Another Good One is Gone: David Gorsuch Passes Away
November 8, 2011
Posted in David Gorsuch, Everytown USA, Korean War, USS Fletcher
Tags: David Gorsuch, Everytown USA, Korean War, USS Fletcher
It’s becoming an all too familiar theme. Another of our aging war veterans has passed away. David Gorsuch served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War aboard the USS Fletcher (DD/DDE-445).
I sat down with Gorsuch a few years back. Still fresh in his mind was one memorable night off the coast of Japan. “We were … at Yokosuka when we got the call to pull anchor immediately,” he shared. “They didn’t tell us what was going on until we got underway and then the captain came on and said that we were headed to the island of Quemoy, just off the coast of China. The Chinese were shelling it and our government was afraid for the inhabitants.
“They were really hitting her hard with their big guns—shore bombardment. The U.S. ordered … ships into the area to help with the evacuation of the island. They had the Marines go in first and get the people into transports and out onto the bigger ships.
“…We were anti-submarine, so we were out screening for enemy subs that were trying to get in. We did see two Russian submarines, but they stayed their distance.”
A grateful family, community and nation mourn the loss of David Gorsuch. Sailors, rest your oars.