Lewis Puller (FFG 23) - Naval Cruise Book

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Commander James M. Morrell U.S. Naval Reserve Commanding Officer Commander Morrell is from Tacoma, Washington. He enlisted in the Navy in 1967 as a Seaman Recruit and was commissioned in December 1971 through Officer Candidate School after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Western Washington State College. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Puget Sound. Commander Morrell ' s tours at sea include: - USS DUBUQUE (LPD-8) - CIC Officer - USS HIGBEE (DD-806) - Assistant Operations Officer - USS IMPLICIT (MSO-455) - Executive Officer - USS BROOKE (FFG-1) - Operations Officer - USS TUSCALOOSA (LST-1187) - Operations Officer - USS SAN BERNADINO (LST-1189) - Executive Officer - USS FRESNO (LST-1182) - Commanding Officer Tours ashore include: -Security Officer, Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific - Commanding Officer, Naval Reserve Center, Bremerton, Washington. Commander Morrell wears the Nav y Commendation Medal (with two Gold Star), the Navy Achievement Medal, and various campaign and service Awards. Commander Morrell is married to Lieutenant Rennie Morrell of Anderson, South Carolina. 70

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LST-1182 •1 i 4 1 USS FRESNO ' S The keel for USS FRESNO was laid 16 Decembep-1967 at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) in San Diego as the first of seventeen Newport Class LSTs to be constructed at NASSCO and the fourth ship of thft cl a i|e ip was launched in September 1968 and commissioned on 22 November 1969. l ! . iJ ' Sl Upon commissioning, FRESNO was placed into the Pacific Fleet and homeported in San Diego, CA. Her first deployment was in support of the Vietnam War; she was deployed to the area a second time before the war ' s conclusion. FRESNO ' s hard work culminated with the award of the Arleigh Burke Trophy as the most improved ship in the US. Pacific Fleet on 25 December 1975. In 1986, FRESNO made a homeport change to Long Beach, CA. This change did not affect her operational schedule and she madi several more deployments before her transfer on 1 October 1990, into the Naval Reserve Force. As a member of COMSURFRON ONE, FRESNO continues to participate in numerous Amphibious Exer- cises. USS FRESNO ' S primary mission is the transporting and landing of military troops and equipment: such as artillery tanks, trucks, and amphibious vehicles. This is accomplished one of three ways: lowering the 112 foot, 40 ton bow ramp from the main deck to a beach or causeway, launching amphibious assault vehicles via the stern gate while underway, or by launching helicopters from the flight deck. ,

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Commander Kendall J. King U.S. Navy Commanding Officer Born in Pocatello, Idaho, Commander Kendall J. King is a graduate of Clarion University of Pennsyl- vania and was commissioned an Ensign upon completion of Officer ' s Candidate School (OCS), Newport, Rhode Island, in August 1971. He initially served onboard USS LASALLE (LPD-3 and AGF-3) as a Deck Division Officer and Communications Officer. After a tour of duty on the Staff of Commander, Naval Telecommunications Command, Commander King was assigned as Electronic Warfare Officer onboard USS WILLIAM H. STANDLEY (CG-32) from 1976 to 1978. Upon graduating from the Surface Warfare Officer School Department Head course, he reported to USS DUPONT (DD-941) as Weapons Officer. His subsequent Department Head tour was as Weapons Officer on USS CALIFORNIA (CGN-36) from 1981-1982. Commander King was next assigned to the Staff of Commander, Naval Surface Force, Atlantic Fleet as Tactics and Doctrine Officer. Returning to sea duty, he served as Executive Officer of USS CON- YNGHAM (DDG-17) from 1984 to 1986. This was followed by duty as Tactical Concepts and Doctrine Officer for Commander, Surface Warfare Development Group. Commander King was most recently the Pre-Commissioning Operations Officer on USS WASP (LHD-1) from 1988-1990. Commander King has earned Master Degrees in Technology of Management from the American University and in Business Administration from Golden Gate University. He is a proven sub-specialist in Computer Systems and in Weapons Systems Technology. He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College. His decorations include Meritorious Service Medal (with three Gold Stars in lieu of a fourth award), and the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation. Commander King is married to the former Gail Suzanne Kiser of Clarion, Pennsylvannia. The Kings have two sons, Jeffrey, a Senior at James Madison University, and Gregory, a Senior at Salem High School in Virginia Beach. 71