November - December 2017 Dolphin Brotherhood Posted

The November – December 2017 issue of the Dolphin Brotherhood has been posted to the Seattle Base website.

Submarine Veteran Group photo from the 2016 Auburn Veterans Day Parade

This issue has information about the upcoming Auburn Veterans Day Parade, the registration form for the Seattle Base December Holiday Luncheon, and the usual submarine related articles.

Hardcopies will be mailed out later this week.

I hope you all enjoy the newsletter. As always, remember to check back here for base updates and other articles of interest.

We hope to see you at the Auburn parade!

Dave Schueler
Seattle USSVI Base Newsletter Editor

Eternal Patrol: Ron B Thody

Seattle Base member Ron Thody departed on Eternal Patrol on October 13, 2017.

Unfortunately, we do not have a photo of Ron. So we are using a 1955 photo of Ron's qualification boat, USS Spinax

Ron was born on April 12, 1933 and joined the U.S. Navy in 1950. He qualified on USS Spinax (SS-489) in 1952 and was a SN(SS) when he left the Navy in 1954.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at the Edmonds Yacht Club on November 12, 2017 at 1 PM.

Sailor, Rest Your Oar

October 2017 Meeting Notes

The October meeting started off with Tolling the Boats lost in October, followed by birthday wishes for our members, and introductions.

After the introductions, Ric Hedman was inducted into the Holland Club. The Holland Club is named after John P. Holland, designer of the first US Navy submarine. It is an exclusive group within the US Submarine Veterans organization, where the core requirement for eligibility is the designation “qualified in submarines” for a minimum of fifty years.

Congratulations to Ric!

He also showed off the new Holland Club challenge coin.

Holland Club challenger coin front

Holland Club challenger coin back

Old and New Business:

December Holiday Luncheon – Our annual Holiday Luncheon will be at the Cascade Club at Trilogy at Redmond Ridge on Sunday, December 10. The registration form for the event can be found at this link and it will be included in the next newsletter. Remember, the number of spaces available will be only 65 people, so be sure get your registration form to Jim Harper as soon as possible.

Auburn Veterans Day Parade – Seattle Base, Bremerton Base, and the Silent Service Motorcycle Club will be participating in the Auburn Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, November 11. We will meet near the junction of Main and K Streets in Auburn. There is free parking at the transit center. Please arrive between 10 – 10:30. The parade will start at 11:00. You can see more about other parade and Veterans Day events on the City of Auburn website. Additional information will be posted on the blog and newsletter.

Veterans Day at Tahoma National Cemetery – If you can’t make it to Auburn, you can consider going to the Tahoma National Cemetery for their Veterans Day ceremony. It will start at 11:00.

Seattle Base Elections – The nominations committee turned in their recommendations for Seattle Base officers for our January elections. Here is the list of officer nominees:

• Base Commander – Ric Hedman 
• Sr Vice Commander – Larry Abbott 
• Jr Vice Commander – Earl Greening 
• Secretary – shared by Bill Giese and Lois Mezek 
• Treasurer – Jim Harper 

Committee Chairs:

• Chief of the Boat – Ralph Sterley 
• Membership – Kerry Ryan 
• Base Chaplin – Andrea Geisler 
• Storekeeper – Ralph Sterley 
• Webmaster – Steve Shelton 
• Newsletter Editor – Dave Schueler 

If you would like to throw your hat in the ring or nominate someone for a position, please contact Larry Abbott or Kerry Ryan with the information.

October Program:
The October program was a presentation by Greg Emerson on life during the American Revolution and how young Americans helped change the world. Greg is the Color Guard Captain for the Cascade Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and was dressed as a colonial militiaman for the presentation.

Greg Emerson

Greg started off by talking about life in the colonies in the 1770’s and how most Americans lived outside of cities. He talked about general trade and commence in the colonies. He then continued with information on why the British imposed taxes on the colonies, the formation of the Continental Congress to address the taxes, and the declaration of independence by the colonies.

Greg showing a replica Continental dollar

With the revolution underway, Greg talked about how families participated in the war, with many families following the fathers to war. He also covered the uniforms and weapons used by both sides.

Greg showing a Continental Army uniform

Greg finished up by recounting stories of young people that helped out during the revolution, including Sybil Ludington, Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and Alexander Milliner.

The presentation was an interesting and enjoyable look back at early America history.

Binnacle List:
• Tim Floersch is still recovering from his back surgery and hopes to be at the next meeting.

We hope to see you at the next meeting!

Eternal Patrol: Pierre Bruneau

Seattle Base member Pierre Bruneau departed on Eternal Patrol on August 29, 2017.

Pierre was born in Wenatchee, Washington, but he also lived in Milwaukee, Chicago, Seattle, Silverdale and finally settled in Redmond, where his family owned the Skyline Chicken Ranch. Pierre attended Central Kitsap High School in Silverdale, Nathan Hale High School in Milwaukee, Lincoln High School in Seattle, and Lake Washington High School in Kirkland.

Pierre enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1947 and served his country a total of twelve years. He was a submariner, serving on seven submarines, and very proud of his military contribution. He developed his superb upholstery skills at Lynch Furniture in Seattle, worked for Boeing - earning numerous awards and accolades, sold and repaired mimeograph machines and other office equipment for Olympic Distributors, began his own firm, Bruneau Upholstery and finally returned to Boeing where he retired as a senior supervisor.

He married Bernadine Porter in 1949 - a marriage lasting sixty-four years until her passing in 2013. They had two children and are both survived by Edmond Bruneau and Renee (Bruneau) Colleran. He was also blessed with five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren who loved him very much.

Pierre loved fishing, square dancing, puzzles, games and magic. He adored the RV life, sharing with Bernie many adventures and travels, including wintering in Arizona. A private memorial was held in Bothell on October 8. Contributions in his honor can be made to the American Heart Association.

Sailor, Rest Your Oar

October 2017 Meeting Reminder

The next Seattle Base meeting is this coming Wednesday, October 18, 2017. We will meet at VFW Post #2995 (4330 148th Ave N.E., Redmond WA 98052). Social hour starts at 6PM with business meeting at 7PM.

We will be covering information on the upcoming Auburn Veterans Day Parade (along with other Veterans Day events) and the Seattle Base Holiday luncheon.

Our program will be a presentation on life during the American Revolution by Greg Emerson of the Cascade Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

A photo of Greg Emerson and past Base Commander Dick Gonzales from Greg's last presentation to Seattle Base

Greg previously gave us a presentation on spies during the American Revolution. Greg is a second generation US Navy veteran who has served 21-years and aboard 11 different ships, including the Submarine Tenders USS Howard W. Gilmore (AS 16), USS Emory S. Land (AS 39), USS Hunley (AS 31) and USS L.Y. Spear (AS 36), as well as the Floating Drydock USS Alamogordo (ARDM 2). He finished his career aboard the Nimitz class Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70); traveling around the world twice and the recipient of 18 decorations, including the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist “Silver Cutlasses”, Navy and Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. Veteran of the first Gulf War, Operation Desert: Fox and Operation Southern Watch.
While serving aboard USS Nassau (LHA 4), he supported important diplomatic operations for President George H.W. Bush, receiving a Letter of Commendation from the White House Communications Agency. One-third of his career with the Navy was spent in the intelligence community, support tactical, theater and strategic intelligence operations. As a naval analyst, he has published articles in Sea Power Magazine, Proceedings, the official publication of the U.S. Navy War College and several international naval publications.
He has traveled to over 20 counties in Europe, Asia and the Pacific, including Russia in 2004 and Ukraine in 2011.
He is a member of the Cascade Centennial Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, where he is the Color Guard Captain and Scouting Programs Coordinator. He has verified the lineage to two Patriots of the America’s war for independence, one served with Colonel Daniel Boone in the Kentucky frontier of the war and helped to rescue his daughter from the Cherokee Indians.
He is married for 16-years to the former Sharon Elsabeth Fish of Moraga, CA and the father of two wonderful children: Olivia and Christian.

We hope to see you at the meeting!

Seattle Base 2017 Holiday Luncheon Registration

The Seattle Base USSVI Holiday Luncheon is set for Sunday, December 10, 2017 at the Trilogy at Redmond Cascade Club in Redmond WA. It is a great end of year event for all submarine veterans and associates. We are confident this venue will present an opportunity for our shipmates, spouses, and guests to catch up on past year’s events, trade stories, and make plans for 2018.

The Cascade Club at Trilogy at Redmond

The registration form for the event can be found at this link. We will have some copies at the next Seattle Base meeting and it will be included in the next newsletter.

Remember, the number of spaces available will be only 65 people, so be sure get your registration form to Jim Harper as soon as possible.

USS Washington (SSN-787) Commissioning

USS Washington (SSN-787) will be commissioned this Saturday, October 7, 2017 at Pier 12 Norfolk Naval Station, Norfolk VA. The ceremony starts at 8:00 am PDT (11:00 am EDT) and will be streamed live on the Navy Live website.

Bremerton Base has arranged a large screen viewing of the ceremony at McClouds Grillhouse at 2901 Perry Avenue, Bremerton. If you are interested in attending, be sure to go to Gertrude Check for updated information about the viewing.

SSN-787 is the ninth ship to bear the name Washington (the first six were named in honor of George Washington and last three in honor of the state of Washington) and is the fourteenth Virginia Class submarine. The commissioning ceremony is one of the most important traditional ceremonial milestones in the life of the ship. It represents the acceptance of the ship by the United States Navy and her entry into the active fleet.

September 2017 Meeting Notes

The September meeting started off with Tolling the Boats lost in September, followed by birthday wishes for our members, introductions, and the officer reports.

Getting settled in for the meeting

Old and New Business: 
2017 Tolling the Boats Ceremony – Before we started the main business meeting, Commander Al Smith thanked and praised Lois Mezek for all the work she did to put together and run the Tolling of the Boats ceremony held last month in Kirkland.

December Holiday Luncheon – Dick Gonzalez reported that a new location has been reserved for our December luncheon. Trilogy at Redmond Ridge will be our new location. Unfortunately, because we had to apply so late, we have to change the date to Sunday, December 12. The price is expected to be around $48.00 a person for a buffet style lunch. But will be firmed up when Dick is able to go to Trilogy and gather all the information for the event. We will have more information and applications the Seattle Base blog soon, along with directions on how to get there. The number of spaces available will be only 65 people, so be sure get your reservations to Jim Harper as soon as possible.

Seattle Base Float Home – We now have moorage for our float. DeFord Cochrane, who did our program in July and is a neighbor of Base Commander Al Smith, has agreed to let us store our float on his property in Kent. The canopy is erected and we now can do some much-needed work on it. There will be some painting and a little electrical work to be performed before the next parade. Be looking for an e-mail to let you know when you can help.

Auburn Veterans Day Parade – Once again, Seattle Base will be marching in the Auburn Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, November 11. The organizational meetings are starting and we will provide more information when we receive it.

USSVI Charitable Fund Hurricane Relief – USSVI National is working very hard on a plan to allow donations for fellow submariners that need help due to hurricanes and floods. They want to make sure it is going to the correct places. More info to follow when they have this worked out.

Upcoming Base Elections – We are taking nominations for Seattle Base officers for our January elections. Larry Abbott and Kerry Ryan have been appointed to the nominations committee, so please contact them to submit candidates for the offices.

Good of the Order:
Congratulations to Judy Watson, base supporter and wife of former Base Commander Keith Watson, who was honored with a Lifetime Award from the city of Black Diamond at this year’s Labor Day Parade.

We received a certificate from The Submarine Sailors Association of Australia for our donation to their Heritage Trail project.

Earl Greening gave a report on the Salmon for Soldiers fishing derby the base donated to. It was held in August and Earl was one of the people who had a boat and provided transportation for some veterans. Once again, a 16-foot boat, trailer and outboard was given away as a prize. A fishing trip to Alaska and a tuna fishing trip in Westport were some of the other prizes. A barbeque lunch was provided after everyone returned back to shore. There will also be a golf tournament to be held the 30th of September.

Binnacle List: 

• Bill Lightfoot has an infection in his arm. 
• Tim Floersch has had back surgery to relieve pain in his leg. 

Our next meeting will feature a presentation by Greg Emerson of the Cascade Centennial Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. We hope to see the you there!