The year was 1968. I was fresh out of boot camp and my orders were to report aboard the USS Taylor (DD 468) for duty. I knew being stationed out of Pearl Harbor could mean only one thing...next stop Vietnam! I was at the War Memorial at the far end of Waikiki. It was a peaceful place, yet thoughts of uncertainty kept racing through my mind. Would I live or would I die? Would I return with all my body parts intact? My fate would hinge on the stability of an old WW II tin can. This is that story. A story of war and the last cruise of one of the Navy's most famous Destroyers. Her final mission would mark the retreat of the Seventh Fleet from the coast of Vietnam. This is the untold story of a forgotten hero that would leave the peaceful waters of Hawaii and embark on a journey to the war torn coast of Vietnam. The images in this gallery are from my private collection and have never been displayed anywhere. We begin on the island of Oahu at Waikiki Beach.