Posted on 11/19/2013 3:48:35 PM PST by DFG
The crew of the USS Dewey have honored the dying wish of a Pearl Harbor survivor by allowing him on board the latest version of the destroyer he served on in the Second World War.
Electrician’s Mate Second Bud Cloud was due to begin hospice care, when his friend Jennie Haskamp reached out to the Dewey's crew and asked if he could see the ship in San Diego.
But when they arrived at the dock, the sailors carried the 90-year-old veteran on board and attentively listened as he shared his memories from the war.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
"Touching moment crew stand and salute dying Pearl Harbor sailor as he is granted final wish to join them on-board destroyer"
Nice
How wonderful
dang. got dust in my eyes after reading that.
Bravo Zulu to all who sail on the Dewey past and present.!
As an aside, where is this story in the mainstream U.S. press?
God bless you sailor! Thank you.
Check out the battle history of the Dewey.
Gotta stop choppin those damn onions for the salad......
bump
Bud Cloud’s spirit now walks the deck of the USS Dewey. God bless him!
I can’t see the screen so good right now.
God bless Bud Cloud, his family and the crew of the USS Dewey, for honoring him in this special way.
I’m going to be a little arrogant here.
If you have NEVER gone to sea on a warship of any size, you have NO clue what it is like to be out there, in the night so dark you cannot see your hand if you put your arm out.
You cannot know the sounds of the ship cutting through the sea, and knowing, deep in your heart, that you are at the mercy of God.
And then, you remember your SHIPMATES, sailors and marines on board with you, and your fear leaves as you gain courage from those there with you.
Its a Navy thing, if you haven’t been there, you wouldn’t understand.
Godspeed Electrician’s Mate Second Bud Cloud.
Thank you for your service, Bud! RIP.
So true, why and the hell do you have to go to a foreign paper to read about a real American hero? And the American newspaper can’t understand why they are going out of business.
The first USS Dewey (DD-349) was a Farragut-class destroyer of the United States Navy, launched in 1934 and named for Admiral George Dewey. Dewey served in the Pacific through World War II. After escaping damage during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dewey screened the aircraft carrier USS Lexington until the carrier was lost in the battle of the Coral Sea; then screened USS Saratoga through the invasion of Guadalcanal and the battle of the Eastern Solomons. Following overhaul in San Francisco, Dewey spent 1943 in Alaskan waters supporting the invasions of Attu and Kiska. Dewey spent 1944 supporting raids in the Marshalls, Carolines, and Marianas, including screening carriers during the battle of the Philippine Sea. After being damaged by Typhoon Cobra during the recapture of the Philippines, Dewey supported the invasion of Iwo Jima and spent the remainder of the war screening replenishment oilers.
and one final salute.
Its a Navy thing, if you haven’t been there, you wouldn’t understand.
***
I haven’t been there, but I am grateful to you and others who have been there.
Thank you, and thank you for posting.
As he neared the gangplank they announced over the ship's speakers: 'Electrician's Mate Second Class William Bud Cloud, Pearl Harbor Survivor, departing.'
Cloud died 13 days after the visit. For 12 of those days he talked non stop about his time on board and of the sailors he had met.
The crew kept their word and provided burial honors for Cloud, then spent time with his family at the reception.
America lives.
God bless this crew of AMERICAN MEN, and may Bud enjoy a peaceful eternity.
God Bless him and give him rest when he time comes.
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