Late Winter 2010
Late Winter 2010
From
the Prez ….
Shipmates – where has the
time gone?! It’s time to mark your calendars and fix your plans for the
2010 BUFFALO Reunion. The time is Thursday September 16 for check-in; reunion
activities 17, 18, 19; & check-out Monday September 20. Weather that time of
year looks great!
Shipmate Paul Shanks and his Reunion Planning Committee team have been doing
a lot of great work since NASHVILLE in finding our hotel …. one that’s been
used repeatedly for reunions by naval associations having their ships at the
nearby Naval Park. Always a good recommendation.
The hotel is the ADAMS MARK http://www.adamsmark.com/hotels/buffalo/index.html,
located at
the Lake Erie Waterfront in the heart of downtown Buffalo. Niagara Falls is
nearby, and we have a number of optional great tours set, so you can see all
that Buffalo and the surrounding area have to offer, tailoring your budget
accordingly.
Detailed reunion info and the registration form are included in this
newsletter.
As an aside, we plan to have
a brand-new set of JPJ hats and shirts for sale at the reunion.
I’ve received a number of
emails about joining FACEBOOK and other social networking web sites – count me
out on these, too many offers, too
much else to do. Nevertheless, thanks for thinking of me. Nothing personal,
it’s just that I’m overloaded right now.
Hope to see you all in
Buffalo.
John J. McKechnie
New
Members -
WELCOME
ABOARD!!!
·
Gerry
Sellars - presently at OCS-Newport, with orders to report to DDG53 upon being
commissioned ENS shortly.
·
Lonnie
Daniel - served as GM2 aboard DDG53
from 12/99 to 11/2001. Now living in Arkansas (cell: 479-721-0588; e-mail: lrd10@aol.com)
Taps
-
Very sadly, several
shipmates have passed away since the Nashville reunion:
·
Mark E. Parkes
suffered a stroke June 15, 2009, dying
in Terre Haute, IN hospital the following day. He served aboard JPJ DDG-32
between 1969 and 1973, together with close friend and JPJ Assoc. shipmate Roland Hainey, who
notified us of Mark’s passing.
·
Bob Hildebrand,
JPJ Assoc. Vice President, who served aboard DDG-32 from 1967 to 1969, having
become ill last summer, was hospitalized in July and treated for liver and
kidney problems. Things took a downturn in early August, leading to his death
August 10, 2009. Cheryl
Madden, who was Bob’s mate, attending several reunions with him, kept us
informed in detail of Bob’s condition almost on a daily basis throughout his
illness, which was greatly appreciated. He was laid to rest in Riverside
National Cemetery where his brother is also buried. A memorial service was held
at the Ontario Elks Lodge which held a dear spot in Bob’s heart. He had
held the position of Lodge Treasurer and National Foundation Chairman for many
years. The National Foundation is the Elks National Charity which supports
veterans, police, drug awareness, youth activities, scholarships & more. Due
to Bob’s efforts, the Lodge achieved the Number 3 position in national per
capita contributions.
A
200.00 tribute donation was made to the Elks National Foundation by the JPJ
Assoc. in memory of Bob.
·
Tom Miklos
(DD932, 1957-’59) died Sep. 2, 2009 at home in Palm Coast, Fl. His death was
reported by shipmates Bill Hall and Clint Kreitner, having seen his obituary in
the Naval Academy’s alumni magazine, Shipmate.
Tom reported aboard JPJ DD932 in July 1957 directly upon graduation from
Annapolis. While aboard, he shared a stateroom with plankowner and Assoc.
Secretary, Pete Maytham.
·
George ‘Dudie’
Malackanich of
Hopewell Township, Penn., (DDG-32, 1961-’65) passed away Feb. 8, 2010 from cancer. He
was a retired employee of Penn DOT
and was currently employed at Hertz Rental Car. A U.S. Navy veteran serving
during the Vietnam War, he was also a member of the American Legion, Pittsburgh
Golf Association and Deer Trails Country Club, where he served as a board
member. Among his many hobbies, he enjoyed the dog races at Wheeling Downs and
attending the USS John Paul Jones naval reunions.
Prez John McKechnie expressed the feelings of those who
knew him aboard ship and at reunions:
“It
is with sadness that we learn of the passing of a dear shipmate, George
Malackanich.
SN Malackanich served on USS JOHN
PAUL JONES DD932 from 1961 to 1965. George and Barbara were at every
JPJ reunion that I can remember for at least the past 12 years and maybe
more. A good shipmate and strong supporter of the Reunion Group, George will be
missed. May God rest his soul.
John McKechnie”
Binnacle
List -
·
Everett Pinkston, BM3
DD932 ’62-’64, recovering from back surgery writes:
“Had successful
surgery Feb. 17th that lasted 9 hours; got home Sat. the 20th. Doing
great but very tired. I'll be wearing the back brace for a while until things
start to mend and muscles start to work properly. Thanks for your prayers.
Everett”
Sea Bag -
USS Constitution - America's Ship of
State.
©
Copyright 2009 Navy News.
USS Constitution's primary
mission will remain education and public outreach, and any Ship of State
functions will be an adjunct to the ship's primary mission, according the
National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2010. It is the sense of
Congress that the president, vice president, executive branch officials, and
members of Congress should use the USS Constitution for the conducting of
pertinent matters of state, such as hosting visiting heads of state, signing
legislation relating to the armed forces, and signing maritime related treaties.
Constitution's 71st and
current commanding officer, CDR Timothy Cooper, could not be more excited about
this law signed by the President in October 2009. "I am really proud and
humbled to be a part of this honor," Cooper said. "USS Constitution
has always been the most visible reminder of the beginnings of our Navy. Now,
USS Constitution is a visible reminder of America, and all that we stand
for."
Constitution was launched
into Boston Harbor on Oct. 21, 1797. Today, Old Ironsides is the oldest
commissioned warship afloat in the world, with a permanent crew of 73
active-duty U.S. Navy Sailors, and is visited by nearly half a million people
every year.
The origins of Old Ironsides
status as America's Ship of State were in July of 1997, when then CDR Chris
Melhuish, Constitution's 65th commanding officer had a vision for the future of
the ship, shortly before he took command.
"The idea struck me
after CDR Michael Beck [USS Constitution's 64th commanding officer] challenged
me to create my vision for the ship, following his own vision, which was to sail
the ship for the first time in 116 years, for Constitution's bicentennial,"
said Melhuish.
The status of the ship had inherently changed after that historic sail, and Constitution should no longer be thought of as a pier-side museum exhibit.
"She has, literally,
become a nation's ship, and should be preserved. Not as a sheer hulk in
ordinary (for she is no ordinary vessel), but, in honorable pomp as a glorious
monument of her own, and other naval victories."
CO’S
COLUMN - DDG-53
John
Paul Jones Association,
We
returned from our Persian Gulf deployment a few days before Thanksgiving and
were able to spend the holidays in home port after 7 arduous months at sea and
an incredibly hot summer in the Gulf. The
deployment called upon us to do a variety of missions from approach and assist
visits, to Iraqi oil platform defense, to ballistic missile defense. I am proud
to report that the ship performed superbly and was recognized for outstanding
performance as an independent Ballistic Missile Defense deployer.
Along
the way, the ship conducted port visits in Hawaii, Guam, Palau, Phuket, Jebel
Ali and Bahrain. While in-port, the crew enjoyed some well deserved liberty,
continuing their mission as US ambassadors participating in multiple community
relations projects and goodwill events. Through
our deployment, JPJ contributed to the security and stability in one of the most
volatile regions in the world. It
was a long and challenging cruise, but the crew’s professionalism and drive
assured mission success on all tasking.
We
will be going into the yards this summer for an extended 7 month Destroyer
Modernization upgrade that will extend the life and make the ship as good as
new! I would also like to report
that my tour as CO will be coming to an end later the end of April.
The incoming CO, CDR Chris Cegielski, is an old shipmate and will most
certainly continue JPJ’s tradition of professionalism and success.
I wish you all fair winds and following seas.
Sincerely and very respectfully,
Sam R. Hancock
Commander, U.S. Navy
Commanding Officer
*********************************************
Navy Picks SWO of the Year
LCDR Jeffrey Tamulevich, USN,
of the guided-missile destroyer, USS JOHN PAUL JONES
(DDG-53), home-ported in San
Diego, received the Navy’s inaugural “Surface Warfare Officer of the Year”
award Nov. 30, 2009 in a shipboard ceremony. The Navy picked Tamulevich for that
honor from 25 other Lieutenant Commanders and Lieutenants out of 5,000 Surface
Warfare Officers.
Vice Adm. D.C. Curtis, who
commands Naval Surface Forces, said Tamulevich got the top honor “for his
performance as the ship’s Combat Systems Officer, his leadership,
professionalism, expertise, motivation, and example to others.”
Surface Forces established
the award to highlight SWOs who perform well, show initiative, have pride in the
surface fleet, and mentor others. Tamulevich “is a leader who’s known not
only on the ship but in the surface fleet”, said Curtis.
Good
& Humorous Thoughts -
Is
sex work?
A U.S. Navy Captain was about to start the morning
briefing to his staff.
While waiting for the coffee machine to finish its
brewing, the Captain decided to pose a question to all assembled. He explained
that his wife had been a bit frisky the night before and he’d failed to get
his usual amount of sound sleep.
He posed the question of just how much of sex was "work" and how much
of it was "pleasure?"
A Commander chimed in with 75-25% in favor of work.
A Lieutenant said it was 50-50%.
An Ensign responded with 25-75% in favor of pleasure, depending upon his state
of inebriation at the time.
There being no consensus, the captain turned to the seaman who was in charge of
making the coffee, asking him for HIS opinion?
Without any hesitation, the young seaman responded, "Sir, it has to be 100%
pleasure."
The captain was surprised and, as you might guess, asked why?
"Well, sir, if there was any work involved, the officers would have me
doing it for them."
The room fell silent.
God Bless the Navy sailor!!
**********************************************
THE
POPE
The Pope died
and went to heaven. He was stopped at the gate by a sleepy watchman who asked
him, "Yeah, whadda’ya want?"
The Pope
thought, "Great! I do 30 years of God's work to get stopped by this
guy." Then he says "Look I’m the Pope. I’ve done many years of
good work."
The watchman (a
BM2) says, "We ain't got no orders for you. Go get some rest and we'll see
you in the morning." He then gives the Pope directions to an old WWII
open-bay barracks.
The Pope goes in
to find all the lower bunks taken and the only lockers left have no doors. So he
throws his gear under his rack and goes to sleep. The next morning he’s
awakened by loud music and cheering. He runs to the window to see a long black limo with a U.S. Navy chief in the
back, smoking a huge cigar, hanging on to a mug of fresh, hot coffee (could have
been Jack & Coke) and with two beautiful blonde angels hanging on to him.
The Pope is
angry and goes to the night-watchman and says, "I'm the Pope! I do 30 years
of God's work at the Vatican only to see some Navy Chief that probably did
everything imaginable a sailor would do and he get's treated like royalty!"
The watchman
says, "Pope! we get Popes every 20 to 30 years. This is our first Navy
Chief ever!!"
A Poem About the Old Navy
Come
gather round me lads and I'll tell you a thing or two;
About the way and iron men were barely out of sight;
I'm going to give facts just to set the record right.
We wore the ole bell bottoms, with a flat hat on our head;
Always hit the rack at night and never "went to bed."
Our uniforms were worn ashore and we were mighty proud;
Never thought of wearing civvies, in fact they weren't allowed.
What
happened to the KiWi brush, and the old salt-water bath;
Holy-stoning decks at night cause you stirred old Bosn's wrath!
We always had our gedunk stand and lots of pogey bait;
And it always took a hitch or two just to make a rate.
In
your seabag all your skivvies, were neatly stopped and rolled;
And the blankets on your sack had better have a three-inch fold.
Your little ditty bag, it’s hard to believe just how much it held;
You wouldn't go ashore with pants that hadn't been spiked and belled.
We
had scullery maids and succotash and good old SOS;
And when you felt like topping off, you headed for the mess.
Oh, we had our belly-robbers but there weren't too many gripes;
For the deck-apes were never hungry and there were no starving snipes.
Now
you never hear of Davy Jones, Shellbacks or Polliwogs;
And you never splice the main-brace to receive your daily grog.
Now you never have to dog a watch or stand the main vent;
You even tie your lines today, in my time they were bent.
We were all two-fisted drinkers and no one thought you sinned;
If you staggered back aboard your ship, three sheets to the wind.
And with just a couple hours of sleep you regained your usual luster;
Bright eyed and bushy tailed- you still made morning muster.
Rocks
and Shoals have long since gone, and now it's UCMJ;
Then the old man handled every thing if you should go astray.
Now they steer the ships with dials, and I wouldn't be surprised
If some day they sailed the damned things from the beach computerized.
So
when my earthly hitch is over, and the good Lord picks the best;
I'll walk right up to HIM and say, "Sir, I have but one request.
Let me sail the seas of Heaven in a coat of Navy blue;
Like I did so long ago on earth, way back in Forty-two.”
REUNION PLAN of the
DAY’S
16 SEP ‘10 THURSDAY
CHECK IN 1200
– 2355 17 SEP ’10 FRIDAY
OPEN-- OPTIONAL
TOURS ALL DAY - NIGHT 18 SEP ‘10 SATURDAY
OPEN-- OPTIONAL TOURS ALL DAY - NIGHT
19 SEP ‘10 SUNDAY
* 1200 Muster at NAVAL PARK
*
1900-2300 Banquet
20 SEP ’10 MONDAY
*
0800 BREAKFAST followed by HOSPITALITY SUITE will be open starting Thursday 1200 and throughout the Reunion period. OPTIONAL TOURS - Friday and Saturday tours are with Reunion Committee arranged with buses sized to our group numbers. Tour price includes all gratuities for drivers and guides. LUNCH OR DINNER included– see write-ups. Early registration is encouraged – August 15, 2010 is the hotel reservation cut off day, after this date reservations will be on a space available basis at our contracted rate. Please
mail this registration, your check and tour selections no later than
AUGUST 1, 2010. Get your
check in early – tours are dependent on number of bus capacities and may
fill up quickly.
Refunds will be made if expenses have not been incurred. *** Included in Registration Fee |
USS
JOHN PAUL JONES ASSN
BUFFALO Sept 16-20
‘10 REUNION
REGISTRATION AND NAME BADGE
INFO
NOTE: Registration, your check
and tour selections no later than AUGUST 1, 2010.
Get your check in early – tours are dependent on number of bus
capacities and may fill up quickly.
MAIL
TO:
USS JOHN
PAUL JONES ASSOCIATION
C/O Andy Longo, Treasurer
16 AMERICAN
ELM AVENUE
HANOVER, MA
02339
This
Registration Fee of $135.00 per person covers the cost of the Banquet, Sunday
Memorial Service & Lunch and Tour of NAVAL PARK ships, Business Meeting
Breakfast 9/20 & 2 other days of hotel breakfast buffet. Hospitality Suite
for 4 glorious days. (Late registration
– after 8/15/2010 will be at $145.00 per person).
Your First Name: _______________Last
Name: _________________________________
Only if attending: Spouse/Other: First Name ______________Last Name ______________
Street Address:
__________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: ___________________________________________________________
Work Phone: __________________________Home Phone: _______________________
E-mail: ___________________________________
Hull Number__________
Is name badge name different from above? If so, indicate
__________________________
Years served on JPJ: From: _____ to _____
Rank/Rate on JPJ: ______
Adam's
Mark Hotel Buffalo http://www.adamsmark.com/hotels/buffalo/index.html
ROOM RATES $99.00 single/double – Reservations
- CALL – 716-845-5100
Check-in
9/16, check-out 9/20.
Includes Internet and Parking.
PRICES HOLD 3 DAYS BEFORE AND 3 DAYS
AFTER REUNION.
***(BE
SURE TO MENTION JPJ -JOHN
PAUL JONES REUNION)***
***
INCLUDED IN REGISTRATION FEE:
·
Hosted
Hospitality Suite.
·
Banquet
Sunday and Buffet Breakfast Monday plus coupons for two breakfasts per person.
These coupons will be available in the
HOSPITALITY SUITE with the
registration packets.
·
Naval
Park Admission and Sunday Lunch after Memorial Service.
·
The
Hotel will provide complimentary airport
transportation for the peak day of arrival 9/16/10 and departure
9/20/10.
·
Complimentary
high speed internet in all guest rooms.
·
Complimentary
self parking.
Reunion
Fee
Reunion
Registration Fee ____X $135.00 =______
OPTIONAL
TOUR # 1 Frank
L. Wright's Tour
FRI.
_____X
$62.00 =_______
OPTIONAL
TOUR
# 2 Theodore Roosevelt Site
FRI.
_____X $62.00
=______
OPTIONAL
TOUR # 3 Locks
And Erie Canal Cruise & Dinner FRI.
_____X $60.00
= ______
OPTIONAL
TOUR #4 Experience
Niagara USA SAT.
_____X
$65.00 =
______
OPTIONAL
TOUR # 5 Seneca
Niagara Casino Shuttle SAT
_____X
$23.00 =
______
Total check
(To JPJ Assn) enclosed: ________
Optional
Tours Information:
Both
Friday morning tours will be back in time to join the afternoon LOCKPORT Canal
tour # 3.
OPTIONAL TOUR # 1
FRIDAY
Frank
Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House Tour
$62.00
per person
8:30 am - 2:30 pm
Experience one of the finest the works of the world-renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright as noted below.
You will visit the main floor of the Martin House (1903 - 05) as well as the pergola, conservatory and carriage house, as your docent unravels Frank Lloyd Wright's genius in creating intricate harmonies in architecture. The tour will underscore timeless themes of daring, vision, and American spirit in Wright's creation of this home - what he called "domestic symphony" for the martin family.
Then it's off to the Wright-designed Rowing Boat House on the Black Rock Channel. Designed in 1905, this newest addition to the Wright In Buffalo collection is the home to one of the largest rowing clubs in the northeast. A brief tour will be conducted for the group.
Then a brief visit and tour of the Forest Lawn Cemetery featuring the Blue Sky Pavilion commissioned in 1928 by Darwin Martin and the final resting place for his family. This tour including all admissions, lunch (meal gratuity and tax included), transportation and driver/guides services is priced at $62 per person.
OPTIONAL TOUR # 2 – FRIDAY
Theodore
Roosevelt National
Historical Site
$62.00 Friday
0930 –
3:30 PM
The
group will tour the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historical Site
featuring a unique re-creation of the event. The group will head to lunch at
Chef's Restaurant. After lunch they will visit the nationally acclaimed Erie
County Botanical Gardens followed by at tour of Our Lady of Victory Basilica and
National Shrine, a tribute to the works of Father Nelson Baker.
This
tour including admissions and tours at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National
Historical Site and Botanical Gardens, a donation at Our Lady of Victory
Basilica, guide services lunch and transportation via 32 passenger
mini-coach. Cost $62.00 per person.
OPTIONAL TOUR # 3
FRIDAY
Lockport
Locks and Erie Canal Cruise & Dinner
$60 per person Friday 4 pm - 9:30 pm
Journey to Lockport, NY for a delicious buffet dinner in the elegant Veranda Room at the Canal side Emporium. A two-hour cruise through the locks on the Erie Canal follows. Your Captain will entertain you with tales of the history and lore of the Erie Canal, a key building block for the development of the Midwest and beyond.
This program including the Erie Canal/Locks cruise, buffet dinner, meal gratuity
and taxes, and transportation via 32 passenger mini-coach with experienced,
licensed driver/guide is priced at $60 per person
OPTIONAL TOUR # 4 SATURDAY
Experience
Niagara USA SATURDAY $65
per person
9 am - 2 pm
Your
day will begin with a visit to Niagara Falls. You will view the falls from many
different angles including a memorable ride aboard the famous Maid of the Mist and
a trip to the base of the gorge to get "up-close" to the Bridal Veil
Falls at Cave of the Winds. You will also visit Goat Island, Whirlpool State
Park, and the NYS Power Vista to learn of the marvels of hydroelectric power
generation and the building of the Niagara Power Project. A buffet
lunch will be enjoyed at the facility. This package including Maid of the
Mist and Cave of the Winds admission, buffet
lunch, and transportation via 32-passenger mini-coach with experienced,
licensed driver/guide is priced at $65 per person.
OPTIONAL TOUR # 5 SATURDAY
Seneca Niagara Casino Shuttle $23.00 SATURDAY 6 pm - Midnight
Transportation will be provided to the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls,
NY. Offering over 100 gaming tables and 4200 slot machines there are gaming
options for all.
Cost
$23.00 per person.
REUNION INCLUDED TOUR
Naval
Park Memorial Service – 1130 SUNDAY
$ NO COST Reunion
included.
We will muster at 1200/noon at the
Naval Park (approx 1/3 mi. from hotel) for our Memorial Service then a catered
lunch onboard the USS LITTLE ROCK. There will be cars for those that need a lift
the short walk distance to the park. NO COST.
The above packages are based on a minimum of 25
paid passengers per coach per tour.
********************************
SEE
YOU IN BUFFALO!!!
