Commissioners Honor Horn As June Veteran Of The Month
Commissioners Honor Horn As June Veteran Of The Month
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Commissioners Honor Horn As June Veteran Of The MonthThe June 2021 Kosciusko County Veteran of the Month is a submariner who served during Vietnam.
James Allen Horn was born Nov. 19, 1948, at McDonald’s Hospital in Warsaw, to Paul and Joanne Shearer Horn, of Bourbon.
When James turned 10, the family moved to Plymouth. He graduated from Plymouth High School in 1967, according to the biography prepared and read by County Veterans Affairs Officer Rich Maron at Tuesday’s County Commissioners meeting.
After graduation, Horn spent a year at Grace College. Instead of enrolling for a second year, he decided to visit the Naval recruiting office in South Bend. He aced the test they gave him and the recruiter immediately wanted Horn to sign up. Horn’s response was “today would be fine,” and he left for his physical in two days.
After a successful physical, Horn boarded a train for Waukegan, Ill., and Navy boot camp. At boot camp, Horn played a trumpet in the Navy band. He played for every graduation. Also at boot camp, Horn selected yeoman as his rating; selected the Pacific as his ocean; and he requested he be put on a submarine. With that, he was off to Groton, Conn., and submarine school.
The school last about four months. Horn was then sent to San Diego, Calif.
Horn attended yeoman school in San Diego during summer 1969. After graduating, he received orders to a submarine stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
He had orders to the nuclear fast attack submarine, USS Flasher SSN613. Horn reported for duty on a Monday morning, just as the Flasher was headed out to play war games for a week. On his first dive, he got his initiation into submarines. The Flasher was 239 feet long and weighed over 4,000 tons.
After a few months of preparation, the Flasher headed out to sea on a top secret mission requiring the sub to stay submerged for 65 days. The mission was a success and each crew member received a Presidential Citation from President Richard Nixon.
All submariners are required to learn all the systems on the submarine, Maron said, which include electrical, hydraulics, nuclear reactor, potable water, sanitation, high pressure steam and more. They are also required to learn how to drive the submarine, controlling bearing and depth. After completing all the requirements, the submariner is considered “qualified in submarines” and dolphins are pinned to the chest, Maron said. Horn passed his qualifications.
After spending 1-1/2 years on the Flasher, Horn received orders to submarine staff Commander Submarine Force Pacific. He worked for the assistant to Admiral Paul Lacey in the communications department, “which was a big deal during the Cold War,” Maron said.
On staff duty, Horn heard that a submarine in the Western Pacific needed a yeoman, so he volunteered and was selected. He was given three hours to pack and board a plane at Hickam Air Force Base. he was the only sailor on a jet full of soldiers headed for Vietnam.
After making a stop at Guam, they proceeded to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, where Horn got off. He then boarded a bus and headed for Subic Bay Naval Base in Olongapo. There, he joined the crew of the USS Gudgeon SS-567.
The Gudgeon was a diesel electric submarine built in the 1950s. This was a new experience for a nuclear-qualified submariner. Since Horn was on temporary duty, they didn’t have a bunk for him. A mattress was tossed on a torpedo and that was his bed for several months.
The Gudgeon left Subic Bay and patrolled the South Pacific. Diesel electric submarines can visit ports that nuclear submarines can not, and the Gudgeon ported at Zamboanga, Philippines; Port Moresby, New Guinea; Brisbane, Australia; and Suva, Fiji.
During his trip south, the Gudgeon passed the equator. This is a big deal in the Navy, Maron said. Sailors that have never crossed the equator are initiated and become shellbacks. The ceremony called the “Order of Neptune” has been a Navy tradition for 400 years, Maron said. The initiation was rough for most of the crew, but they took it easy on Horn since he was on temporary duty.
After Fiji, the Gudgeon headed back to Pearl Harbor and Horn returned to staff duty at Commander Submarine Force Pacific.
Horn enjoyed the Navy, but before re-enlisting, his father took ill so Horn returned to Plymouth to help on the farm. After his father died, his mom sold the farm and Horn went to work at L.M. Berry, Warsaw. He worked in the art department creating Yellow Page ads.
In 1977, he returned to Grace College, graduating in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in art education. He received a teaching degree, but decided to pursue another career.
After Grace, Horn was hired by Chester “Chet” Dekko, of Dekko Foundation. Horn worked for Group Dekko, starting as an engineer and worked his way up, ending in international sales. He also was influential in opening a Dekko manufacturing plant in Ballina, Ireland. He retired from Dekko after 28 years.
Horn lives in Winona Lake with his wife, Mary. They have two children and four grandchildren. Horn likes to play golf and belongs to American Legion Post 253 in North Webster.
After Horn was presented with the framed certificate from Maron and the Commissioners, he said, “I’m grateful for this award. It’s hard to believe you can get an award for something that you enjoy. Serving my country, being on a submarine was something that I enjoyed at the time.”
He said if his father had not gotten sick, he probably would have stayed in the Navy.
“They say being under the water 65 days is something hard to do. When you’re on a submarine, you have to qualify, you have to take a test every week, every day. You’re studying so hard, 65 days seem like a day. It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Horn stated. “I thank everybody for coming here and I’m grateful for this award.”
