VC-12/VAW-12 Newsletter JUNE 2006
e-mail only
VC-12 VAW-12 Squadron Reunion
September 22-24, 2006
Crowne Plaza Hotel
2200 Centerville Road Herndon, Virginia 20170 703-471-6700
Special Group rate $79. = 9% tax
Cut off date two weeks prior to event
Hospitality room, Complimentary meeting rooms, Scheduled tours from the Hotel
Contact: Melissa.geter@cwhotels.com
1-800-Holiday
Register with Dick Bray
585-538-4252
Cost to register is $100. per person (That is $200 per couple)
(That includes some meals)
(For local members who wish only to come to banquet Sept 24th cost $35. per person)
Send $100 to him at 765 Hosmer Rd Churchville, NY 14428 leighbray@hotmail.com
Website: www.vc12vaw12.org
All the old newsletters;
for members list: www.vc12vaw12.org/members/members.html
Chairman: Seykowski, Edward CWO4 607 N 70 E Valparaiso, IN 46383 219-462-3636 edseykow@juno.com FAX 219-462-2168 1959-1962 AT2 Karen
Treasurer, Scribe, & Membership Chairman for dues:
Roger G. Smith, MD Office: 256 SE 2nd Av. Hillsboro, OR 97123
503-628-2229 home; Office 503-648-4171; FAX 503-648-4172 rgs@coho.net
Dues are $10 a year for those who get the newsletter by post. New year starts at the reunion.
Many who get the newsletter by e-mail offer dues and we are grateful. We send e-mail newsletter to all who wish to see it regardless.
We are nearly 1500 members. There are a lot of people we have not found.
We have listed groups by detachments. Send me your request and I'll share your detachment list with you so you can contact the guys you want to meet at reunion. Tell us who you remember and let us help you find him/them. We have too many new contacts since the reunion to list them all. We have many incomplete detachment rosters. Send for yours and help me complete the lists. I call a lot of guys who have no interest, but if their old buddies call them, that may be a different matter. Our membership continues to grow. We have found people through the Navy Memorial Foundation and Military.Com.
People who send me old newsletters from the squadron and old orders, social notes, watch bills, cruise book lists and rapid recall bills have been very helpful.
Every once in a while I find a new member referred from a member who recalls where his old buddy is now.
Surprisingly few men that I have heard of have taken the roster of their cruise and made calls to old friends. That is another way to improve the list. Many of those rosters have names with incomplete addresses. Studying them may yield clues to where they may be now—wives names, birthdates or birth years, hometowns etc may be very helpful in finding men with more common names.
VAW-12 Books at the VAW Store
We have copies of GUPPY PILOT at $27.50 each post paid. This is a book written by Roger Smith about squadron flying. His address is 256 SE 2nd Av Hillsboro, OR 97123. 80 color photos and some others. Naval history, sea stories, personal reminiscence.
We do not have copies of SAILORS IN THE SKY by Jack Sauter, but inscribed copies can be purchased from him directly for $19.95 at 235 Robby Lane, New Hyde Park, NY 11040. This is an enlisted aircrewman’s view of the Korean War from the back seat of an AD3W operating off the Lake Champlain. Jack is the president and editor of the magazine for that ship’s reunion group to this day
HANOI COMMITMENT the story of 7 years a prisoner of the North Viets. Purchase from the author for $15. plus postage. CAPT James A. Mulligan 912 Five Points Rd Virginia Beach, VA 23454-2642
20 WAS EASY by Harry Mead is available for $8.95 plus postage by writing to the author at 38 N Alder Drive, Orlando, FL 32807-5030. There is a chapter about VAW-12
VAW-12 Patches on sale for $5 for dues paying members and $8 for those not paying dues. Write to editor (Roger Smith) address supra.
We have a new supply now. There was a delay in February while we waited for our new supply to come in.
NFO wings are still available at $50.
For those of you planning to come to reunion in Washington in September, it is time now to make a reservation and let Dick Bray know you are coming and send him some money. Do it now so you will be “Charlie on Arrival.”
Who saw the mention of CAPT Ralph DeWalt’s son, CDR Dewalt flying the Hornet in the most recent Wings of Gold magazine?
Roger