The last salute: Farragut's 60th reunion

People came by the hundreds. They came from all over — the South, the East and the West — of these United States. They gathered at a place that most of them, many years ago, considered being next door to hell, if not hell itself. They had come together for the 20th, and last, reunion of all the men and women who had trained, and served, at the Farragut Naval Training Station near Athol, Idaho. It was fitting that this last reunion was held on the 60th anniversary of the closing of the base.

At twelve noon, on 8 September 2006, men and women, along with some family members, gathered at the Brig Veterans Plaza and Museum for the opening ceremony. There were hundreds of conversations going on at the same time. There were shouts of joy as some old “Salt” recognized a ship mate in the crowd. Some men were telling their wives about their days of training, and pointing out where their barracks, or mess hall, stood. This place that had once been seen as a frozen hell had now been transposed into a paradise of memories that spanned the years.

The noise of the crowd hushed, and all joined in the pledge of allegiance. The color guard, made up of veterans, raised the flag and all joined in singing the National Anthem. Then magic happened during the singing of Anchors Aweigh. All of these men and women in their 70’s, 80’s, and some in their 90’s, became again the 17 and 18 year olds that had trained at Farragut. There were misty eyes and knowing hugs aplenty.

The highlight of the ceremonies came with the unveiling of the Veterans Memorial Sculpture and Plaza. The artist captured the heart of every person present because the work depicted a sailor; not some abstraction with no meaning.

There were the usual dignitaries present but it was obvious that the real person of importance was the individual that had traveled many miles to reunite with his shipmates. Some could still fit in their uniform but they were in the minority. Some showed the ravages of war. And all these men and women were happy to be where they were, with each other, but not forgetting those who were no longer among their ranks.

What better way to learn how these veterans felt, on their day, than to let them share with you their thoughts and memories?

Leon Woodworth from Washington State: “I was here in June of 1944 and I was here for three months. I then went to Seattle and went aboard the USS Massey. I didn’t know a damn thing about a Tin Can (Destroyer) but I sure learned in a hurry. I have been to 18 reunions and they have only had 20. Even though they won’t have another reunion I am coming back next year. There will be a bunch of us that will show up.”

Chick Kepcham: “I was here in the winter of 1943 and I came from Minnesota. I went to California and was assigned to the Howard W. Gilmore, a submarine tender. We went to San Diego and I have my tattoo to prove it. Then we went to Pearl Harbor. I live in Denver, Colorado and this is my first reunion. I feel terrible, just awful, that this is going to be the last one.”

Melvin Zajick: “I was here in November of 1943 to March 1944. I came here from Nebraska but now we live in Missouri. I left Farragut and went to Alameda, California to the Naval Air Station. I stayed in the Navy for 23 years. This is my first reunion and it saddens me that it will be the last one. This is a wonderful place but when I was here there was snow. I thought that there was a hill between the barracks and the chow hall but when I came back from boot leave the hill was gone - it was a snow drift.”

Joseph Maes was with his wife, Inez: “I was here in October of 1944 in Camp Peterson, Company 90644. I was here about 12 weeks. I came here from Colorado. I left here by troop train to Nevada to a naval ammunition base. I went to work on the Mark 14 aerial torpedo. After the war, I enlisted in the Air Force. I put six years in the Navy and 30 years in the Air Force, and I retired in 1979. This is my first reunion and I have mixed emotions about this being the last one. I am sad. I was telling my wife that when we were here we were just young kids and here we are now in our 80’s. You wonder where all the time went to.”

Phoebe Hafstag a Wave (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service): “I was here from July 1944 to October 1945. I trained at Yeoman School in Oklahoma and then came to Farragut. I first worked at the main gate and then I was with the transportation department. After I left here, I married a service man that had just come back from overseas. This is my first reunion and it has been just wonderful and the sculpture is just magnificent. I now live in Bend Oregon.”

Donna Maxwell-a Wave: “I was here in 1944 and 1945. I met my husband here and I got out of the Navy in the later part of 1945, after I was married. At Farragut, I was a yeoman in the discharge department. This reunion is wonderful. Phoebe and I have not seen each other for 62 years. We were bunk mates here at Farragut. She was lower bunk and I was upper bunk. Phoebe had heard about this so we came together because both of our husbands have passed away. We were lucky to find each other because we have not seen each other for so many years. That makes the reunion kind of special. I now live in Portland, Oregon.”

In reality, this is not the last salute for as long as there are people who love freedom, these men and women, these veterans, will be remembered for their determination, dedication, and sacrifice.