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Size | Image Description | Contributed By And/Or Copyright |
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 0602102201  |
83k | Fred Faulkner Lester was born 29 April 1926 in Downers Grove, Illinois. Dedicated to serving his country during the early days of World War II, Fred
attempted to enlist at the young age of 16 years in 1942, but was denied. He patiently waited a year and with his parents approval enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserves as Apprentice
Seaman at Chicago, Illinois on 01 November 1943. He received training at the Naval Training Station, Farragut, Idaho, and was promoted to Seaman Second Class in January 1944. On
03 March 1944 his rating was changed to Hospital Apprentice Second Class after additional training at Hospital Corps School, U.S. Naval Hospital, San Diego, California. Later that month
he reported to the Fleet Marine Force, Camp Elliott, San Diego, California. Transferring to the Pacific war zone, he was promoted to Hospital Apprentice First Class and was assigned
as a Medical Corpsman to the First Battalion, Twenty-Second Marines, Sixth Marine Division. On 08 June 1945, Lester served with an assault rifle platoon against the Japanese on Okinawa Shima. Spotting a wounded Marine beyond front lines, he crawled to him, despite being hit twice by enemy gun fire, and pulled him to safety. Refusing medical treatment for his fatal injuries, Lester guided squad members in providing medical treatment on the rescued Marine, and to others, before dying shortly thereafter. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" on this occasion, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Fred F. Lester is buried at Clarendon Hills Cemetery, Westmont, Illinois. USS Lester (DE 1022) (1957-1973) was the first ship named in his honor. (Photo & Text courtesy of the 22nd Marines) |
Bill Gonyo Downey, Cal. | |
 0602102207 |
115k | 1956: Bay City, Mich. - Three views of USS Lester under construction at DeFoe Shipbuilding. | Marc Arsenault Charlton, Mass. | |
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 0602102209 |
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 0602102211 |
280k | 09 April 1957: the Atlantic Ocean - A poor quality shot of USS Lester (DE 1022) at sea. (U.S. Navy National Archive photo #USN 1019405 from the Naval History and Heritage Command) |
Mike Smolinski Clifton, N.J. Navsource DE/FF/LCS Archive Manager | |
 0602102212 |
345k | late 1950's: the Atlantic Ocean - USS Lester (DE 1022) at sea. (U.S. Naval Historical Center photo #NH 107514 from the Naval History and Heritage Command) | ||
 0602102202 |
115k | USS Lester at sea. (U.S. Navy Photo) |
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 09051706 |
69k | USS Great Sitkin (AE 17) is left behind as Lester pulls away after
an underway replenishment of ammunition, date and place unknown. (U.S.N. photo, "All Hands" magazine October 1962 |
Gary Priolo / Joe Radigan | |
 0602102206 |
55k | November 1962: San Juan, Puerto Rico - USS Mullinix (DD 944) and Lester moored together during the Cuban Missile Crisis. (Per James Curylo ETR3: I don't believe the picture in the USS Mullinix section with the USS Lester (DE 1022) identified as being taken in San Juan, PR by Ron Zimmerman during the Cuban Missile crisis of 1962 was taken there. Lester and Mullinix were not in San Juan at the same time in 1962. I believe that the picture was taken in Bahia Blanca, Argentina. That was the only time that Lester's port side was tied up to Mullinix's starboard side. After the transit of the Panama Canal, Lester returned to Newport, RI, Mullinix went to Trinidad to serve as the flagship for TF137 under Radm. John Tyree. I have a bit of unique knowledge of these ships as I served on Lester until 30 October 1962 when I was transferred to Mullinix at Balboa, Panama, to supplement Mullinix's shortage of Electronics Technicians for the pending Cuban Blockade.) | Ron Zimmerman USS Mullinix (DD944) | |
 0602102205 |
111k | An undated postcard view of Lester. (Postcard © Arnold Art Store, Newport, R.I.; shown at 150% of
original size) Caption reads: A unit of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet home-ported at Newport, R.I. on Narragansett Bay. (Official U.S. Navy photograph) |
Mike Smolinski Clifton, N.J. | |
 0602102210 |
79k | Summer 1967: the North Atlantic - Lester photographed during an underway replenishment with USS Essex (CVS 9) while on a NorLant Cruise. | William R. Cooper Chula Vista, Cal. | |
 0602101517 |
278k | 13 March 1971: Naples, Italy - U.S. Navy ships moored in Naples harbor. Ships present are (from left to right): USS
Cascade (AD 16); USS Denebola (AF 56); USS Lester (DE 1022); USS
Hammerberg (DE 1015); and USS Courtney (DE 1021). (U.S. Navy photo #K-88830 by PHC B.M. Anderson from the Naval History and Heritage Command) |
Mike Smolinski Clifton, N.J. Navsource DE/FF/LCS Archive Manager | |
 0602102203 |
141k | 26 August 1972: the Mediterranean Sea on the eastside of Sicily - Lester at sea, photographed from the Soviet Kashin class guided missile destroyer Provorny. | Eugene Ivkin St. Petersburg, Russia | |
 0602102204 |
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 0616203 |
79k | 18 June 1974: the Dep't of Defense Bid List for the scrapping of ex-DE's 162, 180, 181, 1015, 1021, and 1022 (Levy, Trumpeter, Straub, Hammerberg, Courtney, and Lester). | Ed Zajkowski and Tim Rizzuto | |
| Lester Memorabilia |
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| Ship's Plaque  Courtesy of Mike Smolinski |
Ship's Plaque  Courtesy of Mike Smolinski |
Ship's Lighter  Courtesy of Mike Smolinski |
Decommissioning Booklet 14 December 1973  Courtesy of Mike Smolinski |
| Lester History |
| View the USS Lester (DE 1022) DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site. |
| Lester's Commanding Officers Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves |
| Dates of Command | Commanding Officers |
|---|---|
| 1.) 14 Jun. 1957 - 1958 | Lcdr. Allan Paul Slaff (USNA '45) (Kingston, Pa.) |
| 2.) 1958 - 1959 | Lcdr. Alfred Richard Olsen Jr. (USNA '45) (Atlantic City, N.J.) |
| 3.) 1959 - 1961 | Lcdr. Carson Rex Tallent |
| 4.) 1961 - 1963 | Lcdr. Reid Stringfellow (USNA '49) (Ogden, Utah) |
| 5.) 1963 - 1964 | Lcdr. William Henry DeMers II (USNA '50) (Troy, N.Y.) |
| 6.) 1964 - Nov 1965 | Lcdr. Frank Stevenson Conlon (USNA '51) (Baltimore, Md.) |
| 7.) Nov. 1965 - 1967 | Lcdr. John J. Clarkin |
| 8.) 1967 - 1969 | Lcdr. Walter Theodore Piotti Jr. (NROTC '56) (Newton, Mass.) (ret. as Vadm.) |
| 9.) 1969 - 1971 | Lcdr. Steven Hamilton Edwards (USNA '58) (Hingham, Mass.) |
| 10.) 1971 - 1973 | Lcdr. Robert Louis Freehill (USNA '60) (Malvin, Ill.) |
| 11.) 1973 - 14 Dec. 1973 | Lcdr. James Joseph Hanley (OCS '62) (Northampton, Mass.) |
Contact information is compiled from various sources over a period of time and may, or may not, be correct. Every effort has been
made to list the newest contact. However, our entry
is only as good as the latest information that's been sent to us. We list only
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