Sunday, October 30, 2011

November - December Dolphin Brotherhood Posted

The November - December issue of the Dolphin Brotherhood has been posted to the Seattle Base website.

This issue has information about the Auburn Veteran's Day parade, Tahoma National Cemetery Veterans Day ceremony, the registration form for this year's Joint SubVets WWII and USSVI Holiday Luncheon, along with the usual base news, upcoming events, and other submarine related articles.

The Seattle Yacht Club, the site of our annual Holiday Luncheon

The registration form for the Holiday Luncheon can also be printed separately from the newsletter by going to this link: Holiday Luncheon Form 

Hardcopies of the newsletter should be going out early this week. I hope you all enjoy it.

Don't forget to check back with the blog for base news updates and other articles of interest. You can find old issues of the newsletter at: Dolphin Brotherhood Archives, which is also a link on the right-side of the blog.

I'd also like to remind everyone about the raffle Seattle Base is having for a 3D submarine cutaway plaque. You can see pictures of the different cutaways in the newsletter and in the October Meeting Notes blog entry. The raffle drawing will be held at our Holiday Luncheon, but you do not need to be present to win. Tickets are $5 each. If you would like more information or to purchase tickets, contact Jim Harper (tel: 425-357-6485, e-mail: kh6cn@earthlink.net).

Dave Schueler
Seattle Base USSVI Newsletter Editor

Sunday, October 23, 2011

October Meeting Notes

We started October meeting with the Tolling for the Boats lost during the month.

Before our usual introductions, Base Commander Keith Watson and Treasurer Jim Harper presented Tim Floersch with his submarine cutaway plaque prize from our August raffle. Tim selected his qualification boat, USS Redfish (SS-395) for the plaque.
Jim (left) and Keith (right) present Tim (center) with his plaque
Base Elections: Seattle Base elections will be held in January. Steve Shelton is in charge of the Nominating Committee. If you are interesting running for one of the base officer positions, please contact Steve.

Base Donations: During the Treasurer's Report, Jim Harper let us know that because USSVI is now an official War Veterans organization, donations to the Seattle Base are tax deductible. If you want to make a donation to the base, Jim can give you the right form so you can claim it on you taxes.

Base Raffle: Due to the success of our last raffle, we have decided to do another. We will once again raffle off a submarine cut-away plaque; the winner has their choice of submarine class (Gato, Balao, Tench, Sturgeon, or Lafayette) and it can be customized with the appropriate boat name.



Additionally, there will be a runner-up prize of a set of submarine coasters; the winner can choose a set of Fleet boat gauges or Dolphins.
Talk to Jim, he will help you get tickets.
The drawing will be held at the our Holiday Luncheon on December 17th. You don't have to be a member of Seattle Base to participate in the raffle and you do not need to be present at the luncheon to win. Ticket are $5 each. If you would like to purchase tickets, contact Jim Harper (tel: 425-357-6485, e-mail: kh6cn@earthlink.net).

Upcoming Events
Auburn Veterans Day Parade - The parade is set for Saturday November 5th. The Seattle Base will be marching in the parade with our base float, along other submariners from the region, and the Silent Service Motorcycle Club. We are planning on meeting at the staging area near the intersection of L St SE and Main St around 10:00 AM. Free parking is available in garage near the transit center. The parade starts at 11:00 AM and you can see a map of the parade route, with the transit center location and staging areas, at this link. There are other events planned throughout the day, you can find out more ion the community calendar pages of the Auburn city website.

Tahoma National Cemetery Veterans Day Remembrance - This program will be on Friday November 11th starting at 11:00 AM. Remember there is limited parking at the cemetery, so be sure to show up early.

2011 Seattle Base Holiday Luncheon - Our annual luncheon will be at The Seattle Yacht Club on December 17th. The cost this year will be $44 per person and a registration form will be available shortly and a copy will go out in the newsletter at the beginning of November.

October Program
For October, Bob Opple presented a program about the return of USS Razorback to the U.S. after 62 years of service in the U.S. and Turkish navies. He started off talking about the "Three Sisters" (Razorback SS-394, Redfish SS-395, and Ronquil SS-396) and their recent reunion and his time on Razorback. He then talked about how he became involved in the effort and all the work needed to get Razorback returned from the Turkish Navy. Bob is a great speaker and his presentations are always enjoyable.


Binnacle List
Andrea Geisler is recovering from an eye surgery. She had a corneal graft.

Robbie Robertson is dealing with prostate cancer. He reported that his doctor told him that it is slow growing and not expected to be life threatening.

Bruce Fisher is dealing with diabetic neuropathy of his foot.

Bob Morris is recovering from prostate surgery.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Invitation to Veterans' Honoring Pow Wow

The Eastside Native American Education Program asked me to pass along this information about their Pow Wow to honor Veterans. The special guest speaker this year is Samuel Tso, one of the WWII Navajo Code Talkers.
Click on the image for a larger view

For the 5th year in a row, students from the Eastside Native American Education Program (ENAEP) will host their Veteran’s Honoring Pow Wow. ENAEP is a Title VII program that works with Native K-12 students from Bellevue, Northshore and Lake Washington school districts. All program students are invited to join the Youth Leadership Coalition and be members of the planning team for the annual Pow Wow. Alex Jones, Spencer Paisley, Bellevue High and Victor Roman, Juanita HS are the Pow Wow Chairs for this year’s event. Together, the Youth Leadership Coalition is proud to announce that the 5th Annual Veteran’s Honoring and Pow Wow will be held on October 22, 2011 at Juanita High School, 10601 NE 132nd St., Kirkland WA.

The Veteran’s Dinner and Honoring is free for all veterans, and guests. As an opening ceremony, a flag for Mr. Samuel Tso, WWII Navajo Code Talker will be raised outside Juanita High School. Followed by a dinner and program sponsored by the ENAEP volunteers and served by the students. ENAEP students present every veteran with a booklet of personal thank you messages. During the Veteran’s Dinner students recite their poems, letters and other expressions of thanks.

“I am grateful for our soldiers who fought in the war so we can have peace and a safe world to live today.” – Jon Wilber, ENAEP Student

After the Veteran’s Dinner, the event moves to Juanita’s gym with a 6PM Grand Entry. Native American Arts and Crafts Vendors from around the region line the dance circle. During the course of this traditional pow wow, many intertribal and round dances occur and all spectators are welcome to join the dancers in the circle. Vendor applications are now being accepted.

The Veteran’s honoring and Pow Wow is great expression of the cultural pride and knowledge alive in our younger generation. The Pow Wow is run and directed 100% by the student leaders, and is a testament to their strong planning, organization, and communication skills.

Pow Wow Specifics:
Head Young Woman: Dustin Hoahwah
Head Young Man: Nytah Snow
Host Drum: Secret Cooley
Arena Director: Robert Charles
MC: Arlie Neskahi

Schedule:
Flag Rising: 2:30PM
Dinner/Program: 2:30 – 4:30PM
Flag Lowering: 4:45PM
Grand Entry: 6:00PM

All are welcome. Free entry.

For more information, contact: Mary Wilber, e-mail: mwilber@lwsd.org, phone: 425-936-1402

Sunday, October 16, 2011

October Meeting Announcement

Hi Shipmates,

The October USSVI Seattle Base meeting is this coming Wednesday, October 19th, at VFW Post #2995 (4330 148th Ave N.E., Redmond WA 98052). We will have Social Time starting at 6 PM and the business meeting starts at 7 PM.

Don't forget to review the meeting minutes from the September meeting. You can see them here on the Seattle Base Blog or at the Seattle Base website.

On the agenda for this month, we'll have a some information about the Auburn Veterans Day Parade, scheduled for 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 5, and a reminder about our new Base Raffle.

What submarine in existence today had one of the longest tours of duty, served two countries with fifty-three years of commissioned service, was saved from the scrap heap, and is still serving today in retirement?

Find out all about her in a presentation by Bob Opple.

Bring a guest and bring a smile.

See you there!

Fraternally,
Keith Watson
Commander Seattle Base USSVI

PS: Holland Club Members ( and potential members ) - please bring a dollar to donate to the Holland Club to help defray some of the club's costs. Thanks!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Blog Additions and Changes

I've made a couple additions and changes to the Blog format.

First off, on the right side of the blog, under the base logo, I've added a list of other blogs readers of this blog might enjoy. The blogs are shown in the order of most recent posts, so you'll always be able to tell when there is a new post. Here is a short overview of the blogs in the list:

Commander Submarine Forces Blog: The official blog for the Vice Admiral John M. Richardson Commander, Submarine Forces.

USSVI Blog: The USSVI National Commander’s blog. You can use this blog to “Ask the National Commander” questions and find out more information about conventions and membership.

The Alligator Blog: by Jim Christley. This blog tracks the history of the United States Navy’s first submarine that was variously called the “Submarine Propeller”, the “Alligator”, and the “USS Alligator”. It was 150 years ago during the Civil War (called the “War of Northern Aggression” in some quarters) that the Navy contracted for, had built, tested and sent into battle this diminutive vessel. Its more successful cousin the “CSS H. L. Hunley” which followed a year later has overshadowed it.

The Stupid Shall Be Punished: by Joel Kennedy. This blog is meant to keep the blogosphere posted on the goings on of the world of submarines and mocking and belittling general foolishness wherever it may be found.

The Naval History Blog: a cooperative effort by the U.S. Naval Institute and Navy History and Heritage Command with posts that honor our naval heritage, explore its unresolved debates, uncover new information, and respectfully stimulate an honest, thoughtful discussion.

I have also added a link so that you can follow the Seattle Base Blog by e-mail. It is located on the right side at the top of the darker blue box (just scroll down the screen to find the box). Just type your e-mail address into the box, click Submit and confirm your e-mail address. The system will send you an e-mail to confirm your address. Just click the link in the e-mail to activate e-mail notification from the blog.

As always, feel free to contact me if you have any comments about the blog or want to pass along information to post here.

Dave Schueler
Seattle USSVI Base Newsletter Editor