Underwood Hall
Rededication of the Lobby was on 17th October 2008 at 10:00
Cutting of the ribbon at Underwood Hall
L to R Commanding officer NBK Captain Mark Olson, Mike Gregoire (First Mike) and Heinz Hickethier QMCS Ret.
Vietnam River Rats Honor One of Their Own
By
Ed Friedrich (Contact)
Friday, October 17, 2008
Naval Base Kitsap commander Capt. Mark Olson, left, first gentleman Mike Gregoire, center, and Heinz Hickethier, president of the Northwest Gamewardens, reminisce in front of a new display in Underwood Hall. The building is named for a Bainbridge sailor who was killed in Vietnam while serving in a river patrol boat. (ED FRIEDRICH | KITSAP SUN)
BREMERTON
Perry Underwood has a 10-story building named after him, but few know his story. The Vietnam War casualty's river-rat brothers acted Friday to keep it alive.
Members of Gamewardens Northwest rededicated a Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton hotel in the former Bainbridge Island sailor's honor, and they unveiled a display about Underwood and the Brown Water Navy with which he fought.
Underwood, of Rolling Bay, enlisted in the Navy the day after New Year's in 1966. The Bobby Darin look-alike was 19 years old. Three-and-a-half years later, he was an engineman third class aboard a river patrol boat on the upper Saigon River. While escorting a convoy, Underwood's boat came under an intense rocket and automatic weapons attack, according to his bronze star citation. He returned fire until his boat took a direct rocket hit.
Underwood and two crew members died that day, June 23, 1969. The remaining two were badly injured.
Patrolling Vietnam's inland waters was among the most dangerous jobs in the war. Those sailors earned their combat pay, and more, said first gentleman Mike Gregoire, who came up from Olympia to cut the ribbon and cake. The event brought back memories for Gregoire, who as a young lieutenant ran convoys up the Mekong River.
"When I see a guy like (Underwood), I immediately see the men in my unit," he said.
The Northwest chapter of the Gamewardens, led by president Heinz Hickethier of Belfair, put the display together. Five members of the group, who are veterans of the Vietnam River Patrol Force, attended Friday's event.
River patrol boats were used in the Vietnam War from 1966 until 1972. They were the most common craft in the River Patrol Force, Task Force 116, numbering as many as 250 boats. Their mission was to stop and search river traffic in an attempt to disrupt weapons shipments. That effort often got them in firefights with enemy soldiers on boats or on the shore.
The Mark II patrol boats were 32 feet long and 11 feet, 7 inches wide. The fiberglass hulls had water-jet drives that allowed them to operate in shallow, weed-choked rivers and canals. They only drew 2 feet of water fully loaded, could spin 180 degrees in the length of a boat and stop from full speed — 28.5 knots — in a couple lengths.
They typically carried twin .50-caliber machine guns up front, a 7.62-mm machine gun, a grenade launcher and sometimes a 20-mm cannon.
The Naval Base Kitsap building originally took Underwood's name when it opened as a bachelor's enlisted quarters on Memorial Day 1978. Structures drew names then from local sailors killed in battle. Underwood's photo and medals were pinched between two automatic glass doors that would open and shut on those trying to view them. When the building recently was renovated into a Navy hotel, Hickethier found more space to add a model river patrol boat, patches, photos, maps and other memorabilia.
Official Veterans Honor Party
L to R Heinz Hickethier, Mike Gregoire (holding A. Billy Ratt), Steve Sumrall, Tom Restemayer, John Wilson, Alan Stephens and Bill Beck
Presentation of the book Duty Honor Sacrifice to Captain Olson
The wood frame with Underwood’s picture, rating patches, medals and two citations------ Plus all the Navy BIG Wigs was the original display. It was on a wall between two sets of sliding doors such that when you tried to read the citations YOUR big ass would continuously cause the doors to open and close. The display did not yell out Perry Underwood was a PBR sailor and a true American hero. So we set out to fix the problems.
See below
Next to the wood frame is a copy of the print Fire Fight with brass in memory of plate. In the frame below the print is a map of the Upper Saigon river. On the right wall top frame are patches of RD 554 and the divisions and units of men in the NW Chapter. The two bottom frames have photos from Vietnam.
We also put 3 large reproductions of patches 1 1/2 tall width proportional SeaLords --- River Division 554 and the TF116 patch.
In the cases is a Black Beret and a PBR model. In the frame above is the text of the Beret authorizing MSG and PBR specs. In the top frame are two pictures of Perry Underwood from his HS year books.
Captain Mark Olson and Mike Gregoire cut our cake
Underwood Hall BEQ on Navy Base Kitsap is named for EN3 Perry Underwood who served with River Division 554
I will see if we can enlarge the display at the building and have a rededication so that members of the crew and friends can be there to honor Perry.
PERRY LUKE UNDERWOOD
PERRY LUKE UNDERWOOD
Navy - EN3 - E4
Age:
23
Race:
Caucasian
Sex:
Male
Date of Birth
May 20, 1946
From:
ROLLING BAY, WA
Religion:
PROTESTANT
Marital Status:
Single
Bainbridge Island
Bainbridge High School
Perry's name is in the lower left corner
EN3 - E4 - Navy - Regular
Length of service 3 years
His tour began on Dec 9, 1968
Casualty was on Jun 23, 1969
In BIEN HOA, SOUTH VIETNAM
HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY
ARTILLERY, ROCKET, or MORTAR
Body was recovered
Panel 21W - Line 4
