Hidden on Dillingham Blvd in scenic Norfolk is an unheralded NAVACT that's in the business of, well, heralding. The Fleet Home Town News Center (FHTNC) gathers info about Navy people from a variety of sources and forwards it to another variety that sends out the word to the great mass of the American public. Ever looked in your community newspaper and seen "Podunkville Folks in the Service?" If you have, you've probably seen smiling, clean shaven (and freshly shorn) faces of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines above short blurbs telling where they've been and what they've done at which point you've probably asked, "Well, how did this get here?"
Enter the FHTNC, obtainer, sorter, and dispenser of USN gouge on who's doing what where. As it happens, they dispense to USNA where notices are racked 'n stacked by Class and forwarded to Class Secys. Unfortunately, by the time they reach me, many of them are old, not so much because the process is slow, which it is, a little, but often because the events described are fleeting (ha, ha) things like deployments. Still, when I get them, I publish all, even redundancies. After all, ink is good.
Recently, I received a fat, brown envelope with a year's worth of releases, which I now will pass on for your enjoyment. I'll list dates, names, and quick, descriptive highlights. As mentioned, some folks have since moved on from where these things say they are so note the days. And with that, off we go.
21 Jan 98-Russ Grocki new CO CAVALLA. 02 Feb 98-Tom Boyce got 2nd Navy Com while serving as 2nd OIC of Naval Research Science and Technology. Planned and supervised new catalog, which helped accelerate Technological, advances to Fleet. 03 Feb 98-Corky Vazquez started Med pump, HS-11, GEORGE WASHINGTON. 02 Mar 98-Neal Kusumoto to NATO Defense College, Rome, Italy. 04 Mar 98-Fred Flight started Med pump, HS-5, JOHN C. STENNIS. 16 Mar 98-Jim Driscoll home port move from North Island to Point Loma, CORONADO. 30 Mar 98-Neal Kusumoto new CO VANDEGRIFT. 08 Apr 98-Corky Vazquez back from Med. 28 Apr 98-Fred Doran to VF-31, ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 18 May 98-Fred Flight still in Med. 29 May 98-Carlos Ayuso started Med pump with VF-192, INDEPENDENCE. 04 Jun 98-Dan Harrington to SAIPAN. 05 Jun 98-Carlos Ayuso back from Med. 08 Jun 98-Ricky Roberts got 2nd Navy Com while serving as AIS Department Head, INDEPENDENCE where he developed and implemented comprehensive plan to upgrade command's automated information system. 17 Jun 98-Fred Doran started WESTPAC/IO pump with VF-31, ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 22 Jun 98-Rick Perez started WESTPAC/IO pump, ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 13 Jul 98-Dan Harrington, started Med pump, SAIPAN. 16 Jul 98-Rick Perez, visited Hong Kong. 17 Jul 98-Dave Fuquea started Med pump with 22 MEU, SAIPAN ARG. 20 Jul 98-Neal Kusumoto, CO VANDEGRIFT, won PACFLEET's 1997 Wellness Award (Green H), given to command making most significant contribution to improving daily life and health of crewmembers, for 2nd consecutive year. 31 Jul 98-Fred Smith new CO VP-46. 18 Aug 98-Dan Harrington, SAIPAN participated in dramatic rescue of crew of 144-foot "Mega" yacht with engineroom fire. Entire crew of eight saved, but not yacht. 31 Aug 98-Paul Bushong, CO PITTSBURGH at Groton, CT. 31 Aug 98-Fred Flight back from Med. 09 Sep 98-Neal Kusumoto participated in RIMPAC 98 as CO VANDEGRIFT. 14 Sep 98-Dan Harrington, Exercise Matador Livex 98 in Med. 18 Sep 98-Dave Fuquea, Exercise Matador Livex 98 in Med. 22 Sep 98-Fred Doran still in WESTPAC/IO. 23 Sep 98-Rick Perez still in WESTPAC/IO. 14 Oct 98-Dave Fuquea still in Med. 14 Oct 98-Dan Harrington still in Med. 14 Oct 98-Rick Perez participated in POW/MIA remembrance ceremony in Arabian Gulf. 16 Oct 98-Rick Perez celebrated Navy's 223rd birthday in WESTPAC/IO. 16 Oct 98-Fred Doran celebrated Navy's 223rd birthday in WESTPAC/IO. 19 Oct 98-Dan Harrington celebrated Navy's 223rd birthday in Med. 21 Oct 98-Dave Fuquea will celebrate Marine Corps' 223rd birthday in November in Med. 04 Nov 98-Dave Fuquea participated in Exercise Cooperative Best Effort 98 in Macedonia with 22nd MEU. 05 Nov 98-Dan Harrington completed one of largest NATO exercises of year in Med. 10 Nov 98-Pete Morgan to ENTERPRISE. 24 Nov 98-Dave Fuquea still in Med. 09 Dec 98-Fred Doran back from WESTPAC/IO in ABRAHAM LINCOLN after aiding multinational interception operations in prohibiting contraband transports to and from Iraq while planes flew 1,855 missions during Operation Southern Watch to support sanctions. While deployed, visited Hong Kong, Singapore, and UAE. 14 Dec 98-Pete Morgan started Med pump in ENTERPRISE. 15 Dec 98-Dan Harrington back from Med in SAIPAN after participating in multinational exercises Matador Livex 98, Atlas Hinge, Cooperative Best Effort and Dynamic Mix 98. While deployed, visited France, Greece, Italy, Sicily, and Spain. 15 Dec 98-Rick Perez back from WESTPAC/IO in ABRAHAM LINCOLN after aiding multinational interception operations in prohibiting contraband transports to and from Iraq while planes flew 1,855 missions during Operation Southern Watch to support sanctions. While deployed, visited Hong Kong, Singapore, and UAE. While in Hong Kong, sailors and Marines from ship participated in Project Handclasp providing humanitarian aid to disaster relief organization, school for mentally handicapped, and international Christian school. In addition to providing food, hygienic items, toys, books, and paper to recipients, crewmembers cleaned, repaired and painted buildings. 18 Dec 98-Dave Fuquea back from Med with 22nd MEU after participating in multinational exercises Matador Livex 98, Atlas Hinge, Cooperative Best Effort, Cooperative Assembly 98, Phiblex 98, Rescue Eagle 98, Sardinia 98, Sea Breeze 98 and Dynamic Mix 98. While deployed, visited Crete, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Romania, Sicily, Spain, Turkey and the Ukraine. 19 Dec 98-Pete Morgan participated in Operation Desert Fox in ENTERPRISE wherein U.S. forces launched attacks on Iraqi military installations.
All in all, a busy year for our deployed classmates.
News from Andy Dickinson via Steve Hampton. Andy and Toni are in New Hampshire with Teledyne and her own chocolate business, respectively. Both boys are "grown and practically gone." Kev, the youngest, just turned 21. Grandson (you heard right), Lane, is 2 1/2 (Feb numbers), a cutie. Contact info, Andy?
Steve Zirkle sends: "I retired in September (TERA) from NRPC and am now working with Perot Systems in Minneapolis. I highly recommend the SACC and the alumni website for anyone making the job transition. My new numbers here are (H) 651-462-6863 and (W) 612-340-4466 and (E) steve.zirkle@ps.net. The move from New Orleans to Minnesota has been a bit of a cultural shock, but at least the football team is an improvement."
Jenifer (Joyce) Clement and husband, Dave '80 attended Jamie Foggo's change of command for OKLAHOMA CITY. Jamie gave a great speech. Jenifer says Dave enjoys the '81 column better than his own. Why? Because it's high art, that's why!
Error on my part from previous column, Alma (Lau) Grocki is a classmate despite unbolded indications to the contrary. Mea culpa.
DC area luncheon, 02 Mar, Ft. Myer. Attendees: Bill Nesselt, Jim Shannon, Buz Sorce, Ted Studwell, Mary (Andrews) Gunther, Bob Kennington, Mike Garza, Nelson Moe, Dave Schoene, Mike Manazir, Tom Jacob, Jon Wall, Dennis Sawyer, Charlie Church, Jim Ahlgrimm, Jim Driscoll, Bill McGuinness, Steve Komlo, Bubba Turman, Tilghman Payne, Randy Lovdahl. Thanks to Jon for the financial advice that no doubt enriched more than just our portfolios.
West Coast F-14 Battle E and Admiral Joseph C. Clifton awards went to VF-154, forward deployed to Atsugi and commanded by Stu Bailey. East Coast F-18 Battle E went to VFA-82 commanded by Greg Nosal and Tom Gurney. 81's great, better than . . .
Flag update. By the time you read this, it'll be with Bob Perry in Santa Land with HAWKBILL. On tab later this year, a trip on the shuttle, Septemberish, and possibly across The Pond to London with Mark Hyman (remember to remind me). I think a photo of Mark striding barefoot across the crosswalk on Abbey Road holding our banner out to the side would be neato torpedo, don't you think? More ideas and travel plans wanted. Also, might go to Korea with Joe Bridge.
Golf Tourney is Friday, June 25, 1999 at Ft. Meade. Get details from Fred Reitzel at (H) 703-729-4809 or (E) mythreesons@erols.com.
Keep forwarding your 20th Reunion votes (Homecoming Weekend or Off Weekend) to Jim Ahlgrimm at (H) 703-848-0793 or (E) ahlgrimmj@aol.com.
Class Picnic is 04 Jul 99. Contact Bubba Turman for info at (H) 410-451-4490 or (E) turmanrh@cconline.net. In previous years, it's been on Hospital Point from about 1600 until EOF (end of fireworks), a likely scenario for this year.
And now, an interesting idea from Bob Kennington.
"Our class officers have been considering ideas and approaches to applying Internet services that provide another vehicle of communication to us. In anticipation of that need, I have set up a Yahoo!Groups site as one proposed solution to reinforce the bond we formed over 20 years ago on I-Day. "Yahoo! Groups" provides free chat, calendar, and message interface services to groups of all shapes and sizes to exchange information. Over the next few months, I will be sending out invitations to those listed on Chic's list of email addresses. If you are aware of classmates that are not on the list, please encourage them to forward their email address to him (see top of column) with a copy to me (RKenning@Yahoo.Com). Most of you are probably concerned, like me, that your phone number, email address, and personal information you could potentially exchange with this service are not distributed to every Tom, Dick and Harry on the net. This site is set up as an unlisted (private) site. So, you cannot access it unless you are invited and you cannot search for it via the "Yahoo! Groups" search function. Consequently, any messages you post will only be accessible to classmates on our Class Secretary's list. I know that this is an endorsement of "Yahoo!" so please review the service agreement to determine if this is a valuable and reasonable way for us to communicate. Your ideas on alternative Internet technologies are important. Please consider this as one of the options as well as a vehicle to voice your opinions. I look forward to hearing your feedback and sharing the past, present, and future of a great class and institution.
Storytime, you ask? Why yes, I think we have just enough column inches to squeeze in one so grab your hot cocoa, put on your fuzzy booties, get your blankie and hunker down for Fuzz Harrison's Tales From 6-2. I once asked Fuzz if there was any truth to a little bird's rumor that he tried to rebuild a car engine in his room senior year and this was his reply. Hit it, Fuzz.
"There was no trying about it--I did! I had a '67 Austin Healy Sprite that I bought youngster year and by 1st Class summer decided to rebuild the engine and transmission. My brother and I had Healeys in high school and, as anyone who's owned a Healey or MG can attest, they require constant care/nurturing. We both became very adept at rebuilding those little 1275cc engines and tranys and used to do work for friends (I rebuilt an MGB for a LCDR I worked with during my TAD tour in San Diego after graduation).
I started the project at the end of 1st Class summer (during summer school), but between the logistics of getting to/from the NAVSTA auto hobby shop and a machine shop in Odenton and the lure of summer fun in Annapolis, didn't finish by the start of ac year. Then there was the small matter of a Class A and 2.5 months restriction for going out into town after a green alert at the Co Officer's house for Monday night football.
Anyhow, there was a limit to how long I could leave the car at the NAVSTA so my roommate, John Hafey, helped me tow the car back to the yard. After all the machine work was finished on the engine, I decided to save transit time and inconvenience by simply putting it back together in my room. I had all my own tools to do the job and it was easy getting the individual parts into the Hall. We had a table in our room with a bedspread on it which hid my project (the engine block made a nice center piece during 1st semester). So I spent time on weekends rebuilding my engine and trany.
Late 2nd semester, I had it all together and wheeled it down to the medical vator on a dolly (25th Co. was on 6-2), drove it over to my car on the seawall and put it in. By the time our Co. Officer, CAPT Eaton, found out about it, I was just about finished. When he said "Make it disappear," I expedited completion and got it out of the Hall. CAPT Eaton never did have a sense of humor--made me get rid of my pet piranha after he heard a bubbling noise coming from my locker while we were out drilling on Wed afternoon.
I finally got it running, but certainly didn't trust the untested little beast to make it cross-country to San Diego. I sold it to Mr. Herrod who worked down in shipping (if memory serves). I have a picture somewhere of me with my project in my room after bolting the trany to the engine . . . a questionable experience, but good story, nonetheless. And no significant harm done--we were still Color Company despite such antics. By the way, after I arrived in San Diego for TAD, I bought a '67 Austin Healey 3000 Roadster from my boss and mentor, Brad Nemeth '70. Now that was a nice car!"
And with that, dear assembled eyes, I leave you until next month. Keep those cards and emails coming, more stories are certainly invited, vote for when you want the 20th, ask for the flag, come up with Class project ideas, play golf in June, picnic in July, keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching . . . Later, Chic