Notes from the April Meeting

Here is some information from our April meeting.

111th Submarine Force Birthday: We celebrated the 111th birthday of the US Submarine Force with a little cake (thanks to Keith and Judy Watson for bringing the cake)

Submarine birthday cake featuring USS Holland and USS Virginia

Upcoming Events:
Presentation at the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport - On April 30 at 2:00 PM, base member Don Ulmer will be giving a talk and show film from USS Springer's (SS-414) rescue of airmen from a downed B-29 during WWII. This is a great presentation and definitely worth a trip to Keyport. (Click on picture below to see a full size version of the announcement.)

 May Meeting Presentation - Our May meeting, set for May 18, will feature a presentation by Seattle Base Life member and Holland Club member, Captain Angus McDonald. He will discuss a book he authored on the sinking of USS Scorpion (SSN-589) in 1968. It should be an interesting presentation.

Armed Forces Day Parade - Seattle Base and the Silent Service Motorcycle Club will participate in the Bremerton Armed Forces Day Parade. The parade is on Saturday, May 21 and attendees should be there around 9:00 AM, with the parade starting at 10:00. We will have more information as the date gets closer.

Memorial Day Events - Doug Abramson, Jim Harper, and Bill Giese will be participating in the upcoming "Cruizin' To Colby" car show on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30. We hope to have our submarine float there. Also, we will be participating in the Tahoma National Cemetery Memorial Day service.

Smokey Point Rest Stop Event - This is set for June 10, 11, 12, and 13 at the Smokey Point (North) rest stop. Steve Shelton has the sign-up board ready. We hope that you will sign up for a shift during the four-day event. If you can't take on a shift, you can still help out by providing cookies and other snacks. Please contact Steve to volunteer or for more information.

Tolling of the Boat Ceremony - The ceremony is set for August 20 at the Kirkland Pavilion. We are planning on a picnic before the ceremony and hope to have the Navy Band in attendance. Be sure to mark the date on your calendar!

2011 Christmas Luncheon - We have reserved the Seattle Yacht Club on Saturday, December 17 for our luncheon. It is still pretty early to be thinking about this, but it is never to early to mark it on your calendar.

Base Raffle:
Seattle Base is launching a new raffle opportunity. The raffle prize is a highly detailed, three-dimensional, submarine cutaway plaque. The winner can choose the submarine class displayed on the plaque, the current options are a Gato (SS-212), Balao (SS-285), Tench (SS-417), or Lafayette (SSBN-616). Raffle tickets cost $5 and the drawing will be held at the Tolling of the Boats Ceremony on Saturday, August 20. You do not need to be present to win, so be sure to pass this information along to anyone that might be interested in one of these beautiful cutaways. (Click on the photo to see a larger view)

Gato cutaway

Lafayette cutaway

Base member Robbie Robertson was recently featured in a story about his work to install a carillon tower at Tahoma National Cemetery, you can read the article at this link (we'll also get a copy into the next newsletter).

As many of you know, our Chief of the Boat Ted Taylor was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. Bob Opple wanted to encourage us to contact Ted Taylor. Ted is still at home putting all of his affairs in order and would really appreciate hearing from all of his USSVI friends.

April Presentations:

Makayla Wilson with Base Commander Keith Watson

Loyalty Day: Lois Mezek and her grand-daughter Makayla Wilson gave a presentation on Loyalty Day, which falls on May 1st. Lois explained the purpose and origins of Loyalty Day. Makayla presented the US flag (with a little help from Sam Ronnie) and conducted a folding ceremony. After that Makayla gave a short speech about patriotism and loyalty, and why they are important today. Everyone enjoyed the presentation.

Don Ulmer talking with John Mckeon (they are probably talking about secret Naval Academy stuff)

McKeon Financial Services: John McKeon and Jennie Cooney of McKeon Financial provided the program for the evening. Jennie served in the Navy, married a submariner, and currently is the Marketing Director and Office Manager for McKeon Financial. John is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and qualified on USS Olympia (SSN-717). John provided a little background about himself, his time in the submarine service, and how that affected his outlook on the business world. John talked about his transition from the Navy to civilian life in the insurance business and his move to his own financial service. John also talked about his philosophy for business and how he handles his current work. John's primary goal in his business is to help people do things that they can't do for themselves. John's business specializes in financial planning and services, including: retirement income planning, 401K/IRA rollovers, stock market alternatives, and long term care insurance. John sponsors a lot of seminars to help you determine the best course you can take in your own investments and planning. After the program, John and Jennie held a drawing for some coffee mugs and wine glasses. If you are looking for financial information, we hope you will give John a call. McKeon Financial is located in Marysville at 1507 172nd St NE, Suite 201. You can also call the office at 360-652-4244 or 1-877-785-8781.