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(0634201)	31k	Richard Wayne was the eldest child of John Frederick and Martha Sophia Durand Suesens who married 17 December 1913 in Burlington, Iowa. Richard's siblings were Kenneth Glenn, Beulah Mae, John Frank "Tom," Doris Jane "Dode," and Martha Louise Suesens. Richard's father owned a tinning shop. He died unexpectedly of pneumonia on 19 February 1930 leaving his widow and six children ages 4-15 to make their way through the uncertainty and anxiety of the Great Depression. It wasn't until she married Horace E. Voelker on 15 January 1937 in Peoria, Ill. that she received additional support. Unfortunately, their marriage didn't endure the test of time and they were divorced within several years. However, from this union a daughter, Jean, was born on 13 September 1938 in Vancouver, Wash. It is truly remarkable that most of Martha's children were high school graduates and most went on to some college experience. Their mother must have been a force to be reckoned with. By Sept 1938, Martha and her family packed up their stuff in Burlington, Ia. and moved to Vancouver, Wash. where she remained until her death on 26 March 1965. She was interred in Aspen Grove Cemetery, Burlington, Iowa. Richard Suesens was a football and basketball standout at Burlington High School where he graduated on 06 June 1932. Continuing his education Richard graduated from the Burlington Junior College in May 1935 and Iowa State college at Ames, in May 1937. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and was a student member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at Iowa State. He was also a member of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity and played football at Iowa State. Richard married Margaret Jean Ita (Burlington HS class 1934 and Burlington Junior College class 1936.) on 03 November 1940 at the First Congregational Church in Burlington. After their marriage the couple made their home on Coronado Island, San Diego, Cal. After Lt.(jg) Suesens' death his widow married Joseph A. Lancaster on 09 March 1946 in Rochester, N.Y. She died on 30 March 2005 in New Hampshire. Richard Wayne Suesens enlisted in the U.S. Navy Volunteer Reserve Flight Training Program (V-5) on 31 May 1938. He received orders for temporary active duty at the Naval Reserve Aviation Base (NRAB), Minneapolis as a Seaman Second Class (S2c) to undergo elimination training beginning on 16 June 1938. After he completed that training in mid-July he was ordered home to await further orders. In September he received orders from the Secretary of the Navy to report to the Commandant, Naval Air Station (NAS), Pensacola, Fla., after he accepted appointment as an Aviation Cadet (AVCAD). He returned to NRAB, Minneapolis where he was discharged from enlisted status as a S2c on 02 October 1938. The following day he accepted the appointment and executed the oath of office as an AVCAD. He began his primary flight training under instruction on 31 October 1938 in Pensacola.   (CONTINUED....) USS Richard W. Suesens (DE 342) (1944-1947) was the first ship to be named in his honor. (Photo cut from U.S. Navy photo #NH 95554 from the Naval History and Heritage Command)		Gerry Lawton Commander, USN (ret.) Saluda, N.C. Follow Gerry's Blog Missing In Action   Navy–WWII
(0634202)	101k	'44-'45 (Photos © William H. Wade)		William H. Wade SOM2c, 43-46
(0634203)	51k
(0634204)	311k	1973: Vallejo, Cal. - 4 DE's (left to right: ex-Gentry DE 349, ex-Kendall C. Campbell DE 443, ex-Hanna DE 449, ex-Richard W. Suesens DE 342), all heading to the scrap yard. Photo from the DOD sealed bid offering dated 14 November 1973.		Ed Zajkowski      and Tim Rizzuto

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Additional Resources

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Steve Wades' USS Richard W. Suesens Home Page
Tin Can Sailors
The U.S. Navy Memorial
Destroyer Escort Sailors Association
The Destroyer Escort Historical Museum
The Destroyer History Foundation

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