Comments/Citation
DORSEY CARL BRIDGEWATER
Dorsey Carl Bridgewater was born to Alton and Mary Bridgewater on January 18, 1927, in the small rural town of Lecta, Kentucky. He was one of four children which included two brothers, Kenneth and Joe, and a sister, Louise (Bridgewater Dietrich). While Dorsey was still a youngster, the family moved to Glasglow, Kentucky, and then later to Louisville.
Dorsey attended school through the 8th grade before taking a job at the creameries for Armour. On his 17th birthday in January of 1944, he enlisted in the Navy. He attended boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois. He boarded the USS KIDD (DD-661) at Espiritu Santo just four months later on May 30, 1944. His rating was Seaman 1st class.
During his time aboard ship, the KIDD saw action at Saipan, Guam, the Philippines, and Okinawa. Dorsey was killed on April 11, 1945, when a lone Japanese kamikaze aircraft struck the ship's forward fireroom. He was buried at sea at 1030 the following day on Thursday, April 12, 1945, along with his shipmates while the KIDD was en route back to Ulithi Atoll from the front lines.
A memorial for Dorsey Bridgewater can be found in the Barren County Courthouse in Glasglow, Kentucky. As with all of the KIDD's 38 fallen shipmates, his name can also be found on the walls of a memorial located at the National Cemetery of the Pacific (aka "The Punchbowl") in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Both the photo and some of the biographical information shown above were supplied by Dorsey's mother, Mrs. Mary Carmon, and his brother, Joe Bridgewater.
|
