Q What has become senile at age 20? A A guided-missile destroyer. I was present in 1993 in Pascagoula, Miss. when USS Russell DDG-59 rolled down the launching pads. Now, in 2013, Russell limped into the San Diego shipyards for a major overhaul that will require up to a year. During World War Two, I was Medical Officer of USS Russell DD-414 the forerunner of the current destroyer for which the ship was named. I’ve been a guest on DDG-59 on several occasions, most recently at the Change of Command Ceremony in March, 2013. Earlier this year I published “Survivor: USS Russell a World War Two Destroyer.” The book recounts the life of the “old” Russell during her six years of warfare in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans including sixteen major engagements. The fact that she brought her crew back home alive makes her a true Survivor
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