These things are important to know when you give to the USS Yorktown (CV-10) Association: We are a 501(c)(19). As a veterans non-profit, all donations made to us are tax deductible. Simply keep your receipt for your taxes. We are the veterans who served on the USS Yorktown and their families – and we’re proud of it! Let’s just say …
John R. Chandler July 28,1933 – December 30, 2025 John Richard Chandler, 92, of Amarillo, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, December 30th, 2025. John was born on July 28th, 1933, in Boulder, Colorado to John T. and Thelma M. (Young) Chandler. He later moved with his family to El Paso, TX where he met his high school …
Robert Harding March 12, 1926 – February 24, 2026 Robert “Bob” Harding, born on March 12th, 1926, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 24, 2026 surrounded by family at his retirement home in Leland, North Carolina. Mr. Harding was a longtime resident of Stillwater, OK, where he lived for more than 40 years and was a familiar and valued …
Gary Wayne “Buzz” Buzzell 1949-2024 Gary Buzzell (Buzz), 75, passed away June 1, 2024, in Bangor at the Eastside Center for Health & Rehabilitation, where he resided since 2020. Gary was born May 9, 1949, in Bar Harbor to Fulton and Mertice Black Buzzell. Gary grew up in Bar Harbor and Hulls Cove and went to schools in Bar Harbor. …
Richard Hart 1930-2025 Richard Dudley Hart Sr., aged 95, passed away on August 25, 2025, at the CarePartners Hospice Solace Center. He was born June 26, 1930, in Asheville, NC, to John Turner Hart Sr. and Nelle Bryan Hart. After graduating from Lee Edwards High School in 1948, Richard attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating with his …
Frank Romagnolo 1925-2025 In loving memory of Frank A Romagnolo of Hicksville, New York, who departed this world on September 8, 2025 at the age of 100. Frank leaves behind a legacy remembered by family and friends. As we bid adieu to Frank’s earthly form, let us not dwell on the void left in his wake, but rather celebrate the …
Patrick R. Heffley 1936-2025 Patrick Ray “Pat” Heffley passed from this world surrounded by his family, on June 29, 2025. He always felt like he had a destiny of loving others to fulfill. On July 8, 1936, he was born premature at only 3.5 lbs in Red Bluff, CA to Harold and Irene Heffley. At 2 years old he survived …
1946-2025 It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Stephen Lee Holtzin of Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who passed away on June 28, 2025, at the age of 79, leaving to mourn family and friends. Though Stephen Lee has departed this earthly realm, his legacy endures — a legacy of love that will continue …
David Gilman 1942-2025 David D. Gilman, 83, of Donovan passed away on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at his home. He was born on August 23, 1942 in Oblong, IL, the son of William and Irene (Yankee) Gilman. He married Carol Tallon in Kankakee on September 19, 1992. He is survived by his wife, Carol Gilman of Donovan. Also surviving are …
John “Jack” MacDade 1925-2026 He was born on April 11, 1925 in Des Moines, Iowa, the beloved son of Mr. Robert “Scottie” Barr MacDade and Mrs. Jean (Murphy) MacDade. After graduating from high school in 1942, Jack answered the call to serve his country by enlisting in the United States Navy. He was assigned to the USS Yorktown, where he …
John T. Haggenmiller 1938-2025 John grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, graduated from University of Minnesota and served as a Lieutenant in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Following the war, he relocated to Southern California where he married Darlene and settled to build a family. During his 25-year career with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, he advanced to …
Edward John Joyeusaz 1925-2026 Edward John Joyeusaz was born on October 31, 1925, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the son of Napoleon Charles Joyeusaz and Adele C. Lenoire. Edward graduated from Caesar Rodney High School in Dover, Delaware, and joined the Navy at 17, heroically serving on the USS Yorktown as a signalman in the South Pacific during WWII. He …
Thomas Edward Hewitt 1932 – 2025 Thomas “Ed” Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas. Parents, Thomas Hewitt and Pauline Gipson Hewitt, along with their three children, Ed, Helon, and Ralph moved to Vancouver, Washington, in the early 1940s. Ed attended Shumway Junior High, Vancouver High School, and Clark College. While attending Clark, he joined the Navy and was proud to serve …
Daniel Paul Rodriguez 1947 – 2026 Daniel Paul Rodriguez, 78, was called by the Lord on January 28, 2026. Born and raised in Chicago’s southside, Danny was a lifelong White Sox fan and loved everything about the city. He was well versed in its history and loved sharing unique, fun facts with others. Danny joined the United States Navy in …
James Henry Flatley III 1934 – 2025 Rear Admiral James H Flatley III USN (Ret), affectionately known to friends, colleagues and family as Jim, Skipper, Admiral and Pops, passed away in his sleep on December 12, 2025, weeks before celebrating his 92nd birthday. Born on January 9, 1934 in San Diego, CA to parents, James H Flatley Jr and Dorothy …
The Yorktown Legacy Why do my family and I continue to support the Association and to attend the annual Yorktown reunions? I could sum it up in two words – My Dad; however, that would not make for much of an article! My Dad, TMV/2 Ed Branning, served on the Yorktown from 1943-1945, fighting in the Pacific during WWII, but …
Book yours today! The 2026 Reunion will use the Comfort INN in Mt. Pleasant as our home base hotel. Details will be available shortly; however, reservations can be made now referencing the USS Yorktown Reunion and the dates you wish to book.
The 2026 Reunion is taking shape, but it will include our Welcome Pizza Party, 2 optional tours, our famous Meet and Greet and of course the very moving Memorial Service for the brothers we’ve lost. Registration will be available online and via the mail.Thank you for being a USS Yorktown Association member and we look forward to seeing you at …
1938 – 2025 Clynn Herman Wickham (Abe) left this earth at the age of 87 peacefully in his sleep due to heart complications. Clynn was born in Preston, Idaho, to Cordelia Artemesia Wickham and Herman Russell Wickham. The family later moved to Ogden, Utah where Clynn attended school. He joined the Navy in 1955 at the age of 17 and …
1938 – 2025 John E. Wise, 86, of Republic, Ohio passed away Wednesday, February 19, 2025, at Mercy Health – Tiffin Hospital. John was born June 26, 1938, in Tiffin, to the late Charles E. and Mary (Lumen) Wise. He married Janet (Whipple) in Republic on January 28, 1961 and she preceded him in death on August 8, 2020. Survivors …
1939 – 2025 Gene A. Mielke, 85, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at the Veterans Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD, where he had been receiving hospice care.A visitation will be held on Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings, SD.Honoring Gene’s wishes, his remains will be buried in the …
We’re often contacted about a veteran who served on the ship, but this one takes the cake. (Or should we say fruit cake? or figgy pudding?) We received an email recently from an aircraft carrier enthusiast with an eye for details that others miss. “What few people know,” Mickeen Hogan wrote, “is that Yorktown CV-10 has a cameo in one …
The Yorktown Fliers play USS Wasp NCAA’s March Madness has us thinking about basketball on the USS Yorktown (CVA-10). It was during the 1950s that the sport really took off in the Navy, and the crew and squadrons on the Yorktown included some great players. In 1954, while in Hong Kong, the ship’s basketball team defeated the number one and …
Saturday, October 10, 20269am to 12pm The veterans of the USS Yorktown will reunite on their beloved aircraft carrier “The Fighting Lady” to share stories of their service from World War II through the Vietnam War. Visitors to Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum will have the opportunity to participate in a Meet and Greet with these veterans. Posters will …
North of Asakusa, where the Sumida River makes a hairpin turn before flowing south to Tokyo Bay was Tokyo POW Camp 10-B. This is where VT-5 pilot James Willoughby “Pop” Condit found out the war had ended. Pop, radioman Gordon H. Marshal, and gunner Kenneth O. Kalberg had been shot down and captured during the attack on Marcus Island in …
A USS Yorktown Plankowner in Engineering Department has a humorous run-in with Captain “Jocko” Clark (Above) Harry at 17 and fresh from bootcamp (Below) A tight fit through the Panama Canal for the Yorktown It was during this time [1943 in Newport News, VA] that we had the opportunity to meet our captain of the Yorktown. His name was Captain …
Ahoy shipmates!Hope all is well and troubles are few. Just returned from Hawaii, where I wore my white hat again. This time aboard the “Arizona”. Quite moving. May we all enjoy good health. The trip was to celebrate my 75th.I remember so vividly the site of the Arizona when we steamed up the channel in ’68 and anchored across from …
Time stands still when a World War II veteran steps onto the decks of the Fighting Lady. We were blessed, today, to take Bryce Thornton of the Army’s 104th Infantry Division on a special tour of the ship. As it happens, Pat Waters (grandson of General Patton) was here for a meeting and able to speak to him as well. Mr. …
The US Coast Guard this month has requested that Patriots Point Development Authority register the USS Yorktown as a Permanently Moored Vessel. This certification will mean that the Coast Guard would not need to inspect the Yorktown, since it was removed from navigation years ago. Of course, it has been common knowledge that the Yorktown is permanently moored, but the …
On Monday, July 11th, SC Governor Henry McMaster announced his intention for “a complete remediation and removal of hazardous materials from the hull of the USS Yorktown, including hundreds of thousands of gallons of old petroleum, polluted ballast waters, and polychlorinated biphenyl compounds, or PCBs that were not removed from the ship’s 428 vessel tanks and compartments by the Navy.” …
On Veterans’ Day, crewmember Joe Zaccaro (OE Division, 1964-1966) visited with his daughter, Laura’s, second grade students at a New Jersey elementary school to speak about his service on the ‘Fighting Lady.’ The students had lots of questions for him. “Besides the size of the ship and how many people on board and were any of them women,” Zaccoro said, …
June is PTSD Awareness month and as an Association our goal is to do our part in raising awareness, eradicating stigmas, and distributing information for our suffering veterans. Stay tuned on our Facebook Page this month for ways to get involved and be a part of this movement!
The best part of our Association Member group so far has been getting to see everyone interact and tell their stories. Since the group started, Phil Elsner has been such an enthusiastic and highly involved group member. Curious about his story, and what drives his love for the ship, we talked with him about his time in the Navy and …
Recently, we have had the privilege of welcoming another generation of USS Yorktown CV-10 Association members. Through our new Facebook Group, we were able to connect with Dawn Henderson. Her father served on the ship in 1963-1966. Dawn was so invested and excited for the opportunity to honor her fathers service. The following are a few words from Dawn herself …
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