January Meeting Notes

Editor’s Note: Check the full Seattle Base Meeting Minutes for complete details on the items below.

We started off the first meeting of 2019 with Tolling the Boats lost in January, followed by birthday wishes for our members. We followed that up with the Officer Reports and introductions.

A quick view of the meeting

We were also reminded that USSVI Base and National dues are due! If you need to pay either, you should have gotten notification of what you owe. If you don’t pay your dues, you will be removed from the roster until you pay.

Old and New Business
Seattle Base Secretary – Bill G is stepping down from the Base Secretary position. We want to thank him for all his work as Base Secretary and as Base Storekeeper, which he did before becoming secretary. We also need someone to step up to take on the position. Please contact any of the Base officers if you are interested in being the Secretary.

Holiday Luncheon – The lunch at the Nile Shriner club was a big success and we voted to return there in 2019. We are tentatively looking at December 14 (the second Saturday in December), but will have more information later in the year.

Fund-Raising Opportunities – We are looking at a number of fund-raising opportunities throughout the year. If you have some ideas, be sure to bring them up at the meeting or with the Base officers. There are several items being discussed and we have the following events on the list so far:

• Memorial Day Weekend (dates to be determined): Cabela’s event
• July 12 – 15: Smokey Point Rest Stop event, Arlington WA - southbound area

Tolling Ceremony – We have tentatively planned on holding our Tolling Ceremony on Saturday, August 17. We are working on reserving the Kirkland Pavilion and will provide more information as we get closer to the event.

Base Float Refit – Once the weather starts warming up and before the parade season, we will be looking for people to join a work party to help refurbish the Base float. We expect it to happen sometime in March or April and will put out the call for help then.

Salmon for Soldiers – In keeping with our previous commitment to the event, we voted to donate $100 to the Salmon for Soldiers event.

Base Funds – Over the past few years we have had part of our funds in a savings account that was not drawing much interest. It was determined the Executive Board would obtain some information on options for other ways to invest these funds and present those to the base for a decision.

Binnacle List
Our Junior Vice Commander Earl Greening underwent triple bypass surgery this past week. It appears all is going well - Earl has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Good of the Order
We have information available on the Puget Sound Honor Flights. If you would like more information or an application, be sure to check with the Sr. Vice Commander

The next Heroes Cafe will be held on January 22 in Lynnwood. These events are held on the 4th Tuesday of every month between 0900 hrs. and 1330 hrs. The Hero’s Cafe is a monthly gathering for all veterans to focus on fostering positive outreach, interaction, and welfare within the neighboring community. You can find directions and more information at this web page.

Be sure to check the 2019 Seattle Base Activities Calendar page (linked at the top of the blog) for upcoming events.

January Meeting Reminder

The next Seattle Base meeting is this coming Wednesday, January 16, 2019. 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.

VFW Post #2995

Kicking off the New Year we will be in the small meeting room downstairs from the bar. The VFW has decided that all service groups (their own included) will use this newly remodeled room and the larger Hall (our former meeting location) will be promoted as a rental facility. Due to this change, we aren’t expecting there to be much in the way of pre-meeting setup and post-meeting takedown. The refurbished facility has the added advantage of a computer compatible large screen TV/Display.

We will be setting the main points of this year's agenda and getting the feel for what the future may hold for base happenings and events. If you have ideas and want to help steer the base direction for 2019 please come to the meeting and get involved.

We hope to see you there.

January - February 2019 Dolphin Brothood Posted

The January - February 2019 issue of the Dolphin Brotherhood has been posted and is ready to view and download.

This issue has photos from the 2018 Auburn Veterans Day Parade and the Seattle Base December Holiday Luncheon - along with the usual submarine related articles.

Hardcopies will be mailed out once I sort out some problems with the printers. I hope you all enjoy the newsletter.

As always, remember to check back here for base updates and other articles of interest.

See you at the January meeting!

Dave Schueler
Seattle USSVI Base Newsletter Editor

2018 Seattle Base Holiday Luncheon Photos

On Saturday, December 8, 2018 USSVI Seattle Base submarine veterans, family, and guests gathered at the Nile Shrine Center for our annual holiday luncheon.

Before lunch we had time to catch up with shipmates we have not seen for a while, share tales of our exploits from the past year, and to talk about plans for 2019. We then moved on to opening remarks and lunch.

After lunch, Base Commander Ric presented the Shipmate of the Year Award to Steve Lewis and Roy Burt. Steve and Roy were recognized for their visits to ailing veterans and their work with the Silent Service Motorcycle Club. We added Steve and Roy to the Seattle Base Honor Roll plaque.

We also had the drawing for the American Submarines throw blanket, which was won by Pat H.

Then the floor was then opened for sea stories and holiday remembrances. The microphone was passed around and we heard some new old stories.

We all had a good time at the luncheon and special thanks goes out to everyone who helped organize and setup the event. It is always good to see all our shipmates and get a start on the holiday season with them. We hope you enjoy the photos below.

Sign in desk manned by Judith and Lois

Start of the social time

Bob, Pat, Carolyn, and Thea

Lois and WWII Veteran Ralph

Judy, Bill, Fran, and Dick

Steve, Tim, Lynanne, Bob, and Thea

memorabilia table with sub models

more memorabilia

John, Al, and Vicky

Dick and Fran grabbing some wine before lunch

Getting in place for lunch (photo 1)

Getting in place for lunch (photo 2)

Steve and Roy hold up their Shipmate of the Year awards

2018 Holiday Luncheon Reminder

Submarine Christmas ornament from SubLoveShop

The annual Seattle Base Holiday Luncheon is this Saturday, December 8, 11 am to 2 pm, at the Nile Shrine Center.

Nile Shrine Center entrance

The Nile Shrine Center is located at 6601 244th St SW, Mountlake Terrance, WA 98043

• From I-5 take Exit 177, heading west on WA highway 104 (toward the Edmonds/Kingston ferry dock)
• Turn right on the road with the gate that says Nile Shrine Center.
• Wind through the golf course to the facilities.

You can drop off passengers at the front entrance. The luncheon will be on the second floor.

There are some Seattle Base members that need a ride to the parade. Please check your email for the message or send me an email for more information.

We hope to see you there! 

2018 Auburn Veterans Day Parade Award and reminders

We learned that the USSVI group won the Auburn Veterans Day - Harold Page Memorial Award for the best veteran service organization entry.

Thanks to everyone that showed up at the parade.

Award plaque

Here are a few calendar reminders for you:

• There is no November meeting this month due to Thanksgiving.
• Our next scheduled event is the Seattle Base Holiday Luncheon on December 8, 11 am to 2 pm, at the Nile Shrine Center (6601 244th St. SW Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043-2750). The cost this year is $25 per person for a lunch buffet. We have limited seating this year, so be sure to get your reservations in as soon as possible. Registration forms can be found in the current issue of the Dolphin Brotherhood newsletter and at this link.
• The January meeting will be on January 16, 2019. VFW Post 2995 has remodeled the meeting room under the post bar and our meetings will shift to this meeting room.

2018 Auburn Veterans Day Parade Photos

It was a partly-cloudy and chilly Saturday for the 53rd annual Auburn Veterans Day Parade.

A banner from the Auburn Parade route

Our USSVI turnout was a little lighter than normal - with members from Seattle Base, Bremerton Base, and Silent Service Motorcycle Club showing up. We were also joined by an Honor Guard from Naval Base Kitsap. However, the parade crowd was enthusiastic as ever and everyone seemed to enjoy the parade.

Even with the lighter turnout, it was a good time and great to see all the veterans out for the parade.

Here are some photos from the event.

Bonefish float and Bremerton members at the staging area

We had some time for pre-parade sea stories

Just before the parade started we got a few group photos

Bremerton Base and Honor Guard

Seattle Base members

Silent Service Motorcycle Club (SSMC) - Thresher Chapter

After that, we had some last minute preparations for the parade.

Getting banners ready and chairs on the floats

Getting people on the floats

With the flyover, it was time to start the parade.

King County Sheriff helicopter flies over the parade

The Honor Guard led the way, followed by Bremerton Base

Seattle Base was next, followed by the SSMC

In-parade group photo

A couple views of the Veterans Day Banner over the parade route.

You can see all the people lining the street

One last in-parade photo

We had a good time with the parade and hope to see everyone again next year!