A "Best of Old War Dogs" featured post. The webmaster is using a bogus timestamp to keep this post near the top of the blog for a while. Please scroll down for newer posts. This item was originally posted 2006.07.29.18:13.

Personal Note:  I hope to continue to submit posts at Old War Dogs for as long as they will have me.  However, after running hard with the pack, it is also satisfying to return to the comfort of home.  It is with that in mind that I have restarted the Gray Dog site.  My main intention is to develop a catalog of Flash tributes as well as other mutimedia content that will hopefully make it an entertaining site for all to visit.

The Gray Dog is proud to launch a new web site today, www.thegraydog.us .  This site is a resurrection of sorts. It is rebuilt upon the ashes of the original Gray Dog site which self-destructed soon after the 2004 presidential election.  While its initial offerings are somewhat sparse, it is the Dog’s hope that this new effort will be both thoughtful and thought provoking.  But most of all the Dog has a few new tricks that he hopes will keep you entertained.

Today’s launch, July 30 2006, is dedicated on the anniversary of was America’s greatest naval tragedy of all time, and her last of WWII. It is in memory of the 880 lives lost and to the 317 survivors of the USS Indianapolis.  For more information about the USS Indianapolis, please visit www.ussindianapolis.org .

My wife, Valerie and I, (musicians in another life) had the distinct honor and pleasure of meeting Mike Kuryla and Bob McGuiggan in 1992, both Indy Survivors.  As we learned of this tragic event first hand from men that had been adrift in the shark infested waters of the Pacific for five days, we were astonished to learn that they were still struggling to erect a memorial dedicated to their lost crew members.  Mike and Bob, with their spouses, had been in attendance of a military expo that evening where Valerie and I were the paid help and asked if we would be interested in performing at a Chicago area fundraiser for the memorial they were planning, to which we both eagerly and humbly accepted.   

We were so moved by their heroic tale that we began to research and read everything we could about the ‘Indy Maru’ in preparation of performing at their fundraiser.  After all, we were going to be in the presence of a host of their fellow survivors and heroes.  We learned of the mission that delivered the first atomic bomb to the island of Tinian, how the Indy then left for the Philippines without escort in waters known to have Japanese submarines patrolling, the terrifying five days adrift when no one knew the Indy was missing and the travesty of the Indy’s captain being court marshaled. 

As the date approached, Valerie and I felt a growing connection to these brave men that had suffered so much.  The survivors that lived with guilt yet struggled through the years in a dual purpose life to exonerate their captain, Charles McVay III, and to erect a memorial to their fellow sailors and marines that were lost.  We felt moved to write a song for this most special of occasions.  It was at this Chicago area fundraiser that we first performed “There’s a Reason” before a well turned out crowd that included about a dozen Indy survivors.  The reception of this song was more than we could have imagined and before the evening had ended, we were asked to attend the Indy’s Survivor Reunion later that summer.  An honor made even more special for the planned dedication of the site where their memorial was to be erected.

In late July of 1992, we arrived in the city of Indianapolis where 97 of the approximately 160 remaining survivors gathered at this bi-annual reunion.  The day and evening were filled with laughter, jokes and tears.  Valerie and I were brought to tears several times as survivors approached us and thanked us four our song.  It was such a small contribution that their attention to us felt embarrassing.  I do not really know these men at all, yet I was humbled in their presence. 

I think of the Kurylas and the McGuiggans often.  Sadly we soon fell out of touch with them shortly after the reunion.  Occasionally, I will spot an article in the Chicago Tribune or Parade magazine that focuses on the USS Indianapolis, a few of which specifically mentions Mike Kuryla.  Mike also was part of a Discovery Channel documentary on “The Search for the Indianapolis.”  I also learned that he had battled cancer and I am not certain if the battle continues or was lost.

I do know that Mike and Bob, as well as all of the other survivors we met, honored us more than they will ever know by allowing us to make a very small contribution to their cause.  In 1995, the USS Indianapolis Memorial was officially dedicated.

As a final note, Mike was not the only Kuryla with an exceptional military distinction.  His wife, Lorraine, at the age of 63 and a Master Sergeant in the Air Force, was the oldest service person to serve in Operation Desert Storm.  Her grandkids nicknamed her “Grambo”.

Please visit www.thegraydog.us to view a FLASH presentation which includes “There’s a Reason”, dedicated to the memory of the men lost and those that survived this greatest naval tragedy.

Contributed by The Gray Dog on July 31, 2006 at 06:13 PM in Best of Old War Dogs, The Gray Dog | Permalink

Comments

Posted by: Ponsdorf

Sweet site, although to nitpick some the most horrible tragedy that had to do with boats and our military was that of http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/sultana.htm
Not to suggest for a second that the Indianapolis tragedy was trivial.

Good luck!

Posted by: Ponsdorf | Jul 29, 2006 6:43:06 PM

Posted by: Bill Faith

Excellent site! And thanks for the reminder about Fractured Fairy Tales; in all the confusion of starting this place I'd forgotten.

Posted by: Bill Faith | Jul 29, 2006 7:33:28 PM