Mar. 2006-1

U.S.S. LOWNDES - APA 154

March 2006 Newsletter Wm.”Bud" Kautz-CCBW,34782 Hiawatha Trail, McHenry, IL, 60051, (815)344-6326

e mail: REDLABELBUDDHA@aol.com

MARCH 2006 NEWSLETTER

Our Eighteenth Annual Reunion will take place at the Holiday Inn Select in

Seattle/Renton, Washington Aug. 17 - 20, 2006.

Room rate is $89.00 - 3 days before & after reunion.

See enclosed brochure for phone numbers to make reservations and be sure to mention USS

LOWNDES to receive special rates. Return the SASE, asap indicating your intentions,

Jan and the reunion coordinator need an estimate of attendees.

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The temperature range in Seattle during the month of August is high 74° Low56°

The hotel is located less than five miles from the Sea-Tac International Airport, 15 miles from

Downtown Seattle and provides 24 hour airport shuttle service.

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In the last newsletter several trivia facts were duly noted, but just to bring everyone up to date. There

are two important sites not mentioned. Approximately 50 miles south of our hotel near Mt. Ranier is

the Kautz Glacier and the Kautz Creek. Please take note of these important locations. Your editor did.

Salty,:

3n making hnown your secretive planning, or fitting together your shallow

emotions and friendly, learned or mental observations, beware of commonplace,

heavy dull speaking conversation possess a, clear brevity, a compact inclusion, uniting

consistency, and a linked and urgency. Shan and avoid all mixtures of gaseous

chatter, barren ranting and inane attempts.

£et your composure commenting and non planning roaming have understood

and truly wordiness lively, without bragging or boasting unimportantly. diligently

avoid all triple, deep, showy sloping, imitation vacuum, projected wordy, and vainly

flat and dull. 3gnore meanings, itching, joking, and noscious, dirty, hidden or

appearing.

3n other words, talk plainly, briefly, naturally, sensibly, truthfully, purely.

Jleep from slang; don’t put on airs; say what you mean; mean what you, say.

and dVNS USE, $3$ W03HDS

Slud

Seattle, like Rome was built on seven hills.

Mar. 2006-2

Jack Laird

We are staying “Close to home” these

days due to various health problems. Marilyn

was in the hospital six days - lung problem on

two different occasions and I spent twelve days

in the hospital with pneumonia. We are hoping

for a better year in 2006. Please note that my

area code has been changed from (260) to

(219)477-4419.

Clark Martin

I sold my house and moved into an

Assisted Living facility. The three meals a day

is attractive but I recommend that you hold

onto your home as long as possible. I’m

reserving judgement on the move. I regret

having to miss the last two reunions but my

traveling days are almost over. The years are

catching up and I can claim most of the health

problems that age entitles me. I still hold onto

hopes that I can make a reunion in the future.

Regards to all our shipmates. I hope all is well

with you and your family. Don’t let the golden

years get rusty. My new address is:

1800 Gaskins Road, Apt. 301

Richmond, VA 23238-4312

Phone and e mail are still the same as listed on

the roster sheet.

We wish the best of luck to Jack and

Clark and hope to see them sometime in the

future. Talked to Clark and he sounded pretty

chipper.

Jack Lotsey

Hello Bud; I can’t believe there were 18

reunions and I did not hear of them. Below is

my name and address. Any information you

can give me will be appreciated. I was a

PhM3c and in extra complement on the

Lowndes and not in ship’s company. They let

us know this, All 18 of us. I was the old man of

the group 28 years old. Don Bowman took my

place on the Beach Party. Yes I remember that

handle bar mustache. My grand daughter’s

husband, a chief got all the information at my

surprise 90^th birthday plus a 3^rd class coin too.

Jack M. Lotsey, 4585 W. Middleton Park Circle,

Jacksonville, FL, 32224, (904)992-9512.

Welcome aboard Jack. Our next reunion

is in the Seattle, WA area. Will have more details

as they become available.

Keith Richards

Please keep our Grand son, Joey

Richards in your prayers. He left Feb. 28^th to

Jackson, South Carolina to start boot training for

the National Guards. Pray that God grants him

strength and courage to complete his training.

Maybe Marty Umbarger can give him a

few tips to make his guard duty a great

experience to be remembered.

John & Lebby Dyer

Enjoyed reading about the Chicago

reunion. Sorry to have missed it. Both of us are

doing much better, hope to make the Seattle

reunion. As ever.

Bill Ramsey

I have been reading Stuart Hyde’s

narrative history of the Lowndes. It makes

fascinating reading and brings back a lot of

memories. What a remarkable piece of work.

“BYOB”

After checking with other ship reunion

organizers the following suggestion will make it

much easier for Jan Trober and Angie Turin to

host the Seattle reunion.

Bring your own bottle will make it less

difficult to please the attendees because then

they will have their own preference. In the past it

has been a problem to anticipate the wants and

there was always much to dispose after all is

said and done.

We will provide the beer, wine, set ups

and snacks. This has proven successful and well

accepted by other Navy personnel.

Just in case “BYOB” is an unfamiliar term,

it means bring your own preference of the hard

stuff. We look forward to your cooperation and a

great time out West. And besides! OK?

Mar. 2006-3

Jim Vaughan

Received the January newsletter a short

time ago, and always, enjoy the news about

your crew of old shipmates. As with us

’’Vintage” service men from WWII, there seems

to be fewer each year, leaving more widows

and offsprings to carry on - but that is natural.

Enclosed my dues for this year’s membership

and only wish it could be more. I am so glad

you have allowed me to join your fine group

and will continue to belong in memory of a fine,

dear sailor, now long gone, CMM Joseph Botti,

who was with the Lowndes at Iwo Jima and

Okinawa. Take care.

Joe Freitas

Was glad to get the newsletter.

Enclosed dues for 2006. We plan on making

the trip to the Seattle reunion this year, if

nothing happens and will be glad to see

everyone.

Ed. Mclkellller

Enjoyed the newsletter and now am

approaching 92. A little bump in the road of life

took a little detour. Discovered some bumps on

my chin and had a six hour operation, then

found out that I have Hodgkins lymphonia,

localized. Just finished three treatments and

feel fine. Leaving January 27^th on the QE2 with

three blonde companions, Margaret, her

daughter Georgia and a friend who has a

house on the way to Sidney. We will stop at

Noumea, New Calidonia where the Lowndes

helped fill up the Pac. Aloha from the happy

Hawaiian.

Donald Furth

An ETM is an Electronic Technician’s

Mate. It is a rating that was invented just before

I left the Navy. I went to school, trained and

served as a Radio Technician, the rating was

redefined as an ETM. Radio Technician was a

relatively long haul. I went to something called

Pre-radio School for a month in Michigan City,

Indiana. Next was three months of Primary

School in Tacoma Park, Maryland to learn the

basics of electricity and radio. Finally, I spent

six months on Treasure Island in San

Francisco Bay at Secondary school where we

learned more of radio and radar and were

introduced to specific equipment. I serviced,

maintained, and on occasion installed radio

and radar equipment in the ship. I was on call

any time but my reward for that was the

absence of standing watches. So there’s more

than you wanted to know about a rating that

can’t possibly exist any more. It’s good to go

through the roster and read names I remember

so well.

Ed. Note: I had inserted the ETM rate on

the roster list, but never knew what it stood for.

Now I know.

Leo O’Brien

Bud, after our last conversation on the

phone I have been wracking my brain to try

and bring back memories if Iwo Jima. I did

receive and read though the book (manuscript)

of Stuart Hyde’s compilation of facts on the

U.S.S Lowndes. It is a good history. I thought

Merrill Hart was in our boat when we landed on

Iwo Jima but according to Mr. Hyde, Merrill

was assigned to him to report to an LST. They

were used in an LCVP as a guide boat to direct

the wave of LVT’s, tracked landing craft.

Carmel Fesi corrected me a few years back

and said it was Harry Contreras who was the

replacement for Merrill on boat #15.

Incidentally Harry was the artist that drew so

many scenes of boats being loaded and

unloaded on and off the ship and troops

coming down the cargo nets. I thought Pam did

a neat trick like “007” when she contacted

Jenny via cell phone and voila lunch for 40

people was arranged. Thanks girls. We lucked

out with our bus driver. I think he missed every

street light and telephone pole in the whole

city. And Jan and Angela did a superb job, and

never lost their cool. Fine job all around.

Looking forward to seeing some of our old

shipmates from the West and Northwest in

Seattle, WA.

Ed. Note: By the way, on the tour of

Chicago we passed the building on Clark

Street where the St. Valentine’s day massacre

took place.

Mar. 2006-4

Leo O’Brien (cont’d)

There was one time, I think we were on

our way back to Saipan when we had a burial

at sea. All available hands were ordered to

stand at attention in undress blues on the

starboard side at the after hold. There were

two bodies wrapped in canvas as the two

previous were, but these two were weighted

down and on two planks and covered with the

American flag, some prayers were said and

then one end of the planks were lifted and they

slid off into the sea. I have often wondered if

their names were listed in the ship’s log.

Ed. Note: Arthur Rauseo does the

above incident answer the question you posed

a while back?

Stuart Hyde

Bud, thank you so much for your

comments about the Iwo Jima narrative. I really

appreciate your acceptance of my little effort to

write something to memoralize the men of the

Lowndes-and, to make available to their

spouses and children the stories they most

likely never really shared with them. Families

have all been shaped in some ways by the

experiences of the Lowndes men because of

their devotion to their fellow men. The story

wouldn’t be nearly as effective as it is if it

weren’t for your dogged devotion to the

Newsletter and, through that, the soliciting and

publishing of the comments of so many of our

shipmates. And, the written record wouldn’t

even exist if David Brinkman hadn’t created

and maintained the Website. So I’m a Johnny

Come Lately, who just happened to have some

experience in researching and writing, and I

guess you could say that the three of us have

fed one another to achieve some good results.

I always look forward to your newsletters, and I

don’t think anyone will fail to understand that

you sometimes have other priorities in your life.

Read in the newspaper that Clint Eastwood

and Steven Spielberg reportedly are joining

forces to bring the World War II battle of Iwo

Jima to the big screen. According to TV Guide,

Eastwood will direct an adaptation of the book

“flags of our Fathers: Herpes of Iwo Jima” for

Spielberg’s company, DreamWorks. Thanks,

Bud, for the great laugh - I try always to avoid

camel fleas! I already have sent out nearly 60

books. I am planning to make the Seattle

reunion - the first one I could actually make,

because the one in Branson (?) was just too

difficult a trip, with so many short flights,,

layovers, etc. The only thing that could keep

me away would be a health problem, which I

don’t anticipate happening.

Ed. Note: Thank you, Stuart, you give

me far too much credit, it was David who did all

the foot work and deserved full credit for his

perseveness in garnering so much information

made available to all of the Lowndes crew

members. I strongly recommend this book, it is

well worth the $17.00. To receive one contact

Stuart. I’m sure your former shipmates will be

Looking forward to finally meeting the

individual who has spent numerous hours

doing research for the book

Rank O. Dawson, Jr.

As you know from the March 2005-6

Taps from my Mother, Annabelle Dawson, our

Father Rank O. Dawson, MD, Comm., USNR

passed away 12/18/2004. I wrote to you to

request that our mother remain on the mailing

list as she enjoys reading about dad’s

shipmates. Also, is there any way to find out

about the other ships upon which he served?

We thought he served on only one ship but one

of his sisters said he told their family of four

ships which he served on. We would also like

to learn more about the campaigns in which he

served. We think he may have served at

Guadalcanal. Any assistance in this matter

would be most appreciated.

Ed. Note: We never received the

biographical data sheet from Rank so have

nothing in our files regarding his service in the

Navy. Rank, you may be interested in the book

Stuart Hyde has produced Perhaps there are a

few of his former shipmates that may

remember him sharing his experiences with

them. Please contact Rank, Jr. at 2859

Boudinot Ave. - Cincinatti, OH - 45238, 513-

662-3500.

TAPS

Mar. 2006-5

Edna Trafton

Just a note to let you know that my

husband Ralph Pollard passed away on

December 5, 2005. We had been married for

53-1/2 years. We had 3 daughters and 3 sons,

12 grand children and 8 great grand children.

We will miss him very greatly.

Alan Dahms

My Mother, Gladys Dahms passed away

June 20, 2005 at the age of 94 years. She was

the wife of George Maynard Dahms, Lt. jg on

the Lowndes. I have never seen my Father’s

name mentioned in the newsletters.

Ed. Note: Probably because no information has

been forthcoming.

Benn Liwellyn Bailey

Was bom September 19, 1923 in

Ontonagon, Ml and passed away July of 1967

at the age of 42. He resided in Milwaukee, Wl

just before joining the Navy. He was trained as

a Motor Machinist’s Mate and boarded the

Lowndes on September 15, 1944. A week later

he along with about 20 other guys was a day

late returning from leave. While the Lowndes

was performing exercises at Maui he was

injured. He left the Lowndes and completed his

service on January 31, 1946 at Great Lakes

Training Station in Illinois.

Steven Thomas Vlasak

He was very well known and liked

among the Lowndes crewmen. He was born in

Slovakland in 1910. He and his family came to

America the next year. Steve volunteered for

the Navy in WWII even though he was over 30

and had a wife and children. He boarded the

Lowndes on September 15, 1944. He was a

Motor Machinist’s Mate in the boat crew and

was aboard Ed. King’s LCVP during the

invasion of Okinawa. Steve helped put out That

“famous” fog machine fire on King’s boat on

April 12, 1945. He left the ship on January 31,

1946.

Ed. Note: The above information

regarding Benn, and Steve was provided by

David Brinkman.

James Bussard

Born April 3, 1925 in Plumwood, Ohio

and passed away on March 23, 2006 after an

extended illness. Enlisted in the Navy at

Columbus, Ohio August 1943 and boarded the

Lowndes September 16, 1944 at Astoria,

Oregon as a RM3c. His watch and general

quarters station was in the radio shack. He was

also a member of the Lowndes Beach Party

that hit the beach at Iwo Jima on February 20-

1945 where he was wounded and missing in

action, but was finally returned to the Lowndes.

Last active duty was aboard the USS PCE 895,

weather ship at Farragut, Idaho and Pier 90 in

Seattle, Washington. In civilian life he was

employed by Columbus Coated Fabrics, Co.,

August 1946 until June 1987. Jim had a stroke

and later was on dialysis. He is survived by his

wife of 35 years, Carol; brother, Roy;

daughters, Jerri, Jane, grand children Nicole,

Jason, Robyn, Traci and Laurie; several great

grand children. Before Jim’s illness, he enjoyed

extensive travel, visiting 6 foreign countries

and 35 states. His interests were his cats and

watching sports, current events and military

history. Jim enjoyed an occasional shot of Jack

Daniels and loved a good home-cooked meal.

A full military funeral was performed.