The USS Brush DD-745 was commissioned in 1944. It was named after American inventor and philanthropist, Charles Brush. The deck logs for 1965 to 1967 during the Vietnam War catalog the everyday operations of the ship as well as where the ship travelled. An example of a page in the deck log is transcribed below. The deck logs keep a record of everything from a seaman missing for over a month in September of 1965 to a seaman taking a fall at 1:45am in September of 1967, resulting in a one inch laceration above the eyebrow. Crew musters, emergency drills, moored locations, nearby ships, refueling stops, and helo landings were all part of what was reported. 

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A typical day for the USS Brush was separated into four hour increments. 00-04, for example means midnight to four in the morning. During this section of the day, the deck logs would report their current location, whether they were moored or underway, and any events that may have occurred during this time. If the ship was moving to a new destination, it is likely that the ship would have to adjust the clocks to accomodate the time change. This change always occurs during these early morning hours. 04-08 is typically when the crew is mustered and any absentees are reported. If a sailor is absent, the deck log notes the time the individual went missing, with special notes made if the sailor has been missing more than a day. 08-12 is typically the most active part of the day with anything from a helo landing to emergency drills taking place during this time. 12-20 is typically very quiet with the only remarks being “Moored as before” or “Underway as before.” 

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The USS Brush spent its time during Vietnam as a member of the Pacific Fleet located out of Long Beach Naval Station in California. It travelled to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii several times from 1965 to 1967 as a sort of in-between for Long Beach and the war in Vietnam. In 1965, the USS Brush made its way to Subic Bay, P.I., a naval base located in the Philippines. By 1967, the ship was located in Yokosura, Japan where it arrived “darkened except for navigational lights.” The USS Brush returned to Pearl Harbor by October of 1967, its next stop being the Long Beach Naval Station. It’s main duty while deployed was to patrol the surrounding areas, with some men on the ground doing land patrol at port. The USS Brush typically only stayed in one location for about a month before moving on or travelling back home. 

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The Commander of the USS Brush during this time was John William Hulihan, CDR. He previously commanded other vessels, the picture provided being from his post at the USS Carronade in 1960. On August 5, 1969, he was awarded the Legion of Merit Medal by the Commander in Chief of the United States Pacifics Fleet for Meritorious Action. He was 46 years old.