Dennis E. Bierl

Vietnam War

Denny Bierl was born in Carroll, IA, on January 9, 1939, to Ed and Theresa (Heithoff) Bierl. The family had lived in the Templeton area but had moved to Carroll by the time Denny was born. He attended school in Carroll and attended Kuemper High School.

Denny joined the US Navy on January 7, 1957, at Des Moines, IA. By January 16, 1957, he was at boot camp at the US Naval Training Center at San Diego, CA. He went through his initial 9-week training with Company 016. He graduated from boot camp on March 16, 1957.

Denny continued advanced training and, on January 8, 1958, graduated from Navy Radioman School at San Diego. Subsequently, he was assigned to the crew of the submarine USS Argonaut (SS-475). This submarine had been commissioned in early 1945. By the time Denny joined its crew, it had been converted at Norfolk, VA, to a guided missile submarine armed with a Regulus l missile.

In mid-1958, the USS Argonaut’s home port was changed to Roosevelt Roads Naval Station at Puerto Rico. Denny served at this port for about a year. The submarine was engaged primarily in missile operations during this time. By June, 1959, Denny’s rating was RM3 (radioman third class)

Later in 1959, the USS Argonaut returned to Norfolk and its missile equipment was removed. It then was involved in supporting antisubmarine warfare training operations out of Norfolk. By July, 1960, the USS Argonaut was based in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Denny’s rating appears to have changed to SM3 (signalman third class) suggesting he had undergone some additional training.

The USS Argonaut then embarked on an Atlantic cruise that lasted the remainder of Denny’s enlistment. They returned to Philadelphia in December, 1960, where Denny was discharged. The submarine was later a part of the naval blockade of Cuba during the crisis in 1962. It was decommissioned in 1968 and sold to Canada.

Denny returned to Carroll and was involved in the Bierl family businesses. On July 1, 1961, Denny was married to Loretta “Mickey” Spieker at St. Joseph Church in Carroll. Later in life, Denny moved to Kimballton, IA, where he died on December 5, 2024 at age 85. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.