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USS Raleigh LPD 1
 
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Saturday 11/21/2009 9:22:05pm
Name: Lester J. Fritz
Homepage:
E-Mail: lesdotty@netzero.net
Referred By: Just Surfed In
City/Country: North East, MD
Comments:


My son decided pretty early in life that he wanted to join the Navy and see the world. We managed to hold him off from that idea until he had completed three years of college, but one day he came home and told us he had enlisted and that was that.
Matthew was born in New York City in January of 1961 and the keel had been laid for Raleigh in the Brooklyn Navy Yard just about seven months before. They kind of started out in life together, but we weren’t aware of it at the time.

He graduated boot camp and went through electronic warfare school and finally joined the fleet on John F. Kennedy (CV-67) He did a couple of deployments on “Big John” in the Med and a few other places and after re-enlisting, he joined the crew of USS Kidd (DDG-993) and went to the Gulf twice…. Once to escort the re-flagged tankers and then to blow the hell out of some Iranian oil rigs. He ended his second enlistment being named “Sailor of the Year” for the Kidd and living it up in New York for Fleet Week.

Having seen the carrier navy and the destroyer navy, he had his detailer get him a berth on Raleigh for his new enlistment. I can’t remember if Matt ever had an “at sea” period aboard Raleigh. I seem to recall he reported aboard when she was at the pier at Moon Engineering and I don’t believe he did much other than attend some school or other while they were tied up there. It was just a short time after becoming the leading petty officer on your ship that he was taken to Portsmouth Naval Hospital the night the World Series was interrupted with the big earthquake in the San Francisco bay area.

Matt was diagnosed with a brain tumor, had an operation a few days later after the swelling had been reduced and given a prognosis of 18 months. While recuperating from his surgery with his wife and children in Virginia Beach, he awaited the navy’s ruling on his status. We visited frequently during this period and he always got me to drive him over to Moon Engineering so “he could go aboard and get this or that out of his locker.” There wasn’t really very much there, but he never completely cleared it out. I guess he felt he was still a part of ship’s company and still a part of the Navy as long as he still had personal gear aboard in his locker.

The day finally came that he was officially discharged from the service and Raleigh sailed on her newest deployment to the Gulf . He followed the news and whereabouts of Raleigh over the ensuing months as best he could and slowly slipped away from us as Raleigh’s mission was coming to a close. He died in Newport News Veteran’s Hospital a week before the ship delivered the Marines back to Moorhead City.

We in Matt’s family were under the impression that Matt’s cremains were going aboard ship in Moorhead City when the marines were debarking and that he would be buried at sea (that was what he wanted) on the short cruise from Moorhead City to Norfolk. It was several weeks later that we found out there had been some foul-up and his cremated remains were being held at Portsmouth Naval Hospital.

Responding to a letter I sent about what was happening, Captain McCarthy informed us that my letter was the first he had heard about Matt’s death. He got involved right away and made it known that Raleigh was ready and willing to be tasked with a burial at sea whenever they went out again. So, EW1 Matthew Fritz was buried at sea off the Virginia Capes with full military honors on June 19, 1991 from the flight deck of his third and last ship. The USS Raleigh was subsequently decommissioned six months later. She would be sunk as a target a few years afterward, but the ship and those who sailed in her are remembered fondly by our family.



Sunday 11/08/2009 11:48:59pm
Name: victor "woody" soto
Homepage:
E-Mail: sotovmt@yahoo.com
Referred By: Just Surfed In
City/Country:
Comments: The best time I had was on the Raleigh.
From '68-'69 I worked in engine room #2
and yes I had to repair the intake pumps after scrapping bottom at little creek (cause I was the new guy). Do you
remember why we scrapped bottom? I do!
From '69- Dec.'71 I worked in the galley,as a cook,with Larry Nelson who love to bake bread and enjoyed washing the pots and pans. As for Richard Moody
he made some of the best BBQ I ever tasted. This is just my way of saying HI to you guys after so many year.



Sunday 11/08/2009 6:11:38pm
Name: Joseph Smith, USN, Ret.
Homepage:
E-Mail: Joefuss2@blomand.net
Referred By: Just Surfed In
City/Country: McMinnville, TN
Comments: PCS to LPD-1 28 Mar 68 as SA from SSC/NTC Great Lakes to 2nd Div under BM1 Mickey Reece, LTJG Pete B. Vanwinkle, and 1stLt. Joe Stott. Made SN. Then wanted to be an RD. Took Exam-First Increment RD3 then re-upped for 6 under STAR Program with PCS in Jan 71 to SSC/NTC Great Lakes OS "A" School with OS "C" school to earn NEC 0334. The USS Raleigh LPD-1 was my first ship and my only amphib. After that It was all DD/DDG/FF/CG. Of all the ships, of all the duty stations, and all the ports visited, there was one buddy from 2nd Div that I lost touch with after my PCS and I would like to find. If anyone knows of the whereabouts of SA/SN James Blain Hynoonan (spelling?) whose nickname was "Peanut" - I would appreciate knowing how to get in touch with him.
Some of the terms used 40 years ago still echo in the passageways of my mind like, Riviera Club, Black Angus, Lucky 7, Luna Street, and of course the Jolly Roger and Purple Onion. Shame we don't get paid for our memories.



Saturday 10/31/2009 6:39:26pm
Name: HM3 Bruce Rang
Homepage:
E-Mail: omcbeto@yahoo.com
Referred By: Just Surfed In
City/Country: jacksonville nc
Comments: saw the site. I sailed on the Raleigh as a navy corpsman attached to a magtaf unit in 1988. we broke down several times enroute to the persian gulf and I believe it was the Raleighs last cruise. They ended up flying us home from Naples.



Friday 10/09/2009 2:09:11pm
Name: Sylvester (Sy) Mason
Homepage:
E-Mail: syl8188@yahoo.com
Referred By: Just Surfed In
City/Country: Philadelphia, PA
Comments: Hi gang,
Just trying to stay in touch.
Jerry, I've written Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and also Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-13th Dist (PA) about the Cold War Medal.
I got a form letter from Specter telling me his father fought in WWI and marched with the Bonus Army in '32 and he always supports veterens causes. Nothing in the letter said anything about Cold War Vets. Schwartz sent me a form letter too, telling me she always supports vets. Only Casey sent a personal note stating he is looking into the matter and will get back to me.

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