LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — America is a nation that just naturally seems to turn out men and women of high ideals, willing to bravely face seemingly insurmountable obstacles, make huge sacrifices, achieve the unachievable, and give everything in the interest of maintaining freedom and liberty. Veterans exemplify this, and we owe them our gratitude.
Heroes turn up in the most unlikely places. For me, a true American hero lived in the house I grew up in. A man who embodies all the high values, the spirit of sacrifice, duty, honor, courage under fire in both hot and cold wars, and unfaltering belief in the greatness of our country, is the man I call Dad.
One week after graduating high school in June of 1959, my father, Patrick Bellew, enlisted in The United States Navy. At the time he felt military service was a patriotic duty, and he also wanted to travel and advance his education. Elements of his childhood made him want to go far and fast; military service offered not only patriotic appeal but opportunities that were not available to him elsewhere.
Dad began his service with 15 months of training, including boot camp, electronics training, and submarine school. Then he volunteered for submarine duty. The submarine force appealed to him because it was an elite, all-volunteer force. Submarine duty offered opportunity for adventure. In September of 1960, he was assigned as an Electronics Technician (radar) on the USS Sea Fox (SS402).
Between 1960 and 1963, the Sea Fox crew trained, maintained the vessel, and made two six-month trips to the North. The Cold War was in full swing at the time, and one of the jobs of the Sea Fox was to serve as a constant reminder to the Soviets that their Pacific Coast ports were under the watchful eye of American submarines at all times.
Amidst a career that spanned two decades and propelled him from enlisted status to a commissioned officer, Dad’s time in the submarine force remained his most fulfilling time in service to his nation. While deployed, American submarines were in daily contact with Soviet forces, and were the front line in the effort to contain the Bear and deter aggression. This was indeed a heady and exciting responsibility for a young sailor, and he loved and thrived on the cat-and-mouse game played with the Russians.
Submariners of the day wore many hats. Dad’s responsibilities included surface lookout; steersman; radar operator; ECM (electronic counter measures) operator; bow and stern plane operator; and sonar operator while submerged, at snorkel depth, and on the surface. He also maintained the radar, and assisted the sonarman, radioman, and navigation personnel in electronics repairs. He is quick to point out that he was hardly unique in the number and diversity of his jobs. Diesel submarines operating behind enemy lines, even in a “cold” war, were a dangerous proposition. Every man on the boat placed his life in the hands of every other man and their ability to do a lot of things perfectly.
As a diesel submarine, the Sea Fox had to rise to snorkel depth each night to run the diesels and recharge batteries. As the ECM operator, Dad had to monitor Soviet Coastal Battery Radar emissions and alert the conning officer when it appeared that these coastal radars had acquired a submarine contact. Being lit up by enemy radar was the norm, and it served two purposes: letting the Russians know that they were being stalked and keeping track of the locations of mobile coastal radar installations. During the Cuban missile crisis, the Russians were faced with the decision of putting their in-port ships to sea while American submarines lurked nearby. The Sea Fox watched by periscope as the Soviet fleet lit off their boilers. In the end the Russians chose not to answer the question of whether or not they could make it past the subs, and they stood down before slipping a line off the dock.
In another instance, a Soviet Destroyer “accidentally” ran the Sea Fox down, bending the number one periscope over the conning tower. They limped back to port in Japan, where their “secret” return was met at the pier by local merchants flying “Welcome Back Sea Fox” banners!
Submarine duty firmly established Dad’s spirit of camaraderie and duty to service and servicemen. He carried these values forward with him as he transitioned from enlisted to officer, and into retirement.
Following his tour on the Sea Fox, the Navy sent Dad to college to get a degree in Electrical Engineering. He had saved all his hazardous duty pay while on Sea Fox to attend school after leaving the Navy, but suddenly those funds had been released from the obligation of paying tuition. Being a responsible young man, dad invested the money wisely in a brand new, off-the-showroom-floor Corvette. I am not going to say that the car helped him win over my Mom, but it surely didn’t hurt!
After college, Dad went to Officer Training School. Through the next phase of his career, he served as an Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer, a Weapons Officer, and a Chief Engineer on various vessels. He also taught at the Anti-Submarine Warfare School, and served as a Staff Officer in the Readiness Assessment Department for the Pacific Fleet.
In 1970 and 1971 Dad served a tour in Vietnam. His first job there was as an advisor to the Commanding Officer of the Vietnamese Navy’s PGM (Patrol Motor Gunboat) 611. PGM 611 was tasked with denying NVA (North Vietnamese Army) and VC (Viet Cong) forces easy access to the Mekong Delta. Their patrol area covered a large area of the Gulf of Thailand to the Cambodian border. This experience was far removed from his submarine service. In the subs, every man could trust every other man with his life. But as an advisor on PGM 611, he knew that if the situation became dire, everyone on the gunboat would suddenly become a Vietnamese civilian and hang him out to dry.
Dad finished out his tour in Vietnam as a Political Warfare officer in Saigon, where he was involved in psychological warfare operations. I am convinced that is where he learned many of his parenting skills!
Coming home from Vietnam was tough on everyone who went. The way many Americans treated our veterans made that one of the most shameful pages of our history. It left a mark on everyone it touched and wounds that will never completely heal. Despite this, Dad has never lost faith in his nation and its people. He never fails to thank younger vets for their service, and he means it more deeply than most of us can.
Dad’s military career exceeded his original expectations immeasurably. He found opportunity, he exercised his devotion to his country, and he helped to conquer the Communist threat. He has always been the hero in my house, but we all owe him and all the other veterans out there everything we love about this country. Thank you, Dad, and God bless all who have fought for my freedom and kept the barbarians outside the gates.
