the scuttlebutt - Veterans Community Education Partnership for West

THE SCUTTLEBUTT
VOL. 1, NO. 3
APRIL-JUNE, 2010
FROM THE CHAIRMAN - We still need a lot of help with the Museum in the form of volunteer Docents - - those folks who you see in
any museum who are there to assist visitors. As I am writing this article we have only thirteen (13) volunteer
Docents - - and most of the time that the Museum is open either Museum Director John Masiarczyk, Peter
Behnke or yours truly are on Museum Duty - - and that has to change. So, we have scheduled another volunteer Docent Training for 10:00 AM on Saturday, April 17th, and are praying that you will show up.
To add an incentive for you to show up for the Docent Training, CPO Art Bordine, USN (RET) - - 20 years
as a Mess Specialist (That’s Cook for those not in the know) - - will serve an S.O.S Breakfast at 0900 (9 AM
civilian) for those who can attend. It would help for us to have a “head count” a few days before the 17th, so
please contact either myself (386-960-5425) or John Masiarczyk (386-789-4155) before 15 April to make a
reservation.
In our last issue I laid out my goals for VCEP: 1. To increase volunteer staffing for the Museum. 2. To
better promote VCEP events and Museum school tours 3. Increase involvement in all activities at Deltona
Veterans Memorial Park and Museum, and 4. Better organize our fundraising efforts. I still need your input
on how to go about meeting these goals.
The Schedule for VCEP and other Events at Veterans Memorial Pard for April-June, 2010 is on Page 2.
We hope to see you (and your family) at all of them, but know that one can’t be everywhere, since I will necessarily be out of town for some of them myself.
Semper Fi!
Marion L. “Mick” Cotten, MAJ, USMC (Ret’d)
LITTLE KNOWN NAVAL HISTORY - The U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), as a combat vessel, carried 48,600 gallons of fresh
water for her crew of 475 officers and men. This was sufficient to last for six months of sustained operations at sea. Of course, she had no evaporators (fresh water distillers).
However, let it be noted that, according to her log, “On 27 July, 1798, the U.S.S. Constitution sailed from Boston with a full compliment of 475 officers and men, 48,600 gallons of
fresh water, 7,400 cannon shot, 11,600 pounds of black powder, and 79,400 gallons of rum.”
Her mission: “To destroy and harass English shipping.:
Making Jamaica on 6 October, she took on 826 pounds of flour and 68,300 gallons of rum.
Then she headed for the Azores, arriving there on 12 November. She then provisioned with 550 pounds of
beef and 63,300 gallons Portuguese wine.
On 18 November, she set sail for English waters. In the ensuing days she defeated five British men-of-war
and captured and scuttled 12 English merchant ships, salvaging only the rum aboard each.
By 26 January her powder and shot were exhausted. Nevertheless, although unarmed, she made a night
raid up the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Her landing party captured a whisky distillery and transferred 40,000
gallons of single malt Scotch aboard by dawn. Then she headed home.
The U.S.S. Constitution arrived in Boston on 20 February 1799, with no cannon shot, no food, no powder,
no rum, no wine, no whiskey, and 38,600 gallons of water. GO NAVY, GO!!!
THE SCUTTLEBUTT is the newsletter of the Veterans Community Education Partnership For West Volusia, Inc.
(VCEP), and is published quarterly: January, April, July, and October. A current issue of THE SCUTTLEBUTT can
be found at the VCEP Web Site: http://www.vcepinc.org/. Opinions expressed by writers are their own, and may not
express the official positions of the VCEP.
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
PAGE 2
APRIL-JUNE, 2010
SCHEDULE OF VCEP & OTHER EVENTS OF INTEREST:
APRIL- 1ST, THURSDAY, COMMEMORATION OF LAST P.O.W. BEING RELEASED
FROM NORTH VIETNAM PRISON, 6:00 PM, VETERANS PARK (DVMP).
VCEP BOARD MEETING, 7:00 PM, DELTONA VETERANS
MUSEUM.
3RD, SATURDAY, VETS WORKDAY, 8:30 AM, DVMP.
17TH, SATURDAY, S.O.S. BREAKFAST, 9:00 AM, DVMP, FOLLOWED BY
VOLUNTEER TRAINING FOR MUSEUM DOCENTS, 10:00 AM.
24TH & 25TH. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, VCEP WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE
DELTONA “SPRING FEST” - - VOLUNTEERS ARE NEED TO MAN OUR
BOOTH/TABLE.
MAY - 1ST, SATURDAY, VETS WORKDAY, 8:30AM, DVMP.
6TH, THURSDAY, VCEP BOARD MEETING, 7:00 PM, VETERANS MUSEUM.
8TH, TUESDAY, 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF “V-E” DAY, DVMP, 6:00 PM.
30TH, SUNDAY, MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE, DVMP, 1:00 PM.
31ST, MONDAY, MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVANCE, DELTONA MEMORIAL GARDENS CEMETERY, 10:00 AM.
MEMORIAL DAY COMMEMORATION, DVMP, 12:00 NOON.
JUNE - 3RD, THURSDAY, VCEP BOARD MEETING, 7:00 PM, VETERANS MUSEUM,
ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
5TH, SATURDAY, VETS WORKDAY, 8:30 AM, DVMP.
6TH, SUNDAY, D-DAY COMMEMORATION, DVMP, 1:00 PM.
14TH, MONDAY, FLAG DAY (RETIREMENT CEREMONY), DVMP, 6:00 PM, - DVMP, FOLLOWED BY U.S. ARMY BIRTHDAY PARTY.
25TH, FRIDAY, COMMEMORATION OF THE BEGINNING OF THE KOREAN
WAR, CONDUCTED BY KOREAN WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION CHAP
TER 153, DVMP, 10:00 AM
ALL SATURDAYS:
MUSEUM IS OPEN FROM
11:00 AM UNTIL 4:00 PM.
ALL SUNDAYS:
MUSEUM IS OPEN FROM
1:00 PM UNTIL 4:00 PM
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
PAGE 3
APRIL-JUNE, 2010
A Sampling of “Humor In Uniform” - Here a few examples of military humor with captions only where needed.
LEFT - - No, this isn’t an actual WW II cartoon, but it does illustrate what was done to degrade the enemy during that war. It
depicts Italy’s Benito Mussolini looking through a telescope. The
rest is self-explanatory
The U. S. Navy knows how to relax.
Someone is obviously a “Weekend Warrior.”
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
PAGE 4
APRIL-JUNE, 2010
Bravo Zulu (Same as “Hat’s Off”) - To C. G. “Glen” Sweeting, Historian-Researcher-Consultant, of Clinton, Maryland, for the assistance he
has provided, and continues to provide, to our Veterans Museum. Mr. Sweeting, is a military and aviator historian who served as a curator at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum for fifteen
years. A World War II (WW II) U. S. Army Air Forces veteran he has written several books regarding aviation subjects, including; “Hitler’s Squadron - The Fuerher’s Personal Aircraft and Transport Unit, 1933-45” -“Hitler’s Personal Pilot: The Life and Times of Hans Baur” -- “Combat Flying Clothing: Army Air Forces
Clothing through World War II” -- “Combat Flying Equipment: U. S. Army Aviators’ Personal Equipment,
1917-1945.” He is also the auther of “Blood and Iron: The German conquest of Sevastopol” -- a definitive
work on that portion of Germany’s “Operation Barbarossa” (Adolph Hitler’s plan to conquer Russia during
WW II) that provided the German’s last major victory -- the battle for the Crimean Peninsula and the conquest
of Sevastopol on the Black Sea.
We are indeed fortunate that Glen Sweeting and his lovely wife enjoys residing in Deltona during thwe
winter months - - and that he volunteers his expertise to assist VCEP in our efforts to have a “first class” Veterans Museum right here in Deltona. He has been and continues to be our “duty expert” in identifying the
many items of military memorabilia in the museum - - his knowledge and advice has been invaluable.
His latest idea, which we are in the process of adapting, is for our Veterans Museum to have a “Humor In
Uniform” display. A “sampling” is published on page 3 of this issue.
Eagle Scout Projects In Process - We have two young Boy Scouts working on projects to earn their Eagle Scout Honors. One project is to be
in Veterans Memorial Park (DVMP) and the other is be in our Veterans Museum (DVM).
The DVMP project is to be a “Flag Retirement Fire Pit” - - to be constructed by the Boy Scout just off of
Khe Sanh Trail between the Mess Hall (The Pavilion) and the path leading down to the lake. The project is to
include a short sidewalk between the Fire Pit pad and the existing sidewalk, with the Fire Pit being built out of
either brick or concrete block and designed for us to use a metal container for the fire - - and the metal container will be placed storage when not in use. The Boy Scout is currently working on the plans for the project,
then the project will need City of Deltona approval before he can proceed.
The Boy Scout project in the museum is to be the construction of a free-standing unit to hold our “Humor
In Uniform” display. That Boy Scout is currently working on plans for the unit.
We are excited by what the completed projects will add to the DVMP and the DVM.
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
 P. O. BOX 390461 
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