JANUARY 2011 Volume IV Issue III USS PRICHETT DD-561 REUNION ASSOCIATION LOOK OUT Prez Says WE ARE ON THE WEB www.ussprichettdd561. Hello Shipmates and Friends, I hope this finds everyone healthy, happy and warm. We have the happy part down, Mary Ann blew the healthy part (flu) and it definitely is not warm here. Another year is underway. This year we are going to push everyone to recruit missing shipmates. We know they are out there and some of you may have leads to find them. We have too many shipmates in our directory that have not shown any interest in the Association or attending the reunions. We need to put a hand out to them and bring them back on board. At the present it looks like the officer’s board meeting will be the last weekend of February and probably in Tunica, Mississippi. I believe most of the board plans on arriving on Friday night but we may not be able to make it until Saturday. If you are in the area stop by and say hello. The hotel has not been picked yet so give me a shout when it gets closer and I will have the details. This year we are planning on setting up our ship store on our web site. You will be able to view what we have and then give us a call and we will get it out to you. There are a lot of sweatshirts in the store that feel pretty good right now along with some jackets. This year’s reunion in Albuquerque should really be a good one. Don and Maria have lined up a great hotel with some very low rates. Mary Ann and I have been there before and we are looking forward to going back, especially the Old Towne area. Start making your plans and we will see you in September. Smooth Sailing, Terry [email protected] 618-259-3007 The Cajun Corner P a g e 2 To all fellow USS Prichett shipmates, family and friends…As your Reunion Association VP, I would like to take the time to address the issue of the reunion for 2011. But, before that, how about the LOOKOUT with it’s new look. Lucy has done such a good job on it and from what I hear, it will only get better! I just think that she deserves one big “Right Hand Salute” and a “Job Well Done.” Back to my other thoughts (kind of scary how they jump around like that, huh?)...The 2011 reunion will be in Albuquerque N.M., Sept.20-25. I encourage all of you to start making plans to attend. Especially those of you that have never attended a reunion...and those who have been AWOL for the past few. Folks- I can assure you that this one in going to be GREAT….Carol and I made the trip, along with Don and Maria, in the early part of 2010, in order to scope out the place. We were more than impressed, as you will be too when you learn about the room rates & the “freebies” that will go along with that. (See page 8) They tell us that the weather at that time of the year will be perfect & dry. I promise to work on DON so that he does not order up any rain, as he has done for the past two years….( Are you listening, DON??) There are so many interesting attractions in Albuquerque and the surrounding area. There is no way that we will be able to tour them all, because of the limited time that we have to contend with. I strongly suggest that you look into extending your stay for an extra 2 or 3 more days, in order to see some of the attractions that we will not have the time to do. Better to do it after the reunion instead of before, so that you don’t duplicate what we will be offering in the tours. Until we meet again………keep the “wind in your face” John Benoit V.P. USS Prichett Reunion Association USS Prichett DD-561 22 nd Annual Reunion September 20-25, 2011 MCM Elegante Hotel 2020 Menaul Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87107 Tel # Direct (505)884-8723 Toll Free # (866) 650-8900 Web Site: www.mcmelegante.com Includes free hot breakfast Two drinks of your choice each evening in lounge Plenty of free parking and shuttle service ROOM RATE $79.00 Mark your calendars now !! You won’t want to miss this reunion P a g e 3 Well, looks like the Carolina’s have become “mini-mini reunion” territory and the Basinger’s and the Gragg’s have become the hostesses with the mostest! 30 Dec 2010: Jim Basham is making use of his new 4 wheeler out in Libby, Montana. They have plenty of snow to plow! Jack and Oma Lightfoot were visiting their daughter in Mooresville, NC the last week of October. The day before flying home, Jack called a couple of his fellow shipmates to join him for lunch. So Norman and Evelyn Basinger along with Fred and Martha Gragg joined Jack and Oma for lunch in Statesville, NC. Mr & Mrs VP (aka: John and Carol Benoit) had a white Christmas and a grand time in Richmond, VA Another mini-mini: After spending Christmas in Richmond, VA with their daughter and her family, John and Carol Benoit took a side trip to Kannapolis Nov 2010: Lucy Forcum, Nellie and Fred Godines took the Vanishing River Cruise out of Lake and met up with the Basingers and the Graggs for a Buchanan, TX along the Colorado River. Saw some little lunch and a lot of socializing. bald eagles nesting there for the winter. P a g e 4 TAPS Orville Board WWII—S1 Yucaipa, CA Evelyn Galbraith Wife of Harry Galbraith Madison, WI John McDonald (56-57) PF2 Chesapeake, VA Anyone interested in medals, DD214 or the updated DD214 (DD215) should contact their favorite working US Senator (if there is one to be found). I did last year and much to my surprise I received a DD214/DD215 listing medals, ribbons, etc. as well as the medals and ribbons themselves. The senate representative I contacted had a positive reputation for veterans matters like this (does little else). The updated information was transmitted from the Dept. of the Navy to the congressional representative in DC. The surprising thing about this endeavor was that I learned the Navy does have awards updated after your discharge. The only way to learn of this is apparently to do what I did. Perhaps there are other sources. When pursuing this, be prepared to provide a detailed request of your needs in writing, dates served, service number and duty stations. The individual in the congressional office may call you for clarification but most are well equipped to deal with these matters either as a veteran themselves. And of course, expect a letter from the congressional representative you contacted with many backslapping “kudos” for themselves. JO Theriot [email protected] WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Hoke, Gordon (SF2, 68-70) CORRECTION ON EMAIL ADDRESS [email protected] CHANGE OF ADDRESS Richard Berk 13781 El Dorado Dr Apt 12K Seal Beach, CA 90740 Edward Hoyland 309 Tumbleweed Dr Utica, NY 13502-5203 Bettie McIlveen 142 Chaf Chason Rd Quincy, FL 32352-5079 Dan Morrison 508 Ben Hogan Dr Virginia Beach, VA 23462-4521 Homer Wright 1302 Somercotes Ln Channelview, TX 77530 David M Yoder Jr 1204 Hunters Creek Blvd Greenwood, SC 29649-7203 Mike Young 8669 Scarsdale Blvd Powell, OH 43065-9078 Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out...Barbara Johnson P a g e 5 MEET THE BOARD PRESIDENT—TERRY CRAWFORD WIFE—MARY ANN WWII REP—LEONARD BEETSTRA WIFE—MARION SEC/TREAS—DON CALVIN WIFE— MARIA FAMILY REP—VERNA STOVAL VICE PRESIDENT—JOHN BENOIT HUSBAND—SMOKY WIFE—CAROL P a g e 6 GETTING TO KNOW LYNN M. DORRELL Lynn Michael Dorrell was born to Joseph Eugene and Mary Betty (Owens) Dorrell on March 17, 1947 in Marceline, Missouri. Marceline being known as the Boyhood Hometown of Walt Disney. Lynn completed school in Marceline and graduated in May of 1965. After graduation he was employed by Walsworth Yearbook Publishing Company until his enlistment in the U.S. Navy June of 1966. After successful completion of Boot Camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center, he was ordered to report aboard the U.S.S. Rexburg (EPCER 855), which was an Oceanographic Research ship home ported in San Diego, California. After serving three years aboard the Rexburg, and due to scheduled decommissioning of the ship, Yeoman Petty Officer Third Class Dorrell was transferred in June 1969 to the U.S.S. Prichett (DD 561), which was the last Fletcher Class Destroyer to deploy to the Western Pacific. While deployed to the Western Pacific the ship visited the ports of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Subic Bay, Philippines, Sasebo and Yokosuka, Japan, Chinhae and Pusan, Korea and Hong Kong, China. Also during the deployment the ship saw action on two occasions in Vietnam Corp I, II, III and IV. Dorrell was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal with one star, Vietnam Service Medal, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Korea). After returning to San Diego in December of 1969, Dorrell was separated from active duty. Upon returning home to Marceline, he gained employment with Brown Shoe Company, (Brookfield Plant), St.