Donner (LSD 20) - Naval Cruise Book

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Cmmndinq (Mwi MARTIN Y. CORNETTA COMMANDER, U.S.N. 3 Commander Martin V. Cornetta, USN, is a veteran of 24 years Naval Service. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1937 and was commissioned in October 1943. During World War II he participated in various engagennents and spent some time ashore in Guadalcanal with the U. S. Marines. Later he saw action aboard five aircraft carriers. In the course of his Naval career, Comnnander Cornetta has had conamand of the Landing Ship Flotilla Flagship 786 and Chesterfield County (LST-551). He served with the Operational Test and Evaluation Force for nearly four years and has recently connpleted a tour as Ex- ecutive Officer of the U. S. S. Hermitage (LSD-34) which visited the South Atlantic area as flagship during SoLant Amity I. Commander Cornetta reported as Commanding Officer of the U. S.S. Donner in July of 1961. k

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her landing force I he- lunsiqiicnos c «as unable to rcpa onth his family U ' llu- first rchc-f party =hov...ci up ..r ' s thiltiri.-n safuly to Californi. -p-daushtcrs Elitha and Li-anna. Sho Klitha and Lcanna. . . thcy ' r iblt winter. Mc-an« ill from expos nil- Ci- food and survived on the wa: Deeeinber, it ould only take uld iihe ;,is fa ? Hci 1 them all. w. .nd they might forget what they ' ve scon here, and ner whisper... You ' ll come back for them (her own children) - remaining Donners m.ra. lul food. But before Ih ary 1847, George IDonner had dropp ' ■ r urged Tamsen to ti would bury them alive. With Tiurinured her liusband was sti that she kissed her daughters coma. The relief par ith them with her children before the sn eves, she shook her he mphibioui sneak in c s behind e jmbat nemy 1 roups ant ines. Til el. copter equipme 1 envelope ily on prevents troops de jarkinj; f her proud name Now I peopli A ' her rum . . . .ind what it means. To the American the name Uonncr stands as a symbol of courage d unselfish devotion. In the summer of 184D, George Donner, a husky man of about 50, led a string of covered wagons from Illinois U) California. With him washis family his wife Tamsen and their five small daughters. This wa the first attempt by pioneers to steer covered wagons across the Rocky Mountains -- a short cut to the West. A series of delays found the Donner party still at the Rocky Mountains at th start of winter. Food supplies had run out. Some members abandoned the group in frantic search of refuge from the coming snow and hunger. Howev. the Donner party went on . . . George Donner ' s wagon moving last because c Its heavy weight. About 8 miles from Truckee Lake, Nev. (which was late to bear Donner ' s name) his wagon broke down. The others had reached the safety of abandoned cabins by Donner La - before they discovered George Donner and his family were missii Out of 87 pioneering people of along the Rocky Mountains during t the widow of George Donner-- the c i. .i, ,„,! .levoled Tamsen Donn Lake The Navy has chosen t a ship after the Donne We, as USS Donner n; strive to be as courage devoted to duty just as Tamsen W.1S to pioneer George Donne

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XJMtJm (Mem GEORGE E. IRISH LCDR. U.S.N. Vepaxbmit G. Saucier, LT DECK R. Visscher, LCDR MEDICAL i V R. Hill, LT OPERATIONS -Meoeh (II p. Hanneman, LT ENGINEERING H. O ' Connor , ENS NAVIGATION t R. Loftus, LT SUPPLY