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Getting their
Feet Wet
by Betty Gagne
You've seen the black and white pictures of the
USS Somersworth on Somersworld very often in the last few months,
along with the announcements of the city's preparation for the
reunion of the crew and their family members. In this issue,
Somersworld is proud to change the lifeless, black and white
image of the ship into a myriad of color in the way of the people
who were on it and their stories.
The group of 70 people, who arrived in the area
the evening of Friday, July 16th, were welcomed warmly by the
community, and were gathered at the American Legion function
hall and treated to a buffet-style meal that was prepared and
served by the Women's Auxiliary of Post 69. The upstairs hall
was transformed into a splash of bright Naval colors that featured
ocean blue, and white, and trimmed with gold and blue balloons.
Here, the crew members bonded with eachother and re-established
their warm ties of brotherhood. With friendships renewed and
introductions made, the men were the sailors they'd once been
way back when. You could sense the excitement and emotion in
the room; it was like a burning, crackling fire that flares
up with each new breath of oxygen.
All the USS Somersworth visitors wore name tags,
and some sported caps with the name of their beloved EPCER ship
stiched into them. It was a family reunion of sorts, with the
city of Somersworth as the meeting point. But it was only the
preamble to what would become one of the most eventful and memorable
weekends in the history of our city. As one looked around the
room, it was hard to ignore the close bonds of friendship and
the thrill of shipmates being together again, this time in a
stress-free environment. The conversations flowed easier than
water traveling through a bilge pump: "Look! There's Captain
McCoy with his family!" "Hey, Ken Smith is here all
the way from England - he was a medic on the Queen Mary."
"Talk to my friend here - he's got lots of stories to tell
you." "See that guy over there? That's Tony Focca
Jr. He was only 2 years old when his Father was killed on board
Somersworth." Without exaggerating, each and every member
of Somersworth's crew could probably write a book - or at least
compare battle scars and war stories.
Our aim is to take you into their separate worlds
and put you on the paths into their lives. Here are the men
who helped serve our country to maintain our freedom, and if
we can even begin to touch upon the things they've done and
the lives they've lead, then we've done our job.
This special edition
of Somersworld is dedicated to the
crew of the USS Somersworth.
Feedback?
Somersworld is the Hilltop City's electronic "front porch"
- we are interested in your opinions and ideas. Please submit
comments regarding
what you have seen on this page to admin@somersworld.com.
Requests for confidentiality will be honored.
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