Veteran Paul Pudenz, 68, of Sunset Beach, was born in 1943 in Sioux City, Iowa. He has been married to his wife Judy for 45 years.
As a kid in Carroll, Iowa, he milked cows on a dairy farm; worked in a pharmacy, detasseled corn during the summer, and worked on his 51 Ford Fairlane.
He graduated from Kuemper Catholic High School.
He enjoyed Biology and History and got good enough grades to be accepted to college.
After one year in St. Ambrose College, Davenport, Iowa, where Paul majored in Nursing, he and his folks ran out of tuition money.
Military
“I joined the U. S. Navy with 68 men in an all-Iowa company,” he said. “We left Des Moines on February 23, 1962 – Temperature, was 2 degrees.
“The pilot barely got the plane off the ground because the wings would ice up. We landed in San Diego where the temperature was a very warm 75 degrees. Now you know why I remained in California.
“I served from February, 1962 to June, 1966. I attended 16 weeks of Boot Camp and from there I went to Navy Hospital Corps School at Naval Hospital San Diego and became a Navy Hospital Corpsman.
“After Corps School, I entered into Operating Room Technician School. While believing we were going to war in the Cuban Missile Crisis, I was ready to board a ship and go to Cuba but the blockade stopped that.
“A special experience happened in 1962 while attending Operating Technician School in San Diego Naval Hospital. I had the surgical night watch. We received a call that there had been a horrible accident aboard a Navy Aircraft Carrier, the USS Constellation, A fighter jet, while landing on the ship, the ‘catch wire broke’ As a result of the accident, 13 sailors were injured and brought to the San Diego Naval Hospital. Chief of Orthopedic Surgery Captain Striker and I, as the surgical nurse, operated for six hours throughout the night. It was absolutely necessary to amputate the legs of the 13 sailors. We prepared them for prosthetics.
“In time, all these injured men walked out of that Naval Hospital.
“Incidentally, Captain Striker is the inventor of the Striker Frame used for spinal injuries.”
“Another time, I saw one of the first open heart surgeries at the Naval hospital.” In 1963 Paul was stationed aboard the USS Haven (AH-12), as a Navy Hospital Ship Operating Room Tech and Emergency Room Corpsman.
“The Haven was home ported at the Naval Station, Long Beach, and never moved.
“In the late 1960’s it was replaced by a new Naval Hospital on Carson Street in Long Beach.”
Veteran
Upon discharge from the Navy in June of 1966, Paul, as a civilian, went to work at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. A year later, he transferred to the Naval Weapons Station, Seal Beach, California and worked as a Medical Technician for the Department of Defense.
“In 1985, I made the move of my life to work for the Safety Department at the Weapons Station, and wound up in the Explosives Safety Department and worked my way up to the Explosives Safety Officer.
“This was a job where I was involved in all of the explosive evolutions at the Weapons Station to ensure explosives safety rules are followed to prevent any accidents, incidents, injuries or death.
“Our Motto was ‘Explosives Safety Rules are written in Blood.’ Whenever you see a ship in port at the Weapons Station, there is always an explosives safety person there. That was my job and I was in charge of the Explosives Safety Personnel.”
Veteran plans and status
Paul retired from the Weapons Station in 1999, and continued to work as a contractor for the Department of Defense for a few more years.
He is now fully retired and enjoying life with Judy, his lovely wife of 45 years.
“I am and have been the Adjutant of Seal Beach American Legion Post 857 for the last six years, which I really enjoy,” he said. “I’m also active in Knights of Columbus with St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Huntington Beach; and on the Board of Sea Air Federal Credit Union, Naval Weapons Station, Seal Beach, and president of the Golf League, NWS, Seal Beach.
“My plans are to increase membership in the American Legion and the Credit Union – to support the Legion fully and have it involved in many more meaningful, community programs.”
Author’s Note: We urge and welcome all Vets to join our Seal Beach American Legion Post 857. You’ll be delighted with the pleasant people you’ll meet and to learn about the benefits you may be eligible to receive as a military veteran. See other pages in the Sun for our meeting details.
Bill Thomas of Rossmoor is a veteran of World War II and is the past commander of the local VFW Post 4048. Contact him by e-mail at: vvbthomasvets@gmail.com.
