At our October reunion we held another one of our traditional memorial services. I believe I speak for all who attend our reunions that this is certainly the most moving event of the reunion weekend. This year it was no exception. There were two sailors whose families had their ashes cast in the waters surrounding the Yorktown - Louis Horn and Robert Becker.
The Horn family and Becker family dropped wreathes of carnations into the waters of Charleston Bay as the ashes of their loved ones were spread over the waters by Yorktown shipmates in a small boat that pulled up along the port side of the Fighting Lady.
Family members of other shipmates memorialized in this ceremony also dropped wreathes. One of the Fighting Lady's Commanding Officers - Capt. William Bennett - was included in the list of shipmates remembered during the ceremony.
After the memorial ceremony ended a luncheon was held in the aft hanger bay of the Yorktown. During the luncheon I noticed two very small boys sitting at a table. These two boys happen to be the grandsons of Louis Horn. I spent a few minutes with them and their parents. Below is a picture of Louis Horn's grandsons, Louis and Benjamin. This is what I learned about the boy's "PaPa".
Louis Horn was a young energetic Electricians Mate who set sail on the USS Yorktown in the mid-1960’s during the height of the Vietnam War. He made two deployments on the Fighting Lady to Vietnam. The US Navy gave Louis basic training in electricity and he used this training well during his time on the Yorktown, working on it’s generators, electrical power distribution systems and various shipboard electrical equipment.
Upon leaving the U.S. Navy, Louis took what he had learned and began to apply himself in civilian life. He had a life long desire to become a degreed engineer and did achieve that goal. Unfortunately, Louis had a tragic accident at the age of 43 and became a quadriplegic as a result of the accident. The accident took most of Louis’s physical strength away from him, but it also caused him to accentuate his senses and his intense desire to love those who became his new found family.
Louis left a legacy. Among the most important things he left are two little guys who are full of life, full of questions about their "PaPa", and full of enough energy to cover the Yorktown stem to stern on that day of the memorial in search of anything aboard our ship that had anything to do with their "PaPa". I was fortunate to spend some time with Louis's family and was able to give them a glimpse of Louis's life as a sailor aboard the ship he loved.
Louis and Christian - "PaPa" is now at rest in the gentle waters of Charleston Bay that caress the ship he loved - the Fighting Lady.
Rest in Peace - Electrician Mate Louis Horn - our beloved shipmate.
Rest in Peace - Robert Becker - our beloved shipmate.
Rest in Peace - Captain William Bennett - one of our Captains who was loved so much by his crew.
Rest in Peace - the other shipmates memorialized during this service. From these there was one who I was particularly close to. He was my Chief. Rest in Peace Chief Westbrook.
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Congratulations Ben on a great job.
