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2001
Reunion: The 2001 reunion is now only a couple of months away. Time is
growing short so if you are planning on attending contact Doug or Kathy
Hauser right away. They can be reached at (334)277-2151 or by E-mail at JMcClane2@aol.com.
Doug has let us know that the weather may be warm that time of the
year in Mobile so bring some clothing that would be cool. Also the Hotel
has an outdoor swimming pool on the 3rd floor so you might want to pack
your swim trunks also.
With everything that they have gotten planned it is going to be a
fun time. Don’t miss out, call today!
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Found – now Lost: Since the March newsletter the following is the
list of shipmates we have recently lost contact with: John DeFilippo,
Ernest Queck, Walter Cathcart, Andrew Cole, Thomas Gemperline, Edward
Magdarz,, Robert Melville, Charles Thistle, David Mogill, Kenneth Rohan,
Harold Fuller, James Pixomatis, Michael Kleinbeck, John Scammacca.
In addition, the following is our list of "Bad E-mail"
addresses:
G.P. O’Neil, Ken Plasket, Tom Miner, John Shade, J.W. LaPean, Bob
Barnett and Adelmo Costantini.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of these shipmates, or has current
E-mail addresses for them, please contact us at the Association’s
mailing address or by E-mail at ae17assn@aol.com.
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LOST now Found (again): Shipmate Tony Carambia has contacted us
with the addresses for 2 of the shipmates reported as LOST in the last
edition. Thanks to his efforts shipmates Iggy Cortese and Bill Napolitano
have been added back to the "Found" list.
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Honor Roll: Since the last newsletter we have received notice that
several more of our shipmates have passed on. All have been added to the
web pages and will be added to the list for the Memorial Ceremony at this
years reunion. They are:
Robert A. Grover, MM3, ‘61
Roscoe Hidinger, S1c, ‘45*
Robert L. Futrill, SN, ‘63
John F. Lents, TE1, ‘59
William P. Haldik, S1c, ‘45*
Gerald Donaldson, GM2c, ‘45*
Floyd Littleton, ENS, ‘61
Our condolences to their family and friends.
(* denotes Plank Owner)
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New Finds: Since the March Newsletter 29 more of our shipmates have
been located. These new finds are:
John Cornwall, SA, ‘61
Larry Teeter, SK3, ‘57
Gordon Brown, EMFN, ‘66
Mark Rucker, MM2, ‘70
Howard Townsend, GM3, ‘57 John
Neely, LTjg, ‘70
Paul LeClair, SN, ‘60
Jerry Contey, SN, ’70
Gary Westbrook, SA, ’62
Paul Proulx, EM3, ’60
Paul Dumais, PN2, ’71
Robert Pritchard, BM1, ’57
Lawrence Yoder, BT3, ’61
Rex Hess, S2c, ’46
Richard McGregor, SN, ’57
Eugene Wilson, FN, ’56
David Terwilliger, RMC, ‘63
Charles Evans, SK1, ‘58
William Sears, SA ‘61
John Dicken, MM3, ‘61
Frederick Gallagher, BM3, ‘64
Joe Trevino, SK3, ‘66
Richard Grefe, SN, ‘64
Grover Monroe, SN, ‘71
Gerald Nelson, BT3, ‘56
Howard Hecht, SN, ‘60
Terrence Quinn, RM3, ‘59
James Speicher, FN, ‘52
James Halpny, BM3, ‘69
As a side note, shipmate Paul Dumais is the only crew member we
know of that is still on ACTIVE DUTY!
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Election of Officers: The Association Charter calls for the
election of officers each year with the election to coincide with the
annual reunion. All positions are up for election each year and officers
may be re-elected. The March newsletter outlined the eligibility
requirements for serving as an officer and the right to vote. At that time
nominations for office were called for with the following results:
2001 – 2002 Election Slate:
The following crew members are nominees for the upcoming election:
President: Ron
Zimmerman (reelection)
Vice President: Doug Hauser
Secretary/Treasurer: George Kaiser
(reelection)
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Armed Forces Retirement Home:
by Sheila Abarr, Public Affairs Office
For more than a century and a half the U.S. Naval Home in
Gulfport, Miss., and the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home, in
Washington, D.C., have provided the finest retirement and medical care for
our nation’s veterans. Both facilities, now under the unified management
of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, are considered model retirement
centers, complete with on-site assisted living and long-term health care
facilities to meet future needs of each resident.
Residency is open to veterans from all of the Armed Services whose
active-duty military service was at least 50 percent enlisted or Warrant
Officer, received an Honorable Discharge and who are one of the following:
- Retirees with 20 or more years of active-duty service, and who
are at least 60 years old
- Veterans who are unable to earn a livelihood due to a service
connected disability
- Veterans who served in a war theater or received hostile fire
pay, and are unable to earn a livelihood due to injuries, diseases or
disability
- Female veterans who served prior to 1948
Despite their names, veterans from any service are welcomed at
either home.
Both homes offer each resident a private room, three meals a day,
some on-site medical care, plenty of recreational activities, and access
to medical treatment at nearby VA or military treatment facilities. In
addition to fine living accommodations and recreational activities,
residents enjoy spending their time among people with whom they share a
special bond – the bond of military service and service to this nation.
More information is available through our website (www.afrh.com) or
by calling the toll free numbers for each home. The U.S. Naval Home can be
reached at 800-332-3527 and the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home can
be reached at 800-422-9988.
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Web site update: We have recently received notification from the
web host that our space allocation has been increased from 20MB to 75MB of
space at no additional cost to us. What this means is that we now have
lots more space available for pictures of Cruises, Crew members, Reunions,
or anything else we would like to add. While we have been expanding the
amount of pictures we have at quite a rapid rate, more are always needed.
If you have any pictures that you would like to submit for consideration
please let us know. Pictures should be in "good taste", and have
the Who, What, When, Where. Pictures can be mailed to:
Ron
Zimmerman, Sr.
c/o All
Star Management Co.
1000 SE
Everett Mall Way, Suite 206
Everett, WA
98208
All pictures will be promptly returned after they have been
scanned and made ready for the web pages. If you have access to a scanner
and would prefer to submit them by E-mail, contact Ron at:
ae17assn@aol.com for specific
requirements for resolution and file type.
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REPAIR 3 REPORT: by George Kaiser
First thing I want to do is give a big BRAVO ZULU to all the
shipmates who have been sending in dues. That really helps with the costs
of this newsletter and web site. Keep up the good work. Membership cards
will be sent out to all who provide me with a good address. The term of
membership runs from 1 September of the year received to 31 August of the
following year. If I got your dues check today, it would be for 1
September 2001 to 31 August 2002. Any checks received before May of this
year are considered 2001 dues and are due again after 31 Aug 2001. Last
item on the dues subject; if you are coming to Mobile in September and
will be paying your dues there, PLEASE, I will be accepting dues
payments by check only. This is to avoid carrying large amounts of
cash around on the trip home.
Next is Ships Store. Right now we offer ball caps, blue and red
@$12 each and Enamel pins of the ships patch @ $5 each. Newest item is a
T-shirt. Ships patch (full color) on left front and the ships in service
dates on the back. The shirts are gray, come in M, L, XL, XXL. Price is
$16. These shirts look great and are comfortable. Order a couple and show
your GREAT SITKIN pride this summer. We have 144 on hand and when they are
gone this design will not be re-ordered. They are destined to become
collectors items and will probably turn up on Ebay in a few years. Don’t
be left out, get yours today! Prices include shipping.
This has been a great year serving the extended crew of the Great
Sitkin. It has been fun re-living my time on the ship through emails,
letters, and conversations with you all. I look forward to seeing a lot of
you at Mobile.
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VA Backs Cost-of-Living Raise for Disabled Vets:
Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. Leo S. Mackay Jr. has strongly
urged the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to support a raise in the
monthly payments provided to more than 2.5 million veterans and survivors.
PR Newswire reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is
calling for a cost-of-living adjustment effective December 1 that is
estimated at 2.5 percent. For a list of other potential new benefits
endorsed by the VA, visit:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010629/dcf028.html
.
To contact your senator or representative, visit:
http://www.congress.org |
