U.S.S. PLATTE AO - 24

I am the American Sailor

Hear my voice, America! Though I speak through the mist of 200 years, my shout for freedom will echo through liberty's halls for many centuries to come. Hear me speak, for my words are of truth and justice, and the rights of man. For those ideals I have spilled my blood upon the world's troubled waters. Listen well, for my time is eternal - yours is but a moment.

I am the spirit of heroes past and future. I am the American Sailor. I was born upon the icy shores at Plymouth, rocked upon the waves of the Atlantic, and nursed in the wilderness of Virginia. I cut my teeth on New England codfish, and I was clothed in southern cotten. I built muscle at the halyards of New Bedford whalers, and I gained my sea legs high atop mizzen of Yankee clipper ships.

Yes, I am the American Sailor, one of the greatest seamen the world has ever known. The sea is my home and my words are tempered by the sound of paddle wheels on the Mississippi and the song of whales off Greenland's barren shore. My eyes have grown dim from the glare of sunshine on blue water, and my heart is full of star-strewn nights under the Southern Cross.

My hands are raw from winter storms while sailing down round the Horn, and they are blistered from the heat of cannon broadside while defending our nation. I am the American Sailor, and I have seen the sunset of a thousand distant, lonely lands. I am the American Sailor. It was I who stood tall beside John Paul Jones as he shouted, "I have not yet begun to fight!" I fought upon the Lake Erie with Perry, and I rode with Stephen Decatur into Tripoli harbor to burn Philadelphia.

I met Guerroere aboard Constitution, and I was lashed to the mast with Admiral Farragut at Mobile Bay. I have heard the clang of Confederate shot against the sides of Monitor. I have suffered the cold with Peary at the North Pole, and I responded when Dewey said, "You may fire when ready Gridley," at Manila Bay. It was I who transported supplies through submarine infested waters when our soldier's were called "over there." I was there as Admiral Byrd crossed the South Pole. It was I who went down with the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, who supported our troops at Inchon, and patrolled dark deadly waters of the Mekong Delta.

I am the American Sailor and I wear many faces. I am a pilot soaring across God's blue canopy and I am a Seabee atop a dusty bulldozer in the South Pacific. I am a corpsman nursing the wounded in the jungle, and I am a torpedoman in the Nautilus deep beneath the North Pole. I am hard and I am strong.

But it was my eyes that filled with tears when my brother went down with the Thresher, and it was my heart that rejoiced when Commander Shepherd rocketed into orbit above the earth. It was I who lanquished in a Viet Cong prison camp, and it was I who walked upon the moon. It was I who saved the Stark and the Samuel B. Roberts in the mine infested waters of the Persian Gulf. It was I who pulled my brothers from the smoke filled compartments of the Bonefish and wept when my shipmates died on the Iowa and White Plains. When called again, I was there, on the tip of the spear for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

I am the American Sailor. I am woman, I am man, I am white and black, yellow, red and brown. I am Jew, Christian, Buddhist and Muslim. I am Irish, Italian, Filipino, African, French, Chinese, and Indian. And my standard is the outstretched hand of Liberty. Today, I serve around the world, on land, in air, on and under the sea. I serve proudly, at peace once again, but with the fervent prayer that I need not be called again.

Tell your children of me. Tell them of my sacrifice, and how my spirit soars above their country. I have spread the mantle of my nation over the ocean and I will guard her forever. I am her heritage and yours.

I AM THE AMERICAN SAILOR!!

Author unknown - Letter found this summer on the steps leading to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

IN MEMORY OF OUR FELLOW SHIPMATES

I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith.
-- Timothy 2:4:7

FINAL MUSTER OF THE U.S.S. PLATTE AO - 24

Name of Crewman	Service Dates	Date of Death	Notes
WILLIAM L. 'PINKY' ADAMS Capt.	1966-1967	2/01/2001	Ship's Captain
PAUL ARMSTRONG	1940 ERA	7/16/1990	.
ROBERT BAILEY	1944-1959	.	.
WILLIAM T. BALDRIDGE Lt.	1953-1956	.	.
THEODORE BARON	1953-1954	.	.
JAMES BAVIER	1954-1956	.	.
L.C. BAYS	1942	.	.
CHARLES BEATY	1952-1954	.	.
JOHN R. BELLOCK	1955-1956	1-08-2010	.
JACK BLANKMANSHIP	.	3/2004	.
ROBERT BRUNDAGE M.D.	1945-1946	1992	Ship's Doctor
F.W. BRUNING Capt.	1951-1953	2003	Ship's Captain
ROBERT E.'BOB'BUTLER	1945-1949	1983	.
ROBERT BUSH	1947	2007	.
ROBERT BUSHNELL	1947	2007	.
JOHN L. BUTTS	.	1992	.
HORTY CAGLE	.	.	.
WAYMAN CARTER	1942-1944	.	.
JOE CASEY	.	.	.
BILL CASTELLO	1942-1945	1985	.
JAMES CAVAUGH	1952-1953	.	.
C.A. CHAFIN	1954-1955	.	.
W.W. CLAPP	1952-1953	.	.
RAYMOND CONNER	.	.	.
OTIS DAUGHERTY	.	2000	.
JOE DESPAIN	.	5/06/2006	Honorary Member
BENNET M. DODSON Capt.	1953-1954	.	Ship's Captain
MICHAEL LEE DOERMANN	1969-1970	1999	.
LOUIS A. DUFFEY	1942-1945	.	.
JEAN DUPLANTIS	1953-1954	.	.
KENNETH EDWARDS	1952-1956	.	.
WILLIAM B. ELLIS	1954-1955	.	.
EDGAR L. ETHRIDGE	.	.	.
CECIL EDGAR	1964-1966	.	.
GLENN FOOS	.	.	.
GEORGE FRAME	1952-1955	.	.
GERALD FRIESTH	.	.	.
HUBERT FRITZ	1940 ERA	1994	.
VICTOR GOLASH	1951	.	.
B.O. GOLD	1955	.	.
HERMAN GREEN	1945	5-10-2008	.
EDWARD J. HAGL	.	.	.
BILLY HAMILTON	1953-1954	.	.
GLEN HATFIELD	1953-1954	.	.
RALPH HENKLE Capt.	1940-1942	.	Ship's Captain
JAMES M. HILDERMAN	1952-1955	.	.
WILBURN C. HOBBS	1944-1945	.	.
J.S. HOLTWICK Capt.	1944	.	Ship's Captain
TOM JAMES	1963-1966	7-12-2010	.
WILLIS 'BILL' JOHNSON	.	.	.
GARY V. JONES	1965-1969	6/2006	.
DONALD KOBS	.	.	.
NORBERT KIZAK	1953-1954	1/30/2004	.
PATRICK J. LEE	1962-1966	4/13/2005	.
FRED LEISTER JR. LCdr.	1953-1956	.	.
J.C. LEITH	.	.	.
KENNETH LINDBERG	1950 ERA	1984	.
RICHARD 'STEVE' LITTLE	1945-1946	12-24-2007	.
ERVIN LOSEE	1953-1954	.	.
GARY EDWARD LOWES	1966-1967	9/03/1995	.
LEE LOWRIE	.	.	.
WALTER ALLEN MANGOLD	1943-1945	3/2006	.
HOWARD MCANNALLY	.	.	.
CLIFFORD DALE MCCLURE	1950 ERA	.	.
BILLY MCCOLLUM	1952-1956	.	.
WALTER B. MCDONALD BOSN'	1954-1956	.	.
FRED MCFARLIN	1956-1959	5/25/2003	.
GARY MEUSBOM	1960 ERA	1992	.
JOHN LEE MONTGOMERY	1940 ERA	1963	.
PERRY MORRIS	.	.	.
JOHN MULDOON	1951-1955	12/28/2002	.
SID OWEN	1952-1953	.	.
VERNON E. PARKER HMC	.	.	.
RAYMOND PASAFUME	.	.	.
ERVIN PETERSON	1953-1955	12/16/2002	.
HOWARD PLOUTZ	1955-1957	.	.
FRANK PRACHTHAUSER	1957-1961	8-06-2009	.
MICHAEL L. QUAGLIANO LCdr.	1941-1943	1961	Engineering Officer
CARL RAHTER	1955-1959	3/29/2003	.
CHARLES 'WOODY' RIXIE RADM.	1950 ERA	2009	Supply Officer Woody was one of our founders. He was an inspiration to all Platte crewmen.
DUANE ROCKWELL	.	1997	.
PETER ROSS JR.	.	.	.
THOMAS H. RULON	1950-1954	10/27/2007	.
RICHARD H. SCOTT	1957-1961	7/31/2006	.
ED SHARKEY	1940 ERA	.	.
LOUIS SHEELEY	1953-1954	.	.
IVAN SHERK	1954-1956	.	.
BERNARD SHINAZI	1953-1954	.	.
DAVID SHUTT	.	.	.
BILLY JOE SIMPSON	1953-1956	11-11-1993	.
WALTER E. SMITH	1952-1954	.	.
MARK P. STEINBRUCK	1956-1967	.	.
B.L. STEVENS	.	.	.
RALPH SWANSON HM2	1966-1967	6/04/2005	.
DAVE TEMPEST	.	6/01/2007	.
JOSEPH E. TILBURY	1954	.	.
JIM THEMER	1957-1961	.	.
KARO THOMAS	1960-1964	.	.
HAROLD D. TOMPKINS	.	1/07/2005	.
JAMES E. TRIPP	.	.	.
G.P. UNMACHT Capt.	1956-1957	1988	Ship's Captain
OTIS 'MARK' MARSHALL VEASEY	1960 ERA	9-08-1989	.
ALVIN F. VICKERS	.	.	.
JOHNNY VILLARREAL	1940 ERA	.	.
BILLY CAL WALKER	1952-1954	.	.
JOHN WANTIEZ	.	.	.
WILLIAM ACIE WARNER	1946-1947	.	.
CHARLES S. WILLIAMS JR. RADM	1969-1970	7-08-2007	Platte's last Skipper Her 28th Captain
CLAUDE WINFREE	1954	.	.
KENNETH D. WINTER	1951-1953	.	.
ROBERT WOLLARD	.	.	.
BILLY RAY YOUNG	.	.	.
CHARLES ZWEIFEL	.	.	.

Kenneth D. Winter 51-53	Ervin D. Peterson 53-55	Kenneth "ED" Edwards 52-56	Wilburn C. Hobbs 44-45

Eternal Father, strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked'st on the foaming deep, And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease, And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power! Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe, Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

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