Heard you missed me, I’m back. Yes, friends and neighbors, I’m back. Trailing clouds of glory. Safe . . . and sound . . . and hungry for news, so let’s eat!
First, an appetizer, Dave Phillips: Just a short note on the latest since joining CIVLANT. I became an official "blue card" holding member of the retired reserve as on 01 Oct 98 (can't quite get that Navy date thing out of my system). We, Sheryl, Christine (5) and I, have relocated to Florida's First Coast and are enjoying the gorgeous weather here in Jacksonville. I accepted a position with Merrill Lynch as a financial consultant in their downtown office. Lots of former Navy types around so I can still speak "navy-ese." I passed my Series 7 and 66 exams with flying colors and start working with clients in January. Guess I must have learned something about studying in four years at the Boat School. We settled in a community called Eagle Harbor. Our house is on the 1st fairway, not that I have much time to play golf. It's a great community with lots of activities for kids and adults alike. Sheryl is very busy getting the new home in order, playing lots of tennis and learning to play golf. She's already beating me in tennis and should surpass me shortly on the golf course as well. Christine is becoming quite the tennis player as well. She has a wicked forehand, but needs a little work with the backhand. Won't be long before she's beating me, too. There’s an open invitation to anyone who find themselves in the Jacksonville area. We have plenty of room, just drop us a note at chpnshr@aol.com and let us know when you'll be in town. Hope everyone is having a great holiday season. Let's all say a quick prayer for our classmates who are once again in harms way in the Persian Gulf. Warm regards, Dave.
Next, Middle Eastern food from Mark Schwan: I’m now stationed in the UAE where I’m working out of the U.S. Liaison Office at the American Embassy. We do a lot of liaising with the UAE military and facilitating mil-mil relationships between the U.S./UAE in addition to working the foreign military sales program. I live in Abu Dhabi where life is probably the best that it can be in the Middle East. I am on a 2-year tour and rotate in the summer of 2000.
The meat of the Gary Slyman holiday feast: Back from Aviano last March. Gary selected for CO VMAQ-4. Change of Command around May 99. Scoop is in 9th grade. Lindsey is in 7th. Michelle is school nurse at Havelock Elementary. 33 Buchanan Dr. Havelock, NC 28532, 252-444-1027, slyman@coastalnet.com.
Almost Cajun food, Steve Metz: I have orders to report to SUPSHIP Pascagoula as AEGIS Area Commander/Program Managers Rep (PMR) for the DDG-51 Program. I get to deliver the newest baddest boys to the Navy. Report Jul 99. I was there last month (Nov 98) and rode INSURV trials in PORTER where Ken Spiro is PCO. He gets the ship on 12 Jan 99. Also talk frequently with Dan McElroy who is flying for ASA. Ted Wirginis retired on 01 Oct 98 and is still in the NORVA area, email: ballgame@prodigy.net. Email: metzs@mailhost.ftscpac.navy.mil.
From a brass & glass, suburban watering hole, Bill Rearick writes: Since I’ve finally made contact after many years and numerous pleas, let me fill you in on what I’ve been up to. A year after graduation, following nuke school in Orlando, I married the former Lisa Romero, sister of Tony Romero, 4th Co. I did prototype in NY, JO tour on JAMES MONROE, shore tour as SUBLANT Watch Officer, NAV/OPS on SCRANTON. I left SCRANTON and active duty, but stayed in the reserves at Special Ops Command LANT. It was a lot of fun dealing with the spec ops world and I got to do some very interesting things. Transferred to SUBLANT BG Staff and have done ATs in Naples and JOHN C. STENNIS (a little roomier than what I was used to). On the civilian side, wanting to stay in the Norfolk area proved challenging. A lot of contractors offering positions with vice-president in the title, but paying ½ a CAPT’s salary (to make up what went away when people retired). However, if you didn’t retire and don’t have that pay coming in, it’s hard to live on. I ended up going into the service industry, specifically restaurants. After cutting my teeth in fast food and proving ex-military could control a profit line, I moved up to full service and spent between one and two years each with Chi Chi’s and Applebee’s. I was then lured away with the offer of my own store and for the past 13 months I have been general manager of Cheers restaurant in Chesapeake. It is a lot of fun and I get to work with the young people in the community and provide an example/guidance that some are sorely lacking. I have a great staff and we have been posting double-digit gains over the last year for the past two months. Any classmates in the area or passing through are welcome anytime. First drink is on the house! Email: rearick@exis.net.
Still at a Hawaiian luau, Vince Hartmann: On 16 May 98, I married my bride, the former Vicki Lynn, in Dallas, TX. We met in Feb 97. She is an independent Corporate Flight Attendant. I’ll rotate from my current position this summer and hope to return to the mainland (E or SE, preferably). Currently working with the detailer on my next assignment. Keep charging and Happy Holidays. Vinnie:>) :-) :o). Contact info: CDR Vince Hartmann, Facilities Engineering Officer, FMFPAC, Camp Smith, HI 96861-4112, ATTN: G-8, (H) 1212 Nuuanu Ave #1112, Honolulu, HI 96817, (W)808-477-8475, (H) 808-531-3133, (E) hartmannvt@mfp.usmc.mil.
Meat and potatoes from the galley, Chip Miller: Greetings from DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER somewhere in the Atlantic. It’s Army/Navy Saturday and, as I write this, we are waiting for the game to begin. The mighty IKE (81ers included) is completing a very busy deployment where we "showed our muscle" in Kosovo and started jet engines with "bombs-a-loaded" in Iraq. Quite interesting, definitely challenging, and, most importantly, still rewarding. We’re scheduled to return to NORVA on 10 Dec (five days away), not that we’re anxious, mind you. We were lucky to have five of us on the cruise. It’s still amazing to me how strong our Academy bond really is. We relied on each other (read: cooperate to graduate), shared lessons learned (read: live by the gouge, die by the gouge), and continued our personal friendships (read: partied a lot). Those aboard included Don "DJ" Marrin, C4I Officer, CRUDESGRU 8, Ed "Junior" Turner, XO VS-30, Dave "Woody" Woods, CO VAQ-132, Chip "Bullet" Miller, CO VFA-34, and Mark "Shark" Cantrell, CO VAW-125. GO NAVY…BEAT ARMY! Chip.
Same space, difference CV. Ron Sandoval updates from VINSON: We’re having a great time out here--just left Hong Kong and are inbound to Singapore on our westbound journey (currently in the Gulf). In case you didn’t know, we have three ’81 COs aboard in CVW-11. John "Flamer" McCandlish has VFA-97, Kevin O’Flaherty has VFA-94, and I have HS-6. We also have Mark "Shaker" Adamshick as XO of VF-213 who will be CO later in the cruise. (W) rsandova@vinson.navy.mil, (H) rbsandoval@worldnet.att.net.
More main course from Rob Winsor: I’m finishing up what will be a 31-month tour on the Joint Staff in J-5/Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia Division, where I’m the Central Asia Desk Officer. Angie and I live in North Arlington, VA with our two children, Gwen, 12, and Tyler, 10. In Mar 99 I start the PCO training pipeline and am scheduled to take command of RUSSELL out of Pearl Harbor around Dec 99. (H) rwwagain@email.msn.com. As it happens, Mike Olmstead works in the office next to mine. He’s at (W) michael.olmstead@js.pentagon.mil, (H) molmstead@erols.com.
California cuisine. Mike Shields sends: I took the 15-year retirement special and work as a self-employed consultant doing electrical engineering and DSP programming. Right now my biggest customer is the Advance Maritime Projects Office in Jax. I am working on a project with several professors and students at NPGS. I live in Salinas, CA with my wife, Cindy, and two daughters, Amanda and Sarah. (H) mike_mksco@ibm.net.
Stop the meal! Kevin Taylor, CHENG, emails from TRUMAN (He’s the Chief Engineer, boys and girls, it’s true!): We are resting at anchor in St. Thomas and I am recovering from a long night of partying with none other than Greg "Nose" Nosal, Tom "Gurns" Gurney, and the Marauders of VFA-82 (Nose is CO, Gurns is XO). Fighter pilots. No kidding, the hotel finally shut down their party by turning off the power to their villa at 0500 this morning (I left at 0330). Nothing more need be said. BTW, would love to hear from any of my old buds who may be reading this. (W) cheng@truman.navy.mil, 757-444-9167.
About the photo, Gurns adds: Location is the flight deck on HARRY S. TRUMAN shakedown cruise. The counterfeit ’81 flag was sewn from "surplus" U.S. Navy flight deck jerseys by VFA-82’s senior parachute rigger (since the "real" one was in Antarctica). On board were the aforementioned plus Corky Vazquez, CO HS-11. Note the cool, monogrammed a/c.
Time to dig in again. This time, Brett Peloquin serves up a side dish from the Pac NW: Things are going OK for me. I’ve been working at Seafirst Bank for the last 3.5 years after getting RIFed from my Pentagon Beltway Bandit job (SCOOP-Submarine Continuity of Operations) with Systems Planning and Analysis. Seafirst is part of Bank of America, now part of the huge (180,000 strong) NEW Bank of America (merger of NationsBank and Bank of America). Don’t know which way the wind will blow for me on this. Living in Bremerton, WA. Took early retirement from reserves and enjoying not having to do the weekend warrior thing although the last three years in MIUW was great. Got trips to Korea, Alaska, and Kuwait out of the deal. (H) bapeloquin@al.com, (H) 360-478-2675, (W) 206-358-3908.
Seafood! Linda Fitzgerald sends: Enclosed please find a picture of my husband, Tom "Tarzan" Carlson at his Change of Command ceremony for SEAL TEAM ONE last July. I noticed in the October Shipmate that Otto Stutz wrote about the COC and stated "I can understand why his picture has been omitted." I beg to differ, but then Otto and I differ on a lot of things and have had many stimulating discussions/arguments in the five years since I met Tom and was introduced to Otto and his lovely (and talented) wife, Pam. Despite our differences, Tom and I are godparents to their son, Jimmie, and hope to be stationed with them again. Anyway, if space permits, please publish this photo as I am incredibly proud of his accomplishments as is the rest of his family (Photo, up!).
A quick dessert. Came across a photo of Brooks Berg & family.
Smorgasbord. Finally, from Homecoming ’98, Class Meeting attendees (I’m the one with the big smile). The picture was taken at Alumni Hall, which, if you haven’t seen it, is quite impressive.
Table scraps. Class project ideas! We need them! Mental block? Imagine this. You’re a 154-year old, granite and brick, copper-topped institution of higher learning and font of Navy tradition. Someone walks up to you and says, "I’ll buy you anything you want. Just keep it around $150K, give or take $100K." What would you ask for? Hmmmm . . .
Das spreadsheet. By now, you may have heard of or come face-to-face with "The Spreadsheet." It’s a little something Excel & I put together—a resource for finding folks, ’81 folks that is. I emailed it to all known ’81 email addresses and got great response, but it reached a minority portion of the Class. Let’s make it a majority. If you’re on-line, email me and I’ll email it to you. If you’re not, write/call me and I’ll mail/fax you a hard copy. Once you get it, update your info then update such dated data that catches your eyes. Then get it back to me so I can update the master file and all will be right with our worlds. I await your responses with great eagerness. Later, Chic.