DonMooresWarTales Posted January 28, 2014 Share #126 Posted January 28, 2014 Has anyone checked with the Naval History and Heritage Command to verify if he did in fact "skipper" the Antares? Mary here, again - I'm working on Antares - U.S.N.S. Antares (T-AKR 294) "a 946-foot high-speedmilitary transport. The Antares is one of the eight fast sealift ships, the pride of MSC Strategic Force..." Why isn't there a list somewhere? What's RICA? I have his folder - inside is an article - a bad copy of a page of some sort of magazine. An article written by Ranger Dave Harris dated Winter 2003, RICA, Page 5. I'll type it here if anyone is interested in reading it. I'd like to find the original somewhere so I could simply link it - so far no luck. An aside here - for your future reference. When you're written up in a magazine or newspaper, and you're going to save it, please leave the thing intact. If it's a newspaper article, tear the entire page. If it's a magazine, save the entire magazine. Then you have the source and dates. And I found this - scan down to Arens, John W. (William) on this link: http://airbornerangerkoreanwar.org/rosters/03rd.htm Attached are images of docs from Mr. Arens' folder. You may or may not be interested in these - they may mean nothing to you. Keep in mind they're copies of copies. I have a page with his list of memberships and copies of the cards to go along with them. If a man is a Life Member of the Paratroopers Club, Life member of the Army Rangers, Korean War Combat and a Life Member of the 187th Ariborne Combat Veteran - Korea, does that mean he had to be involved in that service or can just anyone with a few dollars join? There's also a certificate that states he "satisfactorily completed the four (4) week course of instruction, employing self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, at this command is is qualified as a U.S. Navy SCUBA Diver" We're waiting for another doc or two from him to indicate his service record - of a time period that's been brought into question I can't express my gratitude to all of you who've gone above and beyond in sifting, searching and sorting and coming to intelligent conclusions because of your past experiences. I won't name any names but thank you for your open mind and willingness to follow up on this intensely sensitive matter. Sensitive to me, as I mentioned before, because our credibility is at stake. It was nice to see the tide turn for Mr. Arens' claims. And yes, I understand his "rack" is hodgepodge. He's 93 no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share #127 Posted January 28, 2014 Nice job shade.I would be proud to have that rack and badges.I'm with Dave.I might have an extra Para & Diver badge to give the Capt.Probably have an extra ROKPUC to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share #128 Posted January 28, 2014 Mary.Again thank you for taking the time to scan his items.The letter from WW2 is the Presidential Testimonial letter.Pretty much any body that served received one.Do you have any paper work showing his service in the Antarctic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron3-6 Posted January 28, 2014 Share #129 Posted January 28, 2014 Being naval service, wouldn't he wear the "skinny" Korean PUC within his main ribbon rack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Ruff Posted January 28, 2014 Share #130 Posted January 28, 2014 Being naval service, wouldn't he wear the "skinny" Korean PUC within his main ribbon rack? Baron3-6, That's correct. I elected, however, to lay out his rack as it would be worn in a U.S. Army configuration given the preponderance of U.S. Army awards/badges. Of the nine ribbons in his rack, six are directly attributed to his U.S. Army service in Korea with two of the three Merchant Marine ribbons linked to his World War II service. A switch to a naval service configuration is a quick fix. Shade Ruff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMooresWarTales Posted January 28, 2014 Share #131 Posted January 28, 2014 Mary here - First off - I can't figure out how to edit already-posted text. I've cut and pasted and forgot what I was doing and where I was so please don't be too judgemental on my hanging words leading off to oblivion. I also stated his wrong age. How do I edit this? Mr. Ruff - all of you - I've relayed to Don what's transpired in the past few days on this thread. Don thinks one of you should call Mr. Arens and share with him your discovery of his story and unless he would protest - and of course you would do this with the utmost tact - offer what you proposed in the way of medals. Might give you an opportunity to ask some lingering questions. We don't give our vets' phone numbers out without talking to them first for permission yet if someone knows how to use 411.com or better yet, zabasearch.com you'd probably find just about anyone you're looking for. I neglected to include the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation in my earlier post. Captain Arens is also entitled to this award. Shade Ruff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share #132 Posted January 28, 2014 Being naval service, wouldn't he wear the "skinny" Korean PUC within his main ribbon rack? Good point.But he didn't have that on his original uniform either.Not sure how that would work out.He received while in the Army but then went back to the Navy/MM.They don't wear PUC's on the right tho.I know wikipedia isn't always a 100% correct I did find this. Personnel who earned the Combat Infantryman Badge or Combat Medical Badge while a member of the United States Armymay be authorized to wear the Combat Action Ribbon upon application to the Department of the Navy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baron3-6 Posted January 28, 2014 Share #133 Posted January 28, 2014 I own a skinny Korean PUC Id be happy to donate to this cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMooresWarTales Posted January 28, 2014 Share #134 Posted January 28, 2014 I'm going to pull those two pictures of Mr. Arens attached to his original story. How does one edit on here? I'm curious. Has anyone taken the time to read some of those other stories presented on War Tales? Some of my favorites: http://donmooreswartales.com/2010/05/19/mike-sovan/ http://donmooreswartales.com/2011/05/11/stephen-leopold/ (two parts) Vietnam POW/MIA http://donmooreswartales.com/2010/04/23/tom-moore/ and the USS Perch http://donmooreswartales.com/2011/02/14/dick-honyak/ pictures of the first flag raising at IWO. Don got a call from Leatherneck magazine and the guy asked him where in the *blazes* did he get those? He had never seen them before. http://donmooreswartales.com/2010/05/24/hector-cafferata/ Medal of Honor http://donmooreswartales.com/2012/05/30/harlan-twible/ USS Indianapolis And a poigantly-written story about Don's father: http://donmooreswartales.com/2013/06/17/dons-father/ Over 600 in all - USS Indianapolis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack's Son Posted January 28, 2014 Share #135 Posted January 28, 2014 I'm going to pull those two pictures of Mr. Arens attached to his original story. How does one edit on here? Why would you want to censor pictures of this man? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMooresWarTales Posted January 28, 2014 Share #136 Posted January 28, 2014 Why would you want to censor pictures of this man? Simply because those last two pictures on his story were what caused the ruckus. What's the general consensus here? Pull them? Or not? I took one of the pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Ruff Posted January 28, 2014 Share #137 Posted January 28, 2014 Baron3-6, That's correct. I elected, however, to lay out his rack as it would be worn in a U.S. Army configuration given the preponderance of U.S. Army awards/badges. Of the nine ribbons in his rack, six are directly attributed to his U.S. Army service in Korea with two of the three Merchant Marine ribbons linked to his World War II service. A switch to a sea/naval service configuration is a quick fix. Shade Ruff Capt Arens' ribbon rack in sea/naval service configuration. I have elected not to swap out/exchange his Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) for the Combat Action Ribbon (CAR). In my view (recognizing he was a merchant mariner and not regular USN/USCG), the fact he earned his CIB in Korea serving with a Ranger infantry company and the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment allows for some deviation. I know if I had earned a CIB under those circumstances I sure as heck wouldn't want to swap it out for a CAR. Shade Ruff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
468abnarm Posted January 28, 2014 Share #138 Posted January 28, 2014 Shade Ruff, Great job on the layout. I would for sure buy a guy a drink who wore that on his uniform. I still have some questions in the back of my mind about all this but I think we are getting there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
468abnarm Posted January 28, 2014 Share #139 Posted January 28, 2014 If he did in fact "skipper" the USNS Antares during ODS, would he not be entitled to wear a "Command at Sea" insignia? Just asking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Ruff Posted January 28, 2014 Share #140 Posted January 28, 2014 Shade Ruff, Great job on the layout. I would for sure buy a guy a drink who wore that on his uniform. I still have some questions in the back of my mind about all this but I think we are getting there. 468abnarm, Thank you. Knowing what we do, I'm confident the medals/ribbons/unit citations/badges I've depicted are airtight. If there are questions that remain, they are associated with the undocumented ribbons/badges seen in the Captain Arens 18-count ribbon rack image. Shade Ruff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted January 28, 2014 Author Share #141 Posted January 28, 2014 The Command at Sea badge is just a Navy insignia.But how about this one? Naval Reserve Merchant Marine Insignia. Created in 1938 is based on the original eagle carved into the stern of the USS CONSTITUTION. A gold embroidered or metal spread eagle surcharged with crossed anchors behind a shield in the center. The letters "USNR" appear on the scroll at the bottom. (1) The insignia may be worn by: (a) An officer holding a valid U.S. Merchant Marine Officer License for vessels of unlimited ocean tonnage or horsepower. ( U.S. Merchant Marine officers who are also U.S. Naval Reserve officers while wearing a U.S. Merchant Marine or U.S. Maritime Service uniform. © Merchant Marine Reserve, USNR Midshipmen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMooresWarTales Posted January 29, 2014 Share #142 Posted January 29, 2014 Mary here - I've kept Don in the loop of the progress here. He says for one or two or all of you - whomever wishes to - call him if you wish to get the correct ribbons/medals/commendations to Mr. Arens. Call him:Don Moore 941-426-2120 and he almost always answers if he's not in a meeting. Don is fun to talk to. One of the more interesting people on the planet yet he doesn't think he's anything special but a reporter writing 12" stories. Don has asked Mr. Arens for documentation for skippering the Antares. We don't think it's an issue - it's just something he hasn't gotten around to doing. He's a busy man. Incredible. You people are incredible. You are to be commended for figuring it out. I'm grateful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROBS Posted January 29, 2014 Share #143 Posted January 29, 2014 I think that Mr. Arens will be proud to wear the correct decorations/awards. I personally never saw him as a "poser", but just as a confused (about the awards) older gentleman who wanted to represent his service in the only way he could figure. Without this site I wouldn't have a clue what was right or wrong in that sense. I just imagine him in the surplus shop thinking: "OK.. well I was a paratrooper, and in the navy later... so here is a badge for the Navy with Paratrooper wings.. here is a diver badge.." ... etc. If you talk to Mr. Arens, please be sure to thank him for his service and let him know that we all appreciate what he has done and sacrificed for our country. -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Ruff Posted January 29, 2014 Share #144 Posted January 29, 2014 The Command at Sea badge is just a Navy insignia.But how about this one? Naval Reserve Merchant Marine Insignia. Created in 1938 is based on the original eagle carved into the stern of the USS CONSTITUTION. A gold embroidered or metal spread eagle surcharged with crossed anchors behind a shield in the center. The letters "USNR" appear on the scroll at the bottom. (1) The insignia may be worn by: (a) An officer holding a valid U.S. Merchant Marine Officer License for vessels of unlimited ocean tonnage or horsepower. ( U.S. Merchant Marine officers who are also U.S. Naval Reserve officers while wearing a U.S. Merchant Marine or U.S. Maritime Service uniform. © Merchant Marine Reserve, USNR Midshipmen. firefighter, Unless Captain Arens also holds a commission as an officer in the United States Naval Reserve (and I've seen nothing to suggest he does), he does not qualify for this badge. Shade Ruff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMooresWarTales Posted January 29, 2014 Share #145 Posted January 29, 2014 I think that Mr. Arens will be proud to wear the correct decorations/awards. I personally never saw him as a "poser", but just as a confused (about the awards) older gentleman who wanted to represent his service in the only way he could figure. Without this site I wouldn't have a clue what was right or wrong in that sense. I just imagine him in the surplus shop thinking: "OK.. well I was a paratrooper, and in the navy later... so here is a badge for the Navy with Paratrooper wings.. here is a diver badge.." ... etc. If you talk to Mr. Arens, please be sure to thank him for his service and let him know that we all appreciate what he has done and sacrificed for our country. -Brian Brian - I believe you pretty much nailed it with your take on Mr. Arens. That's my idea, too. Don catches up with him now and again. As I posted ^up there - we're waiting on other documentation. I'm proud of all of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
468abnarm Posted January 29, 2014 Share #146 Posted January 29, 2014 Did I miss the clarification for the two different birthdays listed on the 214's? 26 Dec 1928 28 Dec 1926 Also, from the War Tales story, attended dive school 1962 @ age 39 - that gives us a third birthday of 1923. I'm so confused now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted January 29, 2014 Share #147 Posted January 29, 2014 Did I miss the clarification for the two different birthdays listed on the 214's? 26 Dec 1928 28 Dec 1926 Also, from the War Tales story, attended dive school 1962 @ age 39 - that gives us a third birthday of 1923. I'm so confused now! It could easily be a typo. I have seen WWII USMM records which listed an incorrect birthdate. Mistakes happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROBS Posted January 29, 2014 Share #148 Posted January 29, 2014 especially since the numbers switched are the numbers 26 and 28... if you reverse one date it's correct to the other. There are often even name typos/misspellings/incorrect initials on records. You might see one that lists "I" as an initial.. another that lists "L". I think a lot of the stuff was copied from handwritten sources so it's easy to mix up numbers/letters... or misread something. -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted January 29, 2014 Share #149 Posted January 29, 2014 especially since the numbers switched are the numbers 26 and 28... if you reverse one date it's correct to the other. There are often even name typos/misspellings/incorrect initials on records. You might see one that lists "I" as an initial.. another that lists "L". I think a lot of the stuff was copied from handwritten sources so it's easy to mix up numbers/letters... or misread something. -Brian Precisely. Transposition is an easy error to make. RC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fstop61 Posted January 30, 2014 Share #150 Posted January 30, 2014 It seems I jumped on the bashing wagon early on-without knowing the facts. It seems 9-10 times someone with similar stories/ uniforms is found to be made-up. I apologize to Mr. Arens for any inappropriate comments that I made and will exercise better judgement in future postings. Mr Arens thanks for your service to the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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