Robert Lester Mundschenk, son of George and Anna, was born in Albion, NE. The family eventually moved to the eastern part of Wyoming, Niobrara County, the Lusk-Keeline area. He joined the Navy in August 1942 in Cheyenne, and first saw action as a Fireman on the USS Nashville (CL-43) in the Pacific in 1943. In late 1943 he was transferred to and became a "plank owner" of the USS Cassin Young, a Fletcher-class destroyer (DD793), which was commissioned on December 31 in California. In late July 1945, off the eastern coast of Okinawa, he was killed in a kamikaze attack only two weeks before the War would end. The Cassin Young was one of the last ships hit by a suicide plane. Robert was one of 22 sailors killed on the ship in the explosion.
The Cassin Young is now a museum ship, part of Boston National Historical Park, docked at the former Charlestown Navy Yard's Pier One, near the USS Constitution. It was taken out of service in April 1960 and leased to the Park Service in 1978, rehabbed by 1981 and attracts thousands of visitors each year. A plaque with the names of all 22 KIAs plus one from April 1945 is located at the place of impact of the July hit. Ranger-guided tours are given in season and visitors can also choose to walk the main deck on their own.
The Cassin Young is now a museum ship, part of Boston National Historical Park, docked at the former Charlestown Navy Yard's Pier One, near the USS Constitution. It was taken out of service in April 1960 and leased to the Park Service in 1978, rehabbed by 1981 and attracts thousands of visitors each year. A plaque with the names of all 22 KIAs plus one from April 1945 is located at the place of impact of the July hit. Ranger-guided tours are given in season and visitors can also choose to walk the main deck on their own.
Robert Lester Mundschenk, son of George and Anna, was born in Albion, NE. The family eventually moved to the eastern part of Wyoming, Niobrara County, the Lusk-Keeline area. He joined the Navy in August 1942 in Cheyenne, and first saw action as a Fireman on the USS Nashville (CL-43) in the Pacific in 1943. In late 1943 he was transferred to and became a "plank owner" of the USS Cassin Young, a Fletcher-class destroyer (DD793), which was commissioned on December 31 in California. In late July 1945, off the eastern coast of Okinawa, he was killed in a kamikaze attack only two weeks before the War would end. The Cassin Young was one of the last ships hit by a suicide plane. Robert was one of 22 sailors killed on the ship in the explosion.
The Cassin Young is now a museum ship, part of Boston National Historical Park, docked at the former Charlestown Navy Yard's Pier One, near the USS Constitution. It was taken out of service in April 1960 and leased to the Park Service in 1978, rehabbed by 1981 and attracts thousands of visitors each year. A plaque with the names of all 22 KIAs plus one from April 1945 is located at the place of impact of the July hit. Ranger-guided tours are given in season and visitors can also choose to walk the main deck on their own.
The Cassin Young is now a museum ship, part of Boston National Historical Park, docked at the former Charlestown Navy Yard's Pier One, near the USS Constitution. It was taken out of service in April 1960 and leased to the Park Service in 1978, rehabbed by 1981 and attracts thousands of visitors each year. A plaque with the names of all 22 KIAs plus one from April 1945 is located at the place of impact of the July hit. Ranger-guided tours are given in season and visitors can also choose to walk the main deck on their own.
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