On December 18, 1944, a typhoon hit the USS Monaghan. The crew tried to save the ship, but after being hit a series of storms battered the USS Monaghan. They were being hit with one hundred knot wind, treacherous waves, and pounding rain. The storm and damage to the ship caused the USS Monaghan to slip into the ocean. Many of the crew was lost to the sinking, including Dewey. His body and belongings went down with the ship and were lost at sea. In a letter written by one of the survivors, he tells Dewey’s parents that Dewey was loved by all of the crew and calls Dewey by his nickname with sailors, “Smitty.”
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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "Just another soldier reporting, Sir. I've served my time in Hell." |