Paul L. Labue (MMCS SS Ret)

My Best Friend On The USS Theodore Roosevelt SSBN 600

         It's funny how friends, (and friendships) never fade or are forgotten. This small essay is about Paul Labue, the first man to welcome me aboard my first submarine, the USS Theodore Roosevelt SSBN 600 (G). Here goes....

         Today I thought I would tell you about Paul Labue. We meet when I arrived on the Theodore Roosevelt on 6 Sept 1974. He was one of the first shipmates I met, one of the first shipmates I became friends with.

         He was an MMFN (called an A-Ganger, or assigned to the Auxiliary Division), but being an E-3 (MMFN) he eventually became a Mess Cook. He never lost his smile while doing this temporary duty, working cheerfully in what the rest of the crew would term &%#$ty duty. A mess cook is not a cook, never think that. A Mess Cook cleans the Mess Decks (mopping on hand and knees), help the cooks clean the galley, compact the trash for eventual disposal in the Trash Disposal Unit (TDU), and other tasks that no one wanted to do. He did all these crappy tasks cheerfully.

         When the boat arrived in Pearl Harbor and we started off crew, Paul and I would go on Liberty together. Waikiki Beach, Makapu’u Beach, we were almost inseparable. We also had another shipmate join us, Richard Siegel. Everyone called him Bugsy, since the famous mobster Benjamin Siegel was called Bugsy. The three of us were usually found together.

         We eventually got an apartment in Salt Lake on Oahu, and spent a few off-crews there. Eventually we didn’t go everywhere together, but we remained close friends always In early 1978, he was transferred to the USS Ohio SSBN 726, the first Trident Submarine in that class of Submarine.

         Fast forward to October 2020. Somehow Paul and I connected on Facebook. After verifying he was the Paul Labue I remembered we spoke on the phone. What a pleasant time we had. He had been born in New Orleans, and of course was a life-long New Orleans Saints fan. I remember he was a Saints Season Ticket holder, even while on the Theodore Roosevelt! I had purchased a couple of USS Ohio Commissioning Leaflets that are passed out when a boat is commissioned at an Estate Sale and told Paul about them. Paul didn’t have these, so I sent those to him.


         From our Facebook chats:

         Me: “Found this at an Estate Sale today. Two copies of it were tied together. If you would like one, give me your address and I will send it to you.” It was a Commissioning pamphlet from the USS Ohio Commissioning.

         Paul: “Wow! Thanks Paul L Labue (address removed to maintain his privacy)”

Paul: “How ya been? Doing well. Just about have everything put back together since last years storm. I wonder how or who’s estate this was in!”

         Me: It was at an Estate Sale in Champaign, the former owner was John Patten, CO of the USS George C. Bancroft at one time.. Found a lot of Submarine related stuff... had to stop myself from getting more, lol

         Paul: Great. He might have been a guest at the commissioning. My mother was able to come and I gave a tour of the boat. It was a very cold day. My name is in there on the blue crew. MM1(SS)

         Me: If you know anyone else from the Commissioning crew that might want a copy, tell them about it, I'll send the other. I didn't realize there were 2 copies tied together.


         I did send those to him. We made plans to get together for dinner if I ever came back to New Orleans. Paul was retired, I planned to visit hm after I retired. He insisted that he would treat me to a Cajun Meal because as he said, “We are close friends and shipmates.” My last message from him was on 10/7/2022.


         Just over a month later I saw a post on Facebook about Paul. He had taken his wife to Gulf Shores Alabama to celebrate her birthday. I don’t know the exact circumstances, but Paul passed away while there. I have assumptions, but that’s all they are, assumptions. Seeing that news about his passing was a punch in the stomach for me. We were so close (even after 44 years) that I felt like I had lost a family member. I miss him still, after all, we had a reunion planned….. RIP MMCS(SS) Paul L. Labue. Fair Winds & Following Seas. You were a good friend and shipmate.

Jim Dorrell
3/15/25