Ring Presentations from Bonds of Gold
Today,
it is my pleasure to provide a miniature '63 ring worn by my wife Judith Lamb
Johnson for inclusion in the Bonds of Gold tradition. Judi was the sister of a member of the Class of '63,
James Lamb, and as the result of a blind date that started on the steps of
Bancroft Hall, my wife. The ring
was a visible bond to the Class of '63.
Throughout
her career in education, Judi took great pride in applying "Mrs. Johnson's
touch" to each of her classes.
Educated by the Sisters of Mercy, service, excellence and commitment
were the foundations of Judi's touch.
Reluctantly, Judi left the classroom in April 2003 after a long battle
with cancer. She concluded her
final letter to her classes with a line from Ryan's Song, a story in her
curriculum...... "We have touched each others lives forever." With this ring, my family and I are
personally extending "Mrs. Johnson's touch" and that of the Class of '63 to
each member of the Class of 2013.
Arne
"Bud" Johnson '63
Anonymous. This
Class of 1963 ring is donated by a classmate who wishes to remain
anonymous. As an anonymous
donation, this ring represents all members of the Class of 1963, much as the
Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery represents all those who have given
their lives in the service of their country.
This ring therefore represents all 1,206 who entered the Naval Academy in June 1959, and the 876 who graduated four years later; the nineteen flag officers and five civilian equivalents; the thirteen members of the Class of 1963 who lost their lives in combat in Vietnam; and the fifteen others who died in the line of duty.
This ring represents our
three classmates who were awarded the Navy Cross and the one awarded an Army
Distinguished Service Cross - each the Nation's second highest award for
gallantry - as well as our fifteen classmates awarded the Silver Star. It represents our classmate who is the
namesake for a Navy ship, USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62). And it
represents all the other members of the Class of 1963, who, besides the
military, have led diverse and distinguished careers in business, government,
medicine, law, religion, and the arts.
As
you wear your class rings melded with the gold of ours, we hope they will
always remind you that we are your heritage and you are our legacy. We wish you fair winds and following
seas in the great voyage of life that lies before you - a voyage you will
surely make with the distinction that is the hallmark of a proud wearer of a
United States Naval Academy ring.
Ron
Testa
Ralph Stowell, friend and
classmate of my husband Ron, sent me information about the Bonds of Gold
program. Ron would see this as a
wonderful way to pay forward the dedication and service that the ring represents
to another group of officers. Our daughter Pam, Ron's mother, and I
agree.
Ron enlisted in the Navy as
a senior in high school and was the first in his family to finish high school
and go to college. Before entering
the Academy he went to Bullis Prep school, a year that he was convinced made it
possible for him to succeed at the Academy. Ron had three VP commands, the last as Commander Patrol Wing
Two in Hawaii. He retired in 1990
after 28 years of service. Ron
died suddenly and unexpectedly on Father's Day of 1998.
Ron so appreciated what the
Naval Academy had given to him. He
knew that the education provided by the Naval Academy and the Naval Academy
Foundation had been instrumental in his success. The friendships made, lasted a
lifetime. The lessons learned made
him the fine officer he was.
The Bonds of Gold donation
is a wonderful way to continue his legacy and the legacy of those good men of
1963 to the outstanding men and women of 2013.
Dave, Class of '63, USNA 20th
Company, was preselected at graduation for the Civil Engineer Corp (CEC). Following his first tour in the
amphibious navy aboard a Landing Ship Tank (LST 1158), he earned his Master's
Degree (MSEE) at the University of Michigan, and then transferred to the CEC with
duty stations as a junior officer including Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines
and Thailand. More than half of
his career was spent in support of the Navy's strategic program, managing
design and construction of VLF communications and navigation systems worldwide,
missile test facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida and China Lake, California,
and a homeport for ballistic missile submarines (SSBN)at Kings Bay,
Georgia. Later he served as
programmer and congressional liaison for the latter ten year, $1.5 billion
Kings Bay construction program.
Following retirement in 1989, Dave continued performing facilities
management in various capacities, and in 1999 he established a consulting
company to optimize the competitive performance of large distributed enterprises
using groundbreaking software he and his partner had developed.
One of David's retirement
goals is to significantly expand the career opportunities of wounded warriors
from recent conflicts. He is
currently assisting companies who employ the disabled (under the Americans with
Disabilities Act and US Code) using his business modeling software to enhance their competitiveness
and success.
Dave notes that an important
ingredient of a successful career is the perfect spouse to share and support
their adventure. "Ruthie's
miniature has worked its magic. We
were married graduation day 1963 in the Naval Academy chapel and have shared an
incredible journey up to this day.
We hope that our bond of love for each other and for country will
symbolically pass on to the Class of 2013 through their class rings with the
Bonds of Gold."
Captain
Dave Hull and Ruthie Hull
CDR E. G ( Jerry) Kreinik '63
"CDR E.G.(JERRY) KREINIK,USN (RET)
cannot be here and he thought enough of his 2nd company mates
WILLIAM C. FITZGERALD and DONALD C.MACLAUGHLIN,JR., who were killed in action
in Vietnam." that is donating his cherished class ring in their memory.
Jerry Kreinik served in a destroyer, a minesweeper, and four submarines after
graduation. Upon retirement from the Navy he entered the financial world as a
second career and now lives in retirement in Hawaii.
Don MacLaughlin,
won the NAAA sword as the midshipman who excelled in athletics. He was captain of the Navy soccer team
and as a Midfielder on the National Champion Lacrosse team in 1963, he was
first team All American. In 1966,
he was lost in a combat mission in South Vietnam when his A-4 crashed. His remains were never recovered. In 1973, the NCAA named the "Best
midfielder award in Division I, II and III'" after Don. An inspirational leader, he left behind
a wife and a daughter.
Bill Fitzgerald
entered the Academy after almost three years as an enlisted man following in
the footsteps of his father, a retired Chief Petty Officer. He was the senior U.S. advisor at
Coastal Defense Group SIXTEEN in Vietnam, when their compound came under
vicious attack by two Viet Cong battalions in August 1967. Bill and three others
delayed their retreat to provide covering fire. As the situation deteriorated,
Bill ordered his last three remaining defenders to retreat while he used small
arms fire to cover their escape.
Bill was mortally wounded.
He posthumously was awarded the Navy Cross and in 1995 the USS
FITZGERALD (DDG - 62) was commissioned bearing his name. He left behind a wife and three
children.
You see their
names and those of others here in Memorial Hall and see the DON'T GIVE UP THE
SHIP flag. Both Bill and Don followed that theme in their lives. All Academy
graduates should remember that, no matter how hard life is, they too should,
"NOT GIVE UP THE SHIP"
Daryl L. Rabert. '63
In May 1963, my father, Paul
P. Rabert, and I gave my mother, Irene M. Rabert, a miniature to show our
appreciation for the love and support she always gave us. She was born on a
farm in Pennsylvania and worked very hard on her father's farm. As a mother she
provided a great life for me.
My mother was very proud that
her son was accepted and graduated from the United States Naval Academy. She
always supported the military and me during my days at the Academy and on
active duty. She would want her ring to be part of the Class of 2013 so that
her legacy will live on during the rest of your days in the military. She will
be with you in spirit, praying for your safety and supporting you from above. I
know that she will be proud to be a part of your class as you serve your great
country. Fair winds and following seas to your class.
Semper
Fi.
Commander Dennis Carl Doherty (Duffy) '63
Commodore Granville Benjamin ("Benny") Hoey USN
Class of 1909
1887-1943
I am pleased to donate my
grandfather's class ring to the class of 2013. I have worn his ring
continuously since graduation in 1963. Thus, this ring has been on active duty
in our Navy for 64 years and seen service in World Wars I and II and Vietnam as
well as deployments around the world. I will be honored to know that its gold
will be part of the service to our country by the class of 2013 for the next half
century and then part of the next legacy class - 2063.
My Grandfather, Commodore
Granville Benjamin Hoey, served on active duty for 32 years prior to retiring
in 1937 as a Captain. Assignments included Commanding Officer of USS Tarbell
(DD-142) 1919-1921. Tarbell was an escort destroyer for President Wilson's
trans-Atlantic voyages to/from the Versailles Peace Conference. Tarbell was
later transferred to the Pacific Fleet and then forward based in Cavite,
Philippines. Captain Hoey commanded a destroyer squadron in the Asiatic
squadron and was stationed in both the Philippines and China. He also taught at
the Naval Academy for four years and was head of the English Department prior
to retiring.
Commodore Hoey returned to
active duty in 1939 as commander, Naval Station Key West where he directed the
recommissioning of that naval base. He was also Chief of Staff and District
Operations Officer directing operations against German submarine in the
Caribbean Sea Frontier 1941 until his death in April 1943.
While stationed in Key West,
his daughter, Emily Hoey met and married my father then Ensign William Soverel
USN who was a naval aviator attached to the Naval Seaplane Base, Key West.
Pete Soverel
W. Spencer Johnson '63
On
graduation day 1963, I gave my mother Daisy T. Johnson, a class miniature as a
way of expressing my love for her and in recognition of all that she had done
for me. My father was a Navy surgeon for thirty years and she a Navy wife who
made our home in Brooklyn, New York; Portsmouth, Virginia; Yokosuka, Japan and
Charleston, South Carolina. She saw my father's ship transport troops to the
invasion of North Africa in late 1942, the invasion of Sicily in 1943, and the
Normandy landings in 1944, bringing wounded home on the return trips across a
U-boat infested Atlantic. My mother sent two sons and one grandson to the Naval
Academy: W. Spencer Johnson IV '63, Charles E Johnson, '66 and W. Spencer
Johnson V '93. Again, she watched our ships depart for the Mediterranean, the
Arctic, the Red Sea, the Arabian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Far East,
the Caribbean and Yellow Seas. She watched aircraft leave the deck and recover
safely. She shared the adventure of my brother, a Navy diver in the Man in the
Sea Project, exploring a new frontier. She weathered the years of World War II,
Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War and the first Iraq war, in all of which were
involved the men closest to her in life. She wore her Naval Academy miniature
for over thirty years with great pride of service-ours and hers. She will not
watch your ships or aircraft single up and head for the open sea or your
aircraft take off and return. Now, she will be going with you--- in your class
rings. Her prayers for your safe return and hers will be with you as you serve
our country in the years ahead. Fair winds and following seas.
James Ashford Metcalfe '63
My
father, Edward Conrad "Red" Metcalfe, graduated from USNA in 1922, the year of
the Washington disarmament conference.
Only half the class received commissions as an economy measure. Dad led a typical Navy officer's life
with duty at sea followed by submarine school and service on the China
Station. In 1930 he married my
mother, Agnes Ashford, known to all the world as "Honey Bee." As a token of his love, Dad gave Honey
Bee a miniature of his class ring which she wore until her death in 1969. That ring has seen much of the world of
the Navy. Mom transited the Panama
Canal in the S-11 boat commanded by Dad. Later when Dad was XO of the CONYNGHAM,
DD 371, and CO of REUBEN JAMES, DD 245, Mom followed the ships to Europe and
both coasts. In 1940 their
carefree lives were interrupted by my arrival in the world. With the war in Europe our Navy was
placed on a wartime footing. Dad
was assigned to QUINCY, CA 39, a heavy cruiser on Neutrality Patrols in the
North Atlantic. My first haircut
was on board QUINCY. On Dec. 7,
1941, QUINCY was convoying British troops to Singapore. Instead QUINCY left the convoy at
Capetown, South Africa, and headed west.
Ultimately she provided gunfire support for the Guadalcanal invasion of
Aug. 7, 1942. There in the early morning hours of Aug. 9th, QUINCY,
three other cruisers, and several destroyers were sunk in the battle of Savo
Island, the worst defeat our Navy has ever suffered. Dad and his class ring went to the bottom of what became
known as Iron Bottom Sound. Later
Mom married a retired Navy surgeon and I acquired a stepsister. Judy married an aviator out of '55 who
went off to the air war in 1965.
Later Mom doted on her step-grandsons, one of whom is a Coast Guard
captain today and another was an Army Green Beret. She was also very proud when I graduated from USNA in '63,
married my Ring Dance partner Lisa Madison of Annapolis, and became a Naval Aviator. Honey Bee did not live to see our
children, a daughter and a son. I
know she would have been very proud to see our son commissioned in the Navy
from U. Va. ROTC and she would have worried as we did when he went off to
Afghanistan as a recalled Reservist.
She would be particularly pleased to see the Class of 2013 get her
miniature to mix with your rings and she would pray that God would protect you
as you continue the unbroken chain of service to our country. Fair winds and following seas.
John Glenn Wilkinson Jr. '63
I wore the class ring that I
am donating from The Ring Dance in 1962 until April 1982. I wore it while serving in two
destroyers, a cruiser, and on a Swift boat (a PCF). I wore it in the guided missile destroyer in which I served
as Executive Officer and in the one that I was privileged to command. It was with me as I did my postgraduate
work in Monterey, when I served in the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff and on the staff of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
From my first days at sea in
1963, I decided not to wear any rings at sea. In April 1982, USS MACDONOUGH (DDG-39) got underway from
Charleston, SC, for her second Mediterranean cruise under my command. As was my habit, I left the bridge
after the underway routine was set and went to my day cabin, sat down, took off
my rings and set them on a table while I dealt with less than urgent radio
traffic. In a matter of minutes, I
was called back to the bridge; we were starting to feel the effects of the
North Wall. When I went back to my
cabin, I could not find my rings.
Neither could anyone else.
Later that year, I was given my second class ring.
In 1989, MACDONOUGH was in
the shipyard and I was retired. I
received a phone call from a shipyard worker telling me that he had found the
rings in the middle of a group of wires about fifty feet aft and one deck below
the Commanding Officers day cabin and he returned them to me.
So, I wound up with two class
rings and the new one fit so I continued to wear it. I am grateful and honored to know that the first one
will become a part of the class of 2013.
May its incorporation in the rings of 2013 bring the good fortune that
it brought me - good friends, interesting and challenging tours, and safely
home from war.
Bonds of Gold Closing Remarks Class of 1963
Spencer Johnson '63
A number of years ago I,
along with six or seven other classmates, attended the funeral of a classmate
at Arlington National Cemetery. We gathered in the back of the chapel at Ft.
Myer. We were asked by an usher "Are you family?" One classmate answered, "No,
we are closer than that." We were seated right behind the immediate family.
The bonds that you have formed and are in the process of
forming with your classmates will only strengthen over the course of your
lives. You will grow closer with every passing year, bound by your experiences
here, your shared service to our country, and your experiences in life. In the
wink of an eye, you will be standing here, blending rings from your class with
those of the class of 2063.
When I received my ring, I
took great pride in the fact that it reflected my achievement, surviving three
years here at the Academy and soon to be a first classman, a "ring knocker".
Over the years I have learned that the ring I wear is only partly about me. It
is more about my classmates and their critical assistance that allowed me to
graduate from this institution, their many achievements and sacrifices in
service to our country, and their individual and collective commitment, integrity
and sense of honor that characterizes us all.
My ring represents our Class endeavors to help
educate the children of our deceased classmates, and our support for the Class
of 1963 Center for Academic Excellence which, you and many others have used to
sharpen your academic skills and prowess. We do these things as a living
memorial to our classmates. Our support for the Center for Academic Excellence
represents our investment in the Brigade of Midshipmen, and the officer corps,
by assisting you to reach your goals and to go beyond. It is our Class legacy,
one that we hope that in future years you the Class of 2013 will consider
joining us in furthering.
The Class of 1869 was the
first to have a class ring. They commissioned a jeweler to make them the same
ring so that they "could remember each other forever". These bands of gold are
indeed bonds of gold, linking all that have come before us, and all those who
will come after us. We are forged by the same time proven process. We, like you, are committed. We, like
you, are tested. We wear this ring with pride for all that have come before us,
for our classmates, and for you. Fair winds and following seas, 2013.