Military Officer - October 2006 - (Page 63) pagesofhistory Lagarto Found? Navy divers on a challenging mission in the Gulf of Thailand may have identified the remains of a U.S. submarine that was last heard from more than 60 years ago. F or six days in June, Navy divers scoured the wreckage of a submarine in the Gulf of Thailand. What they found could confirm a British diver’s May discovery of what is thought to be the lost World War II submarine USS Lagarto (SS-371). Divers sent photographs and video footage of the submarine to the Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C., for further analysis. They found twin 5-inch gun mounts both forward and aft, a feature thought to be unique to Lagarto. They also found serial numbers and the word “Manitowoc” engraved on the submarine’s propeller. Lagarto was one of 28 submarines built in Manitowoc, Wis. Lagarto and its crew of 86 were last heard from May 3, 1945, as they were preparing to attack a Japanese convoy under heavy escort. Japanese war records later revealed that a U.S. submarine was sunk at roughly the same time and location. cans are “adopting” deployed security force members and dog handlers serving in war zones, sending them care packages, letters, and e-mails. The handlers receive boxes adorned with “God Bless Our Troops” and American flag stickers that include such items as chew treats, grooming tools, and portable misting fans — a good tool to keep the dogs cool in hot places like Iraq. The program, which was started in 2003 by Vietnam War-era dog handlers, serves troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and other areas. V Military Working Dogs eterans’ groups have started a program that allows Americans to support man’s best friend serving on the battlefield. Through a project known as “Old Dawgs and Pups,” AmeriTHIS MONTH IN HISTORY ■ On Oct. 8, 1918, U.S. Army Cpl. Alvin York M Gold Star Mothers single-handedly killed 25 German soldiers and captured 132 more in the Argonne Forest of France during World War I. The farmer and hunter from rural Tennessee received the Medal of Honor. PHOTO: CHIEF DIVER JON SOMMERS, USN ore than 40 Gold Star Mothers from across the country met in July to honor the children they’ve lost in the nation’s conflicts. The ceremony, held at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel, N.J., honored those lost from World War I to the war on terrorism. Mothers who lost children in the Vietnam War and the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan placed wreaths on the memorial. Feisal Amin al-Istrabadi, Iraq’s deputy permanent representative to the U.N., served as speaker and thanked the mothers for the sacrifices their sons and daughters have made for his country. MO OCTOBER 2006 Navy divers hope to find identifying markers on the wreckage that is believed to be the USS Lagarto. MILITARY OFFICER 63
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