VC-12/VAW-12 Newsletter

September 2005

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

Next Reunion: WE’RE NOT GOING TO BILOXI IN NOVEMBER 7-9, 2005 (destroyed by Hurricane)

Being re-located to Fort Walton Beach, FL

Nov. 7-9, 2005 - Ramada Plaza Beach Resort, 1500 Miracle Strip Parkway, SE, Ft Walton, Florida 32548

800-874-8962 for reservations made and billed directly by each individual. We have 51 rooms: 13 Standard $70, 12 Courtyard $80, 12 Poolside $85, Beach Front $90.

Our Hospitality Room is available to us from noon Monday through breakfast on Thursday morning at no charge, as well as the Ball Room for our Wednesday night Banquet. We could get a comp. room for our guest speaker if needed at no charge according to Joe Guidry, Marketing Director. The room arrangements were for an estimated 100 attendees.

The feature of the event is a tour of the VAW-120 E2C being flown to Forrest Sherman Field in Pensacola by CDR Hamlin Ortiz-Marty, the CO of VAW-120, who will also be our banquet speaker.

The other feature of the event is a tour of the Pensacola Naval Air Museum and we’ll leave you there all day if you like to do the I-MAX movies as well as a comprehensive day on the floors of the place.

Our itinerary is the same as past Reunions (see below). We will provide the beverages and snacks for our two "Happy Hour" meetings and for 3 Continental Breakfasts. The hotel will provide food and cash bars for our Monday evening Reception and our Wednesday evening Banquet.....possibly our Tuesday "Dining Out" could be at the hotel if the have an unusual atmosphere or menu - "Dutch Treat". Photographer Robert Alexander will take a group photo prior to the Banquet of us, for sale to individuals, but no obligation or charge to our Reunion Committee.

1. Send registration fee of $100 per person to Dick Bray 765 Hosmer Rd Churchville, NY 14428 585-538-4252

leighbray@hotmail.com Make the check out to VAW-12.

If you registered previously for Biloxi, we still have your money. Reconfirm with Dick and make a new reservation for FT Walton Beach.

2. Make a reservation with the hotel at Fort Walton Beach. 800-874-8962. Ramada Plaza Beach Resort

The Biloxi hotel is gone and its reservation list gone with it. Fortunately they did not collect a night’s lodging in advance like some places do.

One last note is that we need to have a slate of candidates for the 2006 leadership for our Reunion. Ed Seykowski will serve as an advisory person, as the past Chairman, but not as the Chairman. Planning 5 Reunions in the past 2 years has burned me out. We talked about going to the Washington DC area in 2006, is that still on the docket? If so, we need some sites, prices, and dates for the troops to decide. The service I was using to help us find the 2005 is willing to inquiry the 2006 if we have some time of year planned. Also, do we want to be close to the Air Museum at Dulles or near DC for tours.....or half way between?

7 Nov. Monday – Noon check-in to hotel & Reunion Registration

Estimate 50 rooms

5 PM Reception -“heavy Hors D’oeurves” cash bar

Hospitality Room – 80 Attendees

8 Nov. Tuesday – Continental Breakfast – VC-12 Hospitality Room

We will supply coffee pots, juice & Danish

Paid Tours (TBA - Air Museum?) Dutch Lunch

4 PM “Happy Hour” & Business Meeting

VC-12 Hospitality Room – drinks/snacks 7 PM Squadron “Dinning Out” – Dutch Treat – 100 Nearby restaurant or possibly hotel

9 Nov. Wednesday – Continental Breakfast – VC-12 Hospitality Rm.

We will supply coffee pots, juice, & Danish

Paid Tours (TBA) with Dutch Lunch

4 PM “Happy Hour” & Business Meeting

VC-12 Hospitality Room – drinks/snacks

6 PM Cocktail Hour with cash bar

6:30 PM Group Photos – Robert Alexander

7 PM Banquet in hotel with speaker - 100

(Uniforms – if you have one that fits)

10 Nov. Thursday – Continental Breakfast – VC-12 Hospitality Room

Coffee, juice, & Danish

The underlined items are what food hotel will provide and the others are what the VC-12 will supply.

Treasurer, Scribe, & Membership Chairman for dues:

Roger G. Smith, MD Office: 256 SE 2nd Av. Hillsboro, OR 97123 503-648-7126

503-628-2229 home; Office 503-648-7126; FAX 503-648-9179 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 1600 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.

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 above. 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. It's available for $8.95 plus postage by writing to 38 N. Alder Drive, Orlando, FL 32807-5030. There is a chapter about VAW-12.

VAW-12 Patches on sale for $4. for dues paying members and $8. for those not paying dues. Write to editor (Roger Smith) address supra.

Interesting note

We read in the Naval Institute Proceedings for this month on p.72 an explanation of what has been going on in old Seaplane Hangar #2 at Quonset (which was the first one built at the NAS when it was new in 1938.)

“In the 1970s, Electric Boat modified its (New London) shipyard into a land level facility and started building and outfitting complete submarine sections at the old Quonset Point Naval Air Station in order to accommodate…..”

So that’s why we were not allowed into the place when we visited. It is now shut down again.

Membership:

Send me a message (with your dues if you haven’t already) and tell me who you served with and with whom you are still in contact. I have rosters of detachments that all need additions and improvements. I will be pleased to share this information with you.

For all the men who are new or haven’t communicated with us in a year, please send us word.

Send me an e-mail to say you are up on the web and we can save the postage and licking envelopes.

Roger