Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010

Judge John De Groot served on USS Hancock during Vietnam War

(The Chowchilla News, in cooperation with the Chowchilla Post 9896 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, will be carrying stories about local men who served during wartime. We think you will find the stories interesting and informative.)

Judge John W. De Groot was born in Monterey, California, in 1947. He attended local schools, graduating from Monterey High in 1965. As a young high school graduate, he had no way of knowing that his life journey would take him from the culturally refined Monterey Bay Peninsula to the frozen Alaska clime to the South China Sea and finally to the judiciary of the State of California.

He enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve and graduated from Navy boot camp at the San Diego Recruit Training Center. He was subsequently designated a Military Occupational Specialty as a Personnelman. While in the reserve, he attended Monterey Peninusola College, earning an Associate in Arts degree in 1967 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State in 1969.

After graduating from San Francisco State, his life changed dramatically when he was recalled to active duty and assigned to the Naval Air Station, Adak, Alaska. The U.S. Navy had taken over the former World War II Army Airfield at Adak and used the facility as a deployment base for P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft. The mission of NAS Adak and its aircraft was the conduct of antisubmarine warfare operations against submarines and surveillance of naval vessels of the Soviet Union.

After his 12-month tour at Adak, his next duty station was different and very much warmer. He reported for duty aboard the USS Hancock (CVA-19) in the waters off Vietnam.

The Hancock, which had earned four battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation during World War II in the Pacific, was recommissioned in 1952 and was the first carrier in the fleet with steam catapults capable of launching high performance jets. The carrier was deployed in 1965 to join the Seventh Fleet as hostilities increased in Vietnam.

The Hancock and its crew of 3,448 was part of carrier task forces at Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin from 1969-71. At times the Hancock was joined by the carriers USS Ranger, USS Oriskany, USS Kitty Hawk, and USS Midway; With John on board, the Hancock launched A-4 "Skyhawks" and other aircraft for strikes against North Vietnamese missile and antiaircraft sites and other targets in North Vietnam.

Personnelman De Groot worked in the administrative center of the carrier. Duties involved a broad range, including but not limited to preparing official documents for transmission to higher echelons, record-keeping, interviewing and counseling of sailors, and maintaining official officer and enlisted records. One of his most important abilities was his skill in working and dealing with a wide range of personalities of men involved in combat and ongoing operations of an aircraft carrier in a war zone.

From the frigid and often frozen conditions in Alaska, John found himself enduring the intense heat and humidity and turbulent waters of the Far East. There were many times when he yearned for the cooler air of Adak, Alaska.

He was released from active duty in 1971 as a Personnelman

First Class. For his military service he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal with device, and the Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Medal.

In May 1974, he graduated from the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco with a J.D. degree,. In December 1974, he was admitted to the California Bar and to the U.S, District Court, Northern District of California. He was employed as a police officer in San Mateo from 1975 - 77. In 1977 he left the bay Area to accept a position as Deputy District Attorney in Madera County. He became Judge, Justice Court, of the Chowchilla Judicial District in July 1982. In November 1990, he was elected to Judge of the Superior Court, Madera County, and served with distinction in that position until his retirement in December 2008.

Judge De Groot is a Life Member of Chowchilla VFW Post 9896 and is the Treasurer of the Chowchilla District Historical Society. Judge de Groot and his wife Jeannie live in Madera. They have three children and nine grandchildren