11/09/2022
We congratulate our Tipton County Museum Veteran of the Month for November Mr. Henry Thomas McCurdy, Jr.. McCurdy was born Feb. 4, 1945 and enlisted in the Navy in March 1963 and immediately left for bootcamp at Recruit Training Command, San Diego, Calif. Upon completion of bootcamp, he received orders to USS LEXINGTON (CV-16), homeported in Pensacola, Fla. A non-designated seaman apprentice, Henry was assigned to the shipfitter shop in the Repair Department. He “grew up” in the Repair Department and, when he reenlisted, he requested and was granted an additional two-year tour onboard. When he finally left the LADY LEX in 1969, the non-designated seaman apprentice had grown up to be a Shipfitter (SF) First Class. SF1 McCurdy transferred back across the country to Development and Training Center (DATC) San Diego, CA, for his first shore duty. There he worked in both the shipfitter and the lagging shops for almost twenty-four months. In 1971 he once again transferred across the country to the USS INTREPID (CV-41), homeported in Quonset Point, Rhode Island. There he was placed in charge of the pipe/shipfitter shop for two years. In 1973 he received orders to the USS KOELSCH (FF-1049), homeported in Mayport, Fla., and was assigned to the R-Division of the Repair Department. While onboard, the Navy combined four ship repair ratings into a new rating called Hull Technician, commonly referred to as Hull Tech. When he left for Naval Air Technical Training Command (NATTC) Memphis in Millington, Tennessee, in 1976, he had been promoted to Hull Technician Chief Petty Officer (HTC). At NATTC Memphis he was Company Commander of the S-400 Barracks which housed the hundreds of young sailors assigned to NATTC for their initial specialized training. In 1979 Chief McCurdy received orders to the USS INDEPENDENCE (CV-62) where he was the Repair Department Chief Petty Officer. Two successful years later, he moved to Safety Division where he spent the remainder of his time onboard as the Senior Enlisted Safety Inspector. In February 1983 he retired and transferred to the Fleet Reserve. He officially retired from the Fleet Reserve on February 1, 1993. Chief McCurdy’s awards include the National Defense Service Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal, four Good Conduct Medals, and three Sea Service Ribbons. He attended various schools including firefighting school and high-pressure welding school. He is most proud, however, of the young sailors who he trained in damage control, welding, pipe fitting, and sheet metal work. In the spring of 1965, Henry met the love of his life, Alice. They were married a few weeks later on July 16, 1965. Henry was nominated for Veteran of the Month by his loving wife, Alice, and their close friend, Scott Landkrohn. Thanks for your service, sir!
