Warren Robert DeYoung

MEDALS-RIBBONS: American Defense Service, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, China Service, National Defense, Korean Presidential Unit, Philippine Liberation

Captain DeYoung served his country honorably and faithfully during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. As the Assistant Comptroller of the Navy he was responsible for revising the Naval Financial and Accounting Systems.

Captain Warren R. DeYoung was born in Kansas on July 15, 1921.  He grew up on a ranch, and at the age of 17 graduated from Prairie View High School as Valedictorian of the class of 1939.   He worked his way through Kansas University by running a local cinema receiving a degree in Accounting in 1943.  During high school and college years he played football and in college joined ROTC. 

On May 31, 1943 he was commissioned into active service as Ensign Warren Robert DeYoung, attending Midshipman’s School at the University of Notre Dame as World War II was in full swing.  He was then assigned to attend PT Boat Training in Melville, Rhode Island and subsequently deployed to the European Theatre.  During the invasion at Normandy, DeYoung was Skipper of an Elco 80’s Motor Torpedo Boat (the longest of all the PT Boats): PT 498 Ron 34.   He and his crew operated out of Rosneath, Scotland and travelled to Dartmouth, England for D-Day.  Crossing the English Channel, the PTs patrolled the "Mason Line", forming a barrier against the German S-boats that were attacking the Allied landing forces.   DeYoung and his crew “performed lifesaving and anti-shipping mine destruction missions during the nights before D-Day and through the invasion.  With great fortune, all of his crew returned to the base in Dartmouth.   After this mission, DeYoung was sent to Borneo in the South Pacific, where he skippered the PT 224  Ron 16 pushing the Japanese out the Philippines and liberating a POW camp. 

After World War II, Ensign. DeYoung transferred from line officer to the Supply Corp in Bayonne, New Jersey attending Supply Corp School from October 1946 to March 1947.  He was commissioned as an Assistant Paymaster on February 19, 1947 and 2 months later attended Aviation Supply School for 1 month.   DeYoung was transferred to N.A.S. Sangley Point in the Philippines and by June 18, 1948 was appointed Lieutenant JG.   January 1, 1949 DeYoung was appointed as Lieutenant.  After the Philippines, DeYoung was assigned as Supply Officer on the USS Suisun Bay, nicknamed the Susy Q, from 1953 to 1954, serving in the Korean waters where he received the Korean Presidential Citation for extraordinary heroism in action.

In 1954 DeYoung was stationed at North Island in San Diego in COMAIRPAC (Commander Naval Air Pacific????) staff as Lt. Commander.  He and his wife lived in LaJolla where they welcomed their son, Peter.   On February 1, 1957 DeYoung attended the United States Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and graduated in June of that year.   DeYoung was reassigned as the Supply Officer at the Naval Air Base in Naples, Italy in 1957 where he spent the next 3 years.   Fortunately, his family moved and lived there with him. 

On April 1, 1959 DeYoung was appointed Commander in the Supply Corp and was reassigned to Washington DC where he served as the Assistant Comptroller for the Financial Systems and Operations.  Commander DeYoung was responsible for the development and installation of a new management system, which completely revised the financial and accounting systems for the US Navy. 

The summer of 1963 DeYoung was reassigned to Bremerton, Washington where he was stationed on the air craft carrier USS Kitty Hawk.   At that time the Kitty Hawk was undergoing a major overhaul and installation of sophisticated electronics that took 8 1/2 months.  Deploying from Bremerton, Commander DeYoung served aboard the USS Kitty Hawk in the Far East with the Seventh Fleet, stationed out of Yokosuka, Japan and toured Hawaii, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, and provided aerial support for the Vietnam War.  The Kitty Hawk returned to Bremerton on August 15, 1964 and he received a letter of recognition by the US Navy for his services.  

On October 1, 1964 he was appointed to the rank of Captain in the Supply Corp and moved back to San Diego, California where he served out his career as the Supply Officer for Naval Air Station Miramar.  He retired on September 1, 1968 and entered civilian life. 

Captain Warren R. DeYoung passed away on June 20, 1990 and is buried at Dearborn Memorial Cemetery with his son in Poway, California.