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IN MEMORIUM
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NWSA "IN MEMORIAM "

AGCS Ted Roloff, USN (RET)
November 13, 2006
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From: Charlie Jordan
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 8:50 AM

I received a "letter" from Elmer Erdei that AGCS Ted Roloff (non-NWSA member) passed away in Idaho on 13 November.  I have been unable to locate an obituary.  All I know for sure is that he lived in Shosone County.

Charlie

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I sent a Christmas card to AGCS Ted Roloff in Idaho.  The other day, his wife called to say he died on 13 November of this year.  His wife’s name is Anita. They have four grown children and grandkids.  They got married in 1953. 

From December 1965 to November 1967, Ted and I were in the USSTripoli LPH10.  I was Division Officer and Ted, Division Chief.

I got to Pascagoula MS first as our ship was under construction.  I later picked up Ted at the bus station and told him that I did not like “Yes” types and if he did not agree with me, to speak up.  I learned I had not needed to tell him that as he often and we “quietly” discussed things on how to run the OA Division.  The other men in our office woulld quietly leave as Ted and I “quietly” discussed things.

Ted was really great at organization and got our office from scratch to ready for action fast.  Ted could out trade every division on the ship.  The best at “cumshaw”.  In shipards, he made trades with the the civilian workers.  He got them to do upgrades in our spaces for a couple of pounds of coffee.

Ted introduced me to the surplus warehouses at Air Force bases.  They get rid of things new and almost new.  Not so at Navy surplus places.

Ted and I made numerous trips from Pascagoula MS to Brookly AF Base and got tools, typewriters, printing sets, etc.  Then we took chief from other divisions and they all found many things they could use and all free.

We brought back pallettes loaded with material that was listed as scrap by the AF and put them on the docks, next to our ship, for all to pick from.  It was not scrap to us, but all sorts of tools, benches, etc that could be used as coffee tables, etc.

I was also Photo Division Officer and my E5 PO found a photo enlarger that was a better model than the one the Navy put on our ship.  We surveyed the one we had and put in the one from AF Surplus.

Months later in WESTPAC, the Supply CDR on our ship came to me with a bundle of computer printouts and he said he had many more.  He said they were all from AF Surplus transactions I had signed for.  Somehow I had talked the Skipper of our ship into signing the form giving me authority to sign at the AF Base.  So I signed for everyone on the ship.  The Supply CDR said that a lot of those items were accountable and we had to make out

chits to have them in our ships inventory.  I told the CDR I would help him and when he was read, I would show him where each item was.  He was happy about that and left.

I had no idea where most of the items were on the ship and just figured the CDR would be too busy in WESTPAC to get around to the surplus stuff.  I never heard from the CDR again.

Ted and I also took the ETs from our ship to the AF Surplus.  Most of the things they used in their job were cost items.  I had only authority for the free stuff, but ou Ets had big pockets.  They all came back to the ship with “Big Smiles”.

Ted did have one vice – Betting On The Horses.  I should not say “vice” and should say hobby or better yet – an investment, as he was good at it.  The old story about a sailor having a girl in every port, well Ted had a Bookie in every port.

I just meant to write a short note and got carried away and kept going as I remembered all the good things about my shipmate Ted.