United States
Seagoing Marine Association

Sea School Class 16 dated 12 Sept 56. All graduates were assigned to the Yorktown at Alameda, CA.

Photo courtesy Ray De Groot.

Rifle Inspection onboard the Yorktown. Gunny SGT. Ralph Pollack doing inspection. Left to right is George Ross, Ray De Groot then Edward Zielinski.

Photo courtesy Ray De Groot.

Weapons training at Subic Bay in the Phillippines.

Photo courtesy Ray De Groot.

Yorktown Marines on the Island of Corregidor, 20 January 1955. Submitted by Larry Gebur

I (Larry Gebur) was on liberty with these two Christmas Day, 1954 in the Tiger Balm Gardens, Hong Kong. On the left is Imants Sulanis. He and his father escaped from Latvia in 1948 while the country was under Soviet domination. In 1954 he found out that his mother was alive. He brought her to the United States (Michigan) several times. He passed away in 1995. On the right is Frank Zuppiger, a native of Switzerland. He was trained as a cabinet maker. He had a cabinet shop in Phoenix for many years, he now lives at Big Bear Lake, CA.

Submitted by Larry Gebur

This picture was taken when we went from Manila to Corregidor in January 1955. We had chipped beef on toast (affectionately dubbed SOS) for breakfast prior to departure, some lost their SOS as seen with one hanging over the side on the left side of the picture. The sea was a bit choppy, the Yorktown didn't bob around as much as the landing craft.

Submitted by Larry Gebur

Marines on Flight Deck prior to inspection, L. to R. Sulanis, John Chandler (presently Chaplain USSMA) and L. T. Demkowski

Submitted by Larry Gebur

Yorktown Marines on Liberty, Cliff Simes and John Kimball. Giant Budah at Kamakura, Japan 1965

Submitted- Larry Gebur

Yorktown Marines firing on pistol range summer of '55. At Camp Wesley Harris near Bremerton, WA.

Submitted by Larry Gebur

This shot was taken at the Buckhorn Saloon at SanAntonio during the 2006 Fleet review. All men present served on the Yorktown.

(Front Row) Tony Bufalini, Bill Koopmans, Bill Buck, George Bliss, Pat Hendon and Ray Buss.

(Back Row) Ray DeGroot, Bob Stallings, Mel Langness, John Chandler and Dick Wilson.

Men that were there but didn't get their picture taken was Ron Dirkes and Bill Smalley.

This next shot was taken at the welcome aboard party. All are Yorktown Marines that served on the '57 cruise.
(L to R) Ron Dirkes, Dick Wilson, Mel Langness, Bill Buck, Tony Bufalini, George Bliss, Ray DeGroot and Bob Stallings.

Photo is of Yorktown Marines with their wife's on the Riverwalk in SanAntonio during the 2006 Fleet review.