New destroyer to honor Marine Hero [via 2/1 assn.]

[Hoser]

NAME OF NEW DESTROYER TO HONOR MARINE HERO
From Office of the Secretary of the Navy
WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton recently announced
that
one of three new Arleigh Burke Class guided missile destroyers will be
named after a Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient.
The USS Howard (DDG 83) honors Gunnery Sgt. Jimmie E. Howard
(1929-1993), recipient of the Medal of Honor for his leadership of a
platoon against repeated attacks by a battalion-size Viet Cong force.
After
receiving severe wounds from an enemy grenade, he distributed
ammunition to
his men and directed air strikes on the enemy. By dawn, his
beleaguered
platoon still held its position. Howard also received the Silver Star
Medal
for service in Korea. A previous Howard (DD 179), named for Charles W.
Howard, a U.S. Navy hero from the Civil War, earned six battle stars
in
World War II.
Two other new destroyers will honor Cmdr. Clyde Everett Lassen,
Medal
of Honor recipient in Vietnam, and Adm. John Duncan Bulkeley, Medal of
Honor recipient in World War II.
The Arleigh Burke Class DDGs are multi-mission ships equipped
with the
AEGIS combat weapons system, which combines space age communication,
radar, and
weapons technologies in a single platform for unlimited flexibility.
They are
extremely versatile and designed to operate independently as a
multi-threat
offensive platform or in support of carrier and amphibious operations.
-USMC-