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Reggie Vachon - George O'Connell Luncheon

Reggie Vachon '58 Recounts the Naval Service of his Uncle George O'Connell '35 at Chapter September 2005 Luncheon

George O'Connell '35, Captain, USN (Ret.) is not only the Atlanta Chapter's senior member, he leads by example. He is one of the most active members of the Chapter who can be counted upon to be at most every major event that we hold during the year.

George's nephew Reggie Vachon '58, didn't actually tell George the whole truth about why he was bringing him to this particular luncheon. The problem was that George had quite a distinguished Naval career, but whenever asked about what he did in the Navy, he always answered simply "I saw a lot of water"! It's hard to pry a good story out of such an unassuming character as George.

So, Reggie took it upon himself to review some of "Uncle George's" service experiences with us. Reggie, who says that he thinks of Uncle George as a Dad, beamed with pride when talking of his war experiences in the Navy. George was at both Okinowa and D-Day, and was awarded two silver stars as well. George was fire control officer aboard the USS Salt Lake City during the battle of Komandorski Island, one of the longest Naval sea battles ever.

Reggie gave a-minute-by-minute "felt like you were there" review of the action during that battle right down to the guns fired and the hits scored by both sides. This scribe was so caught up in the well told story, that I couldn't keep up with the taking of notes. Luckily, I managed to find a detailed summary of the battle action that I've provided at the link below:

Battle of Komandorski Island Summary

An excellent book is also available about the battle, published by the Naval Institute Press, titled "The Battle of Komandorski Island". (ISBN 0-87021-093-9). By author John A. Lorelli.

I have also found an excellent web site devoted to the memory of the USS Salt Lake City and her crews. The site has many pictures of the crew and stories written by the crew. George even wrote a summary of his service aboard. It's a must see, at the link below:

http://sandysq.gcinet.net/uss_salt_lake_city_ca25/

We cannot thank Reggie and George enough for sharing these great service experiences with us. We are honored to have George, a member of the Greatest Generation, as our senior Chapter member. It was wonderful to see the smile on Reggie's face telling these tales as well as to see the sparkle in George's eye during the telling!

Click on a thumbnail image to view a full sized picture.

Reggie Vachon '58 starts his remarks about his Uncle George's Service experiences.

Reggie displays George's flag from the USS Salt Lake City.

Mary Vachon, George O'Connell, and Reggie Vachon.

Chapter President Steve Frederick '72 presents Jocks & Jills Manager Craig Martin with a Navy football shirt for his continued great service to us at our monthly luncheons.