May 2016 - USS Henry L. Stimson (SSBN-655)

VOL. 2016 NUMBER 5
MAY 2016
USS HENRY L. STIMSON ASSOCIATION SSBN655 NEWSLETTER
Asso ciat ion O ffi cers & Bo a rd o f D i recto rs 201 3 —2016
PRESIDENT
Ray [Rita] Kreul
VICE PRESIDENT
Tom [Marie] Krauser
SECRETARY
Nick [Linda] Nichols
TREASURER
Ken [Diane] Meigs
OUTGOING PRESIDENT
Chuck [Joyce] Hladik
Other Positions 2013 —2016
HISTORIAN / CUSTODIAN
Loree [Carolyn] Riggs
WEBMASTER / NEWSLETTER
Nick [Linda] Nichols
CHAPLAIN
J.B. Helms
In Waters Deep
©Copyright October 11, 2001 by Eileen Mahoney
(read similar to “In Flanders Fields”)
STOREKEEPER / SHIPS STORE
VACANT
USS HENRY L. STIMSON 50th
REUNION GOLF OUTING
The Links at Stono Ferry will host
the USS Henry L. Stimson Golf
outing on Thursday October 13 th. The schedule
includes a 1000 AM shot gun start and a boxed lunch.
The total cost for the individual golfer is $60. There is a
limited number of golfers we can accommodate so first
come first in. Rental clubs are also available at an
additional charge. Get your handicap and clubs ready
for a great day with your shipmates.
Send reservations to David Huckeba via e-mail
to [email protected] or call him @770-6425425.
————————————————————————
2016 Stimson Reunion News!
COMMISSIONING + 50 YEAR REUNION
(C+50R)
In ocean wastes no poppies blow,..
No crosses stand in ordered row,
There young hearts sleep beneath the wave…
The spirited, the good, the brave,
But stars a constant vigil keep,
For them who lie beneath the deep.
„Tis true you cannot kneel in prayer
On certain spot and think, “He‟s there.”
But you can to the ocean go…
See whitecaps marching row on row;
Know one for him will always ride…
In and out… with every tide.
And when your span of life is passed,
He‟ll meet you at the “Captain‟s Mast.”
And they who mourn on distant shore
For sailors who‟ll come home no more,
Can dry their tears and pray for these
Who rest beneath the heaving seas…
For stars that shine and winds that blow
And whitecaps marching row on row.
Have you heard? The Stimson Commissioning + 50
Years Reunion (C+50R) will be held in Charleston this
October.
Only 134 days!!!
The reunion registration deadline is September
And they can never lonely be
For when they lived… they chose the sea.
1
27th. If you plan on attending NOW is the time to send
your registration and check and also reserve your
hotel room. As of today there are 82 shipmates &
spouses fully registered for the reunion. The next 4 1/2
months will go by quickly.
HOTEL INFORMATION
The hotel venue is the North Charleston Marriott.
You can make reservations at the hotel by going to
http://www.marriott.com/meeting-event-hotels/.
The official reunion days are Thur., Oct. 13th through
Sat., Oct. 15th (checkout on Sun., Oct. 16th). The
hospitality room will be opening Wed. evening, Oct.
12th for early arrivals. Hotel rates per night will be
$129.00 plus 13.5% tax for a total of $146.42. This
rate is good three days before and after (October 10th18th inclusive).
Hotel Registration Deadline is September 13, 2016
To make a reservation directly with the hotel call
843-747-1900 Monday through Friday during normal
business hours. BE SURE TO SAY THIS IS THE USS
HENRY L STIMSON GROUP. If you have any issues
making your reservations please contact me.
You can check out who is registered for the reunion
by going to the Reunion webpage: http://
ssbn655.org/reunions/2016_Reunion9/index.html
The Marriott is not pet-friendly. Reservations for a
pet-friendly hotel are available at the following hotel
which is ~5 minutes from the Reunion location.
Residence Inn Charleston Airport
5035 International Boulevard
North Charleston, SC 29418
1- 843-300-3100
For those planning on bringing their camper check
the reunion page for locations to setup. The hotel will
allow setup in an area of their parking lot but you must
be self-contained. They do not have a dump site.
REUNION REGISTRATION
The registration form is now on our website at C+50
Reunion Page. After printing and completing either
the Word (fillable) or PDF form, print it and mail along
with a check (make payable to USS Henry L. Stimson
Reunion) to the following address:
SSBN 655 Association Reunion
% Nick Nichols
102 Greenhurst Ave
Summerville, SC 29485-8821
Organized tours have been narrowed down to two
(2) on Friday and this info is on the revised registration
form. The tours will be the H.L. Hunley in the morning
and a Charleston Harbor Tour in the afternoon.
Reunion Registration Deadline is Sept. 27, 2016
POR: PLAN OF THE REUNION (subject to change)
Wed., Oct. 12
1600: Hospitality Room (HR) opens for early
arrivals
Thu., Oct 13: Report for Duty
0800: HR opens
0800-1600: Free day in HR or around town
1000: Golf Outing at The Links of Stono Ferry
1600: Muster in HR. Men leave hotel for Charleston
Base SUBVET meeting in Goose Creek. Ladies
spend the evening in HR or at Tangier Outlet
shopping/eating
~2030: All muster in HR to continue the evening
Fri., Oct 14: Liberty Day
Spend the day enjoying Charleston on your
own, as a group or on the scheduled tours
0800: HR Opens
TBD - AM: departure for HL Hunley Tour
TBD - PM: departure for Charleston Harbor Tour
w/boxed lunch
1800: Welcome Aboard Buffet in HR
2
([email protected]) or Rita Kreul
([email protected]) for more information.
————————————————————————
From Association Historian: Loree Riggs
Please check the pictures at the end of this
newsletter. Some have been completed and names
are on the pictures...others still need input and your
help is very appreciated. When naming the pictures if
you know when they were made… year, patrol,
etc...that would help. Send the info to Nick Nichols,
Webmaster, ([email protected]) and to
Loree Riggs, Historian ([email protected])
1900: Entertainment and Program
Sat., Oct 15: Scheduled Day
0800: HR Opens
0900: HR Closes for morning
1000: Stimson Bench Dedication Service and
Stimson Shipmates Eternal Patrol Memorial
Service @ Cold War Memorial w/Group Picture
~1200: HR Reopens
1400: Association Business Meeting in HR
1700: HR Closes for Banquet
1700: Happy Hour w/cash bar
1800: Buffet Dinner
1855 (6:55pm): Reunion Program/Guest Speaker
2015: Entertainment
2200: HR Reopens
Sun., Oct 16: Safe travel home until next reunion
0800: HR Open for coffee/farewells
0900: Reunion cleanup begins
DOOR PRIZES
There are some very talented shipmates in our
Association and we would like to give you a chance to
show off your talents to other shipmates. If you have
any item that you have had a hand in making and you
feel would make for a good door prize or raffle we
need your talents!!
Our goal for this reunion is to have the majority of
our door prizes and raffle items to be donated by our
shipmates. If you would like to donate something
please contact Gordon Long at
[email protected]. He will discuss the item with
you and let you know how to get it to the reunion
committee for their use as a door prize/raffle.
We have several craftsmen in our Association who
are very excited to be able to show off their
handiwork!!!
————————————————————————
From the Association President & Storekeeper:
Ray & Rita Kreul
ATTENTION All Stimson Shipmates—
Ships Store is now CLOSED FOR GOOD
The Association is looking for a shipmate to
volunteer to become the Association Storekeeper. You
would work with a local vendor of your choice to fill the
requests for various items: T-shirts, hats, etc. If this is
something you would like to do, please contact Ray
————————————————————————
**********
CDR Stanley G. Catola
G 73-74 Commanding Officer (RADM Retired)
Departed on Eternal Patrol 20 May 2016
[reported by YN2(SS) Carl Scott, B 83-87]
————————————————————————
3
BINNACLE LIST
(View on the web at: http://ssbn655.org/chaplain/
chaplain.html. if you would like to be placed on our
Association Binnacle List please send an email to
[email protected])
====================
Carolyn Linhart, wife of Chuck, QM1(SS) G 68-74
5.15.16 Carolyn has actually gained some weight and
is up to 88 lbs. Keep the prayers going. I‟m convinced
that is the only thing keeping her with me.
For our family and friends...It is with a heavy heart that
I tell you that my oldest son Mark Daniel Linhart has
passed away. I will not be going back to Illinois for his
funeral...as I can not trust anyone to be able to take
care of Carolyn while I am gone. Hospice has even
offered to take her into a facility for 5 days, but I can
trust no one. She is so weak and frail, if someone
screwed up and she passed while I was gone, I would
follow closely to the grave. Mark‟s obituary is:
Mark Daniel Linhart, of Round Lake, died May
14, 2016. Loving son of Sandra (Joe) Lazore
and Charles Linhart; cherished brother of
Sharon (Frank Rigby) Love, Sheldon (Melanie)
Linhart, Jill (Jeremy) Enders, and Amy (Justin)
Zarr; proud uncle of Mark, Joey, Isabella, and
Giuliana; survived by many loving relatives and
friends. He was the beloved master of Silly Girl.
A special mention to the Doyles, Mark‟s
Scottish family. Visitation will be held Thursday,
May 19, 5:00pm until time of memorial service
7:00pm, at the Countryside Funeral Home and
Crematory, 1640 Greenmeadows Blvd (at
Barrington Rd), Streamwood/Schaumburg, IL.
Cremation was private at the Countryside
Crematory.
4.25.16 Carolyn is now back on a feeding tube and
has stabilized at 80.2 lbs. Her health is still not going
well, and Hospice has stepped in to help her to try to
get back on her feet. We have a lot of people we
would like to thank in person for their prayers and
generous nature in helping us out. This tube feeding is
not cheap and all help is really appreciated.
2.9.16 My Submarine family: I don‟t know how to thank
you for all you help in the past, but I‟m coming to the
altar one more time to pray for more help. Medicare is
not paying for any of the feed tube needs, so it‟s all out
of pocket. She (Carolyn) got home from the hospital on
Jan 25th after a 3 week stay. This was her second trip
to the hospital for malnutrition. I fear for her and love
her with all my soul. Without her I will probably turn
into a hermit. I wouldn‟t know how to function. Friday
Feb 12 will be our 33rd anniversary. Please read the
whole story on the link and if you can find it in your
budget to help, I will be forever grateful. Go to this link
to better understand Carolyn‟s situation and to assist if
possible: gofundme.com/5wb3wtpuw
8.2.15 Chuck has a request for his wife. Since 2010
Carolyn‟s health has been steadily deteriorating. This
has caused them severe financial difficulties. Chuck
has started a GoFundMe page in hopes to pay for the
required medical procedures Carolyn has had to have.
**********
Larry Hall, STS3(SS) B 65-69:
6.10.15 Still awaiting a kidney and can‟t travel to the
reunions. They say that my kidney failure was caused
by high blood pressure and diabetes though I'm not
sure about that. In 2009 I had prostate cancer and had
48 radiation treatments. In 2010 my kidneys failed.
Since my diabetes is well under control and my blood
pressure hasn't been high for 20 years, it seems a bit
coincidental.
————————————————————————
Question from a Shipmate
LT Eric Thacher, G 65-68 Plank Owner, Gold
Commissioning Crew & Operations Officer has
requested any help we can give him. Please send any
response to [email protected] and I will
ensure he receives the answer and will put it in the
next newsletter. His question is:
4
Do you, or any of our shipmates, have pictures or
information about the equipment used by the officer
with the conn while on the bridge of the Stimson? I
don‟t remember its appearance nor how it was
transported to the control room when diving. My
memory suggests it was disconnected and transported
below by the officer or the lookout.
————————————————————————
QM1(SS) Chuck Linhart, QM1(SS) G 68-74
[ [email protected] ] I would like to get in
contact with ET1(SS) William „Bill‟ Warren.
STS3(SS) Robert ‘Bob’ P. Featheran, Jr. (G 81)
[ [email protected] ] I would like to get in
contact with STS2 Robert P. Cooley.
**********
EM1(SS) Paul Murray (G 65-69)
[ [email protected] ] I am looking for former
shipmates Ken Luken IC2(SS) 65-68? and Joe Carter
MM1(SS) 65-68.
**********
QM2(SS) Robert Frizzola (G 82-86)
[ [email protected] ] I was on from 82-86 Gold.
I‟m looking for a few shipmates and maybe you can
help. MM1/SS Mike Alegretto and MM2/SS Willy
Wilson, both Gold crew.
**********
YNC(SS) James Maddox (B 83-86)
[ [email protected] ] is looking for YN2(SS) Mark
Jackson (B). Also what has happened to MMCM(SS)
Golightly.
**********
STS3(SS) Steve Searight (B 70-71)
[ [email protected] ] is looking for STS3 Eugene
Manning who served during the same period as me.
As I recall, he was from New York (Brooklyn).
**********
MM2(SS) Joe Civiletti (G 79-81)
[ [email protected] ] Does anyone
remember/ know what happened to an MMCS/SS
Golightly (A-Div Gold crew in 1979 when I came on
board).
————————————————————————
GREAT LINKS TO SPEND TIME WITH
(all links from “The Draft” will be on the website)
**********
655 Association Website
www.ssbn655.org
**********
NAVY HISTORY - KAMIKAZE ATTACK IN 1945
This has been around the internet for a while but it is
still some good live footage to see. The USS LAFFEY
is docked in Mt Pleasant at Patriots point. This is
incredible actual footage during the 80-minute attack
WELCOME ABOARD & FOUND SHIPMATES!!
(Shipmate has contacted us to be added or have info
updated on our Sailing List. Please check the online
Sailing List to access the shipmates email address.)
========================================
MM1(SS) Patrick J. Bullard B/G 80-85
MM2(SS) Stephen R. Bollman G 80-84
EMC(SS) Thomas „Tom‟ Longo B Precom 65-66 Plank
MM2(SS Billy R. Hughes G Comm 64-68 Plank
FTB2/C(SS) Richard „Dick‟ Allfrey B 66-67/72-74
MMCM(SS) Pete Wells B Decom 90-92
LT Denton Schantz B Decom 89-93
LTJG Donald „Dirk‟ Klasing B/G 82-84
————————————————————————
LOOKING FOR SHIPMATE
Carl Callender [ [email protected] ] is looking for
info on another RM who was on the STIMSON with
me ... RMCS(SS) Larry Crawford. His name doesn't
appear. He was on board the Gold crew approx 76-78.
**********
Kimberly Blum-Hogle
[ [email protected] ], daughter of
YNCS(SS) Bert Blum B 87-89, is looking for STSC
(SS) Jack E. Craig from the blue crew.
**********
5
on the USS Laffey. About the best naval footage ever
shot by a Navy cameraman. The camera was in the
gun turret under attack. The USS Laffey, "the ship that
would not die", was hit by 6 Kamikazes and 4 bombs,
but remained afloat after an 80 minute battle that
included 22 Kamikaze attacks.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4zkp7hvrgbcd7gd/DqPNsG9ym?preview=Laffey+Enhanced+vo+3.wmv
**********
Titanic: The Final Secret
Excellent......mostly about locating Thresher and
Scorpion! 45 minutes covering loss of Thresher
and Scorpion and finding Titanic. https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylj4uHy5_Uc
**********
USS Barb The SUBMARINE That Sank a Train
Fortunately our Submarine Veterans group in
Charleston has as a member who was one of the crew
members of the USS BARB during this daring raid. His
name is William „Willie‟ Jones and it is such an honor
to be in the company of a true HERO.
http://www.homeofheroes.com/profiles/
profiles_fluckey.html
**********
Memorial Day Tribute
This video is extremely powerful and very appropriate
at any time, but especially significant for Memorial
Day. The next time you look at our Flag fluttering aloft,
keep this in mind: Our flag does not fly because the
wind moves it; it flies with the last breath of each
soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who died protecting it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKqT03JV5E&feature=youtube_gdata_player
**********
USS NAUTILUS
Here is the complete story of the USS Nautilus.
Very interesting as this is where it all starts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FeVwEtmwOqg#t=2530.893786
**********
PBY-5A Catalina – Great Video
This is the story of PBY-5A CATALINA (Strawberry 5)
discovery and restoration for the US Navy museum in
San Diego. It was the only remaining intact PBY-5
Catalina remaining in the World, and it was discovered
in South Africa. PBY (Strawberry 5) was the plane that
found the Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway
which became the turning point in the Pacific Theater
of WWII.
http://www.nxtbook.com/fx/media/ooyala/
index.php?
w=640&h=360&embedCode=l5cnRrbjoBGoU3i9mN
k2WnlSwfvifrlA#ooid=l5cnRrbjoBGoU3i9mNk2Wnl
SwfvifrlA
**********
The Navy's Bearcat Sometimes the Navy gets it right
Enjoy how touched the now-90 year old original
member of the Blue Angels is watching restored
Bearcats fly with two of the F-18s that the Blue Angels
now. His comments at the end are especially poignant
for us that are no longer as young as we used to be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnMZQATbenM
**********
The Day That Music Died!!!!!
Whether you are old enough or not to remember this
song or not, you will be mesmerized by this video. I
never knew American Pie had so many references.
"American Pie" was the name of the plane that Buddy
Holly went down in. When the words are put together
with pictures and film clips the song takes on a new
meaning.
http://youtu.be/VhX3b1h7GQw
**********
The Norwegian Royal Guard
Precision drill is performed on ICE with U.S. made
Garand M-1 rifles (WWII - 9 POUNDS EACH) and with
bayonets fixed. Note: (When the show begins, click on
the little box in the lower right corner for full screen).
**********
Hi Ho Silver - Away!!!
Clip of a younger Glen Campbell playing the William
Tell Overture (with the back-up of a symphony
orchestra) and dedicating it to Clayton Moore (The
Lone Ranger) and Jay Silverheels (Tonto).
https://www.youtube.com/embed/GUBhE00h9U0?
feature=player_detailpage
**********
United States Submarine Accidents
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Category:United_States_submarine_accidents
6
http://sorisomail.com/email/16993/exibicao-debanda-militar--um-espectaculo-imperdivel.html
**********
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
This is what Memorial Day is really about!
http://www.usba.com/memorialday/
**********
————————————————————————
ET1(SS) Vinnie Ryan B 69-74 has set up a website to
showcase his military career. Here is the info he sent
me. Check out the links...very, very good.
**********
To those who may be interested,
I have updated my military photos web page. The
first thing you will notice is the military music
background. The music comes from one of the video
slideshows that starts automatically and is located
near the bottom of the page. I will explain them later.
The next thing you will notice is that I copied the
animated destroyer ship image from the USS John R.
Pierce DD753 website and posted it in the title section
above my photos. Clicking on the destroyer will link
you to the JRP website. Clicking on the title name
'USS John R Pierce DD753' will also link you to the
official website. I have also provided a link to view her
Service History.
Below the internet pictures of the JRP is a post that
links to a video of the USS Laffey DD724. Although I
never served on her, the Laffey was the same class
destroyer as the Pierce and she survived a brutal
kamikaze attack by the Japanese during WWII. The
video is actual footage of the attack and deeply moved
me as I watched. I have also provided a link to view
her Service History.
After serving aboard the USS John R. Pierce and
after a couple of years of advanced technical and subschool training I was assigned to the USS Henry L.
Stimson SSBN-655 as a navigation ET (same month
as the moon landing and my marriage - July
1969). Once I completed sub qualification I accepted
the collateral duty as ship's photographer that gave me
the opportunity to photograph ship's life and duties
aboard a nuclear submarine. Because of computer
technological advances, about 40 years later, I was
able to digitize my collection of photos and negatives
to produce a couple of slideshow videos to share with
my old shipmates.
I have added 2 of these slideshow videos, along
with their military music backgrounds, to the bottom of
the web page. When the web page is accessed one of
the videos will automatically start. The video can be
paused or started by clicking on it, thus the music can
be started or stopped. The second video ( on the left
side) will required you to click on it to start.
I hope you like these updates especially 'the
Laffey's combat video' and will give thanks to all those
that gave so much for our freedom.
With regards, Vinnie
OATH of Enlistment:
I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will
support and defend the Constitution of the United
States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I
will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that
I will obey the orders of the President of the United
States and the orders of the officers appointed over
me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of
Military Justice.
Stimson Shipmates,
In the April “Draft”, Loree asked if anyone had
information IRT the drawing below which was printed
on an aluminum plate, signed by G. Stubbs. He
received an answer from a shipmate which is printed
below.
Hello Loree, I am Barry Steff MSCS SS retired. I
served as the LPO for the food service division on
the gold crew 1977 to 1979. At that time I was a
MS1. I received my picture from one of the shops
on the USS Hunley as a gift in 1977. Mine is not
signed, but the person who made this was
attached to the tender’s crew. Hope this is some
help. Barry Steff MSCS SS Retired.
7
————————————————————————
ONLY A NAVIGATOR WOULD THINK OF SUCH
THINGS
The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly
knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on
its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had
just finished working out a star fix and brought the
master, Captain John Phillips, the result. The
Warrimoo‟s position was latitude 0 degrees x 31
minutes north and longitude 179 degrees x 30 minutes
west.
The date was 31 December 1899. “Know what this
means?” First Mate Payton broke in, “we‟re only a few
miles from the intersection of the Equator and the
International Date Line.”
Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full
advantage of the opportunity for achieving the
navigational freak of a lifetime. He called his
navigators to the bridge to check and double check the
ships position. He changed course slightly so as to
bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine
speed. The calm weather and clear night worked in his
favor.
At midnight the “Warrimoo” lay on the Equator at
exactly the point where it crossed the International
Date Line! The consequences of this bizarre position
were many:
The forward part of the ship was in the Southern
Hemisphere and the middle of summer.
The stern was in the Northern Hemisphere and in
the middle of winter.
The date in the aft part of the ship was 31
December 1899. Forward it was 1 January
1900.
This ship was therefore not only in:
Two different days
Two different months
Two different seasons
Two different years
But two different centuries, all at the same time.
29 Lines To Make You Smile
1. My husband and I divorced over religious
differences. He thought he was God and I didn't.
2. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of
it.
3. Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill
them.
4. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.
5. Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.
6. You're just jealous because the voices only talk to
me
7. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
8. Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.
9. I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just
missing.
10. Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.
11. NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-theroom-spinning medicine.
12. God must love stupid people; He made so many.
13. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
14. Consciousness: That annoying time between
naps.
15. Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
16. Being 'over the hill' is much better than being
under it!
17. Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to
Be When I Grew up.
18. Procrastinate Now!
19. I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want
8
Fries With That?
20. A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
21. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash
advance.
22. Stupidity is not a handicap. Park elsewhere!
23. They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was
already taken.
24. He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless
DEAD.
25. A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up
three thousand times the memory.
26. Ham and eggs...A day's work for a chicken, a
lifetime commitment for a pig.
27. The trouble with life is there's no background
music.
28. The original point and click interface was a Smith &
Wesson.
29. I smile because I don't know what the heck is
going on.
————————————————————————
A Message From The Queen
the letters, and the suffix '-ize‟ will be replaced by the
suffix '-ise.' Generally, you will be expected to raise
your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look
up 'vocabulary').
2. Using the same twenty-seven words
interspersed with filler noises such as ''like' and 'you
know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of
communication. There is no such thing as U.S.
English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The
Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into
account the reinstated letter ‟u‟‟ and the elimination of
'-ize.'
3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without
using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you
need so many lawyers and therapists shows that
you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should
only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort
things out without suing someone or speaking to a
therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse.
5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own
or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable
peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to
carry a vegetable peeler in public.
6. All intersections will be replaced with
roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side
with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go
metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of
conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication
will help you understand the British sense of humour.
7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol
(which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/
US gallon. Get used to it.
8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things
you call French fries are not real chips, and those
things you insist on calling potato chips are properly
called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal
fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.
9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer
is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper
British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European
brews of known and accepted provenance will be
referred to as Lager. South African beer is
also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the
greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be
due to the beer. They are also part of the British
To: The citizens of the United States of America
From: Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
In light of your failure in recent years to
nominate competent candidates for President of the
USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give
notice of the revocation of your
independence, effective immediately. (You should look
up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will
resume monarchical duties over all states,
commonwealths, and territories (except North Dakota,
which she does not fancy).
Your new Prime Minister, David Cameron, will
appoint a Governor for America without the need for
further elections.
Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A
questionnaire may be circulated next year to
determine whether any of you noticed.
To aid in the transition to a British Crown
dependency, the following rules are introduced with
immediate effect:
1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as
'colour,' 'favour,' 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise,
you will learn to spell „doughnut‟ without skipping half
9
Commonwealth - see what it did for them.
American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen
Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of
further confusion.
10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast
English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be
required to cast English actors to play English
characters. Watching Andie MacDowell
attempt English dialect in Four Weddings and a
Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears
removed with a cheese grater.
11. You will cease playing American football. There
is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer.
Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to
play rugby (which has some similarities to American
football, but does not involve stopping for a rest
every twenty seconds or wearing full Kevlar body
armour like a bunch of nancies).
12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is
not reasonable to host an event called the World
Series for a game which is not played outside of
America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a
world beyond your borders, your error is
understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let
you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of
their deliveries.
13. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been
driving us mad.
14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector)
from Her Majesty‟s Government will be with you
shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due
(backdated to 1776).
15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with
proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high
quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries
(with cream) when in season.
God Save the Queen!
————————————————————————
Life Aboard a Submarine - Locker Space
by Mike Hemming
Imagine for a moment, a 311-foot by 17-foot steel
tube, filled with all manner of machinery, then add as
an afterthought, places for 80 men to live, work and
sleep. People that live under interstate highway
bridges in cardboard boxes have more storage space
and one hell of a lot more privacy than a smokeboat
sailor ever had. Privacy in that only in the forward and
after torpedo room crappers are you sure to be out of
sight from your shipmates. Even in the After Battery
head, the stall partitions aren't high enough to insure
the guy entering or leaving adjoining ones can‟t see
you. This lack of privacy extends to your possessions,
as well... Open your little locker space and any one
passing by can look at your worldly goods. Love
letters, pictures of girlfriends and/or wives, and your
reading material is all exposed. Of course the worldly
goods you were allowed to carry onboard couldn‟t fill a
shopping cart. I have seen one of those „denizens of
the underpass' having more stuff than I carried aboard
for 5 years at sea.
Let me explain how you stored stuff on a
submarine.
In the torpedo rooms, you got a bunkbag to hang
on the side of your rack. This satchel-like creation of
the devil also doubles as an overnight bag, if you wish
to unsnap it from your bunk railing. Resnapping the 4
hanging straps to each other into handles and VOILA!
An overnight bag that stinks.
A bunkbag was about 2 feet long and when stuffed
to the gills, about 10 inches in diameter. In it on board,
you kept the items you needed for everyday...
Toothbrush, soap, towel, change of skivvies, and a
couple of books, if you were qualified and allowed to
read them. A deck of cards, cribbage board, a razor
and shaving cream you probably used once a week at
most. It was best to have shaving cream that came in
a tube like toothpaste. If you snorkeled and a high
vacuum exploded the can in you bunk bag, it was
messy, to say the least. A bottle of 'foo-foo juice', or
after-shave for those of you that have never traveled
the seas in a submersible. You used the foo-foo juice
even if you hadn't shaved, every week or so, so you
didn‟t keep looking over your shoulder for the stinking
shipmate that wasn‟t there. Deodorant in stick form
wasn‟t only to make you smell better, you used it to
help keep fungus from growing in your armpits in hot
weather. It stung like hell, but it was the only thing that
would cure or control 'Caribbean Armpit Rot'... Nothing
the quack ever gave me did.
Aside from letters you were reading or writing, there
were a few other things that needed to be at hand like
cigarettes, lighter fluid, wallet, and maybe some
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chewing gum. Chewing gum takes on a real interesting
flavor after 2 weeks at sea. I'm not sure how to
describe it, but it ain't Beechnut or Juicy Fruit anymore.
As for letters being read or written, it‟s best if the love
letters to or from your onshore feminine companions
were locked up in your wall locker. A shipmate might
reach into your bunkbag, ignoring the money you have
there, just to extract and read the letters. When you
return, your shipmates might recite passionate
passages of your latest horny missives, back to you.
There always was at least one BS artist, whose letters
to his girlfriend were worth reading, to spice up an
otherwise dull afternoon.
The rest of your gear is kept in a wall locker,
reachable only by climbing up and reaching over a
bunk that usually has a sleeping body in it. Imagine a
bus station locker that only has a door one-foot
square, which limits the size of anything you might
want to cram in there. The location and the everpresent curve of the pressure hull determine the shape
of the locker inside. Remember that a submarine is a
round hull filled with square pegs. In some places, a
locker can look like a railroad tunnel inside. Its so long
and deep. Some lockers are too deep for you to reach
anything in the back, without crawling halfway into the
thing.
Whatever it was you wanted, the boat‟s rolling and
up and down angles, insured that it was never
anywhere except in the bottom at the back of your
locker.
On a cruise that you left and returned to your
homeport without pulling in anywhere else, you took
nothing but one set of dress uniforms and your work
clothes. In this case, you might actually have enough
locker space, especially if it was winter and you were
wearing blues. Though it was always best to have a
set or two of whites stashed in your locker, just in case
you made an unscheduled stop in a warm place.
The worst case was to be going south in the winter.
This meant you had a set of blues that you wore to the
boat to get underway in, plus as many sets of whites
as you could cram in your locker. Laundry facilities
were sometimes scarce or slow. In the tropics, a set of
whites only last one day, at most. You might not stay
in a place long enough to get your whites back. So you
carried as many white uniforms as you had.
Living in the After Battery brought forth the unique
container known as the bunk locker. Your bunk was
your locker. You actually slept on a mattress laid on
the lid of this aluminum sheet metal locker. It was 6ft
long, about 3 ft wide and 4 inches deep. Lift the lid with
your mattress on top and there spread out before you
was all your stuff, neatly laid out and smashed to 4
inches thick. Little compartments laid out with no
rhyme or reason and assembled by a drunken yard
bird who had once caught his daughter in bed with a
sub sailor. It is unknown how skivvies migrated from
one compartment to another while you were looking
for them in the dark, but they managed to. Using a
flashlight to find things wasn‟t a good idea, unless you
liked having boon dockers thrown at your head and
your parents cursed.
In the front center of the bunk locker was a lockable
drawer that supposedly controlled access to the rest of
the locker. Does anyone remember having a key for
the drawer? I don‟t. They had all been lost or given to
barmaids as signs of undying love, I guess. The fix for
this was to put a hasp and padlock on to control
access to the locker. A lock, which would snag and
tear your dungarees as you walked past. Or place
bruises on your shin, hip or shoulder depending on the
height of the locker when thrown into it, at sea.
On most boats, qualified men also got a wall locker
to stuff more things into. This however, did not solve
the peacoat storage problem. The navy enlisted man's
peacoat was impossible to store on a diesel
submarine. Thick bulky and impossible to fold, they
were hung, stuffed, jammed and crammed into any
place that didn‟t prevent machinery from working.
Some boats had a peacoat locker installed in the after
battery somewhere, usually by removing a bunk. This
locker always had a nominal capacity of ½ of the
possible number of peacoats on board. With brute
force and awkwardness, the rest were crammed in
until the locker bulged. Opening the door resulted in a
muffled explosion of wool and large plastic buttons.
There was also, the realization that it would be
impossible to find or remove your peacoat. If you did
get yours out, you found that it had spent the last two
hot months sandwiched between two coats that their
owners had barfed boiled iguana and Dago Red, down
the front.
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Submarine sailors with this decided lack of storage
space become adept at two things... One, is paring
down the things you carry. We all know guys that tore
covers off of books to make them smaller. New men
quickly learn to leave stuff ashore. If you don‟t need to
wear it you probably don‟t need it.
The other thing that they get real good at is finding
a space to create new locker space. Then, bribing a
yard bird or tender swabbie to build some kind of weird
shaped locker to fit into the space. A space that no
one else could figure out how to use. Trapezoidaldecagonal shaped lockers on top of another locker
behind a pipe, become just another mounting problem.
I once had a locker built to store stuff in that had to be
disassembled before it could be installed. A serious
design flaw to be sure. But hey, with two weeks at sea
coming up, time to drill out pop rivets wasn‟t the
problem. With no pop rivets for reassembly, tiny brass
nuts and bolts with lock washers filled the bill, even
though it was time consuming.
Engine room locker space was one place 'Jimmy'
boats had it all over 'Fairbanks' boats. The shape of
the General Motors V-16 engine allowed for a row of
lockers just above the exhaust elbows. One thing to
remember, as temperatures probably reached 150 to
170 degrees, storing chocolate or anything that
melted, was out of the question. In those lockers,
clothing and books was about it. Metal objects could
cause first degree burns when retrieved at sea.
We had an EN2 named Ray that kept the messiest
engine room locker in the history of snipedom. Ray
stowed his locker with force equal to a hydraulic press.
Which was fine at the start of a cruise. After 3 weeks
at sea, he just returned his dirty clothes to the mix,
including damp towels and a few read books. As the
dirty gear was rammed into the front the 'clean' gear
was in the back. This made a 'stirring' operation
necessary to bring objects to the front, while bitching
that he couldn‟t find what he wanted. A kind shipmate,
seeing the problem, returned to the boat with a tree
limb. The limb was stripped of its bark and carved with
appropriate and inappropriate things on it. It was
carefully lettered 'Ray‟s Locker Stirring Stick' and it
was hung by a chain from the overhead. When Ray
left the boat, the well-used stick went with him. It was
after all, the only way for him to find things in that
locker without putting his hands in there.
Locker space... We didn‟t have enough and what
we had wasn‟t really usable. But then, we didn‟t have
much to put in it, anyway.
————————————————————————
Navy Picks Second Group Of Enlisted Women To
Serve On Submarines
(NEW LONDON DAY 09 MAY 16) ... Julia Bergman
The Navy has announced it has chosen the second
group of enlisted women to serve on submarines.
The 38 selectees will be the next enlisted women to
train for submarine duty. They've been selected to
serve on the USS Florida, a ballistic missile submarine
based in Kings Bay, Ga.
Thirty-six women were selected as alternates, who
could be contacted if any of the original 38 don't pass
their submarine physical or are otherwise deemed
ineligible to serve.
The Navy said there was "strong" interest among
current enlisted women in serving on a submarine and
that the selection process was "highly competitive."
"Consistent superior performance, operational
experience, and strong command endorsements were
critical in breaking out these high performing Sailors
from their peers," a Navy memo said.
The number of women who applied for the second
round was not immediately available.
The female sailors will leave their current
assignments as early as this fall and as late as spring
2017, depending on the position for which they were
selected.
The announcement comes as some of the first
women to be selected have begun to report to the
USS Michigan, an Ohio-class guided missile
submarine based in Bangor, Wash.
The Navy also selected thirty-eight women in its
first call for applicants. Those names were announced
in June 2015.
The women will fill four chief petty officer positions
and 34 positions from petty officer first class and
below, across the blue and gold crews of the Michigan.
Of the 113 who women applied for the first round,
108 were determined to be qualified. Seventy women
were selected as alternates. They were automatically
included in the pool for the second round, unless they
chose otherwise.
12
The first women to go through Basic Enlisted
Submarine School started last August. At least six
integrated classes have gone through sub school
since then, according to spokesman Bill Kenny.
By 2020, women are expected to make up 20
percent of the crews of seven Ohio-class submarines,
of which there are currently 18.
Females are expected to arrive aboard Virginiaclass attack submarines that same year. Electric Boat
has been working with the Navy on design
modifications for mixed-gender crews on Virginia-class
submarines. EB Spokesman Tim Bouly has said "the
goal is to maximize flexibility while maintaining a high
level of privacy in living areas."
Women officers began reporting to submarines in
late 2011.
http://www.theday.com/military/20160509/navy-pickssecond-group-of-enlisted-women-to-serve-onsubmarines
————————————————————————
Stop Saying "HAPPY Memorial Day"
By Jeff Seeber
I hope I live long enough to be able to get through
the month of May just once without some moron
sending me a Happy Memorial Day e-mail or hearing
some idiot wishing people a Happy Memorial Day.
It's bad enough I'm reminded every May and every
November that very few Americans know the
difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day,
but expecting me to remain silent about the growing
trend to turn Memorial Day into some sort of
celebration is asking too much. I usually chagrin and
bear it, but I'm getting too old to care who I piss off
from one day to the next, so if you're one of those fools
who sends me a Happy Memorial Day e-mail or
wishes people a Happy Memorial Day, listen up!
There is nothing Happy about Memorial Day.
That's why it's called M-e-m-o-r-i-a-l Day! Memorial
Day is to be commemorated, not celebrated. Memorial
Day is supposed to be a day of quiet reflection,
remembrance, tribute and rendering honors to those
who have given their lives ensuring you nitwits can
have the freedom to be able to take full advantage of
the rights their deaths secured for you, one of which is
the freedom to make ignorant statements like Happy
Memorial Day.
Believe it or not, Memorial Day was not placed on
calendars to remind you that summer has officially
begun. Memorial Day is not the first day of Get Drunk
While Pretending To Be An Outdoorsman At Your
Cabin season. Memorial Day was not created by
General Motors so their dealerships could have a
Three-Day Used Car Clearance Blowout. Memorial
Day is not intended to be the first day of National Burn
That Burger Month.
Memorial Day is supposed to be commemorated on
May 30th ... not May 28th, May 29th or May 31st. It
makes no difference what day of the week the 30th
falls, that's when Memorial Day is supposed to be
observed. However, the United States Congress
changed the date in 1971 to the last Monday in May to
give Americans yet another 3-day weekend. After all,
what's more important ... one-hundred-plus years of
American tradition or giving Americans one more 3day weekend to have a few brewskis while driving to
see Yellowstone with the wife and kids?
The National Moment of Remembrance was started
to encourage all Americans to pause wherever they
are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute
of silence to remember and honor those who have
died in service to the nation. Of course, it's been a
dismal failure. I mean, c'mon, you expect Americans to
pause for an ENTIRE MINUTE to remember those
who died serving the people who are too busy to
pause for ONE ENTIRE MINUTE? Are you nuts?
It's bad enough American Civics is no longer taught
in American schools. It's bad enough most Americans
ignore Armed Forces Day. It's bad enough that very
few civilians know that May is National Military Family
Appreciation Month. It's bad enough few Americans
understand that Veterans Day is now intended to
honor all those who have worn a uniform serving in
this nation's Military, especially those still living. But it's
pitiful that most Americans can't seem to comprehend
that Memorial Day is the one day a year when we are
asked to remember those who gave their lives for this
country.
Let me repeat that ... they gave their LIVES. Most
of them were teenagers or in their twenties. Many of
them left behind a spouse after being married for a
very short period of time. Some of them left behind
infant children who grew up never knowing one of the
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two people who brought them into this world with the
good fortune of being born a free person. All of them
had plans for a full and long life, but they interrupted
those plans because they knew that serving their
country, and the risks that commitment entails, was
more important than life itself.
Their dreams and their expectations ended
suddenly on a battlefield in some foreign land, or in a
training accident at home or abroad, or during a secret
mission to ensure this country is not attacked without
warning. Some of them are buried in unmarked graves
on foreign soil or rest forever in the sea. Some
became missing in the fog of war and will never be
accounted for.
Is it too much to ask that Americans pause for one
day every year to recognize those who gave the last
full measure of devotion? Are we as a nation so
selfish, so lazy, so ignorant of the reality of the price of
freedom that we can't set aside even one day to
acknowledge the sacrifice of each and every one of
our honorable dead? Apparently it is too much to ask.
Apparently expecting Americans to relinquish even
one day of basking in the sun while swilling beer is too
much of an imposition. Let's face it, most Americans
prefer a Happy Memorial Day.
For those of us who served, and for the families
and friends of those who gave their lives, Memorial
Day will always be the one day a year when we
publicly honor our buddies, our brothers, our sisters,
our sons, our daughters, our fathers, our mothers, our
nieces and nephews, our cousins ... all those who
perished, their young lives cut short, while serving
America ... while fighting next to us ... while protecting
you. The rest of the year, we remember them in
private. We remember them daily. We will never forget
them.
————————————————————————
FROM THE INTERNET
Do you remember these men?
Only people of our generation and maybe those
who have served in uniform, will recognize these
names, since most of today‟s people don't have any
idea who these men were...and that's a pity. They
were all heroes in their own right and made America
great in its own right! Back then Hollywood went to
war!
Alan Hale - Jr. - US Coast Guard.
Aldo Ray . US Navy. UDT frogman- Okinawa .
Art Carney - US Army. Wounded on Normandy beachD-Day. Limped for the rest of his life.
Brian Keith - US Marines. Radioman/Gunner in
Dauntless dive-bombers.
Buddy Hackett - US Army anti-aircraft gunner.
Burgess Meredith - US Army Air Corps.
Clark Gable - US Army Air Corps. B-17 gunner over
Europe.
Cesar Romero - US Coast Guard. Participated in the
invasions of Tinian and Saipan on the assault
transport USS Cavalier.
Charles Bronson - US Army Air Corps. B-29 gunnerwounded in action.
Charles Durning - US Army. Landed at Normandy on
D-Day. Shot multiple times, so awarded the Silver &
Bronze & 3 Purple Hearts. Survived Malmedy
Massacre.
Charlton Heston - US Army Air Corps. Radio operator
and aerial gunner on a B-25. Aleutians (Alaska).
Chuck Connors - US Army. Tank-warfare instructor.
Claude Akins - US Army. Signal Corps. - Burma and
the Philippines .
Clifton James - US Army- South Pacific. Was awarded
the Silver Star- Bronze Star- and Purple Heart.
Dale Robertson - US Army. Tank Commander in North
Africa under General Patton‟s command. Wounded
twice. Battlefield Commission.
Danny Aiello - US Army. Lied about his age to enlist at
16. Served three years.
DeForest Kelley - US Army Air Corps.
Dennis Weaver - US Navy. Pilot.
Denver Pyle - US Navy. Wounded in the Battle of
Guadalcanal. Medically discharged.
Don Adams - US Marines. Wounded on Guadalcanal then served as a Drill Instructor.
Don Knotts - US Army- Pacific Theater.
Don Rickles - US Navy aboard USS Cyrene.
Earl Holliman . US Navy. Lied about his age to enlist.
Discharged after a year when the Navy found out.
Ed McMahon - US Marines. Fighter Pilot. (Flew OE-1
Bird Dogs over Korea as well.)
Eddie Albert - US Coast Guard. Bronze Star with
Combat V for saving several Marines under heavy fire
as pilot of a landing craft during the invasion of
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Tarawa.
Efram Zimbalist Jr. - US Army. Purple Heart for a
severe wound received at Huertgen Forest.
Ernest Borgnine - US Navy. Gunners Mate 1cdestroyer USS Lamberton. 10 years active duty.
Discharged 1941- re-enlisted after Pearl Harbor.
Fess Parker - US Navy and US Marines. Booted from
pilot training for being too tall- joined Marines as a
radio operator.
Forrest Tucker - US Army. Enlisted as a private- rose
to Lieutenant.
Frank Sutton - US Army. Took part in 14 assault
landings- including Leyte- Luzon- Bataan and
Corregidor.
Fred Gwynne - US Navy. Radioman.
Gene Autry - US Army Air Corps. Crewman on
transports that ferried supplies over "The Hump" in the
China- Burma-India Theater.
George Gobel - comedian, Army Air Corps, taught
fighter pilots. Johnny Carson made a big deal about it
once on the Tonight Show, to which George said "the
Japs didn't get past us.”
George Kennedy - US Army. Enlisted after Pearl
Harbor - stayed in sixteen years.
Harry Carey Jr - US Navy.
Harry Dean Stanton - US Navy. Served aboard an LST
in the Battle of Okinawa.
Harvey Korman - US Navy.
Henry Fonda - US Navy. Destroyer USS Satterlee.
Hugh O'Brian - US Marines.
Jack Klugman - US Army.
Jack Palance - US Army Air Corps. Severely injured
bailing out of a burning B-24 bomber.
Jack Warden - US Navy- 1938-1942- then US Army1942-1945. 101st Airborne Division.
Jackie Coogan - US Army Air Corps. Volunteered for
gliders and flew troops and materials into Burma
behind enemy lines.
James Arness - US Army. As an infantryman- he was
severely wounded at Anzio - Italy.
James Gregory - US Navy and US Marines.
James Stewart - US Army Air Corps. Bomber pilot
who rose to the rank of General.
Jason Robards - US Navy. Was aboard heavy cruiser
USS Northampton when it was sunk off
Guadalcanal. Also served on the USS Nashville during
the invasion of the Philippines - surviving a kamikaze
hit that caused 223 casualties.
John Carroll - US Army Air Corps. Pilot in North
Africa. Broke his back in a crash.
John Wayne - Declared "4F medically unfit" due to pre
-existing injuries- (from playing football @ Southern
Cal) - he nonetheless attempted to volunteer three
times (Army- Navy and Film Corps.) so he gets
˜honorable mention”.
Jonathan Winters - USMC. Battleship USS Wisconsin
and Carrier USS Bon Homme Richard. Anti-aircraft
gunner- Battle of Okinawa.
Karl Malden - US Army Air Corps. 8th Air ForceNCO.
Kirk Douglas - US Navy. Sub-chaser in the
Pacific. Wounded in action and medically discharged.
Larry Storch . US Navy. Sub tender USS Proteus
with Tony Curtis.
Lee Marvin - US Marines. Sniper. Wounded in action
on Saipan. Buried in Arlington National Cemetery Sec. 7A next to Greg Boyington and Joe Louis.
Lee Van Cleef - US Navy. Served aboard a sub
chaser then a mine sweeper.
Mel Brooks - US Army. Combat Engineer. Saw action
in the Battle of the Bulge.
Mickey Rooney - US Army under General Patton’s
command. Bronze Star.
Mickey Spillane - US Army Air Corps - Fighter Pilot
and later Instructor Pilot.
Neville Brand - US Army- Europe. Was awarded the
Silver Star and Purple Heart.
Norman Fell - US Army Air Corps.- Tail GunnerPacific Theater.
Pat Hingle - US Navy. Destroyer USS Marshall
Paul Newman - US Navy Rear seat gunner/radiomantorpedo bombers of USS Bunker Hill.
Peter Graves - US Army Air Corps.
Randolph Scott - Tried to enlist in the Marines but was
rejected due to injuries sustained in US Army, during
World War I.
Robert Altman - US Army Air Corps. B-24 Co-Pilot.
Robert Mitchum - US Army.
Robert Montgomery - US Navy.
Robert Preston - US Army Air Corps. Intelligence
Officer
Robert Ryan - US Marines.
15
Robert Stack - US Navy. Gunnery Officer.
Robert Taylor - US Navy. Instructor Pilot.
Rock Hudson - US Navy. Aircraft mechanic- the
Philippines.
Rod Serling - US Army. 11th Airborne Division in the
Pacific. He jumped at Tagaytay in the Philippines and
was later wounded in Manila.
Rod Steiger - US Navy. Was aboard one of the ships
that launched the Doolittle Raid.
Ronald Reagan - US Army. Was a 2nd Lt. in the
Cavalry Reserves before the war. His poor eyesight
kept him from being sent overseas with his unit when
war came so he transferred to the Army Air
Corps Public Relations Unit where he served for the
duration.
Russell Johnson - US Army Air Corps. B-24 crewman
who was awarded Purple Heart when his aircraft was
shot down by the Japanese in the Philippines.
Soupy Sales - US Navy. Served on USS Randall in
the South Pacific. (that‟s the ship which
transported Elvis Presley...who was a tank driver in the
U S Army from 1957-1960...to Bremerhaven,
Germany.)
Chuck Allen...USAF aircraft radio repairman 19621966)
Sterling Hayden - US Marines and OSS. Smuggled
guns into Yugoslavia and parachuted into Croatia.
Silver Star.
Steve Forrest - US Army. Wounded- Battle of the
Bulge.
Steve Reeves - US Army - Philippines.
Ted Knight - US Army- Combat Engineers.
Telly Savalas - US Army.
Tom Bosley - US Navy.
Tony Curtis - US Navy. Sub tender USS Proteus. In
Tokyo Bay for the surrender of Japan.
Tyrone Power - US Marines. Transport pilot in the
Pacific Theater.
Victor Mature - US Coast Guard.
Walter Matthau - US Army Air Corps. B-24 Radioman/
Gunner and cryptographer.
Wayne Morris - US Navy fighter pilot- USS
Essex. Downed seven Japanese fighters.
Wiliam Holden - US Army Air Corps.
William Conrad - US Army Air Corps. Fighter Pilot.
And of course we have Audie Murphy, America's most-
decorated soldier, who became a Hollywood star as a
result of his US Army service that included his being
awarded the Medal of Honor.
How many of today's Hollywood elite, sports celebs
and politicians put their careers on hold to enlist for
service in Iraq or Afghanistan?
The only one who even comes close was Pat
Tillman, who turned down a contract offer of $3.6
million over three years from the Arizona Cardinals to
enlist in the US Army after Sept, 11, 2001 and serve
as a Ranger in Afghanistan, where he died from tragic
˜friendly fire” in 2004. But rather than being lauded for
his choice and his decision to put his country before
his career, he was mocked and derided by many of his
peers.
My generation grew up watching, being entertained
by and laughing with so many of these fine people,
never really knowing what they contributed to the war
effort. Like millions of Americans during WWII, there
was a job that needed doing they didn't
question. They just went and did what they could to
help win it. Those who came home returned to their
normal life and carried on, obviously. Very few ever
saying what they did...or saw.
They took it as their "responsibility". Their duty to
our country, to protect & preserve our freedoms & way
of life. Not just for themselves, but for all future
generations to come. They DID THE JOB!
We are forever humbly in their debt.
————————————————————————
16
3 4
2
6
5
1
8
10
7
9
11
Missile Div Stimson Blue 32
(names supplied by Dennis Wolk)
1 MT2 David Merrit
2 MTC ?? Van Dyke
3 MT3 Ray Cullum
4 ?? Mark Schemmerhorne
5 MT3 Tom Holder
6 _________________________
7 MT2 Dennis Wolk
8 MT1 ?? Frederick
9 MT3 ?? Reedy
10 MT2 Christopher Gibson
17
2
1
4
8
3
10
11
5
6
12
13
7
9
14
15
CPO Mess for Decommissioning
1 _________________________
2 FTCS(SS) Donald Lotspeich
3 _________________________
4 _________________________
5 _________________________
6 _________________________
7 _________________________
8 _________________________
9 _________________________
10 ________________________
11 ________________________
12 ________________________
13 ________________________
14 ________________________
15 _________________________
18
655B IC DIVISION DEC provided by Jerry Blevins, Blue Crew, 1976
1 _______________________________
6 _______________________________
2 LT JERRY BLEVINS
7 HARRY „THE DOG‟ HARRIS
3 LT BILL MOORE, CHIEF ENGINEER
8 DAVID KELLY
4 GLENN EMERICK
9 _______________________________
5 WILLIAM SMITH
10 HENRY TARDIFF
19
655B Wardroom Aug 76 provided by Jerry Blevins, Blue Crew, 1976
1 LCDR DON LAHATTA, XO
7 GERALD RAMSEY, NAV
2 LT JERRY ‟DUKE‟ BLEVINS
8 LT MARK BARNER, AWEPS
3 LCDR MAB MASSE
9 LT (FIRST NAME ?) HARDING, WEPS
4 CDR WILLIAM POWELL, CO
10 (FIRST NAME ?) DOUGHTERY, CHOP
5 _______________________________
11 LT BILL MOORE, CHIEF ENGINEER
6 LT ROBERT „BOB‟ BROWNLEE
12 ______________________________
13 ______________________________
20
SEARCH
FOR LOST
SHIPMATES
If you have contact with one of these shipmates please send their contact info
to me at my email address. Let‟s set a goal to find everyone on this list!
Adkins, William
Allegretto, Mike MM2 G 82-86?
Altman, Robert 'Bob' TM2 B
Degon, Vince
Delano, Ken
Dewitt, David
Kelly, Dennis ETN2 B 70-75 Reppert, Kevin
Kinney, Wayne
Rhodes, Ronald
Kirkpatrick, Steven
Robinson, Warren
Attlee, Steven
Dreiss, Ray
Doughtery, ??? LT CHOP
Duell, Paul
Dyal, Don W. 'Gomer'
Edmiston, Ken
Ehlers, Joseph
Kohankie Robert
Lahatta, Don LCDR XO
Lawrence, Marshall
Liles, Michael
Lizana, Rick
Lothrop,
Rowan, William
Rubright, David
Ruiz, Luiz
Scoville, Scott
Seelinger, James
Shannon, Mike
Ellard, Bryon
Emerick, Glenn
Findlater, Doug
Flannery, Aaron
Lotspeich, Don FTCS COB
Luken, Ken IC2 G 65-68?
Manning, Eugene STS3 B
Mason, John
Matherly, David
Shepherd, Charles
Sherlock, Martin
Shields, Vaden
Sikora, Gregory
Siler, Dennis
Smith, Charles
Stewart James
Stine, Gene
Stockton, N. Bradley
Stortroen, Keith
Banfield, Ron
Barker, Thomas
Barner, ???
Barrett, James
Beck, Roger
Blouse, Dan
Blue, Matthew
Bluestone, Edward
Bowser, James Jr.
Bricker, Michael
Brill, Doug
Brown, Ernie TMC
Brownlee, ???
Bryant, Ron ET1 G 69-??
Buckmaster, Jerry FTB3 B 70-75
Bulalacao, 'DOC' HMC
Bullington, Scott
Burmeister, Wayne
Busteed, Bob
Canup, Richard
Cardin, Joseph
Carey, Bill
Carr, Don
Carter, Joe MM1 G 65-68
Champagne, Brian
Chiarito, Michael MMFN G 71
Claussen, Stephen
Fleming, Benjamin
Fleming, Denvery
Fonda, Carl
Frost, George MM? ELT
Geisenburg, Nick
Glover, Ron LCDR XO
Golightly, Steve MMCM COB
Gould, Harrell MT2 G/B 69-74
Graves, Richard
Green, Earsel
Griffith, Allen STSCS B COB
Gutierrez, James
Hanks, Stewart
Harding, ??? LT WEPS
Harris, WIlbur
Hatchell, John
Mazur, Joe
McCarney, Clifford
McConnell, Mark
Medvick, Michael
Miller, Donald
Miller, Tony
Milton, Jay
Nelson, ?? FTBC B 73-75
Neubecker, Andrew
Neuman, Mark
Nolen, John
Ochsner, Patrick
Olsen, ?? MM1 G 66-69
Parham, Bryan
Pastiva, Stephen Jr.
Szeszko, David M.
Tardiff, Henry
Taylor, Jim
Tomasi, Max
Tomren, Gerald
Trotter, Daniel
Ugolini, Nicholas
Vidulich, William T.
Voltz (Volz?), Steve MM? ELT
Walenga, Craig
Hayes, Robert
Herbert, Randy 'Bear'
Peterson, David
Petrak, David
Wallace, Larry MM1 G 70-74
Warren, Bill ET1
Herzog, Willie
Hinds, George
Hogan, Tom
Holler, Eugene
Hollingsworth, Paul
Holtman, Bruce
Phipps, Mitchell
Watson, Herb
Wenzel, Paul
White, Don
Wieskamp, Gerald W.
Williams, Brian
Craig, Jack E. STSC B 87-89
Crawford, Christopher
Crawford, Larry RMCS G 76-78
Cruden, David
Cullum, Ray
Czarnecki, Anthony
Hupe, Bill
Jackson, Mark YN2 B 83-86?
Jarvis, ?? MM1 G 69-70
Johnson, Anthony
Ralston, David
Kee, Kerby
Keiningham, Thomas
Rathsam, Richard
Raven, Donald
Debisschop, Timothy
Keller, Mick
Reidler, Ronald J.
Cool, Arnold
Cooley, Robert STS2
Cooper, Denny
Cooper, John F.
Cope, Allan
Couser, David
Plue, Mike
Porterfield, Glenn
Powell, William CDR CO
Pruitt, Michael
Putt, William
21
Ransom, Patrick
Rasmussen, Aaron
Rasmussen, Bill
Williams, Miles E.
Wilson, Willy MM2 G 82-86?
Wimmer, Peter Thomas
Wright, David
Young, Ron
Youngman, David