From Oakland to the Open Sea: Thomas Wallerstedt's Story of Service
Jennifer Gutierrez
Great-Niece of Tom Wallerstedt
As Memorial Day approaches, communities across America pause to honor those who answered the call to serve and to remember those who never returned home. For Thomas Wallerstedt of Oakland, those memories came rushing back just weeks ago when he stepped aboard the very ship he once called home.
Born June 18, 1940, in Oakland, Wallerstedt grew up in rural Nebraska alongside his siblings, Jean Richards, Don Wallerstedt, Barbara Swanson, Merrily Pennington, and his twin sister, Patricia Miller. The son of Sidney and Helen Wallerstedt, he attended District 62, a rural school outside Oakland, before graduating from Oakland High School in 1958.
Like many young men of his generation, Wallerstedt came of age during a time when service to country carried deep meaning, as America's military draft intensified during the Vietnam War.
"At this time the military draft program was in place. My number was getting close," Wallerstedt recalled. "I received a call from a friend that served on the county board to let me know my number for drafting was up."
Rather than wait for a draft notice, Wallerstedt enlisted in the United States Navy and reported to Treasure Island, California, before receiving orders to the USS Lucid, stationed in Long Beach, California. Aboard the ship, he would go on to serve his country valiantly during deployments in support of operations in Vietnam alongside his fellow sailors.
Commissioned in 1955, the USS Lucid was a wooden-hulled ocean minesweeper built to locate and clear underwater mines while protecting larger naval operations. Now preserved as a museum ship in Stockton, California, the USS Lucid remains the last ship of its kind still afloat in the United States.
Serving as the ship's personnel man, Wallerstedt was responsible for preparing daily orders, the plan of the day, and the captain's itinerary. But beyond his official duties, Wallerstedt quickly became a mentor, confidant, and steady presence for many of the younger sailors aboard.
"One memory I have never forgotten is being the father image to a lot of these young men, as most of them were barely 18 and I was 23," he said.
His leadership and character did not go unnoticed. During his service, Wallerstedt received the White Hat Award, presented by Eva Gabor, recognizing him as an outstanding sailor as voted on by officers, the captain, and fellow crew members.
Life aboard the Lucid brought its share of challenges.
"Lucid traveled at eight knots, so it took us 10 days to reach Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Wallerstedt said. "A lot of the men became very seasick since the Lucid was made of wood and was like a cork on the ocean."
Looking back, Wallerstedt says the lessons he learned in the Navy stayed with him long after his years at sea, shaping not only how he served, but how he approached people and life.
"The Navy taught me the ability to relate to all people, the officers as well as other shipmates,” he said.
More than six decades after first stepping aboard the USS Lucid as a young sailor, Wallerstedt had an opportunity this April to revisit a chapter of his life that, despite the passing of time, had never truly left him. While in Sacramento, California, celebrating his sister Merrily's 90th birthday with family, relatives later made their way to Stockton, California, where the USS Lucid now rests along the waterfront as a museum ship undergoing restoration.
For Wallerstedt, stepping back aboard for the first time in more than six decades was more than a visit. It was a return to the place where lifelong friendships were formed, lessons were learned, and two years of his life helped shape the man he would become.
"My recent visit to the Lucid was emotional, as this was my home for two years," he said. "To see where I had worked, slept, and lived was unbelievable."
Today, those memories carry even greater meaning.
"Memorial Day is especially meaningful for those who have served the country and some who never returned home," he said.
For the Oakland community, Wallerstedt's story is a reminder that while ships may age, uniforms may be folded away, and decades may pass, the service, sacrifice, and brotherhood forged in defense of freedom never fade.
Editor's note: Jennifer Gutierrez is Wallerstedt's great-niece.
