February 2020 Meeting Recap

We started off the February meeting with Tolling the Boats lost in February, followed by birthday wishes for our members, and then the officer reports.

Next we presented the Shipmate of the Year award for 2019 to Mike Drake. Mike and his wife Debra were very involved with Seattle Base events in 2019, including providing the tow for the base float. Congratulations to Mike!

Base Commander Ric presents the Shipmate of the year certificate to Mike

Then we moved on to elections for Seattle Base officers. There were no contested positions this year, so we voted to accept the list. Then Western District 4 Commander swore in the new group.

2020-21 Seattle Base Officers being sworn in

New Base Commander Doug took over the meeting from outgoing Commander Ric. We want to thank Ric for stepping up to take on the Base Commander role for the last two years.

Old and New Business
Float Refit/Renovation - The float needs a little work to get it prepared for our spring and summer events. The motors for raising the masts need to be replaced, the battery needs to be replaced and will need some  new parts for the float shelter. We will plan a work party sometime in the next couple of months to take care of this and authorized the Treasurer to spend up to $500 for parts.

Upcoming Events - We decided to pencil in a couple dates for 2020 Seattle Base events so that we can reserve the venues. We are tentatively scheduling the 2020 Holiday Luncheon for December 12 (the second Saturday in December). We are checking on dates for the Tolling the Boats ceremony in August. We are also looking at times where we can take the float to Cabela's for some public meet & greets. We will provide more information as we get closer to the events.

USSVI Conventions - The Western Region Roundup is scheduled for March 22 - 27 in Laughlin NV. There will be boat reunions and other events. You can find out more information on the event website: wrroundup.com. The USSVI National Convention is scheduled for August 23 - 30 in Tuscon AZ. Plans are still in the works for the convention, but you can see more at the website; https://ussviconvention.org/2020/.

February Program - We didn't plan a specific program for February. But since we haven't had a meeting for a few months, this seemed like a good opportunity to catch up on what our members have been doing. We heard some stories about trips to Yellowstone and Africa, along with the decommissioning ceremony for USS Pittsburgh (SSN-720).

Good of the Order
Reminder - The internment service for Bob Haslan is planned for Friday, February 28, 2020 at 11:30 AM at Mount Tahoma National Cemetery. Bob's wife Dani let us know she would appreciate seeing Seattle Base SubVets at the service.

Treasurer  Steve let us know that Seattle Base will be refunding you Holiday Luncheon payment if you were unable to make it to the event.

Don't forget about the Heroes Cafe in Lynnwood. The Heroes Cafe is a monthly gathering to focus on outreach, interaction and welfare among the Veterans community. The cafe is help on the last Tuesday of every month from 9:00am to 1:30pm at the Verdant Wellness Center, 4710 196th ST SW, Lynnwood.

Jim DeMott, Western Region Dist. 4 Commander, let us know that USSVI National will be doing special recognition  of Submariners that have been qualified for 75 years.