RONALD J. VAUK, LCDR, USNR
Ronald Vauk '87
Lucky Bag
From the 1987 Lucky Bag:
Ronald James Vauk
Ron, alias dooda, was a fountain of knowledge; who came from Idaho to USNA. He started out in 11th Co. and could often be found on WE's at Timmy's with his ex-roomies (now civilians). 3/c year Ron's life took its best turn when he met Jennifer and decided to go solo with her. Spending money on Jen is his favorite pasttime, but bangles are out. 2/c year Bon fell from grace and took a year's R & R in Hawaii, but Jen remained faithful and when Ren returned he graced 24's presence. He fulfilled his goal 1st semester by being an MIR, but was adj. 2nd semester. His fame is ever-present as he still makes the brigade bulletin when Masqueraders perform. As a poly sci major, Ron was known mostly for his admiration of Reagan and his art of embellishment. Ron didn't make the May hat-toss, but was determined to do so in Aug. Ron went nuke $ub$ and eagerly awaits nuke school and (hopefully) prototype in Idaho. The fellas.
Ronald James Vauk
Ron, alias dooda, was a fountain of knowledge; who came from Idaho to USNA. He started out in 11th Co. and could often be found on WE's at Timmy's with his ex-roomies (now civilians). 3/c year Ron's life took its best turn when he met Jennifer and decided to go solo with her. Spending money on Jen is his favorite pasttime, but bangles are out. 2/c year Bon fell from grace and took a year's R & R in Hawaii, but Jen remained faithful and when Ren returned he graced 24's presence. He fulfilled his goal 1st semester by being an MIR, but was adj. 2nd semester. His fame is ever-present as he still makes the brigade bulletin when Masqueraders perform. As a poly sci major, Ron was known mostly for his admiration of Reagan and his art of embellishment. Ron didn't make the May hat-toss, but was determined to do so in Aug. Ron went nuke $ub$ and eagerly awaits nuke school and (hopefully) prototype in Idaho. The fellas.
Loss
Ronald was killed on September 11, 2001 when the Pentagon was struck by a hijacked commercial airliner.
Other Information
From the Naval Academy Alumni Association's 9/11 page:
Commander Vauk was born in Nampa, ID, and graduated from Nampa High School. He was commissioned with the Class of 1987 with a bachelor’s degree with a major in political science. Following nuclear power training, Commander Vauk served aboard GLENARD P. LIPSCOMB and OKLAHOMA CITY. He retired from active service in 1993 in favor of the Naval Reserve. Lieutenant Vauk worked for Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory while obtaining a master’s in Business from the University of Maryland. Commander Vauk was serving the second day of his annual Reserve duty at the Pentagon on 11 September.
Ronald is buried in Arlington National Cemetery; he is also listed at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial and the National September 11 Memorial.
From The Baltimore Sun on September 27, 2001:
A Mass of Christian burial for Ronald James Vauk of Mount Airy, who was killed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, will be offered at 12:45 p.m. Saturday at the Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Chapel.
Mr. Vauk, 37, was beginning two weeks of annual active duty for the Naval Reserve and serving as watch commander in the Naval Command Center at the Pentagon when a hijacked plane struck the building. Since 1997, he had been an assistant group supervisor in submarine technology at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel.
Born In Nampa, Idaho, Mr. Vauk was a 1987 graduate of the Naval Academy, where he earned a degree In political science. He served on the submarines USS Glenard P. Lipscomb and the USS Oklahoma City, attaining the rank of lieutenant commander and receiving several medals and commendations. After about seven years of active duty, he entered the reserves and began working for Delex Corp. in Tyson's Corner, Va., where he was project manager for naval contracts.
A devoted family man, Mr. Vauk also enjoyed woodworking and golf.
Visiting hours at Sterling Ash-ton Schwab Funeral Home, 736 Edmondson Ave., are from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. today.
He is survived by his wife of 14 years, the former Jennifer Mooney, who is expecting a child in November, and their 3-year-old son, Liam; four brothers, Charles Vauk of Boise, Idaho, David Vauk of Nampa, Gary Vauk of Grapevine, Texas, and Dennis Vauk of Houston; and four sisters, Teri Mas-terson of Carson City, Nev., Celia Shikuma of Huntington Beach, Calif., Lynne Caba of Nampa and Patricia Vauk of Minneapolis.
A Ronald James Vauk Memorial Fund for his wife and children has been established in care of First Mariner Bank, 1801 S. Clinton St., Baltimore 21224.
Remembrances
From the Star Tribune on September 11, 2011:
....Twists of fate that morning made the death of Lt. Cmdr. Ronald Vauk especially cruel: His annual stint at the Pentagon had been scheduled for later that year, but he worked out a switch to be free for his daughter's birth in November. When Megan was born, Pat Vauk traveled to Baltimore to see her new niece and her nephew Liam, 3, now a fatherless family.
....But blessedly, so does seeing Liam, now 13.
"My brother was funny, always the life of the party, a smart aleck, very lively" (Pat) Vauk said. "And, oh my god, his son is just like him. He's good in math, very engineering-oriented, extremely smart, just about the spitting image of his dad in every way. And a complete smart aleck. It's freaky."
From the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory:
Ronald Vauk, 37, of the Submarine Technology Department (STD), was killed when terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon on Sept. 11. A lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve, he was on watch at the Navy Command Center on the second day of his annual two-week reserve duty. “Ron was dedicated to serving his country,” says his supervisor, Art Turriff. “As a watch officer at the Navy Command Center, he was doing what he knew to be a very important job. He will be greatly missed.”
Born and raised in Nampa, Idaho, Mr. Vauk earned an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1987. He served six years on active duty as a submarine officer, serving on two fast-attack submarines and the staff of Commander Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet. He had been in the Naval Reserve since 1993. He earned a master’s degree in technology management from the University of Maryland in 1999.
Mr. Vauk joined the Laboratory in 1997. He was the assistant supervisor of the Operational Assessments Group and was instrumental in expanding the group from nine staff members to 24 in roughly 10 months. He also served as task leader for a number of diverse projects. “Ron was involved in every facet of the hiring and group decision-making process. He was very perceptive when it came to personnel,” says Turriff. Mr. Vauk recently spearheaded a series of training lectures to help each new staff member better understand the Navy, the Laboratory and their specific projects.
Mr. Vauk’s technical contributions spanned a variety of projects from developing tactics for the submarine force as project manager of the SSBN Security Tactical Development Program to developing the concept of operations for the Joint Biological Early Warning System (JBREWS). Recently, Mr. Vauk was a principal member of a multidepartmental team that won a $6 million contract to develop the operational requirements for the Navy’s next-generation Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft. He was also involved in several initiatives associated with submarine at-sea exercises and development of advanced submarine combat systems.
“First and foremost Ron was a devoted husband and a caring and attentive father,” says Chris DeBoy, of the Space Department, Mr. Vauk’s brother-in-law. “He was also quick to offer help to family and friends alike, fun to be with, someone to turn to for solid advice, an all-around class act.” In addition to family life, Mr. Vauk enjoyed golf, woodworking and home remodeling, having recently finished his basement.
Mr. Vauk, who was interred at Arlington Cemetery, is survived by his wife, Jennifer; their 3-year old son, Liam, and a second child due in November; his parents, Hubert (“Cubby”) and Dorothy Vauk; four brothers, Charles, David, Gary and Dennis Vauk; four sisters, Teri Masterson, Celia Shikuma, Lynne Caba and Pat Vauk; his parents-in-law, Pat and Carol Mooney; his sister- and brother-in-law, Alissa and Chris DeBoy; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Photographs
Memorial Hall Error
Ronald is not listed on the killed in action panel in the front of Memorial Hall. All active duty service members killed or wounded in the September 11 attacks were awarded the Purple Heart Medal pursuant to section 1129a of Title 10, U.S.C., which was passed into law in 2014.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.