Facebook is that social networking phenomena that has grabbed
the world’s attention. From its humble beginnings in a Harvard dorm room
Facebook has grown to more than one billion users. I have used Facebook as a
tool to advance my family trees by searching for possible living descendants.
My Dollen cousins and I have had success in reaching out to several unknown,
living cousins.
Who would think a Navy attack cargo ship that has been sold
for scrap would have a Facebook page? The U.S.S. Washburn does. My Uncle
Dick Dollen was an apprentice seaman aboard the ship at the time of his death.
Wishing to learn more about the incident, my sister, Nancy,
volunteered to contact the owner of the Facebook page. She privately messaged
him, received a prompt reply with the promise of putting out the word and
assisting us in learning more about our uncle’s death. The next day Nancy
received an email from a gentleman nicknamed Red who served aboard the U.S.S.
Washburn from 1950-1953.
Red tells us that the U.S.S. Washburn was in dry dock for
routine maintenance when word was passed down of someone falling to the deck of
the dry dock; which is concrete. Our uncle was cleaning and scraping the port
side aft (Left side and back) of the ship at the time of his accident. Red went
up to the deck and looked down at our uncle prone on the dry dock deck with hospital
corpsmen tending to him. Words such as these are painful today and I
can only imagine how painful they must have been in 1952. I am so very sorry
for my grandmother, my mother, and our family's loss.
Red offered to contact other shipmen with the hope of someone knowing more about what happened. A promise was made to mention our uncle at the U.S.S. Washburn reunion this fall. Our family is grateful.
I write quite often about my Uncle Dick Dollen as his death
caused considerable pain for my grandmother and mother. Conversation about Dick
was kept guarded and minimal. Curiosity keeps me searching for more information
about the man and his untimely death.
Uncle Dick ended his last letter home with these prophetic
words:
“I still love you all and don’t you ever forget it.”
We haven’t forgotten, Uncle Dick.
Linda
Beautiful and poignent story, Linda. Facebook really can be an amazing tool eliminating distance and time as barriers to connections. Great job tracking down this lead!
ReplyDeleteI was pretty excited to have made these connections. I am grateful to the men who were so willing to help. I think of him often and wish we had him in our lives.
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