Lloyd Mark Bucher

   Another name for Lloyd was Pete Bucher.

   FamilySearch ID: K2V4-NJM.

  Burial Notes:

BURIED AT: SECTION A-E SITE 33A.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Book: Wikipedia.
Bucher was born in Pocatello, Idaho, where he was given up for adoption by his birth mother, and was orphaned at an early age (his adoptive mother dying of cancer when he was age 3). He was raised by his father, grandparents, various other family members, his father again, then drifted through a series of orphanages until he read a magazine article about Father Falanagan's Boy's Town in Nebraska. He wrote to Father Flanagan and was surprised when he wrote back to Bucher. Bucher was accepted at Boy's Town in the Summer of 1941, and for the rest of his life considered it to be his home.

2. Military: World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War.

3. Obituary: Associated Press on 29 Jan 2004 in San Diego, San Diego, CA. By Seth Hettena
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN DIEGO - Former Navy Cmdr. Lloyd "Pete" Bucher, who was commander of the USS Pueblo when the spy ship was captured by North Korea in 1968 and helped his crew survive nearly a year of abuse in captivity only to nearly face a court-martial, has died. He was 76.
Bucher, who lived in San Diego, died Wednesday evening at a nursing facility in Poway. He had been in declining health for months, partly the legacy of months of brutal captivity, said Stu Russell, who served under Bucher and is president of the USS Pueblo Veteran's Association.
One sailor was killed and 82 were taken prisoner. Bucher, who was wounded when the Pueblo was shelled, was beaten and tortured into signing a confession. During their captivity, crewmembers were beaten with pieces of lumber, burned on radiators and had their teeth kicked out by North Korean soldiers.
"The man was a giant," Russell said from his home in Eureka, Calif. "Being the focal point between the Koreans and the crew, he took the brunt of everything. No matter who did what, he was always punished. I simply don't know where he got the strength and courage to go through what he did."
After 11 months, the crew was released two days before Christmas. Many returned home crippled or nearly blind because of malnourishment. Their diet mostly consisted of turnips. The ship remained behind in North Korea, where it became a tourist attraction.
"I had people come to me and say on so many occasions that they never really appreciated how great it was to be an American until they had the misfortune to have been captured and stuck in a country that is completely devoid of humanity and truthfulness," Bucher said shortly after his release.
AP file photoNorth Korea released this propaganda photo in January 1968, with a description that read: "LLoyd Mark Bucher, captain of the captured armed ship Pueblo of the U.S. imperialist aggressor army, writing his confessions." Bucher's surrender of the small ship, loaded with intelligence information, was harshly criticized by a Navy Court of Inquiry convened in Coronado. The court recommended Bucher face a general court-martial for failing to defend the Pueblo and allowing the ship to be searched when he had the power to resist and other offenses.
Navy Secretary John H. Chafee denied the request, saying that Bucher and other crewmembers "have suffered enough, and further punishment would not be justified."
The court did note that Bucher's leadership helped the crew survive the ordeal. While Bucher was being grilled by the Court of Inquiry, crewmembers passed him a note that read, "We've made it this far together and we'll finish it together." The note was signed "Bucher's Bastards."
Bucher remained angry that no U.S. forces were sent to aid the Pueblo.
"The U.S. at that time had enormous military forces in the western Pacific within five minutes flying time of us," Bucher told The Associated Press in 1988. "I would have thought something could be mustered to come to our aid. But everybody just forgot we were there."
It was only in 1989 that the Pentagon agreed to give prisoner of war medals to Bucher and the crew. Until then, the government maintained the 82 crewmembers were detainees rather than POWs because the United States and North Korea were not at war.
Bucher was born Sept. 1, 1927, in Pocatello, Idaho, to parents who both died shortly after his birth. He became a ward of the state and was adopted the following year by Austin Bucher and his wife, who changed his birth name from Don to Lloyd. The Buchers, too, died shortly after the adoption.
Navy file photoCmdr. Bucher smiles and waves after his release in December 1968. Bucher was sent to the St. Joseph's Children Home in Idaho where he remained until 1940 when he saw the Spencer Tracy film "Boys Town." Bucher wrote to Boys Town founder Father Edward Flanagan in Nebraska, asking for permission to live there. Flanagan sent him a train ticket, according to an account provided by Boys Town.
"Boys Town was the only home that I ever had," Bucher once said.
After Bucher graduated from high school in 1947, he served two years in the Navy and went on to the University of Nebraska.
Bucher was commissioned as an officer in 1953 and received command of the Pueblo - his first command - in 1967. He retired from the Navy in the early 1970s with the rank of commander.
Bucher is survived by his wife, Rose, sons Mark and Michael and several grandchildren.
A funeral was being arranged next week at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. Bucher will be given full military honors.

4. Obituary: New York Times on 29 Jan 2004 in San Diego, San Diego, CA. Former Commander Lloyd M. Bucher (1928-2004)
Former U.S. Navy Commander Lloyd M. Bucher, whose spy ship, Pueblo , was seized by North Korea in 1968, died on January 28 in San Diego, California. He was 76 years old. Commissioned in the Navy in 1953, Bucher and his men were carrying out a reconnaissance mission in international waters off North Korea when North Korean boats surrounded the Pueblo. Through the incident, Bucher became the first skipper to surrender an American warship since the War of 1812, but Bucher later defended his action in his book, Bucher: My Story (Doubleday 1970): "My feelings were of an almost overwhelming need to retaliate by shooting back. But our .50-caliber machine guns were no match for 57-millimeter automatic cannons. . . . It was certain death to try to shoot back." Bucher and his crew were released after 11 months of captivity and torture. Upon his return, Bucher helped organize mining and, later, the removal of the mines in North Vietnamese waters before retiring in 1973. Bucher is survived by his wife Rose Rohling, and two sons, Michael and Mark.

5. Obituary: San Diego Union Tribune on 4 Feb 2004 in San Diego, San Diego, CA. High on a bluff overlooking Navy submarines like the ones he served aboard for years, former Cmdr. Lloyd M. Bucher was laid to rest at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery yesterday as hundreds of shipmates, friends and family members braced themselves against a stiff wind.
Bucher, who surrendered the lightly armed spy ship Pueblo to North Korea in 1968 and survived 11 months of torture and captivity with most of his crew intact, died at a nursing center last week.
Bucher, a longtime Poway resident who went by the nickname "Pete," was 76 and suffered from emphysema, asbestosis and lingering health problems related to beatings he endured at the hands of the North Koreans.
He was almost entirely self-made, having been adopted, then orphaned and then moved to the famous Boys Town school for abandoned, neglected and wayward boys before he was 8 years old. The home was founded in 1917 in Omaha, Neb., by Father Edward J. Flanagan.
"I can only imagine Pete's first words to our Father in heaven, with Father Flanagan right beside him: Aye-aye, sir! Reporting for duty!' " said Raul Para of the Boys Town Alumni Association.
Bucher, who once called going to Boys Town the biggest break in his life, joined the Navy at 17 after Flanagan signed for his early enlistment. Later, he was accepted by the University of Nebraska and played halfback for the school's football team.
After graduation, Bucher became a Navy officer and served 27 years before retiring in 1973.
By then, Bucher long had been defined by his controversial decision to hand over the Pueblo to the North Koreans, who attacked the vessel in international waters as it tracked passing ships and messages.
One sailor was killed and 17 others injured when North Korea seized the Pueblo. Bucher said he had no choice other than to surrender because the ship was not equipped to defend itself.
Enduring nearly a year of constant beatings, interrogations and worse, Bucher and 82 others were released two days before Christmas in 1968.
Bucher's return to the United States was marked by second-guessing and an official court of inquiry. Although the committee recommended a court-martial, Bucher never was charged.
He never regained the respect of his superiors, either.
In 1988, Bucher and his crew were overlooked during a military prisoner-of-war ceremony, even though the men under his command continued to credit Bucher with engineering their collective survival.
The snub by U.S. military officials "must indeed have been the deepest cut of all," said Monsignor Joseph Finnerty, who presided over yesterday's Mass at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Poway. "He was given a raw deal."
James Kell, a Pueblo survivor who delivered one of two eulogies at the church, said many more sailors would have died without Bucher's sense of bravery and leadership.
He bore the worst of the tortures and inspired his men to hang on while State Department officials tried to negotiate a release, Kell said.
"His concern was for saving the life of his crew, and we all owe him that," Kell told Bucher's widow during his remarks to mourners. "We could call him a sailor's sailor, Rose, because that's what he was to all of us."
Actor Hal Holbrook, who portrayed Bucher in a movie made in the 1970s dramatizing the Pueblo's capture and its aftermath, sent a statement to the Mass saying he regretted being unable to attend.
In written remarks read by Kell, Holbrook called Bucher an inspiration, a beautiful man and a patriot.
"I salute him from my heart," the actor wrote.
To his friends and his crew, Bucher was a charismatic commander who led by example and delighted in humoring those around him. Kell told the audience the story about the time Bucher spontaneously broke into song in the middle of a busy restaurant. Most everyone in the room stopped to watch the spectacle.
"It didn't bother him; he just went right on singing," Kell said. "Nothing bothered him."
A funeral procession of three dozen or more vehicles wound its way slowly from Poway to the tip of Point Loma after the Mass at St. Michael's. Bagpipers played as Bucher's wife and two sons arrived at the grave site.
Hoisted by a half-dozen sailors, Bucher's flag-draped casket was carried to the bluff top high above the Point Loma Submarine Base. Moments later, a bugler played taps as sailors folded the banner neatly and gave it to Rose Bucher.
A camouflaged helmet rested silently atop a rifle that had been planted beside the marble headstone bearing Bucher's name. For some at the graveside service, the thanks of a grateful nation may have come decades too late.

6. Fact: A Resolution was Read in the U.S. Congress, 13 Sep 2004, Washington, District of Columbia, DC. SALUTING THE LIFE AND COURAGE OF THE LATE COMMANDER LLOYD ``PETE'' BUCHER -- (House of Representatives - September 13, 2004)
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Mr. AKIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 407) saluting the life and courage of the late Commander Lloyd ``Pete'' Bucher, United States Navy (retired), who commanded the U.S.S. Pueblo (AGER-2) at the time of its capture by North Korea on January 23, 1968.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 407
Whereas on January 28, 2004, Commander Lloyd ``Pete'' Bucher, United States Navy (retired), died and was subsequently buried with honors at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma, San Diego, California;
Whereas Lloyd Bucher was appointed as a commissioned officer in the Navy in June 1953 and in May 1967 was assigned command of the U.S.S. Pueblo (AGER-2), an auxiliary light cargo ship designated as an environmental research vessel;
Whereas the U.S.S. Pueblo, while under the command of Commander Bucher and in international waters conducting an intelligence mission off the coast of North Korea, was attacked by three North Korean torpedo boats and a North Korean sub chaser on January 23, 1968;
Whereas the U.S.S. Pueblo was armed only with two .50-caliber machine guns, and the attack resulted in the death of one Navy sailor and the capture of Commander Bucher, his crew, and the U.S.S. Pueblo;
Whereas Commander Bucher and his crew were starved and tortured for 11 months, and were repeatedly beaten, burned on steam radiators, and otherwise brutally treated by their North Korean captors;
Whereas Commander Bucher bore the brunt of the wrath of the North Koreans;
Whereas crewman James Kell said, ``We were all beaten, we all were tortured. But [Commander Bucher] had it double, triple, quadruple what we got.'';
Whereas crewman Stu Russell said, ``[Commander Bucher] was a giant. No matter who did what, he was always punished. I simply don't know where he got the strength and courage to go through what he did.'';
Whereas on December 23, 1968, the crew of the U.S.S. Pueblo was released, some of whom were crippled or nearly blind because of the brutality and malnourishment they endured;
Whereas Commander Bucher retired from the Navy in 1973; and
Whereas Commander Bucher is survived by his wife, Rose, their two sons, and several grandchildren: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress--
(1) salutes the life and courage of the late Commander Lloyd ``Pete'' Bucher, United States Navy (retired), who commanded the U.S.S. Pueblo (AGER-2) at the time of its capture by North Korea on January 23, 1968, and who passed away on January 28, 2004;
(2) praises Commander Bucher for his exemplary bravery and sacrifice, which were an inspiration to his crew and the United States, while he and his crew were held in captivity for 11 months in North Korea;
(3) praises the bravery of the crew of the U.S.S. Pueblo; and
(4) expresses its heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of Commander Bucher.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin) and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin).
GENERAL LEAVE
Mr. AKIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the concurrent resolution currently under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Missouri?
There was no objection.
Mr. AKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, some observers have argued that the United States won the Cold War without firing a shot. While we may have secured our victory without a large-scale military conflict with the former Soviet Union, there are many Americans whose lives were indelibly marked by this not-so-Cold War. One of those Americans was Commander Pete Bucher. I rise today to honor this American patriot and the men who served under his command on the USS Pueblo.
On January 23, 1968, the USS Pueblo was commanded by Pete Bucher and was monitoring Communist ship movements and intercepting messages in international waters near the North Korean coast when it was attacked by North Korean naval forces. As a result of the attack, one Navy sailor, Fireman Duane Hodges, was killed and the remaining crew members were captured. Their incarceration marked the beginning of a nearly yearlong ordeal for Commander Bucher and the crew of the USS Pueblo.
Held in concrete cells for 11 months, Commander Bucher and the Pueblo crew were starved and tortured by the North Koreans. Mostly fed turnips, many of the malnourished crew members began to lose their sight. They were repeatedly beaten and burned. According to Crewman Bob Chicca, the North Koreans would use ``rifle butts or pieces of wood, whatever they had handy, to beat us.''
By all accounts, Pete Bucher bore the brunt of the North Koreans' wrath. According to crewman Stu Russell, Bucher ``was a giant.'' As commanding officer, Bucher was the focus of the North Korean efforts. Russell recalled that he took the brunt of everything. No matter who did what, he was always punished. I simply don't know where he got the strength and courage to go through what he did.'' Eventually Bucher, when he was wounded when the Pueblo was shelled, was beaten and tortured into signing a ``confession,'' an act he also felt would save the lives of his crew.
During her husband's captivity, Rose Bucher, a native of my home State of Missouri, worked hard to make sure Americans did not forget the men of the Pueblo. Rose handed out bumper stickers reminding the public to ``Remember the Pueblo.'' Finally, 2 days before Christmas 1968, Commander Bucher and the crew of the Pueblo were released one by one across the ``Bridge of No Return'' from North to South Korea. At the time Bucher stated, ``It was like coming out of the grave.''
On 28 January 2004, this courageous warrior passed from this world into the next. He was subsequently buried with honors at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma, San Diego, California. Three men who served under Pete Bucher on the Pueblo carried the flag-draped coffin to its final resting place overlooking San Diego Bay.
Today, I am pleased to be joined by 26 of my House colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, in offering this resolution to honor Commander Lloyd ``Pete'' Bucher and the crew of the USS Pueblo. Pete Bucher and his crew sacrificed that each of us may enjoy the liberty for which so many others have given the ultimate sacrifice. In passing this resolution, we continue to remember the Pueblo.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 407 introduced by my colleague, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin). I would like to recognize the gentleman for his leadership and work in bringing forward this resolution to salute the service and extreme bravery of Commander Lloyd Mark Bucher and the crew of the USS Pueblo.
Sadly, Lloyd Bucher, who went by the name of ``Pete,'' passed away earlier this year. With his passing, the tragic event of the capture of the USS Pueblo in 1968 by North Korea once again brings light upon this exceptional individual. Commander Bucher did not just have the unfortunate privilege of being the commander of the USS Pueblo when it was attacked by the North Koreans on January 23, 1968. It was his bravery, loyalty and steadfastness to his men that distinguished him as an extraordinary leader during a dark and very challenging time.
Pete Bucher's life is an American story. He was born in 1927. His parents died when he was an infant. He was adopted, but tragically, his adoptive parents also died during his childhood.
After seeing the film ``Boys Town,'' he wrote to Father Flanagan asking if he could live there. According to a Boys Town account, Father Flanagan sent him a train ticket, and Pete Bucher finally found a permanent home in Omaha, Nebraska.
At 17 years of age, Pete Bucher enlisted in the Navy. He went on to college at the University of Nebraska, and after graduating he became a naval officer and served for 27 years before retiring in 1973.
He might have lived an ordinary naval life if not for the terrible events that unfolded on January 23, 1968. As commander of the USS Pueblo, an intelligence gathering ship, Commander Bucher was ordered to cruise off the eastern coast of North Korea to intercept communications and gather intelligence. While on their maiden voyage and in international waters, the Pueblo armed only with two .50 caliber machine guns was attacked by three North Korean torpedo boats and a North Korean sub chaser.
The attack ended with one American crewman killed and a number of crew wounded, including Commander Bucher.
[Time: 14:15]
Despite radio calls seeking air support, no help ever arrived. Instead, the crew and its captain were taken as prisoners. Beaten, tortured, and starved nearly to death, the crew endured this brutality for nearly a year. Pete Bucher, as the leader of the crew, took the brunt of these punishments.
According to James Kell, a Pueblo survivor, many more sailors would have died without Bucher's sense of bravery and leadership. He bore the worst of the tortures and inspired his men to hang on. It was his concern for saving the life of his crew that made him a sailor's sailor, a sign of respect and admiration from his crew. On December 23, 1968, 11 months after their capture, the crew and the captain of the USS Pueblo were released. Many were crippled or nearly blind because of malnourishment they endured.
Yet Commander Pete Bucher would not receive the support and recognition that he deserved from his commanding officers. Instead, he faced an official court of inquiry that criticized him for surrendering his ship and recommended a court-martial. But Bucher was never charged. He continued to serve in the Navy and retired in 1973.
Today, we remember the Pueblo, and we salute the life and the courage of this exceptional individual and recognize the bravery of all those who served with him aboard the USS Pueblo. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
[Begin Insert]
Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 407, of which I am an original co-sponsor, saluting the life and courage of the late Commander Lloyd ``Pete'' Bucher, United States Navy (retired) and the crew of the USS Pueblo.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that two of the USS Pueblo crew members, First Class Petty Officer Donald R. Peppard and Seaman Ramon Rosales, hail from my Congressional district of El Paso, Texas. Both were among the gallant men who served their country honorably in the face of much hardship. As you know, the members of the USS Pueblo, under the leadership of Commander Bucher, endured 11 months of excruciating captivity at the hands of the North Koreans without knowing if they would return to their loved ones.
Mr. Speaker, this is merely a small recognition paying tribute to the late Commander Bucher and the crew of the USS Pueblo, for this country owes much more to them than we could ever reciprocate. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the brave men of the USS Pueblo by supporting the passage of this bill.
[End Insert]
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. AKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Aderholt). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 407.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

Lloyd married Rose Rohling. (Rose Rohling was born in , , MO.)