Seabag –

DUES R DUE – (a little rhyme from John McKechnie)

Look at your envelope to see if your

Dues are due.

Roster Database – Thanks to all who took the time to update their database information. We are always looking for more E-mail addresses (helps save on postage).

Send all changes to to: 

John McKechnie
540 Alameda Blvd.
Coronado, CA 92118
(619) 435-3978
John540@juno.com

JPJ Website – Check it out (http://www.ussjohnpauljones.org/):

Pictures (Norfolk reunion; Change-of-Command, Feb. 2003; DDG-53 ops; newsletters; "Good & Humorous Thoughts" too numerous and extensive for the newsletter); list of members (accessible to Dues payers only – if you don’t have a password, contact John McKechnie at john540@juno.com)

TRICARE Update – For those eligible for TRICARE Senior Pharmacy prescriptions, be advised that Express Scripts became the provider of the new TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy, effective March 1, 2003. Details can be obtained by calling Express Scripts Customer Call Center at 1-800-305-2179, or e-mail at: www.express.com

Brother Duty – through brand-new member, Roger Brossard, we just learned that he and his brother, Curtis, had overlapping service time aboard DDG-32. Roger was on board from 1967-70, while Curtis was aboard from 1968-71! Great!

Certificate of Appreciation –

"Shipmates,

Today, in the rain and wind of Pier 2, Naval Station San Diego, your

Treasurer presented departing DDG53 CO CDR Dave Steindl, USN with a Certificate of Appreciation for the great support given to the USS JOHN PAUL JONES ASSOCIATION. RADM Tom McNamara was present representing the JPJ Association membership.

We will be attending the C-of-C tomorrow, and we pray for dry weather. The crew was mustered (all of us were under a tent) to practice for the Change-of- Command. scheduled for tomorrow 2/28/03, CDR Roy I. Kitchener, USN, relieving - welcome aboard CDR Kitchener.

The ship’s XO, LCDR Paul Schlise, was kind enough to make these arrangements so that we might have an audience without interfering with tomorrow’s Change-of-Command.

Below is the wording of the presentation. The Certificate of Appreciation itself can be seen on the JPJ website.

This beautiful certificate, the idea of Pete Maytham in Smithfield, VA; was designed and produced by Don Wall in Goodlettsville, TN; shipped to CAPT Olsen in Arlington,VA and framed here in San Diego".

Change-of-Command cont’d.

Text of Certificate of Appreciation presented to CDR David F. Steindl:

· GOOD AFTERNOON SHIPMATES, I AM JOHN McKECHNIE, A FORMER JUNIOR OFFICER ON BOARD DD932 AND TREASURER OF THE USS JOHN PAUL JONES ASSOCIATION (SHE WAS MY FIRST DUTY STATION).

· I AM HERE REPRESENTING THE 392 MEMBERS OF THE USS JOHN PAUL JONES ASSOCIATION. AN ASSOCIATION OF MEMBERS WHO SAILED, AS YOU HAVE, ON ONE OF THE 7 SHIPS IN OUR NAVY’S HISTORY TO BEAR THE NAME OF THE FATHER OF THE U.S. NAVY – JOHN PAUL JONES.

· THE PURPOSE OF THE ASSN IS TO HONOR JOHN PAUL JONES AND TO PROVIDE A FORUM AND A PERIODIC REUNION OPPORTUNITY, SO THAT SHIPMATES CAN RENEW AND ENJOY THE CAMARADERIE THAT JOHN PAUL JONES SAILORS SHARE. WE HAVE HAD 8 REUNIONS SINCE WE FORMED, AND IT IS INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THE CREWS FROM THE DIFFERENT ERAS MERGE.

· YOU WHO MAN THE DDG-53 ARE "SPECIAL" BECAUSE YOU SERVE IN THE SHIP THAT HONORS THE WARRIOR - THE COMMANDER WITHOUT PEER - JOHN PAUL JONES, WHO SET THE STANDARDS FOR HEROISM AND PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE THAT STILL STAND TODAY. - IF HE WERE ON ACTIVE DUTY TODAY, HE WOULD WEAR THE BADGE OF THE SURFACE WARRIOR ON HIS CHEST JUST AS MOST OF YOU DO.

· YOU INVITED US TO YOUR COMMISSIONING, AND IN RECENT YEARS YOU LET US SAIL WITH YOU ON THREE FAMILY DAY CRUISES. OF NOTE WAS THE FAMILY DAY CRUISE DURING OUR MARCH 2001 REUNION HERE IN SAN DIEGO – A REAL HIGHLIGHT FOR OVER 100 FORMER JPJ SAILORS AND THEIR FAMILIES. IT IS INTERESTING HOW NOSTALGIC OLD SAILORS BECOME AFTER A FEW YEARS AWAY FROM THE SEA.

· DURING THE REUNION CRUISE, SHIPMATE GRADY PEASRSON – USS PAUL JONES (DD230) 1937-39, WAS ON BOARD SITTING ON THE 01 LEVEL BY THE CRUISE-MISSILE LAUNCH TUBES. I ASKED HIM WHAT HE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS DESTROYER, AND HE SAID, "THIS AIN’T NO DESTROYER, IT’S A LIGHT CRUISER".

· THE JPJ ASSOCIATION WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT THIS CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION TO CDR STEINDL, REPRESENTING ALL OF YOU, FOR THE GREAT ASSISTANCE YOU HAVE BEEN TO OUR ASSOCIATION. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN YOU WILL JOIN US TO RENEW AND ENJOY THE CAMARADERIE THAT JOHN PAUL JONES SAILORS SHARE.

· THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE. OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH ALL OF YOU AND THIS FINE SHIP, AND WE WISH YOU FAIR WINDS & FOLLOWING SEAS IN THE CHALLENGING DAYS AHEAD.

CDR David F. Steindl, USN

Greetings and Farewell John Paul Jones Association Members:

November 2002 – February 2003 has been another great period for JOHN PAUL JONES. We were at sea the entire month of November doing Battle Group work-ups with the CARL VINSON Battle Group. JPJ distinguished herself as the top ship in the Battle Group logging the most submarine contact time, serving as the primary Link 11/16 data-link ship, and conducting the most boardings of "suspected sanctions violators". The crew performed magnificently and JPJ was certified by THIRD FLEET as ready to deploy. VINSON Battle Group has recently deployed without JPJ due to an urgent requirement to get her on station and JPJ’s tasking to participate in the Sea Swap experiment. It appears the JPJ schedule will continue to be driven by Sea Swap, resulting in a Fall 2003 deployment.

After an enjoyable holiday standdown, the ship has been focusing on preparations for the Board of Inspection and Survey inspection the last week of April. We conducted a Power Systems Assessment, a Pre-INSURV Groom, and are on track for a Combat Systems Readiness Assessment and Hull/Mechanical/Electrical Systems Readiness Assessment in March. The crew is working hard to get this tough inspection under our belt.

I was relieved of command of JPJ on 28 February at Naval Station San Diego. The crew’s preparation for the ceremony was impressive as usual, with the ship looking spectacular, the ceremony well-rehearsed, and the crew looking sharp in their Full Dress Blues. RADM McNamara, CAPT McKechnie, and CAPT John Kelley from the JPJ Association were all in attendance. They had also made an appearance at our rainy, windy rehearsal the day before to present me a Certificate of Appreciation from the JPJ Association. Thank you very much for that great honor and the beautiful certificate.

I was relieved by the finest officer that I know in the United States Navy, CDR Roy Kitchener. CDR Kitchener has a great deal of experience on the best ships in the Navy and will make JPJ even a better ship. I would like to thank the JPJ Association for their outstanding support of the JPJ crew and of myself. It is an honor to serve on such a fine warship with such a distinguished history. Thanks also to all of you for your service to your country. I am very thankful to have had the pleasure of this association with so many patriots.

Sincerely,

CDR David F. Steindl

Commander Kitchener’s shore assignments include: the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, where he earned a Masters of Arts in National Security Affairs, specializing in Western Hemisphere area studies; the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations, as the Surface Warfare Directorate’s Naval Surface Fire Support Program Officer; and on the staff of the Surface Warfare Officer School, as a Combat Systems Instructor in the Command Training Department.

USS JOHN PAUL JONES (DDG53) FAMILY CRUISE DAY

RESERVE FRIDAY MAY 9, 2003 –

Dues-paying members of the USS JOHN PAUL JONES ASSOCIATION have been invited to board the USS JOHN PAUL JONES DDG53 for a FAMILY DAY cruise from/to 32ND STREET NAVAL STATION, SAN DIEGO. The only cost to participants will be $5.25 for the Steel Beach picnic. Make checks payable to: "FOOD SERVICE OFFICER"

Participants will board from 0700-0800 and should expect to return to Naval Station San Diego at approx. 1600.

The JPJ Association contact will be CAPT John Kelly (Tel: 619-461-4589; E-mail: jpkelly@cox.net).

Parking: Directions and a map to the lot follow. This should provide easy access for all cruise participants, as well as a central gathering point for larger groups. We will have crew members available at the lot to assist you with any questions or concerns you might have. JPJ will provide transportation from the lot to the ship and back.

Activities: The cruise will include tours of the ship, full power run, ship-handling drills, gun and small arms demonstrations, etc.

Mail Completed Security Info Sheet and lunch money to:

LTJG Harry Watkins, USN

USS JOHN PAUL JONES DDG53

FPO, AP

96669-1271

__________________________________________________________________

Sponsor (Name, Rate, Division) or Organization (JPJ Assoc., Navy League, etc…)

___________________________ _________________________________

Name of Guest (Last, First, M.I.) SSN

______________ ____ ____ ___________________

Phone Number Sex Age Citizenship

__________________________________ ____________________________

Next of Kin Relationship

___________________________________________________________________

Next of Kin Address

____________________________________ ___________________________

City, State, Zip Code Next of Kin Telephone Number