My name is Ed Hughes, you have my "Once I Was A Navyman" posted on your 
Destroyer Cecil (DDR 835) website. I notice that you have many Destroyer 
links on your website. I was stationed on the Destroyers USS Turner (DDR 834) 
and USS William R. Rush (DDR 714) in Destroyer Squadron 8 out of Mayport, Florida. 
We shared the experiences of a number of Destroyers you are linked to, in 
that we participated in the many Gemini and Project Mercury Recovery Force 
efforts, along with the alerts to do the “Bay of Pigs” thing and other 
Central American problems. Almost all these Destroyers had a part in the 
Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cuban Blockade, which was a scary time. We 
are all thankful that the Cecil forced one of the Russian Subs to the surface, 
this very act could have been the reason that the Russians backed off, 
and decided to remove the missiles from Cuba. The Destroyer Men did the 
job they were meant to do.

I wrote a poem “ Some Words About Destroyers” which basically are 
my thoughts about my time on Destroyers Turner and Rush back in the 
1960’s. Most Destroyers had the same kind of experience that I had 
seen and I would pleased if I could see this on Destroyer sites, 
if you consider it worthy.

Very Respectfully;

Ed Hughes, FTCM

USN (Retired)