August "Gus" Andre

Andre was born in Patterson, New Jersey on October 25, 1924. On October 28, 1941, just days after turning 17, he was completing basic training in Newport when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the US entered WWII. He spent the next 14 months on the USS New Mexico BB-40, initially participating in patrols in the North Atlantic before passing through the Panama Canal en route to the Pacific Ocean.

After further training, Andre was transferred to the USS Cimarron AO-22, an advanced oiler model fueling the fleets during the Asiatic-Pacific operations. The USS Cimarron was awarded ten battle stars for its service during WWII. Gus Andre served on the USS Cimarron until the end of hostilities in the Pacific and was honorably discharged on October 30, 1945, with the rank of QM1c (T) after four years of service, just a few days after his 21st birthday.

Returning to New York, he married his high school sweetheart, Courtenay Richardson, in June 1948. They moved to Colorado, where he completed his degree in Business Administration. In 1952, they headed back east with a son. Gus and Courtenay ultimately had two boys and three daughters. Gus never lost his love of being on the water. For decades, he went on to sail the US East Coast and Intracoastal waterways. Now residing in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, he will be 100 years old on October 25, 2024.