Destroyer Escorts Named for Iowans
Washington, D.C. (UP) - Three destroyer escort ships to be launched soon by the U.S. Navy have been named in honor of Iowans who have given their lives in this war, the Navy Department announced Saturday.
The USS Sellstrom will honor the late Ensign Edward Robert Sellstrom, Rockwell City, Ia., who received the Navy Cross as a pilot on an aircraft carrier early in the war. Sellstrom was born in 1916 at Dayton, Ia.
The second ship, the USS Bunch, will be named after the late Kenneth Cecil Bunch, aviation radioman first class, Pershing, Ia., who was killed in action last June in a diving attack on a Japanese ship.
Ensign Don T. Griswold, Clarinda, Ia., who was awarded posthumously the distinguished Flying Cross for bravery, will be honored at the naming of the third ship, the USS Griswold. Griswold was cited for his work in the battle of Midway.
Source: Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, morning edition, Sunday, April 25, 1943
Edward Robert Sellstrom, Jr. was born July 19, 1916 to Edward Robert (Sr.) and Lydia Magnuson Sellstrom. He died June 21, 1942 and is buried in Gowrie Township Cemetery, Gowrie, IA.
Source: ancestry.com
