Submarine veterans hold dedication ceremony

"This memorial will help us always remember our brethren who continue to serve on eternal patrol,"

By JON MILTIMORE / News Herald Writer

PANAMA CITY BEACH — A group of local submarine veterans dedicated their new marker Tuesday at Pier Park’s Bay County Veterans Memorial, with speakers imploring audience members to remember the sacrifices made by submariners.The Panama City Beach-based Seawolf Base of United States Submarine Veterans held the dedication ceremony, which featured speeches by several submarine veterans and Navy Experimental Dive Unit Cmdr. Mark Matthews.

"This memorial will help us always remember our brethren who continue to serve on eternal patrol," Matthews said, as he talked about the passing of the torch from World War II veterans to Cold War-era and current submarine service members.

Darrell Peugh is the Seawolf Base commander.

He said after Tuesday’s dedication that he was extremely pleased with the memorial and the cooperation of the parks department in erecting the monument.

"We intend to keep it up," Peugh said of the monument.

The two-and-a-half foot high granite memorial stands near Pier Park’s Veterans Memorial circle.

The inscription on the submarine veterans’ memorial reads: "This memorial dedicated to all the men lost while serving in the U.S. submarine force past and present. Victory at sea did not come cheaply.  52 submarines and more than 3,600 men lost their lives during WW II. Nearly 200 were lost before WWII. More than 300 lost their lives after WWII September 2, 1945 to present."

Seawolf Base members Richard Brooks and John Coleman also spoke at the ceremony.

Brooks was the former commanding officer of the USS Picuda, while Coleman did seven WWII patrols aboard a submarine.

During his speech, Brooks called on audience members to remember more than just the sacrifices made by those who lost their lives on submarines.

"When you pass this veterans circle, think only of those who sacrificed their lives, but also of those who made routine sacrifices," Brooks said.

Coleman told a story about a visit he and his wife took to a World War II museum in New Orleans.

He said he could not find much that recounted the efforts of the American submarine community in the war, even though American subs sank more than half of the Japanese ships sunk in World War II.

"But still we were the silent service. You never heard about it," Coleman said.