Tuesday, April 16, 1968

HERALD & REVIEW — "TWO BROTHERS FROM DECATUR"

Newspaper clipping, Decatur Herald & Review (Decatur, Illinois)

Published ~summer 1968 (event date: June 13, 1968)

1 clipping with two photos

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PHOTOS

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[Top photo: Michael F. Ducy in Navy dress blues with white "dixie cup" hat,

wearing glasses. Caption: "Michael F. Ducy"]

[Bottom photo: William Ducy in Marine Corps uniform with garrison cover,

wearing glasses. Caption: "William Ducy"]

[Red editorial stamp/mark across Mike's photo, partially legible]

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ARTICLE TEXT

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TWO BROTHERS from Decatur, P.O. 3.C. Michael F. Ducy, 20, and Pfc. William

Ducy, 18, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Ducy of 1525 N. Ellen Ave., recently

met in DaNang, South Vietnam.

Michael is serving aboard the destroyer, USS Jovett [sic], which is stationed

in the Gulf of Tonkin. William, with the Marine Corps 7th communications

battalion, flew to DaNang Harbor in a helicopter and visited his brother

eight hours.

Michael, a member of the Naval Reserve, began active duty in August. William

who has been in Vietnam since February, enlisted in August.

Both men attended MacArthur High School.

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NOTES

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This article describes the June 13, 1968 reunion at Da Nang Harbor when

USS Jouett anchored in Da Nang and Bill flew out by helicopter from the

7th Communications Battalion compound to visit Mike aboard ship. They spent

eight hours together — the only time the two brothers saw each other during

their overlapping Vietnam tours.

Corrections and context:

- The paper misspells Jouett as "Jovett"

- Jouett was a guided missile frigate (DLG), not a destroyer, though the

terms were sometimes used loosely in civilian press

- Mike's rank: P.O. 3.C. = Petty Officer Third Class (FTG3), age 20

- Bill's rank: Pfc. = Private First Class (USMC), age 18

- Mike "began active duty in August" — reported to Treasure Island Aug 16, 1967

- Bill "has been in Vietnam since February, enlisted in August" — enlisted

August 1967, arrived Vietnam February 1968

- Both attended MacArthur High School in Decatur, Illinois

- Family address: 1525 N. Ellen Ave., Decatur (matches all other correspondence)

The visit is documented across multiple sources in the collection:

- Mike's June 13, 1968 letter home

- Tape 6 (June 22, 1968) — Mike describes the visit on audio

- Mike's Super 8 film "Da Nang Harbor, Flying Crane" (June 13, 1968)

- Bill's letters to Mike also reference the visit

This newspaper clipping is a key documentary artifact — it's the hometown

paper's coverage of the central narrative event: two brothers from small-town

Illinois meeting in a war zone.

Publication: Decatur Herald & Review (now Herald-Review), Decatur, Illinois.

USS JOUETT (DLG-29) 1968 CRUISE BOOK — PAGES 96-97

[Photo: Ship's motor whaleboat (marked DLG 29) underway alongside the ship]

[Photo: Sailor climbing or working in the ship's rigging]

[Photo: Crew member wearing headset seated at radar console in CIC (Combat Information Center)]

[Photo: Welder working on deck, sparks visible, wearing protective mask]

At about this time, the

watchstanders in CIC--the

nerve center of the ship--

adopted a most unusual

mascot--the "Parnelephant"--

which stood them in good

stead throughout the

remainder of the deployment.

[Photo: Crew member in CIC standing next to the "Parnelephant" mascot — a whimsical elephant-octopus creature cutout mounted on CIC equipment consoles]

USS JOUETT (DLG-29) 1968 CRUISE BOOK — PAGES 98-99

[Photo: Sailor doing bicep curls with barbell on weight bench]

With the welcome advent

of clear skies, leisure-time

activities gained importance

among the crew. Such

endeavors ranged from

body-building. . .

[Photo: Group of shirtless crew members doing calisthenics on deck, led by sailor in white t-shirt, ocean visible in background]

[Photo: Sailor jumping rope in ship's interior space]

. . .to model-Building. . .

[Photo: Sailor working on detailed model sailing ship in his bunk area]