27 Apr 2005 The U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1963 honors Fred Trani and the other twelve fallen classmates on the Wall at its website. Please visit "Last Call". From a friend and classmate at USNA, Stephen Coester USNA63 Webmaster scoester@cfl.rr.com

 

08 May 2005 Dear Steve, Rick was not only a close friend of mine, but we grew up on the same small street in Hyde Park, NY. His dad was a Lt. Cmdr. in our local Naval Reserve. For eight years, he drove me to our Monday night training meetings. You might not know this Steve, but Rick played the violin (I did also). At one time, we played in a school recital together. He was well liked and usually had an impish grin. He loved to pull practical jokes on unsuspecting fellow students. His dad was my history teacher at Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park. He had a strong personality and projected that strength not only in the class room, but in the public arenas of life as well. I suspect that this strength was born from his many years of association with the Navy. Rick's dad was firm, but fair. My brother and Rick used to perform puppet shows together. Here's a copy of a recent e-mail from my brother (I call it "Reflections of Rick"): "Around 1955, Ricky and I practiced our puppet shows in his garage. Then, we'd perform our original creations (written by Ricky) at the Hyde Park Library. "Now here's something weird.... the SMELL of those rubber 'Snap, Crackle & Pop' hand puppets (free inside Kellog's cereal at that time) remains in my brain today!" And did you know Ricky had entire battlefields set up in his bedroom? He and I played with those metal soldiers until they pleaded for mercy! (I think I was 15 and he was 17 at the time.) He was certainly into military stuff and had been ever since he was a young boy. By the way, wasn't his dad responsible for your fascination with the U. S. Navy? As a matter of fact Steve, Rick and I had the same Training Instructor while attending the Reserve Center in Poughkeepsie. He lives just a few miles from me at this time! Small world. He and I were devastated to hear of Rick's untimely death. Rick was special. He will never be forgotten. Many of us are familiar with the writings of Orr Kelly. Mr. Kelly writes of the escapades of our Navy SEALs. He made a nice reference to Rick's dedication to duty and unselfish service to his country in "Never Fight Fair". Thanks for your efforts Steve. Great job. The stirring of the memories of the good old days with Rick and his family has provided a pleasant journey back into the days of my youth. I've printed out a high gloss copy of Rick's picture, with colorful ribbons, as a gift for our aging and sickly training instructor. He's going to like that. Sincerely, William B. Schamberg USNR (circa '53-'62) - YN3 - (Ret.) bschamberg@aol.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall Lieutenant Trani was wounded by a booby trap on 17 Sep 1968 and died from his injuries on 26 Sep 1968. He was the recipient of the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star medals.

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