Station HYPO

Since its founding in 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard fought in many of our major conflicts, provided vital search and rescue services, and protected our nation’s shores from smugglers and terrorists. One of that service’s epic battles began just over 100 years ago with the passage of the 18th Amendment.

CTRCS David “Blake” McLendon
29 November 1979 – 21 September 2010

The following is a consolidated response primarily written by, William “Red” Hathcock, CTTCM (NAC), USN Retired, regarding the Todendorf Germany story written by Don Dupay.  The story in question was posted on Station HYPO on 25 November, 2022.

Mr.  Vulcano,

The following are my comments concerning the HYPO article, ”The Last Surviving Member of USNAVSECGRUDET Todendorf, Germany, 1957” and come not from just myself, but are a compilation of comments from my E-Mail group (9 former CTs).  Three of us served at Todendorf and knew the author.  The following comments are provided to you for what I consider three primary reasons:

1. To provide comments to show that the article is about 80 – 90% false.
2. A desire to inform you of the inaccuracies and so help in possible vetting of future articles.
3. To illustrate how the writer has attempted to show himself (I believe) in a light of “I am the last of the original 17 men at NSGD Todendorf, we were the standouts, and when I pass on, the legacy will end!”  This is disingenuous to say the least.

Most Americans are aware of the era of lawlessness in this country that began with the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1919, making Prohibition the law of the land. By 1924, five years after the beginning of the “Great Experiment,” defiance of the Prohibition laws had grown to such an extent that Congress appropriated $13,853,980 just to expand the U.S. Coast Guard’s enforcement capabilities.

Did a broken random number generator in Cuba help expose a Russian espionage network?

Don’t let the smile on his young face fool you. He is well aware of how close to the Communist border he is, a mere stone’s throw, and the potential danger involved in the work he is doing. A graduate of two Navy schools on collection of communication and electronic signals, he is a professional. The entire crew he worked with, of 17 sailors, were smart, young and probably also naïve.