October Meeting Notes

We started the meeting with the Tolling of the Boats for October, birthday wishes for our members, introductions and officer reports. Since this is the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, we were asked to say a little about where we were in October 1962 when introducing ourselves. It was pretty interesting to hear about what we were doing 50 years ago.

Then Western Region Director John Mansfield made a couple presentations for the USSVI Memorial Plaque Program. Jr. Vice Commander Tim Floersch was presented with a plaque for his donation to the program and Seattle Base received a 14" x 14" canvas reproduction of the plaque.

Base Commander Doug Abramson accepts the canvas version of the plaque from Western Region Director John Mansfield

John Mansfield presents Tim Floersch with his appreciation plaque

Important November Meeting Change - Because the November meeting was scheduled for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we have shifted the meeting to the second Wednesday of the month, November 14. Be sure to mark this change on your calendar.

Membership Dues - If you are on the annual membership plan, it is time to look at paying your dues. Please contact Jim Harper to pay your dues or if you have questions.

Seattle Base Elections - Base elections are coming up in January. Our base needs men like you to stand for the necessary positions to keep the base running, and we want to invite you to throw your name in the ring for one of the Base Officer positions. Even if you aren’t ready to be a Base Officer, you can still help out as one of the committee chairs or appointed officers for the base. Committee chairs and appointed officers are really needed to handle the necessary base functions that make our base valuable to us all. Please consider stepping up for an officer or committee position.

Kaps4Kids on Tacoma TV - Western Region Director John Mansfield was on Tacoma TV on Thursday October 18 explaining the USSVI Kaps4Kids program. The show segment is embedded below (if it doesn't work, you can go to this link.)


2013 Calendars - The USSVI 2013 calendars are available. The calendar, titled "The Victors", honors the World War II U.S. submariners and their boats. You get your copy from the Seattle Base ship's store or you can order your copy directly from the USSVI National Storekeeper.

Upcoming Events
Auburn Veterans Day Parade – The parade is scheduled for Saturday, November 10 at 11:00. we will have our base float at the parade. You can meet us near the transit center parking garage at 10:00 or at the staging area near L St. and Main St. at 10:30. The next issue of the newsletter will have more information and a map.

Veterans Day at Tahoma National Cemetery - The annual Veterans Day ceremony will be on Sunday November 11.

Holiday Luncheon - We will have our annual Holiday Luncheon at the Seattle Yacht Club on Saturday, December 15. Be sure to mark the date on your calendar. It is always a fun time and this will probably be the last year we will be at the Seattle Yacht Club. The registration form will be in the next issue of the newsletter or you can download a copy by clicking this link.

October Presentation 

Col (ret.) Dick Iversen talking with Seattle Base.

This month's presentation was by retired USAF Colonel Dick Iversen. Dick flew a number of different aircraft for the USAF, including the F-4 Phantom, B-52, B-1, and F-111 bombers, along with AC-119K gunships in Vietnam.

A painting of an AC-199K in action (from the AC-199 Gunships website)

He has also been involved in the program to re-engine the remaining B-52H aircraft still in the USAF inventory. Dick started off his presentation with a discussion about the re-engine project, then showed a short video on the AC-119K and then talked about his own experiences flying the AC-119K over southeast Asia. Dick shared some really interesting stories about his own career and his missions over Vietnam. It was a great presentation on one of the lesser known aspects of the Vietnam War.