USS Caliente Association PIPELINE December 2008 President’S Message Hello Shipmates, Let Me Introduce Myself
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USS Caliente Association PIPELINE December 2008 President’s message Hello Shipmates, Let me introduce myself. My name is Pat Hurton and I was elected President of the Association at the business meeting of the San Antonio reunion. After serving as President and Pipeline editor since late 2002, Bob Howard decided to take a much needed break from both positions. Bob has done an excellent job in fulfilling the roles of President and Pipeline editor for the past five reunions but chose not run for office again. Norm Street was elected Vice President (Norm has volunteered to continue to head our recruiting team), William (Red) Ward has volunteered to take on the Secretary’s position and Karl Seitz has volunteered to be the Pipeline editor. I have been the treasurer since late 2002 and will continue in that position until someone is elected to the job. The Reunion The reunion at San Antonio was very successful. We had over sixty persons attend, including a dozen shipmates who attended a reunion for the first time. On Thursday we had registration and a reception for all hands. I want to thank Brady and Irene A smaller version of this picture of the USS Caliente (AO-53) is used in the Pipeline masthead with the permission of Dan Davis, who took it during the 1971-72 WestPac deployment of the USS Arnold J. Isbell (DD-869). For more pictures of the Caliente during the same Unrep, visit his Web page www.ussarnoldjisbell.com/ussarnoldjisbell/71westpac4/71westpac4.htm Pipeline December 2008 page 2 Martin and Warren and Bobbie McGee Froscheiser for giving up their time to assist in preparations and for providing some of the goodies for the reception. I’m sure those of you who attended will agree, that with the additional participation of our members, the reception was an enjoyable evening for all of us. We hope to take this experience and build on its success for the next reunion reception. Friday saw most of the shipmates and spouses board a bus for a tour of San Antonio and Fredricksburg, Texas. In Fredricksburg we were able to visit the Nimitz Museum, the George Herbert Walker Bush Museum and the Museum of the Pacific. Interspersed in these activities were lunch and the all important shopping opportunities in this historical Texas town. After returning from Fredrickburg, there was time to rest up before our reunion banquet. The banquet is usually scheduled for the Saturday of the reunion weekend but, due to scheduling conflicts with the host hotel, it was decided Friday was the better choice. At the banquet we recognized Larry Baker, Bob French and Brady Martin for the fiftieth anniversary of their having served on the Caliente. A lone sailor statue (from the Navy Memorial) was presented to each. We also recognized John Creedon, Chuck Howell, Merle Kersten and J.C. Van Duesen for having served during World War II. John Creedon and Merle Kersten served on the Caliente during WWII. Unfortunately missing were two of the Association’s founding members and regular reunion attendees Joe Benziger and his wife Jo and Bob LeGacy and his wife Nancy. Both served on the Caliente during WWII but had other commitments and could not attend. Both have expressed their regrets at not being able to attend and send their best wishes to all shipmates. Another noticeable absence was Ann Murphy. Her husband Francis was also a founding member of the Association and Ann usually attends in remembrance of Pappy who was also a WWII vet on the Caliente. Her son Tim, his wife Rita and daughter Kelly were able to attend and represented Ann well. At the dinner Bob Howard was presented with a special plaque and Lone Sailor statue for his dedication and service to the Association. Billie Kersten provided some of the entertainment with her fine singing voice as did John Creedon. Susan Street, Carolyn Jacob, Norma Vallejo and the Murphy ladies provided dancing entertainment throughout the evening including the Macarena and Electric Slide dance instructions. After dinner shipmates and wives continued to enjoy our DJ and all were invited to complete the evening in the Hospitality Suite. On Saturday morning we held our business meeting (minutes follow) and then it was free time for shipmates and their wives or a continued tour of San Antonio, one of the local missions and the San Antonio Shoe Factory (SAS Shoes). The day seemed to fly by. A lot of shipmates and their wives spent time on San Antonio’s River Walk. It is a great place to amble around, shop for trinkets or dine. There is entertainment in the evening and it provided a very pleasant place to relax. Sunday morning consisted of shipmates and wives saying farewell to each other and wishing each other well until the next reunion that will be held October 1 through 4 in Minneapolis, MN. Preliminary information is contained on the USS Caliente website at www.usscalienteao-53.com. Please make your comments and or suggestions to either myself or Norm Street. We are trying to provide what you desire and will consider all suggestions. The more inputs we get the more we can satisfy our member’s desires. Welcome Aboard to our new members: Fred Bryarly, who lives with his wife Elizabeth in Northridge, CA, was an E4 when he served on the Cal from 1956-1958. Ed Cameron, who lives with his wife Elizabeth in Park Ridge, IL, was an LTJG when he served on the Cal from 1969-1972. Jerlon Dolihite, who lives with his wife Linda in Castleberry, AL, was an E4 when he served on the Pipeline December 2008 page 3 Cal from 1970-1973. O. Dean Goodrich, who lives in Missoula, MT, was an MM2 when he served on the Cal from 1965- 1967. Frank Kleier, who lives with his wife Joann in Villa Hills, KY, was an E3 when he served on the Cal from 1972-1973. Meredith Lawson, who lives with his wife Deborah in Rapid City, SD, was an MM2 when he served on the Cal from 1966-1967. Jose (Marty) Martinez, who lives with his wife Rita in Pomona, CA, was an F1 when he served on the Cal from 1952-1954. Ray (Herc) Otremba, who lives with his wife Gail in Rosemount MN, was a BM3 when he served on the Cal from 1969-1971. Daniel Morrison, who lives with his wife Miriam in San Antonio, TX, was an MMC when he served on the Cal from 1969-1971. Vincent Nolan, who lives with his wife Meredith in San Francisco, CA, was an E4 when he served on the Cal from 1970-1972 Martin Pellerin, who lives with his wife June in Bakersfield, CA, was a Lt when he served on the Cal from 1970-1972. Thomas Pledge, who lives in Saudi Arabia, was an RD2 when he served on the Cal from 1955-1956. Dixon Reed, who lives in Rouge River, OR, was a DC3 when he served on the Cal from 1964-1967. Jerry Spedowski, who lives with his wife Nancy Kay in Big Rapids, MI, was a CS3 when he served on the Cal from 1962-1964. USS Caliente Association President: Pat Hurton Vice President: Norm Street Secretary: Red Ward Pipeline Editor: Karl Seitz The Pipeline is the official quarterly newsletter of the USS Caliente Association. It is a place to share your memories. Please send them via e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Karl Seitz, 1212 30th St. South, Birmingham, AL 35205-1910. Masthead picture of USS Caliente (AO-53) used with permission of Dan Davis. Association dues are $10 per year due Jan. 1, payable by Jan. 15. Checks should be made out to The USS Caliente Association and mailed to Pat Hurton, 14075 Kelsey Drive, Chico, CA 95973-9262. Visit Norm Street’s Caliente Website at www.usscalienteao-53.com/index.htm Pipeline December 2008 page 4 In Memoriam: We are sad to note the passing of our shipmates; Alfoe Giacometti, 81, served on the Cal in 1946 as an E3. Alfeo was a retired contractor who was born in Pennsylvania and passed away in Portsmouth, VA on October 17, 2008. Alfeo is survived by his wife of 59 years Mary. Jerald S. Hodges, 76, served on the Cal in 1955 as a DK3. Jerald was a farmer in Sikeston, MO and later worked as a parts manager for a farm implement company. Jerald passed away in Leesburg, FL on October 18, 2008. Jerald is survived by his wife of 49 years, Peggy. Request for pictures: Amanda Duvall, daughter of Thomas Nigro, is asking for assistance from his former shipmates. Thomas, who passed away in 1985, served on the Cal about 1966-67. Amanda wants to know if any members have cruise book or other pictures of Thomas that they would share with her. Amanda’s e-mail address is [email protected] or pictures can be sent to me, Pat Huron, 1407 Kelsey Drive, Chico, CA 95973-9262 and I will take care of it. If any member has a cruise book and can’t just copy any pictures, we would be extra carfeul about returning it to them. Dues: Please remember that annual dues are due 1 Jan. 2009. The dues remain at $10 per year. Please submit them to USS Caliente Association, c/o Pat Hurton, 14075 Kelsey Drive, Chico, CA 95973-9262. If you don’t know what year you are paid through, call or e-mail. USS Caliente Association Minutes – 2008 Business Meeting 11 October 2008 The meeting was called to order by President Bob Howard at 8:00 AM.