USS Frank E. Evans crew not on Vietnam Memorial Wall?

'A slap in the face': Naval disaster was too far from Vietnam to honor victims on memorial wall

Green Bay Press-Gazette Published
Paul Srubas
May 3, 2019

You might as well just say they died in the Vietnam War. If you were related to one of them, that’s what you’d say.

The Australian aircraft carrier Melbourne after its collision with the USS Frank E. Evans during training in 1969. Courtesy of USS Frank E. Evans (DD 754) Association, Inc.

But you’ll find none of the names of the 74 American sailors who died, including three from Wisconsin, on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. That’s because it was a training accident, a terrible mistake, a crash between two naval vessels that happened about 100 miles from the combat zone.

The USS Frank E. Evans, nicknamed the “Gray Ghost” for its ability to slip in and out of the mists during the Korean War, had been shelling the Vietnam coastline a couple weeks earlier. On this particular day, June 3, 1969, the destroyer was engaged in practice maneuvers on the South China Sea with 40 other ships from the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.

That night, the Evans collided with the Australian aircraft carrier, HMAS Melbourne, that it was practicing guarding. The Evans was cut in half, and most of the occupants of the front half of the ship drowned. That's 74 men, including James R. Cmeyla, 24, of Luxemburg; Michael A. Orlikowski, 28, Milwaukee; and Jon W. Thomas, 22, of Delavan.

None of the 74 names have been included on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., supposedly because it was not a combat mission and it was outside the designated combat zone.
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Vietnam Veteran Rides To Washington Honoring Lives Lost on USS Frank E Evans

Vietnam veteran cycles to Washington D.C. to get names added to wall
WDBJ 7 News
By Noell Saunders
Jul 22, 2016

SALEM, Va. (WDBJ7) A 74-year old Vietnam War veteran is riding his bicycle all the way from Texas to Washington D.C.

Del Francis is on a mission to get his 74 comrades' names added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Francis almost died on a warship 47 years ago after an Australian aircraft carrier cut it in half. The ship sank and all 74 sailors perished that day.

After writing numerous petitions and letters, Francis decided to do something different.
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Dad Survived USS Frank E Evans, Son Did Not

Schumer to 91-year-old Syracuse veteran: Your son belongs on Vietnam Wall (video)
Syracuse.com
Mark Weiner
June 6, 2016

Larry Reilly Sr. survived the accident, but lost his son, Larry Reilly Jr., who served on the Navy ship with him.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- After fighting for decades to have his son's name added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, 91-year-old Larry Reilly Sr. had a chance to make his case in person Monday with one of the nation's most powerful members of Congress.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., stopped to visit Reilly in his Meadowbrook Drive home in Syracuse, and told him that the Navy veteran's efforts may be close to paying off as his 92nd birthday approaches in two weeks.

The Department of Defense agreed last month to review the case of the 74 sailors who died aboard the USS Frank E. Evans when their destroyer collided with an Australian aircraft carrier during a Vietnam War-era training exercise.
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USS Frank E. Evans Families and Survivors Remember

Family of RI sailor lost in Vietnam War fights to have his name listed on wall
Providence Journal
By Donita Naylor
Journal Staff Writer
Posted May. 20, 2016

The dead were not counted as casualties of the Vietnam War, and thus not listed on the wall, because the maneuvers were 127 miles outside the combat zone.

CUMBERLAND, R.I. — A memorial stone was unveiled and a tree dedicated Friday to honor a 20-year-old Cumberland sailor who was among 74 lost at sea in a naval accident in the Vietnam War.

Part of a nationwide effort to get the 74 names added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D.C., the stone was placed by veterans, survivors and relatives of the men aboard the USS Frank E. Evans.

The destroyer was cut in half by an Australian aircraft carrier after a series of navigational mistakes in the South China Sea at about 3 a.m. on June 3, 1969. The front half of the ship sank in less than four minutes, and everyone sleeping in the forward section was lost.
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Linked from Stars and Stripes

Families of Sailors on USS Frank E. Evans want names added to The Wall

74 more lives lost at sea during the Vietnam war but they are not on the monument built to honor all of the lives lost. Why? We know there are more stories out there. Stories of the men and women that died as a result of Agent Orange, died as a result of the wound they carried trapped inside of them, PTSD, when they committed suicide. The death of these sailors has no reason at all to be kept off list of names on The Wall. They need to do this at least for the families and for the survivors. It had a crew of 278.

List of the crew where you can see the list of the names of the lost in red.
http://www.ussfrankeevansassociationdd754.org/Crew_List_of_USSFEE.pdf

Family Of Vietnam Vet Fights To Add Name To Wall Reporting
Bridgette Bornstein (WCCO)

Forty years after a Vietnam War veteran from Minnesota was lost at sea, his
family's fight continues. They want to see his name added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall along with the names of 73 other servicemen who died with him.

Gene Lehman's body was never recovered after his ship sank during maneuvers in the South China Sea. His family still does not have closure.

"Forty years is a long time," said Vietnam Veteran Gene Lehman's widow Janice Lehman, as she wiped away tears.

It can be hard for Janice Lehman to talk about her husband who was lost at sea when his ship, the USS Frank E. Evans, was split in half when it was accidentally struck by an Australian ship during war-related maneuvers on June 3, 1969.

"We got a letter from the president in 1969, from Richard Nixon, that these men should not be forgotten," said Janice Lehman.
go here for more
http://wcco.com/local/vietnam.veterans.wall.2.1041250.html

Three brothers were lost on that ship that day, and they are not counted on The Wall.

40 Years Later: The USS Frank E. Evans
By Jim Nelson

Story Created: Jun 3, 2009 at 6:26 AM CDT

Of the 74 killed that morning, three were from Niobrara, Nebraska. Now, 40 years later, their cousin Dale, also a veteran, recalls their story.

"I Came into the farmhouse and my mom was crying. I asked her; 'what are you ballin' about?' She said; 'they're dead - they're all gone." The words of Dale Sage are a chilling reminder of the heartache felt around the country.

Dale's cousins are Greg, Gary and Kelly Sage. Three brothers, all serving in the U.S. Navy, all aboard the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans. While their fate was decided that June morning, the mourning was put on hold. "Their own dad thought there was a possibility that for some reason, they may have surfaced and were still alive in a POW camp," Sage recalls.

That same glimmer of hope was shared by Dale. "I've held onto it for years."

But that hoped slipped after speaking to survivors from the Evans. It was then that he understood those three boys from Niobrara, Nebraska weren't coming home. Now, for Dale, the events that unfolded 40 years ago, mean much more than the loss of family. "74 died that day, not just the Sage boys, but 74."
go here for more
http://www.ksfy.com/news/local/46806752.html

In memory of those who lost their lives in USS Frank E. Evans DD-754
June 3, 1969
"As long as we embrace them in our memory, their spirit will always be with us"


Name Rate
Armstrong, Alan H. Ensign
Baker, James R. Seaman Apprentice
Botto, Andrew J. Yeoman 3rd Class
Box, Thomas B. Seaman
Bradley, James F. Electronics Technician 3rd Class
Brandon, Robert G. Ensign
Brown, Melvin H. Seaman Apprentice
Brown III, William D. Boiler Tender 2nd Class
Cannington, Charles W. Hospital Corpsman
Carlson, Christopher J. Radarman 2nd Class
Clawson, Michael K. Seaman
Clute, Danny V. Seaman
Cmeyla, James R. Yeoman 3rd Class
Cool, Larry W. Electronics Technician Communications 3rd Class
Corcoran, Patrick M. Seaman
Craig, Joe E. Seaman Apprentice
Davis, James W. Electronics Technician Radar 3rd Class
Deal, Leon L. Seaman Apprentice
Dykes III, James F. Seaman
Earley, Raymond J. Seaman Apprentice
Espinosa, Steven F. Gunner's Mate Guns 3rd Class
Fagan, Stephen D. Seaman Apprentice
Fields, William D. Seaman Apprentice
Flummer, Alan C. Seaman Apprentice
Frye, Henry K. Seaman Apprentice
Garcia, Francis J. Seaman
Gardner, Melvin H. Sonar Technician Surface 3rd Class
Gearhart, Donald E. Seaman Apprentice
Glennon, Patrick G. Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class
Glines, Kenneth W. Seaman
Gonzales, Joe L. Seaman Apprentice
Gracely, Larry A. Sonar Technician Surface 3rd Class
Grissom Jr., Devere R. Seaman Apprentice
Guyer, Steven A. Seaman Apprentice
Henderson, Terry L. Radarman 3rd Class
Hess, Edward P. Electrician's Mate Construction
Hodgson, Garry B. Radarman 2nd Class
Kerr, James W. Seaman Apprentice
King, Willie L. Boatswain's Mate 1st Class
Laliberte, George J. Radarman 1st Class
LeBrun, Ray P. Radioman 2nd Class
Lehman, Eugene F. Radarman 1st Class
Lyons Jr., I. Seaman Apprentice
Meister, Douglas R. Seaman Apprentice
Melendrez, Andrew M. Seaman Apprentice
Messier, Frederick C. Seaman
Miller, Timothy L. Seaman Apprentice
Norton Jr., John T. Ensign
Ogawa, Gregory K. Ensign
Orlikowski, Michael A. Seaman Apprentice
Orpurt, Linden R. Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class
Pattee, Dwight S. Lieutenant (j.g.)
Pennell, Craig A. Seaman Apprentice
Pickett, Jerome Seaman Apprentice
Preston Jr., Earl F. Yeoman 2nd Class
Reilly Jr., Lawrence J. Boiler Tender 3rd Class
Rikal, Victor T. Radarman 2nd Class
* Sage, Gary L. Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class
* Sage, Gregory A. Radarman 3rd Class
* Sage, Kelly J. Seaman Apprentice
Sauvey, John A. Seaman Apprentice
Searle, Robert J. Boiler Tender Fireman Apprentice
Smith, Gerald W. Fireman Apprentice
Smith Jr., Thurston P. Seaman
Spray, John R. Sonar Technician Surface 2nd Class
Stever, Jon K. Lieutenant (j.g.)
Tallon, Thomas F. Seaman Apprentice
Thibodeau, Ronald A. Radarman 2nd Class
Thomas, John W. Radarman 3rd Class
Tolar, John T. Seaman Apprentice
Vigue, Gary J. Quartermaster 3rd Class
Warnock, Con W. Radarman 3rd Class
West III, Henry D. Seaman Apprentice

* Brothers
go here for more information on this ship and the crew that was lost and should not be forgotten
Maritime quest USS Frank E. Evans