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 Ron WARSHOT Smith...The LegendModerators: Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | |
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dex armstrong |
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COMSUBBBS Posts: 3202 Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: Ron WARSHOT Smith...The Legend I got a phone call from Gil Raynor tonight, informing me that Warshot has been or soon will be moved to hospice care. For some reason Gil is unable to post here and plans to e-mail Don the particulars. He has posted some form of announcement on Rontini's Board and wanted me to tell you to access Ron's Board for the basic information and periodic updates on Warshot's condition and status. Ron Smith rode the USS SEAL during WWII and is the author of two recognized submarine literary classics TORPEDOMAN and DEPTHS OF COURAGE that he co authored with noted naval historian Flint Whitlock. For those of you who have never had the distinct honor and pleasure of meeting Warshot, let me assure you that you missed knowing, what my generation considered a REAL HONEST TO GOD boatsailor...a true patriot, dues payer and wearer if the Submarine Combat Patrol pin and WWII Victory Medal. For those of us who were smokeboat sailors and knew no other way to go to sea, Warshot, was, is and ever will be one of our true heroes. God Bless you Old Shipmate...we entrust you to HIS care and will keep you in our hearts, minds and prayers. Extremely Proud to be your shipmate, life member of USSVI, friend and loyal reader. DEX | ||
| Ric |
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Plankowner Posts: 9165 Location: Upper lefthand corner of the map. | Subject: RE: Ron WARSHOT Smith...The Legend Dex, I've had the pleasure of meeting Ron on a number of occasions. The first was at the first Cavalla work party in '99. I think the last time I saw Ron and his wife was at the Torsk when he was signing his book there. I believe that you and Solvig were there too. A real gentleman. I'm praying for his recovery. Ric | ||
| Donald L. Johnson |
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Great Sage of the Sea Posts: 602 Location: Visalia, Ca. | Subject: RE: Ron WARSHOT Smith...The Legend I met Ron at the big Joint Convention in Reno, got a signed copy of Torpedoman. Been meaning to get "Depths of Courage", guess I can't put it off much longer. If they are moving him to Hospice care, the docs don't expect him to recover, but there is no telling how long he may last. My prayer is for comfort and a minimum of pain, and when he finally casts off on Final Patrol, he be surrounded by loving family and friends.  | ||
| Don Gentry |
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Admin Posts: 2297 Location: Renton, WA | Subject: From Gil Raynor First, thank you Dex for spreading the word on our esteemed shipmate Ron Smith. I was about to post about my motorcycle ride this weekend - to follow on Doc's post and such - and I find this troubling news in my mailbox and find myself fighting back tears on when thinking about one of my true heroes going thru so much. In this day and age when the term "hero" is thrown about so carelessly, I often fear that the true meaning of the term will become somewhat diluted. If you need to remind yourself or recenter yourself on what this - if used correctly - term simply and humbly means, it is that it simply describes a person, a common person, who achieved extraordinary things simply because the situation at the time called for it. Ron "Warshot" Smith is such a man... and there are many among us. I ask our wonderful and faithful Texas crew to do all they can to visit and reassure Ron that we are all standing by and hoping for the best. Mr. Smith must stay with us... I can't imagine another scenario. Keep Ron in your thoughts and prayers... he was formed from a mold that God retired when the product of it achieved near perfection - and it was time for a new generation of fighting men and women to come along - and they have. Ron, I'm taking you with me in spirit on my ride this weekend... tomorrow morning we will ride the North Cascade Highway (US 2) over the Cascade Mountains from west to eastern Washington on some of the most beautiful roads ever constructed by man. As we travel along (all ahead full on four engines) on a motorcycle, we will smell the Evergreens and feel all the temperature changes as we ride into and out of the sun. Our faces will be stung by the early morning air - and a few errant bugs - and then warmed by the sun, over and over again. We'll smell the scents of flowers, alfalfa, occasional garlic fields and maybe some hops if we're lucky while looking aside to others riding in cars realizing that they are "missing it all." On the east side of the mountains, Washington turns quickly into a sagebrush desert and we'll pick up our speed... once away from towns of any significant size, we'll crank it up to 80 or so... just to let that American made iron shine and purr all at once. A few roadside watering holes may beg us to stop and hoist a brew in your honor and God help any boatsailor who doesn't heed that call. I will be with six other riders and they will, by the end of day one, be made aware of your contibution to our joint ability to make such a ride in the first place. On day three... Sunday... we'll head for home and pass back into the moist green country that we call home. At the crest of the mountain pass, I'll pull off to the side of the road and ask the man upstairs for yet another favor. Be strong Ron... this ride is dedicated to you - times seven - and I'll be hoping for better news upon my return. God Bless shipmate! Here is Gil's message that Dex referred to (thanks so much Gil !) Ron Smith started radiation treatments for cancer on Tuesday, however, he slipped and fell. He is in excruciating pain and is in the hospital. They are trying to get the pain under control and when they do, he will be transfered to a hospice, Christopher House in Austin where they will keep him comfortable. I spoke with Georgianna this evening and it is a real tough time for her, Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She will keep me up to date, and I willl post as I have new news. I had planned on being in Austin with them when it reached this point, but the hurricane and the evacuation makes that impossible. I hope you got your book signed because it will soon be a collectors item by a real hero, a man I met through this BBS. We used to have submarine lunches back in 1996 once a month after we met on this bbs, others joined us, including Myron, Dave Stoops, John Fredricks, and sometimes a bubble head passing thru town. He was a dear dear friend and we worked hard on the Cavalla restoration project together. He loves his submarine heritage and has worked hard with other WWII vets to provide memorials throughout Texas. Keep him, his sons, daughter and wife in your prayers. Gil | ||
| crystal |
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Master and Commander Posts: 2191 Location: Port Ludlow, WA (the Olympic Penninsula) | Subject: RE: Ron WARSHOT Smith...The Legend One of Ron's moments in time: awaiting his brood of ducks to descend their elevator while performing his duties as "Duck-Master" during the 2006 USSVI Convention in Little Rock, AR. - Be comfortable Ron... (Ron_Smith.JPG) Attachments ----------------  Ron_Smith.JPG (49KB - 644 downloads) | ||
| dex armstrong |
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COMSUBBBS Posts: 3202 Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Ron WARSHOT Smith...The Legend I'm not good at Bible referencing, quoting scripture or spouting Biblical wisdom, but I recall somewhere there was a quote that said..or close to it. "Only HE knows the place and the appointed hour." For Ron that hour had come and now he has shed his pain and perprtual discomfort. Ron was far from a perfect man and he knocked more bark off the trees than most get done in their appointed time. He wore his shortcomings and flaws like a coat-of-arms on a Medevil shield...They read like the resume of a real old time bluejacket, for that was EXACTLY what he was. There wasn't a disengenuous bone in the rascal's body...he was 100% redblooded American saltwater cavalier...the last of a dying breed....Men who fought, bled, pissed against the wind, knocked froth off more beers than stars in the skies and wrapped their arms around some of God's loveliest female creations. Wherever Ron is, he's not berthing with the meek and he sure as hell won't be inheriting the earth...but right about now he's shaking hands with a lot of good men who got their orders to the Silver Pier in the Sky before he did. I know how difficult it was for him to release Georgianna's hand and knowing Warshot, there's a red light burning on the Control Room Christmas Tree, where he forgot to shut the After Torpedo Room hatch after he tossed his gear on the pier. Ron called them exactly as he saw them and when he was handing out snakes none of them had been defanged or rendered harmless...when he passed you a snake or political opinion both could do you in. I will miss him...I will miss him pinning the tail of my donkey. I can truly say I loved the man without fear of creating thge impression, that I am light in my loafers or bucking for a seat on that Parade Marshal's big white horse that leads the San Francisco Gay Parade....I loved him for the curmudgeon he was and the fact that a commitment from Ron sealed with a handshake was as bankable as pure gold. In his younger days he broke a few noses and loosened a few teeth.....Ron wasn't a man to walk away from a fight while any of his opposition was still standing. And, he liked Kate Smith, the Andrews Sisters and Red Ryder....You can't have made room in your heart for those folks and still be a bad person. Let's all clear out the dust in a vacant warm place in out hearts and move lovely Georgianna in. Ron would have wanted us to do that. God Bless you Ron...you got out of here before you bought me that HOLLAND CLUB drink you and I talked about. Ron you carved your name on the fanny of the Goddess of the Main Induction and left us all smiling. You left us, history as you lived it in your writings...and you and your fellow combat submariners, left us a sterling record of your wartime achievements. you will be missed...especially by me. DEX | ||
| dex armstrong |
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COMSUBBBS Posts: 3202 Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Ron WARSHOT Smith...The Legend I'm not good at Bible referencing, quoting scripture or spouting Biblical wisdom, but I recall somewhere there was a quote that said..or close to it. "Only HE knows the place and the appointed hour." For Ron that hour had come and now he has shed his pain and perprtual discomfort. Ron was far from a perfect man and he knocked more bark off the trees than most get done in their appointed time. He wore his shortcomings and flaws like a coat-of-arms on a Medevil shield...They read like the resume of a real old time bluejacket, for that was EXACTLY what he was. There wasn't a disengenuous bone in the rascal's body...he was 100% redblooded American saltwater cavalier...the last of a dying breed....Men who fought, bled, pissed against the wind, knocked froth off more beers than stars in the skies and wrapped their arms around some of God's loveliest female creations. Wherever Ron is, he's not berthing with the meek and he sure as hell won't be inheriting the earth...but right about now he's shaking hands with a lot of good men who got their orders to the Silver Pier in the Sky before he did. I know how difficult it was for him to release Georgianna's hand and knowing Warshot, there's a red light burning on the Control Room Christmas Tree, where he forgot to shut the After Torpedo Room hatch after he tossed his gear on the pier. Ron called them exactly as he saw them and when he was handing out snakes none of them had been defanged or rendered harmless...when he passed you a snake or political opinion both could do you in. I will miss him...I will miss him pinning the tail of my donkey. I can truly say I loved the man without fear of creating thge impression, that I am light in my loafers or bucking for a seat on that Parade Marshal's big white horse that leads the San Francisco Gay Parade....I loved him for the curmudgeon he was and the fact that a commitment from Ron sealed with a handshake was as bankable as pure gold. In his younger days he broke a few noses and loosened a few teeth.....Ron wasn't a man to walk away from a fight while any of his opposition was still standing. And, he liked Kate Smith, the Andrews Sisters and Red Ryder....You can't have made room in your heart for those folks and still be a bad person. Let's all clear out the dust in a vacant warm place in out hearts and move lovely Georgianna in. Ron would have wanted us to do that. God Bless you Ron...you got out of here before you bought me that HOLLAND CLUB drink you and I talked about. Ron you carved your name on the fanny of the Goddess of the Main Induction and left us all smiling. You left us, history as you lived it in your writings...and you and your fellow combat submariners, left us a sterling record of your wartime achievements. you will be missed...especially by me. DEX | ||
| dex armstrong |
| ||
COMSUBBBS Posts: 3202 Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Ron WARSHOT Smith...The Legend I'm not good at Bible referencing, quoting scripture or spouting Biblical wisdom, but I recall somewhere there was a quote that said..or close to it. "Only HE knows the place and the appointed hour." For Ron that hour had come and now he has shed his pain and perprtual discomfort. Ron was far from a perfect man and he knocked more bark off the trees than most get done in their appointed time. He wore his shortcomings and flaws like a coat-of-arms on a Medevil shield...They read like the resume of a real old time bluejacket, for that was EXACTLY what he was. There wasn't a disengenuous bone in the rascal's body...he was 100% redblooded American saltwater cavalier...the last of a dying breed....Men who fought, bled, pissed against the wind, knocked froth off more beers than stars in the skies and wrapped their arms around some of God's loveliest female creations. Wherever Ron is, he's not berthing with the meek and he sure as hell won't be inheriting the earth...but right about now he's shaking hands with a lot of good men who got their orders to the Silver Pier in the Sky before he did. I know how difficult it was for him to release Georgianna's hand and knowing Warshot, there's a red light burning on the Control Room Christmas Tree, where he forgot to shut the After Torpedo Room hatch after he tossed his gear on the pier. Ron called them exactly as he saw them and when he was handing out snakes none of them had been defanged or rendered harmless...when he passed you a snake or political opinion both could do you in. I will miss him...I will miss him pinning the tail of my donkey. I can truly say I loved the man without fear of creating thge impression, that I am light in my loafers or bucking for a seat on that Parade Marshal's big white horse that leads the San Francisco Gay Parade....I loved him for the curmudgeon he was and the fact that a commitment from Ron sealed with a handshake was as bankable as pure gold. In his younger days he broke a few noses and loosened a few teeth.....Ron wasn't a man to walk away from a fight while any of his opposition was still standing. And, he liked Kate Smith, the Andrews Sisters and Red Ryder....You can't have made room in your heart for those folks and still be a bad person. Let's all clear out the dust in a vacant warm place in out hearts and move lovely Georgianna in. Ron would have wanted us to do that. God Bless you Ron...you got out of here before you bought me that HOLLAND CLUB drink you and I talked about. Ron you carved your name on the fanny of the Goddess of the Main Induction and left us all smiling. You left us, history as you lived it in your writings...and you and your fellow combat submariners, left us a sterling record of your wartime achievements. you will be missed...especially by me. DEX | ||
| dex armstrong |
| ||
COMSUBBBS Posts: 3202 Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Ron WARSHOT Smith...The Legend I'm not good at Bible referencing, quoting scripture or spouting Biblical wisdom, but I recall somewhere there was a quote that said..or close to it. "Only HE knows the place and the appointed hour." For Ron that hour had come and now he has shed his pain and perprtual discomfort. Ron was far from a perfect man and he knocked more bark off the trees than most get done in their appointed time. He wore his shortcomings and flaws like a coat-of-arms on a Medevil shield...They read like the resume of a real old time bluejacket, for that was EXACTLY what he was. There wasn't a disengenuous bone in the rascal's body...he was 100% redblooded American saltwater cavalier...the last of a dying breed....Men who fought, bled, pissed against the wind, knocked froth off more beers than stars in the skies and wrapped their arms around some of God's loveliest female creations. Wherever Ron is, he's not berthing with the meek and he sure as hell won't be inheriting the earth...but right about now he's shaking hands with a lot of good men who got their orders to the Silver Pier in the Sky before he did. I know how difficult it was for him to release Georgianna's hand and knowing Warshot, there's a red light burning on the Control Room Christmas Tree, where he forgot to shut the After Torpedo Room hatch after he tossed his gear on the pier. Ron called them exactly as he saw them and when he was handing out snakes none of them had been defanged or rendered harmless...when he passed you a snake or political opinion both could do you in. I will miss him...I will miss him pinning the tail of my donkey. I can truly say I loved the man without fear of creating thge impression, that I am light in my loafers or bucking for a seat on that Parade Marshal's big white horse that leads the San Francisco Gay Parade....I loved him for the curmudgeon he was and the fact that a commitment from Ron sealed with a handshake was as bankable as pure gold. In his younger days he broke a few noses and loosened a few teeth.....Ron wasn't a man to walk away from a fight while any of his opposition was still standing. And, he liked Kate Smith, the Andrews Sisters and Red Ryder....You can't have made room in your heart for those folks and still be a bad person. Let's all clear out the dust in a vacant warm place in out hearts and move lovely Georgianna in. Ron would have wanted us to do that. God Bless you Ron...you got out of here before you bought me that HOLLAND CLUB drink you and I talked about. Ron you carved your name on the fanny of the Goddess of the Main Induction and left us all smiling. You left us, history as you lived it in your writings...and you and your fellow combat submariners, left us a sterling record of your wartime achievements. you will be missed...especially by me. DEX | ||
| dex armstrong |
| ||
COMSUBBBS Posts: 3202 Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: Ron WARSHOT Smith...The Legend I'm not good at Bible referencing, quoting scripture or spouting Biblical wisdom, but I recall somewhere there was a quote that said..or close to it. "Only HE knows the place and the appointed hour." For Ron that hour had come and now he has shed his pain and perprtual discomfort. Ron was far from a perfect man and he knocked more bark off the trees than most get done in their appointed time. He wore his shortcomings and flaws like a coat-of-arms on a Medevil shield...They read like the resume of a real old time bluejacket, for that was EXACTLY what he was. There wasn't a disengenuous bone in the rascal's body...he was 100% redblooded American saltwater cavalier...the last of a dying breed....Men who fought, bled, pissed against the wind, knocked froth off more beers than stars in the skies and wrapped their arms around some of God's loveliest female creations. Wherever Ron is, he's not berthing with the meek and he sure as hell won't be inheriting the earth...but right about now he's shaking hands with a lot of good men who got their orders to the Silver Pier in the Sky before he did. I know how difficult it was for him to release Georgianna's hand and knowing Warshot, there's a red light burning on the Control Room Christmas Tree, where he forgot to shut the After Torpedo Room hatch after he tossed his gear on the pier. Ron called them exactly as he saw them and when he was handing out snakes none of them had been defanged or rendered harmless...when he passed you a snake or political opinion both could do you in. I will miss him...I will miss him pinning the tail of my donkey. I can truly say I loved the man without fear of creating thge impression, that I am light in my loafers or bucking for a seat on that Parade Marshal's big white horse that leads the San Francisco Gay Parade....I loved him for the curmudgeon he was and the fact that a commitment from Ron sealed with a handshake was as bankable as pure gold. In his younger days he broke a few noses and loosened a few teeth.....Ron wasn't a man to walk away from a fight while any of his opposition was still standing. And, he liked Kate Smith, the Andrews Sisters and Red Ryder....You can't have made room in your heart for those folks and still be a bad person. Let's all clear out the dust in a vacant warm place in out hearts and move lovely Georgianna in. Ron would have wanted us to do that. God Bless you Ron...you got out of here before you bought me that HOLLAND CLUB drink you and I talked about. Ron you carved your name on the fanny of the Goddess of the Main Induction and left us all smiling. You left us, history as you lived it in your writings...and you and your fellow combat submariners, left us a sterling record of your wartime achievements. you will be missed...especially by me. DEX | ||
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