There was a lot going on at the November meeting. We started out with the Tolling of the Boats for November and December (the November meeting is the last meeting of the year. The Holiday Luncheon replaces our monthly meeting.) and, after introductions, got right into business. Here is the important information that was shared during the meeting.
USSVI Naval Memorial Plaque Fund: USSVI is taking donations to place a plaque at the Naval Memorial in Washington D.C. The plaque will cost around $10,000 and will be dedicated in 2014, for the 50th anniversary of USSVI. Seattle Base will provide matching funds, up to $250, for donation by base members. Donations to the fund are tax deductible. Just give your donation to Treasurer
Jim Harper and he will provide you with a form for your taxes.
USSVI has announced they will provide up to $5000.00 in matching funds for base donations to this project. They are also making this a Base Challenge, with the Base that raises the most funds getting $100.00 of USSVI Store items.
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| The USSVI plaque design for the Naval Memorial |
Seattle 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.
National Elections: Nominations are open for the 2012 USSVI National Election. The positions open for nomination are: National Commander, National Senior Vice Commander, National Junior Vice Commander, National Secretary, National Treasurer, NE Region Director, SE Region Director, Central Region Director, Western Region Director. Nominations must be received by Patrick Householder, Nomination Committee Chair on or by April 30th 2012. The nominations can be sent by email at
householderp@comcast.net or by mail at 25003 SE 146th St, Issaquah WA 98027. You can also contact Pat if you have any questions about eligibility requirements, officer duties, and other nomination related questions.
Information from the Base Treasurer: During the Treasurer's Report, Jim Harper reminded us that USSVI is now an official War Veterans organization, so donations to USSVI (including those made to USSVI programs like Boat Sponsorship) and the Seattle Base (including the Base Booster Fund) 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 your taxes.
Jim also let us know that Chase Bank told him that they are not charging checking account fees for veterans or veteran businesses. If you have an account with Chase, be sure to talk with your local representative to see about getting the fees removed from your account.
Holland Club Donations: Last month Holland Club members were asked to donate $1 to help with organization costs. In November, Seattle Base voted to cover the donation for each Seattle Base Holland Club member this year and in the future.
Membership Renewals: We want to remind you that annual dues for your National USSVI and Seattle Base membership are due at the end of the year. Be sure to take care of this as soon as possible. You don't want to end up on the DINK list! Contact Doug Abramson (tel: 360-652-9709), Art Thompson (tel: 425-745-2223), or Jim Harper (tel: 425-357-6485) if you have questions or to take care of your dues.
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.
The drawing will be held at the our Holiday Luncheon on December 17th and tickets will be sold at the luncheon. 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
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. You can find the registration form in the
November-December newsletter or at this
link. Please get your registration form in by December 7.
November Program
For November, Keith Watson presented a program on the attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the United States into World War II. In addition to the attack by Japanese carrier planes, Keith covered the attacks by the five Japanese midget submarines. Keith also focused on the experiences of Seattle Base member Ervin Schmidt, who was on the battleship USS California during the attack (Note: Ric Hedman recently recorded an interview with Ervin about his wartime experiences and posted the videos to YouTube. We will post the interviews in a future blog entry).
After talking about the December 7 attack, Keith provided some information about a lesser known disaster at Pearl Harbor, the
West Loch Disaster. Finally, Keith told us about the link between the disaster and the December 7 attack. During the salvage operations from the disaster, equipment and wreckage was taken out of the West Loch and dumped about 3 miles south of the island. An investigation of the dumping area found what is believed to be the fifth Japanese midget submarine from the Pearl Harbor attack. It is thought that the submarine was abandoned in the West Loch after the attack and then dredged up with the wreckage after the West Lock Disaster.
It was an interesting program providing information about some little known historical events.
Binnacle List
Andrea Geisler is recovering from an eye surgery. She had a corneal graft.
Robbie Robertson is dealing with prostate cancer.
Bruce Fisher is dealing with diabetic neuropathy of his foot.
Bob Morris is recovering from prostate surgery. He was at the November meeting and said he is doing much better.
Ric Hedman is dealing with a ruptured disc.
Kerry Ryan is recovering from a puncture that happened during a recent colonoscopy exam.
Doug Abramson's wife Connie has been diagnosed with lung scarring.
Pierre Bruno's wife Beradine is recovering from a fractured backbone.
