf with a bunch of guys but the group is either slowing down or have passed. In the fall though, my son and I bowl in a mixed league of 22 teams in which I have been a member for about 25 years. This has been a memory lane for me and hope it is as complete as warranted . |
TAPS Obituary Obituary |
 Read more about this OK City Hero |
SSN-723 Westpac Cruise 2004
Photographed & Compiled by
Shipmate Todd Selby, MMC(SS) 03-05
 |
| The USS Oklahoma City website is published daily for the benefit of the crew members of all ships named Oklahoma City. Editor and Publisher: Joe Caruso; Graphics Editors: Phil Gerini, Glenn Stone; Editorial Contributors: Jack Kemejuk, John Baker, Paul Dillon, Frank Zacarro, T.C. Lamson, Jim Blackburn, Robert Britton, Richard Harvey, & John Cruso. All rights reserved. Copyright 1997 to 2019. |
No animals were harmed during the production of this website.
|
|
