Page 6

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Shipmate
by Betty Gagne

Alfonse Makosky

Alfonse Makosky is 84 years old, a large, stocky man with heavy glasses and a stern look. He's a quiet man; he sits against the wall and watches - clear, aged eyes taking in everything around him.
You look at Alfonse and you wonder: What is he thinking? At his age, how does he feel about his life? And if he wrote a book, what stories would it contain? Well - all you have to do is ask him.

Alfonse enlisted in the Navy in August of 1939. He was supposed to go through 8 weeks of boot camp, but Hitler's invasion of Poland changed all that. The United States Navy needed sailors - and they needed them in a hurry. Alfonse's training was cut down to 4 weeks, and he and his fellow trainees were dispersed to different areas. Alfonse Makosky ended up berthing on the US Constellation, a 21-gun frigate that was used during the Revolutionary War. It was a temporary stop before he received his orders. "The ship had cannons on it," he says, "and we slept on hammocks that were suspended over the cannons."

Berthing on the Constellation was just one of his naval experiences, which lead up to his 1946 tour on the USS Somersworth. Here, his training would be put into full gear during an unexpected incident:
"The ship was docked in New London, Connecticut; I happened to go up on deck and unbelievably saw two of my shipmates fall overboard - they were tossed over the side of the ship into churning water, and neither man knew how to swim. I grabbed a wooden plank, thinking they could hold on to it for safety, and threw it into the rough waters for them. One man reached it, but the other was quickly being carried away by the strength of the tide."

With complete disregard for the consequences of his act, Alphonse Makosky dove head first into the freezing, choppy water and reached the bobbing sailor. "He was in a panic," he says. "He kept pulling me under." Both men were saved by Makosky's quick thinking.

For his selfless heroic act, Alfonse Makosky was recognized by the Secretary of the Treasury, and was presented with the Silver Lifesaving Medal and a certificate citing him for his bravery. A copy of Alfonse's letter is now on display at the Summersworth Historical Museum.

Dinner at the Gateway
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