Capt. Kenneth Iverson, the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton commanding officer, and Retired Lt. Cmdr. Richard J. Nowatzki, who served aboard the USS Hornet during the Battle of Midway, place a wreath at base of the hospital’s flag pole during the hospital’s 71st commemoration of the Battle of Midway June 5. Nowatzki, a native of Freeport, Ill., enlisted in the Navy August 1941 and was a plank owner of the Hornet. While serving onboard Hornet he was part of many historical events including the Doolittle Raid, the Battle of Midway and he was one of the last crewmen to abandon her when the Hornet sank during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands Oct. 27, 1942. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael R. McCormick) - Capt. Kenneth Iverson, the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton commanding officer, and Retired Lt. Cmdr. Richard J. Nowatzki, who served aboard the USS Hornet during the Battle of Midway, place a wreath at base of the hospital’s flag pole during the hospital’s 71st commemoration of the Battle of Midway June 5. Nowatzki, a native of Freeport, Ill., enlisted in the Navy August 1941 and was a plank owner of the Hornet. While serving onboard Hornet he was part of many historical events including the Doolittle Raid, the Battle of Midway and he was one of the last crewmen to abandon her when the Hornet sank during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands Oct. 27, 1942. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael R. McCormick)