VC-12 / VAW-12 Newsletter Post Reunion October 2008
Website: www.vc12vaw12.org All the old newsletters are there;
Members list: www.vc12vaw12.org/members/members.html
Contact me for rosters of the detachments you were on. We are continually adding to this database. (rgs@coho.net)
We are now at over 1900 members and know of 750 deceased men in addition.
Chairman: Richard Bray 765 Hosmer Rd Churchville, NY 14428 585-538-4252 Cell: 585-576-0595 leighbray@hotmail.com
Past Chairman: Edward Seykowski 607 N 70 E Valparaiso, IN 46383 219-462-3636 edseykow@juno.com FAX 219-462-2168
Treasurer, Scribe, & Membership Chairman for dues:
Roger G. Smith, MD Office: 561 SE Oak St Hillsboro, OR 97123
Home: 34464 SW Firdale Rd Cornelius, OR 97113 503-628-2229 home; FAX 503-693-9109; Cell 503-407-8436 rgs@coho.net
Dues are $10 a year for those who get the newsletter by post. New Year starts at the reunion. Send in your dues now or e-mail me for a status report on your account.
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 + 1900 members. There are a lot of people we have still 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 2007 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. Let’s have some stories of contacts made among old shipmates.
2009 Reunion will be in Dayton, OH
The 2008 VC-12/VAW-12 reunion was held at the Holiday Inn at Patriot’s Point in Mt Pleasant, SC which is just over the Cooper River from Charleston, SC. The Holiday Inn is just one mile from Patriots Point where the USS Yorktown museum is located along with the USS Laffey (DD 724), the USS Clamagore (SS 343) and the Coast Guard Cutter Ingham.
(My wife had a knee replacement surgery and now a week or so after the reunion is doing very well, thank you, many of you, for asking. RGS)
. 2008 VC/VAW-12 REUNION BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday 24 September 2008
Chairman Dick Bray introduced the present and past Reunion Leadership –
Chairman - Dick Bray
Past Chairmen – Ed Seykowski/Bob Marvin
Treasurer and Scribe – Roger Smith, (Absent due to a family medical contingency).
Steering Committee – Larry Martin, Bill (Speed) Ritzmann, Bob Reutenauer, Dick Frederick
Attendance and Quorum: Those logged in as present were:
Earle Borman, Dick Bray, Ray Coller, Lee Edmonston, Dick Frederick, Brian Greenwood, Judge Dick Greenwood, Bob Howard, Dave Larkin, Robert L. Lehman, Tony LiCalsi, Donald Lundberg, Larry Martin, Niels Nielson, Frank Pollifrone, Bob Reutenauer, Speed Ritzmann, Red Sargeant, Joe Schneider, Capt Stan Schwartz, Ben Schwiening, Capt Frank Sequeira, Ed Seykowski, Karen Seykowski, Joe Shaw, Dr Flip Shoemaker, Bill Speaker, Don Teller, Jim Victor, Paul Watkins, Jim Welte, & John Younts
Dick Bray reported that this reunion has had the largest turnout of all VC/VAW-12 Reunions with a total of 88 Members and Guests. He further said that according to his last communication with Roger Smith that the organization has a listing of over 1900 members. He opined that we should be able to attract more members to future reunions.
Dick reminded all those present that the organization has a website at http://www.vc12vaw12.org
The members list is www.vc12vaw12.org/members/members.html
The Navy
Chief
The Power of the Almighty Chief Petty Officer: As a crowded airliner is about
to takeoff, the peace is suddenly shattered by a five-year-old boy who picks
that moment to throw a wild temper tantrum. No matter what his frustrated,
embarrassed mother does to try to calm him down, the boy continues to scream
furiously and kick the seats around him. Suddenly, from the rear of the plane,
an older man in the uniform of a U.S. Navy Chief begins to make his way up the
aisle. Stopping the frustrated mother's upraised hand, the white haired,
courtly, soft-spoken Chief leans down and, motioning toward his collar, whispers
something into the boy's ear. Instantly, the boy calms down, gently takes his
mother's hand, and quietly fastens his seat belt.
All the other passengers burst into spontaneous applause. As the Chief slowly
makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin attendants touches his sleeve.
"Excuse me Chief", she asks quietly, "could I ask you what magic words you used
on that little boy?"
The Chief smiled serenely and gently confides, "I showed him my anchors, service
stripes, and battle ribbons, and then explained to him that they entitled me to
throw one passenger out of the plane."
A wise old Master Chief once said...
A young Ensign approaches the crusty old Master Chief and asked about the origin
of the commissioned officer insignias.
"Well," replied the Master Chief, "the insignias for the Navy are steeped in
history and tradition. First, we give you a gold bar representing that you are
very valuable but also malleable.
The silver bar also represents significant value, but is less malleable.
Now, when you make Lieutenant, your value doubles, hence the two silver bars. As
a Captain, you soar over the military masses, hence the eagle.
As an Admiral, you are, obviously, a star. Does that answer your question?"
"Yes Master Chief" replied the young Ensign. "But what about Lieutenant
Commander and Commander?"
"That, sir, goes waaaay back in history - back to the Garden of Eden. You see,
we've always covered our genitals with leaves.
Genie"
A Petty Officer Second Class, First Class and a Chief are off the ship together
for lunch. While crossing a park they come upon an antique oil lamp. They rub it
and a Genie comes out in a puff of smoke. The Genie says, "I usually only grant
three wishes, so I'll give each of you just one." "Me first!" says the Petty
Officer Second Class. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, a
beautiful woman at my side and not a care in the world." Poof! He's gone.
"Me next!" says the First Class. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach
with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of pina coladas and a beautiful
woman." Poof! He's gone.
"You're next," the Genie says to the Chief. he Chief says, "I want those two
back on the ship right after lunch."
"The Chief and the Gunny"
An old Chief and an old Gunny were sitting at the VFW arguing about who'd had
the tougher career. "I did 30 years in the Corps," the Gunny declared proudly,
"and fought in three of my country's wars. Fresh out of boot camp I hit the
beach at Okinawa, clawed my way up the blood soaked sand, and eventually took
out an entire enemy machine gun nest with a single grenade.
"As a Sergeant, I fought in Korea alongside General MacArthur. We pushed back
the enemy inch by bloody inch all the way up to the Chinese border, always under
a barrage of artillery and small arms fire.
"Finally, as a Gunny Sergeant, I did three consecutive combat tours in Vietnam.
We humped through the mud and razor grass for 14 hours a day, plagued by rain
and mosquitoes, ducking under sniper fire all day and mortar fire all night. In
a fire fight, we'd fire until our arms ached and our guns were empty, then we'd
charge the enemy with bayonets!"
"Ah," said the Chief with a dismissive wave of his hand, "all shore duty, huh?"
"A Mustang's Hunting Dog"
A Mustang retired after 35 years and realized a lifelong dream of buying a
bird-hunting estate in Alaska. He invited an old Admiral friend to visit for a
week of pheasant shooting. The friend was in awe of the Mustang's new bird dog,
"Chief" The dog could point, flush and retrieve with the very best.
The Admiral offered to buy the dog at any price. The Mustang declined, saying
that Chief was the very best bird dog he had ever owned and that he couldn't
part with him. Six months later the same Admiral returned for another week of
hunting and was surprised to find the Mustang breaking in a new dog.
"What happened to Chief?" he asked.
"Had to shoot him," the Mustang replied. "Another old shipmate came to hunt
with me and couldn't remember the dog's name. He kept calling him 'Master
Chief.' After that, all the dog would do was sit on his butt and bark."
"The Five Most Dangerous Things in the US Navy"
A Seaman saying, "I learned this in Boot Camp..."
A Petty Officer saying, "Trust me, sir..."
A Lieutenant JG saying, "Based on my experience..."
A Lieutenant saying, "I was just thinking..."
A Chief chuckling and saying, "Watch this..."