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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.
USS HALFORD DD 480 OFFICERS AND BATTLE STARS
Date
Not Specified
Last Updated: Aug 28, 2016
Comments
USS HALFORD DD 480
COMMANDING OFFICERS & BATTLE STARS
Lieutenant Commander G.N. Johansen, USN 10 April 1943 to 1 March1944 Lieutenant Commander R.J. Hardy, USN March 1944 to 1 March 1945 Commander R.J. Oliver, USN 1 April 1945 to 1 April 1946 Lieutenant Commander M. Johnson, Jr., USN April 1946 to Inactivation
During World War II, USS HALFORD earned seven Battle Stars on the Asiatic-Pacific Area Service Medal for participating in the following operations: 1 Star/Consolidation of the Northern Solomon Islands - 1 February 1944 1 Star/Bismarck Archipelago Operation Green Islands Landing'- 15 February to 19 February 1944 Antishipping sweeps and bombardments of Rabaul and New Ireland - 24 February to 1 March 1944 1 Star/Pacific Raids - 1943 Marcus Island Raid - 31 August 1943 Wake Island Raid - 5-6 October 1943
1 Star/Marianas Operation Capture and Occupation of Saipan - 14 June to 16 July 1944 Capture and Occupation of Guam - 12 July to 9 August 1944 1 Star/Western Caroline Islands Operation Capture and Occupation of Southern Palau Islands - 6 Septembe to 14 October 1944 1 Star/Leyte Operation Leyte Landings - 10 October to 29 November 19
Battle of Surigao Strait - 24 October to 26 October 1944 Ormoc Bay Landings - 7 December to 13 December l944 Battle of Surigao Strait - 24 October to 26 October 1944 Ormoc Bay Landings - 7 December to 13 December l944 1 Star/Luzon Operation Mindoro Landings - 12 December to 18 December 1944 Lingayen Gulf Landings 4 January to 18 January 1945 HALFORD has also earned the Navy Occupation Service Medal for the period 7 to 20 September 1945.
