Meyerkord (DE 1058) - Naval Cruise Book

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DEDIC TIO To the United States servicemen who were prisoners of war, and to the hundreds of men who continue to be listed as missing in action in Southeast Asia, we wish to dedicate this book. For many of us they made it all seem worthwhile.

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'-'nw--- - 1 lip , Any man who may be asked in this Century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction, 'I served in the lfnited States Navy. tJohn F. KENNEDYJ ,.-s .1 Commander R. J. KHRRIGAN, USN iitlflililirifi- ding Officer To The Crew: As the Commanding Officers of most men of war prepare their ships to meet the enemy, they generally share at least two common aims. They hope that their individual ships will successfully meet every commitment and they pray that every man will return from the action unharmed. These were my goals when l assumed command of MI-JYERKORD. They have been met. The performance of this ship and her crew during the deployment left nothing to be desired. As the many messages from our superiors have stated so well, every task assigned to MEYERKORD was carried out in a professional, seamanlike manner. Every man on board served his country well, and for this he can be justifiably proud. It was while MEYERKORD was on the gunline that the negotiations to end the Vietnam war finally proved successful. All of you realize that a long hard war was being fought in Vietnam throughout our entire deployment. While the action took place primarily ashore, occasionally it came to sea with great impact. Several of our ships were hit by enemy shore batteries: several of our fellow sailors were injured or killed. It is with a great sense of relief and thanksgiving that I can say that MEYERKORD did not sustain a serious casualty during her entire deployment. Perhaps President KENNEDYS words pertain more t.o today than at any other previous time. Day in and day out, for seven long months. while far away from your families. you implemented the policy of your country in an exemplary manner. A great deal of satisfaction can surely be derived from this job done so very well. It has been my pleasure and privilege to have served as your commanding officer during a part of this deploy- ment. I wish you all continued success in every undertaking. R. J. KERRIGAN