THE ELEVEN WE FOUND
November 1998 to September 1999
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Each of these was "address unknown" on my list, some of them since our first mailing in 1985. I've
given each man's rate as it was when he served with us, and the state he lives in now. As I said on the
front page, no home addresses and no telephone numbers. If you want to write to one of them, write to
me and I'll pass it along.
DECEMBER 1998
Donald Garceau
Fireman First Class · Oregon
Our first. His granddaughter found the page three weeks after it went up and
wrote, "Is this my grandpa's ship?" It was. Don stood his watches down in the engine room for two years and
says he never once saw a sunrise at sea, because he was always below for it.
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JANUARY 1999
Ruth Deutsch
Widow of Mark Deutsch, Radioman Second Class · Pennsylvania
Mark died in 1991. Ruth found us herself, on the computer at her
senior center, and mailed me copies of the snapshots Mark took aboard, which are the only pictures of
the crew I'd ever seen that I wasn't in. She is coming to Virginia Beach.
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FEBRUARY 1999
Maurice Budde
Machinist's Mate First Class · Michigan
The only one of the eleven who found us on his own, in a computer class
at his church. His first e-mail was all in capital letters. His second one too. I wrote back in capitals
so he'd feel at home.
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MARCH 1999
Russell Dunmire
Son of Merle Dunmire, Seaman First Class · Indiana
Merle died in 1988 and never said a word about the war to his boy.
Russell wanted to know what his father did. I wrote him four pages, by hand, about a seaman who could
splice line faster than anybody aboard and sang on the fantail when the weather allowed.
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APRIL 1999
James Holland
Sonarman Third Class · Virginia
Jim lives in Suffolk, half an hour from me, and has for thirty years. His
daughter found the page. We had lunch the next Tuesday. Neither of us could eat much for talking.
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MAY 1999
Lillie Gossett
Daughter of Vernon Crain, Chief Boatswain's Mate · Tennessee
Her father died in 1978. Every man aboard was afraid of Chief Crain and
every man aboard would have followed him anywhere. I told her both, and she said that sounded like him.
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JUNE 1999
Edward Moser
Gunner's Mate Second Class · Pennsylvania
Found by his grandson, who is in the Navy today, aboard a destroyer.
Ed says the boy's ship has more computers than our whole fleet had radios, and he is probably right.
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JULY 1999
George and Irma Elia
George was an Electrician's Mate First Class · Florida
Their granddaughter found us. George doesn't care for the keyboard, so Irma
does the writing, and her letters are better than anything George ever wrote me in 1944, which was
nothing.
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JULY 1999
Robbie Lucier
Widow of Harvey Lucier, Yeoman Second Class · Louisiana
Harvey died in 1996. Robbie found us on her own, and told me something I
never knew: Harvey kept a little diary aboard, which was against regulations then. She is typing it up
for the association, a page a night.
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AUGUST 1999
William Blanton
Signalman Second Class · Texas
Found by his daughter. Bill was our signalman, so I asked him to look
over the flags I put across these pages. He says they'll do, though no signalman worth his rate would
ever hoist them in that order.
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SEPTEMBER 1999
Duane Welborn
Seaman Second Class · Ohio
Our youngest, eighteen when he came aboard in 1944. His daughter, Annie
Masterson, wrote two weeks ago. Duane is seventy-three, and he and Annie are coming to Virginia Beach in
May. I have already told him he still has to stand his watches.
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Still on our list
These are three of the men we're still looking for. If you know where one of them is, or if you are
his son or daughter, please write me.
- Jackie Davis, Seaman First Class, from Georgia
- James Goslin, Fireman First Class, from Kentucky
- Albert Larosa, Coxswain, from New Jersey
And to the eleven, and to everybody who typed in that ship's name to see what Dad did in the war:
thank you. You did us a great kindness.
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Last updated Thursday, September 16, 1999
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