Valdez (FF 1096) - Naval Cruise Book

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An. , l ,f sf- S SH1, , fe 'Q 6 ' f XIALDEZ ' fm il vi DE N396 , 5 . . 5 ' Q9 0 Q l ' Z . . N 2 ' ' 4. ' I lux 4 0 If xx Q . - 4 .1 ss.,' l.AlD JUNE 301972 Q .sill hu flvrffwdfllf' fllwlpryafdg lm ,llllll h, I lx. FF 096 ' X X NXxxx the valdez' keel was laid 30 iune 1972, for full .history see inside back cover. the insigne of valdez, designed in a combined effort by representatives of the ship's crew and the valdez family is patterned after the coat of arms in ancient heraldry and reflects elements symbolic of the values inherent in destroyers and destroyermen. the insigne is comprised of the following six elements: the shield - a red shield symbolizes bravery, moreover the red of the shield and a gold background in the insigne represent new mexico's state colors. the helmet - the conquistador helmet symbolizes spanish heritage. the cadency - the white cadency is symbolic of the first son. the rabbit - the rabbit is a personal symbol of the valdez family. the helicopter - the helicopter outline represents the extended and varied capabilities of the fast frigate. it was also the principle mode of transportation for petty officer valdez while serving with the marine corps in vietnam. the ship's silhouette - the outline of the ship in the center of the insigne represents the ship itself, around which all other symbols are located. the ship's motto, courageous combatant, is an accolade describing petty officer valdez in the citation which accompanied his vietnamese military merit and gallantry cross with palm. , f l l f the ships built at avondale shipyards in westwego, louisiana, are constructed with a mass production technique of fabricating the hulls by using Q 1, G t r r structural carbon steel tees split from wide-flange beams as longitudinal members. the hulls are built keel-up to permit downhand welding with the force of gravity allowing the molten weld to follow the contour of the hull and flow more easily between hull plates. above are the five positions of ship dur- ing construction, from left to right. prefabricated, inverted hull modules first are assembled on a permanent platen, then lifted by hydraulic units and moved laterally into giant turning rigs which rotate the hull into an upright position as shawn at the left. if f

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..-.--...--- , .,, ,. .. . . , - ,.... ,. ,,.,, , .L,..-, . ,, .:...4g,-,.. --,v u..,:-fy 1 t--- ' f 1 '- 1 were 1 ' 'Pl-tit!-41veieIt't1.:2's 5 YYQWQQBF- 44 ifii-F-':w' i 9'4f '11 'l ' A' T I 1,-A ,QS- NAVY CROSS phil isadore valdez was 'born 13 april 1946 in dixon, new mexico, the son of mr. and mrs. carlos valdez. he was graduated from espanola high school, espanola, new mexico, 1 november 1965 and trained as a hospitalman apprentice at the naval hospital corps school, san diego, california. having advanced to hospitalman in may 1966, he served in the naval hospital at key west, florida, until 19 december 1966. he was then assigned to the first battalion, first marine division, fleet marine force, pacific, serving in vietnam. hospitalman valdez was posthumously awarded the navy cross for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action on the morning of 29 ianuary 1967, while serving with company b , first battalion, first marines, in the vicinity of da nang, republic of vietnam. 1 Ulllum G-CLK he was a corpsman with the third platoon and participated in a helilift with his platoon in support of company h of the second battalion. upon landing, the platoon came under heavy enemy fire and sustained several wounded while maneuvering forward. petty officer valdez ran over open terrain, under constant enemy fire, to aid a fallen marine. he then moved the wounded man to a safe area and rendered medical assistance. again exposing himself to enemy fire, petty officer valdez moved across open ground to another marine. while treating the second marine, he positioned himself between the man and the hostile fire. it was at this time that petty officer valdez was mortally wounded. in addition to the navy cross, petty officer valdez was posthumously awarded the vietnamese military merit medal and gallantry cross with palm from the government of vietnam. his citation reads in part: - courageous ceinbatant, well known for his sacrifice, who always exhibited good will and cooperation. he assisted the republic of vietnam armed forces in blocking the red wave of aggression from engulfing south vietnam and southeast asia. with his enthusiasm and exemplary devoted manner, he willingly executed all of his entrusted assignmentsrand, disregarding all hardships and dangers, set a brilliant example for his comrades-in-arms. the secret of liberty is courage pericles

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the origin and tradition of the christening and launching ceremony for seagoing ships goes far back in antiquity - at least 4,000 years. passing-on to modern times as a hollowed tradition, the christening of ships and boats by a special person is practiced by all nations of the world in one form or another. in the early days of our navy, ships were christened by men, usually by breaking a bottle of wine, brandy or irish whiskey over the bow of the ship. the first u.s. navy ship to be christened by a woman was the frigate concord, launched in 1828. unfortunately, the sponsor's name is lost to us. she is remembered only as a young lady of portsmouth, but she began a powerful tradition: during the past 70 years there have been only two known male sponsors. A since women have become sponsors, champagne has become the accepted christening medium. tradition has it that water was used in the first attempt to launch the constitution, but old ironsides would not move and it took three attempts to launch her. the sponsor holds a special place in the hearts of the men whosail the ship she christens, for her spirit is said to enter the ship at the time of launching and remain there forever. our sponsor, manuelita chavez valdez, was born in youngsville, new mexico on iune 13, 1916, the oldest of eight children born to luis and ursula chavez. when she was three, the family moved to a farm in new mexico. there, she recalled recently, i spent a nice childhood, and had almost everything a child wished for. when manuelita valdez started school, her family would live in the town of espanola, n.m. during the winter and in summertime move back to the farm. mrs. valdez obtained her high school education in espanola at nineteen she attended the 'unior ll t l ' . . , . U - , I co egea e rlto for a year, and there obtained her teaching certificate. she then taught school for four terms, and during summer vacations attended new mexico highlands university. in 1941 illness halted her teaching career. following a year's training at albuquerque business college, she worked as a store clerk in espanola. on september 3, 1945, she married carlos valdez. she is the mother of five children: phil ldeceasedl, patricia martinez, robert and michael valdez, and iosie mortinez. - in addition to being a housewife, mrs. valdez drove her husband's school bus for three years, and has been his substitute driver for twenty years. she has also been active in the community, serving as boy scout den mother, brownie leader, and 4-h club leader. she has taught religion, and has been a grade-school substitute teacher. her hobbies are sewing and gardening. the valdez was side-launched into the mississippi river on 24 march 1973. H l 1 1