« on: November 20, 2013, 11:14:50 AM »
My hat's off to the crew of the USS Dewey for doing it up right for a Veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor.
Touching moment crew stand and salute dying Pearl Harbor sailor as he is granted final wish to join them on-board destroyer
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.
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It was an emotional day for Cloud. who died 13 days after going on board. For 12 of those days he spoke non-stop about the visit, according to I Drive Warships.
Even the journey to the San Diego base moved Cloud to tears as Ms Haskamp, and her friend Mandy McCammon, pulled up next to the ship earlier this year.
'He’d been oohing and pointing at the cyclic rate as we approached the pier, but when we slowed down and Mandy said, "They’re all here for you, Bud," he was overwhelmed,' she said.
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The day before their visit he had constantly asked if they were 'still going down to visit the boys from the Dewey,' and 'do they know I was on the Dewey, too?'
Ms Haskamp, who says she was adopted by Cloud after her first tour in the Marine Corps, had thought they would be viewing the ship from the pier - but the crew had other ideas.
When Petty Officer Simon introduced himself to Cloud, he explained that he had been given the honor of pushing the veteran's wheelchair for the day, and that they intended to bring him on board.
Once on deck, the Commanding Officer Commander Jake Douglas, and several of the crew were there to introduce themselves to Cloud.
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They shook his hand, posed for photos and listened to stories from Cloud, who was 18 when the Japanese launched their attack on Pearl Harbor.
Cloud, who had only days left to live, could speak in only a whisper but two crew members relayed his stories to the rest of the group.
During one story, Cloud was stopped mid-sentence as one of the crew members brought a large photo of the original USS Dewey over to show him.
'That moment was priceless,' Ms Haskamp said. 'Bud stopped mid-sentence and yelled, "There she is!" '
She said the crew continued to hold the photo up as Cloud told them about the ship's armament and details of the attack in Pearl Harbor.
The Dewey that Cloud had served on was sold in 1946. The current Dewey, the third to hold the name, was launched in 2009.
After more than an hour sharing tales of his military past, Cloud was starting to feel tired. As the crew said their good-byes GMC Eisman asked if a few of them could visit him in the hospice in a few months.
Ms Haskamp then had to explain that Cloud had less than a month to live.
Without pausing for thought, the crew asked if they could provide the burial honors when his time came, and then piped him ashore.
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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.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2510138/Navy-honors-dying-wish-sailor-survived-Pearl-Harbor-trip-board-destroyer-named-served-on.html
Hero's welcome: EM2 Bud Cloud is saluted by the crew of USS Dewey as he visits the warship
Emotional: Bud Cloud had his dying wish fulfilled when he was able to board the Dewey again
On deck: The crew of USS Dewey with Bud Cloud and Jennie Haskamp
Formidable: The USS Dewey that EM2 Cloud served on during the Second World War
Logged
"I expect perdition, I always have. I keep this building at my back, and several guns handy, in case perdition arrives in a form that's susceptible to bullets. I expect it will come in the disease form, though. I'm susceptible to diseases, and you can't shoot a damned disease." ~ Judge Roy Bean, Streets of Laredo
For the Patriots of this country, the Constitution is second only to the Bible for most. For those who love this country, but do not share my personal beliefs, it is their Bible. To them nothing comes before the Constitution of these United States of America. For this we are all labeled potential terrorists. ~ Dean Garrison
"When it comes to the enemy, just because they ain't pullin' a trigger, doesn't mean they ain't totin' ammo for those that are."~PegLeg
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