Area Vets to tour USS North Dakota
By Jerry W. Kram
A group of veterans from Northwest North Dakota will be touring the submarine USS North Dakota in Connecticut and will then join with Korean War veterans for a tour of Washington, D.C.
The veterans left on Thursday, May 29 from Minot. There are 28 people from northwestern North Dakota and 10 from Bismarck going to the Groton, Conn., said Wilbur Wood, one of the participating veterans. The U.S. Navy at the Groton submarine base has set up a tour the morning of the May 30 starting with attending the graduation of the current Basic Enlisted Sub School class.
After that the veterans will take a tour of various trainers in the school, ending with lunch in the sub base galley. In the afternoon, the COB (Chief of the Boat) of the USS North Dakota has arranged a tour of the boat, even though it is in the shipyard, which Wood said is unusual. The veterans will also have an opportunity to tour the USS Nautilus, the first atomic powered submarine which is now a floating museum.
"I get goose bumps every time I go on board Nautilus" Wood said. "Nautilus was there when I was in submarines in Groton and is now a self guided tour boat. The museum reminds me of the Air and Space Museum on the DC Mall."
Members of the Legion Post have planned a trip to Washington for about 14 Korean War Veterans and their families. New Town American Legion Post 290 is paying for their trip.
