In Memory OfSK3 Robert D. Whatley

SK3 Robert D. Whatley, 74, U.S. Navy, born July 4, 1939, passed away on December 26, 2013. Whatley was a Storekeeper aboard the USS Rehoboth (AVP-50) during Operation Hardtack I. His ship was sent to collect data on the effects of nuclear bombs that were detonated in the air, on land, and underwater. Decades after the test, Whatley was diagnosed with cancer linked to the significant levels of radiation he was exposed to. He fought the disease like a warrior, but succumbed to the service-linked illness. Fair winds and following seas, Shipmate! Til Valhalla, Brother!