Back in 1775, the British Royal Navy controlled the high seas. British ships were authorized to intercept merchant ships bound for the American colonies and seize their cargo.
When word came that British merchant ships carrying munitions were headed toward the colonies during the American Revolution, the Continental Congress passed a resolution to arm a merchant ship to intercept the British vessel.
According to the Continental Congress Journal, the resolution read as follows:
“Resolved, that a swift sailing vessel, to carry ten carriage guns, and a proportionate number of swivels, with eighty men, be fitted, with all possible dispatch, for a cruise of three months, and that the commander be instructed to cruise eastward, for intercepting such transports as may be laden with warlike stores ….”
This resolution was signed on Oct. 13, 1775.
This coming Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, will mark the official 250th birthday of the United States Navy. There have been countless men and women who have served in our navy throughout its storied history. Love of Learning will highlight a selection of Navy veterans with Philomath-area connections and share some of their reflections.
Henry Quetschke
Henry Quetschke, who lived off Woods Creek Road was the first to enlist from Philomath in the United States Navy after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Quetschke graduated eighth grade in the Philomath gymnasium and attended Philomath High School during the 1934-35 school year. He served as a fireman first class aboard the USS Vireo, a fleet tugboat.
Quetschke was tragically lost at sea during an intense enemy attack in the Solomon Islands on Oct. 15, 1942. He is still missing but will never be forgotten. His name is memorialized at the Benton County Veterans Memorial and the Philomath Scout Lodge.
Love of Learning: Remembering Fireman 1st Class Henry Quetschke
When you stop by the Philomath Post Office, you may look up at the flagpole and notice the black and white POW/MIA flag flying underneath the United States Flag. This flag features the silhouette of a missing service person who was either captured and still confined as a prisoner of war somewhere or went missing…
Charlie Hall
According to his daughter, Charlie Hall attended Philomath Grade School and Philomath High School, graduating in 1943.
After high school, he enlisted in the Navy. He served on the USS Brown, a Fletcher Class destroyer, as a fire control specialist.
According to ship records, the USS Brown fought in numerous naval enemy engagements to include the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle of the entire war. The Brown was attached to the Third Fleet under the famous Admiral Halsey. The Brown screened for carriers and picked up survivors from other sinking ships during battle.
Charlie Hall completed his three-year enlistment in the Navy and returned to Philomath to begin a very successful career in trucking. He was elected as the mayor of Philomath in 1967 and served a two-year term.
Charlie was presented with a Quilt of Valor at the Philomath Scout Lodge in September 2015. He later passed away peacefully at home with his loved ones by his side on Dec. 3, 2018. He was 94 years old.
Dwight Grass
Dwight Grass enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and trained as a radio operator. He served onboard a couple aircraft carriers, including the USS Franklin.
According to ship records, the USS Franklin was hit multiple times by enemy bombs and a kamikaze aircraft in the South Pacific. It is hard to imagine what sorts of things Dwight must have heard communicated over the radio during those attacks.
Once the war was over, Dwight became a teacher at Philomath Elementary School. He served in the Philomath School District as either a teacher, coach or administrator for over 25 years. It was quite a change from the naval battles he experienced in the South Pacific.
Dwight lived to the age of 91 and passed away from natural causes at his home in Philomath. A veteran street banner was created in his honor of Dwight Grass that is regularly displayed on a light pole near Veteran’s Day. He is not forgotten.
Greg Gerding
Greg Gerding was in PHS Class of 1969 and later attended Naval Reserve Officer Corps (ROTC) training at Oregon State University.
Serving in the military runs deep in the Gerding family. Greg’s father, Henry “Hank” Gerding served as an aviation electronics technician during World War II from 1943-45. His dad was also a talented boxer in the navy and became a Golden Gloves champion in 1944.
Greg’s uncle, Leo Gerding, also served in the Navy during the same timeframe and Greg’s other uncle, Fran Gerding. served in the Army in Europe from 1943-46.
Greg graduated from OSU in 1973 and was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy. He went on to spend 21 years in the Navy retiring as a commander.
I asked Greg for his reflection of serving in the Navy.
“Serving in the Navy was one of the most defining chapters of my life. It taught me discipline, resilience, leadership and camaraderie,” he said. “Among the many leadership roles I held, serving as an aircraft mission commander stands out as a profound source of pride. The responsibility of leading a multi-member crew, making critical decisions in high-stakes environments and ensuring mission success demanded not only technical expertise but discipline, intense focus and integrity.
“I felt a deep sense of purpose, knowing that my actions directly impacted on the safety of my air crew and the success of our missions. My crew and I flew in all Navy operational theaters across the globe. … Looking back, I carry not just memories, but a lasting sense of honor and gratitude for having served.”
After retirement, Greg served the community on the Philomath School Board from 2017-21.
Ken Babione
Ken Babione joined the U.S. Navy after graduating PHS in 1968. He served for 32 years and retired as a master chief (E-9) in 2000, Ken made three deployments to Vietnam on two surface ships and two deployments to the Persian Gulf, one during the Gulf War. Ken was surface warfare and submarine qualified, he spent 24 years on sea duty and made 10 deployments in total.
Service in the Navy runs deep in both the Babione and Hewitt Families. Apparently, their ancestry goes back five generations of sailors that trace all the way back to the late 1700s when the Navy was first established. According to ancestry research that Ken shared, the family links to David Bushnell 1740-1826, the inventor of the first submersible vessel to carry a torpedo in 1775. Ken Babione is Charlie and Halle Hewitts’s great uncle. He shared what they are currently doing in the Navy serving on active duty.
Charlie Hewitt
Following in his family’s footsteps, Charlie Hewitt is a 2018 graduate of Philomath High School. Charlie was a foreman at Eagle Point Roofing Co. before joining the U.S. Navy in October of 2024. While in boot camp, Charlie excelled both physically as well as academically and as a result was selected to become a member of the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard in Washington D.C. The Navy currently has 326,000 members, but only 200 of them are in the Ceremonial Guard at any one time.
Charlie was an honor man in his Ceremonial Guard training class and was subsequently advanced to Airman (E-3) four months after joining the Navy. According to his great uncle, Charlie is now “assigned as a casket bearer with the ceremonial guard unit in Washington D.C. They perform up to 40 burials in Arlington National Cemetery each week. When he last corresponded with me, he was bench pressing 285 pounds. This is important because some of the caskets are extremely heavy and they have to be lifted to shoulder height.”
PHS graduate achieves prestigious position in U.S. Navy
Philomath High School graduate Charles Hewitt, who joined the U.S. Navy in October, was selected to serve as a member of the prestigious Navy Ceremonial Guard in Washington, D.C. Airman Hewitt was a member of the Ceremonial Guard platoon that marched in the Memorial Day parade in Washington earlier this week. Established in 1931, the…
Halle Hewitt
Halle Hewitt is a 2020 graduate of PHS. She played varsity soccer with the Warriors and worked at Glacier National Park in Montana and as a whitewater rafting guide here in Oregon prior to joining the Navy this past February.
While in boot camp, Halle excelled both academically and physically. She graduated with the highest academic score of the 1,100 recruits in her graduating class. Halle’s physical fitness scores were the highest of all females in her graduating class. Because of her academic prowess and her prior college, Halle was promoted to airman (E-3) upon graduation.
She is training to be an aviation electronics technician and will soon be stationed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier homeported in San Diego.
Mark Henderson
Mark Henderson, Philomath High School’s principal, spent a decade of service in the U.S. Navy. He trained as a nuclear trained machinist mate and served aboard the fast-attack nuclear-powered submarine USS Olympia (SSN-717) homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He attained the rank of first class petty officer.
I asked Mark for his reflection on his service
“My service to this nation, particularly within the submarine force, stands as one of the defining chapters of my life. Fresh from high school, I entered a world that would forge me in ways I could never have imagined, surrounded by men of extraordinary caliber whose friendship and brotherhood I continue to treasure.
“Life beneath the waves tested every fiber of my being. The danger was ever-present, the work physically demanding and the mental challenges unrelenting. Yet these trials were also exhilarating, pushing me to discover reserves of strength and resilience I hadn’t known existed.
“The lessons learned in that steel tube — discipline, teamwork, adaptability, perseverance — has proved more valuable than any classroom could offer. They became the foundation upon which I built my life.
“To stand in defense of the Constitution and the freedoms we hold dear was an honor that transcends words. Knowing that my service, however small in the grand scheme, contributed to preserving our way of life, fills me with profound gratitude. Given the chance, I would walk that path again without hesitation. …”
Conclusion
It is clear from all these sailors that Philomath has an extremely strong history of meaningful service in the U.S. Navy. We should all take pride and be grateful for the service of all those mentioned in this article along with any other Navy veterans in our community not mentioned who served or are presently serving.
Together they represent the caliber of individuals that have powered the U.S. Navy for the last 250 years. Thank you all for your service!
Happy Birthday Navy!
(Eric Niemann is a former mayor and city councilor in Philomath. He can be reached at Lifeinphilomath@gmail.com).