Rick Weaver, a native of New Bethlehem, joined the United States Navy in January of 1984.

Name: Wayne Richard “Rick” Weaver II

Born: April 7, 1965

Died: May 17, 1987

Hometown: New Bethlehem, Pa.

Branch: Navy

Duty Station: Perry Class Guided Missile Frigate, U.S.S. Stark (FFG-31)

Rank: Electronics Technician Third Class Petty Officer

Joined Military Service in (month,year):  January, 1984
 
Third Class Petty Officer Wayne Richard “Rick” Weaver earned the Purple Heart & Navy & Marine Medal for Heroism for his acts of bravery and exemplary courageous conduct after the missile attack on the U.S.S. Stark (FFG-31) on May 17, 1987.

Early Years

Wayne Richard Weaver II, “Rick” as he was known to family and friends, was the son of Patty and Richard Weaver. He was born in Brookville, Pennsylvania, on April 7, 1965, and spent his entire life in northwestern Pennsylvania. Rick had the usual interests like hunting and fishing, cars, and being with his friends. Rick also loved sports and being close to six feet tall in 9th grade, combined with natural athletic abilities, made him a good fit as a starter on the high school basketball team.

The year was 1980; my name is Dave Cyphert, and this is our story.

A Bond Never Broken

The first 18 years of my life were spent in Clarion and I had attended school in the Clarion School District since kindergarten, but moving in 1979 meant changing schools to Clarion-Limestone, and looking back, I am so grateful I did. At C-L, Rick and I hit it off right away and became good friends, hanging out together. My first memory of Rick was in the school’s cafeteria. He always had a big smile on his face and never had bad words about anyone….and that laugh…I can still hear his laugh to this day! Before long, it was Rick, another good friend, Mike Geary, and I that always seemed to be hanging out together in and outside of school. I can even recall during our junior year pulling an all-nighter with a group of friends one weekend preparing his Ford Maverick for a new paint job. Those were fun times! Great memories!

Enlisting in the United States Navy

Early in our senior year, in the Fall of 1982, Rick and I were discussing what we’d do after high school, and enlisting in the Navy was talked about rarely, and the buddy system in the Navy’s delayed entry program was most definitely not a topic of discussion. Fortunately, as fate would have it, our paths would eventually cross after high school graduation. Six months or so before our senior year ended, we both made the decision to enlist, and we had already made our separate visits to Pittsburgh for our physicals and processing. As it turned out, we were both very excited about discovering we were scheduled to leave for basic training on the same day, and to the same recruit training command in Orlando, Florida. So, on January 2, 1984, Rick and I traveled to his Dad’s home in Pittsburgh. The next day, we flew to Orlando for the start of our Navy journey together.

Rick and I were literally inseparable over the next six months; he was like a brother I never had. We went through eight weeks of being bunkmates in our division during basic training, going through rigorous physical training, and inspections together in order to pass successfully. Rick’s training towards being an Electronics Technician and mine as an Electronics Warfare Technician completed a couple weeks apart. Late in May of 1984, we parted ways when he was sent to additional schooling in Great Lakes, Illinois.

Upon completion of Electronics Technician “A” school early in 1985, Rick then reported to his duty station in Jacksonville, Florida, aboard the U.S.S. Stark (FFG-31), a Perry class guided missile frigate. I reported to the Spruance class Destroyer, U.S.S. Comte DeGrasse (DD-974) based in Norfolk, Virginia.

Missiles Inbound

The U.S.S. Stark, while sailing off the Saudi Arabian coast in the Persian Gulf, which was near the “line in the sand” between Iran and Iraq since Iraq invaded Iran in September 1980. Seven years into the 8 year war between the two countries, on the evening of May 17, 1987, at 8 pm, an Iraqi F-1 Mirage fighter jet pilot, carrying two 1,500 pound French made Exocet missiles took off from an airbase in southeastern Iraq, and once reaching the coastline, steadied altitude to 5,000 feet above the water, traveling 550 miles per hour along the Arabian coast of the Persian Gulf.

Nearby, a U.S. plane equipped with an Airborne and Warning Control System (AWACS) on routine patrol with a joint American and Saudi Arabian crew, detected the Iraqi fighter jet off the Stark’s port side just before 10 pm, 200 miles away. At this time of night, ship’s company are settling in for the evening, with the exception of the watch section manning the ship. The Commanding Officer sent out a message asking the pilot to identify themselves and state their intentions, but received no reply. A couple minutes later the fighter jet initiated fire-control radar lock and launched the first of two Exocet missiles twenty two miles outbound from the Stark and the second at fifteen miles away, then disengaged radar contact.

The Stark’s electronic warfare support system failed to detect the incoming threat in time and only had mere seconds before the first missile struck the ship’s port side, entering Rick’s sleeping compartment, just above the waterline, and also taking out vital electronic communications in the process. The first missile did not detonate but the second missile did explode, igniting the fuel from the first missile and ripping a 15 foot wide hole in the side of the Stark. The second missile also entered the port side sleeping compartment where Rick and about 70 other sailors were located.

An Unselfish Act of Bravery and Unbelievable Heroic Act of Courage

In the ensuing moments after the attack, there was total chaos. Black smoke filled the compartment that was so thick one couldn’t see their hands only inches from their face, sea water rushing in and temperatures from the fire that reached over 1800 degrees, the race for survival was on. Even though Rick was mortally injured with shrapnel wounds, he and many others put their shipmate’s well-being ahead of their own safety by assisting them with emergency escape breathing apparatus devices that were stored in nearby lockers. The usual escape route out of the sleeping compartment was blocked off due to damage from the missile impact. Upon investigations and accounts from surviving shipmates, it was determined that Rick saved the lives of 12 shipmates before succumbing to his fatal injuries. He was only 22 years old. Thirty-seven sailors lost their lives that day, 29 died from the explosion and fire, eight died from injuries, and two were lost at sea. This tragic incident has been recorded as the only successful anti-ship missile attack on a United States Navy warship.

I’ll never forget that day in Norfolk over 27 years ago, getting a call informing me of Rick’s passing. I literally dropped to my knees in the Combat Information Center (CIC), where I took the call. Being flown to Dover Airforce base and viewing the 37 flag draped caskets was sobering and so, so sad for this country. For me, the emotional wounds are still evident.

Knowing Rick the way I did, none of those heroic acts he performed on the night of May 17, 1987, truly surprised me…that was Rick. I was blessed to have known him for the short time I did, and I was extremely humbled to be asked to escort him home after he arrived back on U.S. soil. Rick was laid to rest in Salem Cemetery in Frogtown, Pennsylvania, just a few miles from where he was raised.

In 1996, the newly constructed bridge spanning Toby Creek along State Route 1005 in Clarion County was dedicated in Rick’s honor and is now known as the “Wayne Richard Weaver II Memorial Bridge.”

~Fair Winds and Following Seas

Third Class Petty Officer Weaver’s Navy Decorations:
Purple Heart
Navy & Marine Medal for Heroism
Overseas Service Ribbon