SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Five crew members who served aboard the Battleship USS South Dakota during World War Two traveled from across the United States to share their stories as part of their 27th Reunion and the Battleship Memorial’s 50th Anniversary.
Seaman First-Class Richard Hackley of Leesville, South Carolina was a radar operator during the latter stages of World War Two and recalled what it was like trying to sleep in rough seas.
Fast forward to February 2019 when the 92-year-old Hackley connected the legendary battle-wagon with its namesake, the nuclear submarine USS South Dakota at its commissioning.
He presented a long-glass telescope to the submarine’s executive officer…
Marine Private First-Class Albert Schweitzer, Jr., Gunners-Mate E. David Hobbs, Radarman Leon Gee, and Wally Pratt, a native of Westbury, New York, all in their 90’s, also shared their experiences aboard the Battleship USS South Dakota, the most decorated battleship of World War Two.
(JP Skelly, KORN, contributed this report.)
