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Contact Info
Home Town Muskegon, MI
Last Address In 1992, Don and Tish moved to the Indian River Colony Club in Viera, FL. They moved to Ocala, FL, in 2006 and in 2011, moved to Gainesville and resided at The Village.
Date of Passing Oct 19, 2015
Location of Interment Florida National Cemetery (VA) - Bushnell, Florida
Captain Donald Alfred Dertien, USN (Ret.) Pearl Harbor Survivor, Veteran of WWII, Korea and Vietnam era.
Donald enlisted in the Navy in 1940, and he was commissioned an ensign in 1941 after successfully completing the Navy's "90-day wonder program" on the USS Arkansas (BB-33). He was stationed at Pearl Harbor and was aboard the USS Farragut (DD-348), at the time of the attack. The Farragut was berthed in a nest of destroyers in East Loch, Pearl Harbor, at the time of the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941. He was stationed on the Farragut until 1943 and was then transferred to another destroyer, the USS Halford (DD-480), until the end of the war. During his wartime service, he was awarded 11 battle stars including Guadalcanal, Wake Island, Coral Sea, Marianas Islands Campaign (Navy Commendation Medal) and Leyte Gulf (Bronze Star with Valor). In his quiet and humble manner, he was proud to have served his country at a crucial time in its history and to have been a Pearl Harbor survivor.
The brightest moment during this tumultuous time was when he married Tish on April 6, 1943, at St. James Cathedral in Seattle, WA, with shipmates from the USS Halford as the wedding party. They celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary this past April.
After the conclusion of WWII, he returned to Muskegon for a short time only to discover that he missed the Navy and re-enlisted shortly thereafter. His Navy career included tours in Rhode Island, California, Washington, D.C., Japan, Korea and the Panama Canal Zone. He also served on the USS Rodman (DMS 21) and USS Helena (CA-75), and was the commanding officer of the USS Cony (DDE-508) during NATO Operation Mariner, USS Luzon (ARG-2) and USS Graffias (AF-29).
In between ship assignments, he earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees and was the last Superintendent of the U.S Naval Weapons Plant in Washington, D.C. Near the end of his naval career, he was assigned to the Panama Canal Company in the role of Chief of the Navigation Division. The following year he was promoted to Marine Director, responsible for all direct operations of the canal. In December 1968, he retired from the U. S. Navy after more than 28 years of distinguished service attaining the rank of Captain in 1962.
He launched a second career with the Panama Canal Company, first as the Chief of the Executive Planning Staff then serving as the first civilian Marine Director. During this time he served as a technical advisor in the drafting and negotiation of the Panama Canal Treaty. He retired from the Panama Canal Company in 1976.
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Surrender of Japan, End of WWII
From Month/Year
August / 1945
To Month/Year
August / 1945
Description The surrender of the Empire of Japan was announced by Imperial Japan on August 15 and formally signed on September 2, 1945, bringing the hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting major operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent. Together with the United Kingdom and China, the United States called for the unconditional surrender of the Japanese armed forces in the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, 1945—the alternative being "prompt and utter destruction". While publicly stating their intent to fight on to the bitter end, Japan's leaders (the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War, also known as the "Big Six") were privately making entreaties to the still-neutral Soviet Union to mediate peace on terms more favorable to the Japanese. Meanwhile, the Soviets were preparing to attack Japanese forces in Manchuria and Korea (in addition to southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands) in fulfillment of promises they had secretly made to the United States and the United Kingdom at the Tehran and Yalta Conferences.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
August / 1945
To Month/Year
August / 1945
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories During his wartime service, he was awarded 11 battle stars including Guadalcanal, Wake Island, Coral Sea, Marianas Islands Campaign (Navy Commendation Medal) and Leyte Gulf (Bronze Star with Valor). In his quiet and humble manner, he was proud to have served his country at a crucial time in its history and to have been a Pearl Harbor survivor.
