ASHTABULA, Ohio (Tribune News Service) — The USS Ashtabula reunion visited the city’s Veterans Memorial on Friday morning to honor members of the ship’s crew who died in the last year.

Mark Baker, a member of the Ashtabula County Veterans Service Commission board, welcomed the sailors from the USS Ashtabula to the city and introduced John Kost, the president of the reunion organization.

Kost said bringing the event to Ashtabula has been in the works for some time.

“This is something that I wanted to do for many, many years, and we finally got the opportunity to come here with a lot of help,” he said.

This weekend was the 68th reunion of USS Ashtabula crew members.

He read off the names of USS Ashtabula sailors who who died recently.

Those sailors are Wayne Harcherode, Mervyn Miller, Carroll Dugas, Pete Flores, Bill Grothe and Dalton Whitt.

Kost read the poem “The Watch” to attendees.

“Yes, even before some of us were born in this world, these shipmates stood the watch,” Kost read.

The American Legion Post 103 Honor Guard was present for the event.

After the event, Kost said members of the USS Ashtabula’s crew from the 1950s all the way to when the ship was decommissioned have attended the reunions.

“The majority of us did serve in the Vietnam era,” he said.

The crew members all have their different stories, Kost said.

On Thursday, members of the ship’s crew visited the Maritime Marine Museum, the Hubbard House, a number of area covered bridges, and local wineries. In addition to Friday’s Memorial Ceremony, the crew members were also scheduled to visit Geneva-on-the-Lake. Today, tours of a pair of Conneaut museums and a dinner are scheduled. Members of the group are also scheduled to attend Ashtabula’s Blessing of the Fleet on Sunday.

The USS Ashtabula was a U.S. Navy oil tanker from 1943-1991. Kost said the ship was one of the most decorated oil tankers in Navy history.

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