This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Douglas Siemonsma, LCDR
to remember
Brooks, Roger, PNCS USN(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Alliance
Last Address 117 S. Country Club Ave Brandon, SD 57005
Date of Passing Oct 07, 2023
Location of Interment Hills of Rest Memorial Park - Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Technical Research vessels. The USS Georgetown AGTR-2 was named Robert W. Hart as a merchant ship. Robert W. Hart, (1880-1942) was born in Nova Scotia, but became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. on April 22, 1942. While his ship, the S.S. San Jacinto was carrying 104 passengers, more than 80 of who were women, and a crew of 79; it was attacked and sunk by heavy shellfire from two enemy submarines. Capt. Hart's prompt and efficient directions and the perfect discipline of his crew were responsible for saving all except nine passengers and five of the crew, who were presumed killed by shell fire. After all boats were clear, he refused to leave the ship until he had destroyed the ship's confidential papers, and because of his attempt to perform his final duty, he went down with his ship. He was posthumously awarded the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal on June 13, 1945.
Best Moment RESCUE AT SEA: On May 3, 1964 the USS GEORGETOWN came across ten men, two women and two children, ages ten and eight, in two small boats. They were trying to escape from Cuba and were willing to try anything. < Pictured are Cubans rescued from boats at sea. Their boats were sunk because they were navigation hazard. After being at sea for eighteen hours, they were brought safely aboard the GEORGETOWN and later taken to Key West, Florida
Worst Moment Equator, "Shell Back", August 4, 1964. Crossing the equator is a big deal in the Navy. One does not let anything and I mean anything get in the way of the proper initiation to be promoted from pollywog to Shell Back. The Navy has set times and dates that advancement exams are given. These exams are protected with the highest security and accountability. Nothing prevents these exams from being given on the appropriate time and date?except war and crossing the equator. Yes, the exams were postponed two days so that the pollywogs could be properly and dully initiated into the realm of the Shell Backs. Being the ship?s photographer, I was put through the process of becoming a Shell Back first so I could take pictures for the ship?s cruise book.
Chain of Command I WAS THE ONLY PERSONNELMAN ON BOARD SO ALL THE ENLISTED SERVICE RECORDS WERE FOR ME TO TAKE CARE OF. YN1 B.A.GUPTON LPO ENS T.F. PROCTOR JR, USNR DO LCDR ALLAN W. ROBBINS XO CDR WESLEY A. GLEASON CO
Other Memories This was where I say my Navy career really got started. This was the time of the so-called "Cold War Era". We were constantly practicing for the possibility of Atomic, Biological, and Chemical Warfare. While I was assigned to the USS Georgetown, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 23, 1963, and those of us who were on shore leave or liberty were called back to the ship; she got underway because there was a fear of attack on the Norfolk Naval Base. We stayed underway a few days and then returned to port.