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JOHN E. MEYER
M. RENE GOUGH
ROBERT L. BLUM
john
JOHN E. MEYER, YN3, USN
Training Class 31, COR
John joined the Navy in 1962 and
served four years, leaving in 1966. He served a short time on the USS
Bon Homme Richard (CVA) and in UDT-12.
In civilian life John has experienced several occupations including
Artist, General Contractor, and as Marriage and Family Therapist. He has
a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy with 25 years in
business.
He is divorced and has three daughters: Patricia, Susan, and Krislyn,
and three grandchildren,
Johnathan, Emma, and Adam. You can reach him at johnmeyerdesign@aol.comn
. He would like to hear from other frogs.
rene
M. RENE GOUGH, ET1, USN
Training Class 8 LCK 11/52
L-R Rene “Gooch” Gough and
James “Jim” Hawes then LT in Africa.
It’s very hard for me to write about the “Gooch.” I always called him
Rene. We became close friends right after he graduated from training in
the class after ours. We operated and did many things together. Later
when I got married, he and Ida, Rene's wife, took Betty and I under
their wings. (See Story Section, Early Married Life in the Teams). We’d
picnic on base beaches, go dancing at the Old Barn where they had
country music, to the NCO Club in Fort Story. We even took a weekend
trip to New York City and went to Sammy’s Bowery Follies.
Betty and I were really sad to leave for recruiting duty because we knew
how much we’d miss them both and all the kids. Every year we got a
Christmas card from Ida, keeping us up on all that was going on. They
had left Little Creek and went to Indian Head. The last card we got had
an article about Rene sailing his boat to St. Thomas. Then the cards
ceased.
It was then I learned that Rene was dead. The how, the why came much
later as I was on the West Coast at that time. I knew Rene was a hard
charger and liked to get into everything. Finally I thought I learned
some facts. But my info was incorrect. He was serving with the CIA in
Africa and was killed when the jeep he was riding in collided with
another vehicle in the night. It is nearly impossible to learn about
friends, because the CIA does not reveal much. As Morgan Livingston said
in a letter to the Blast: “When you get mixed up there, anything can
happen.” Gough was a member of the US Navy and it’s losses and the
circumstances are public record.
Anyway, he was one helluva man and super teammate to me. I will never
forget him (Rene had a real problem…he always got seasick on the water.
But he didn’t give a damn and he was good operator. He was always afraid
some higher up would find out and the kick him out of the team.)
Editor’s Note: I will be eternally grateful to James “Jim” Hawes,
USN for helping me correct Rene’s obituary. Rene served with James in
Africa.
The changes I made to the original text in the Fifties Frogs Journal are
highlighted in bold in this revision.
The surviving members of the Gough family have my apologies for my
mistake in this matter. This revision will appear in the Journals at the
Navy Historical Center and the Library of Congress, Veterans’ Project.
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blum
ROBERT L. BLUM, E4, USN, Training Class ?
Bobby joined the military in 1959, and served a total of six years. He
saw fleet duty on USS Kirkpatrick DE/DER 318 off Newport R. I. He’s not
sure which Team and class he served with in UDT. After discharge he
earned a BBA from the University of Pittsburgh, PA. He spent 36 years in
business, retired in 2003. He is married to Deonna L. and has two sons,
Brian and Evan.
Legend: Bobby is a cancer survivor, surviving a brain tumor 5 years
ago. His memory about service in UDT is very poor. He was on the USS Kirpatrick
when it split ten seams at sea. We almost went down. We called the
Captain: “Captain Tuna the Chicken of the Sea.” He would like to hear
from other frogs.
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