Doran World War II Korean War veteran Natick Veterans Oral History Project
Channel: natvets1
Date: 2011-11-14

Richard Doran decided to volunteer for the Navy in his senior year of high school and after four weeks of basic training in Bainbridge, Md., was assigned to BUPERS (Bureau of Personnel) in Arlington, Va. Because of his background and schooling, Doran was chosen for work that required top-secret status, and to this day he is not at liberty to discuss the details of his work other than to say he traveled extensively in uniform. After his separation from the Navy, Dick completed high school, attended business school in Boston and got married. In 1951, to his surprise, he received a letter from President Truman that he was to rejoin the Navy. As a Seaman 1st Class on the USS Baltimore during the Korean Conflict, he witnessed the loss of the USS Hobson in the North Atlantic. He reminisces about the ports he visited, the loss of midshipmen in Trieste, and experiences both memorable and humorous, including his friendship with the French Ambassador to Spain.