CBO Study Urges Cost Share 8 February 2009

a fight for

and Honor Page 18

5 Legislative Cycle Begins Again 15 Military Spouses in Civilian Workforce MESOTHELIOMA

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Volume 88 Number 2 1 Featured 18 FRA Tod a y February 2009 18 A Fight for Survival and Honor The USS Indianapolis has a revered, and also a dubious, place in history. She played a pivotal role in hastening the end of World War II and her sinking remains one of the worst at-sea disasters in U.S. Navy history. Departments 2 Communications

5 nED Perspective Legislative Cycle Begins Again

6 SHIPMATE FORUM Scholarships!

8 on & OFF CAPITOL HILL Welcome to the 111th Congress 13 13 nAvy ROYs Recognized 17 17 mEMBERSHIP MATTERS Membership Program Checklist

27 history & Heritage

28 nEws from the Branches

30 Reunions

32 Taps

33 looking For...

36 lA FRA NEWS Message from RPNE

On the cover Loyalty, Protection and service The USS Indianapolis (CA-35), a Portland-class cruiser, was the flagship of Vice Admiral Raymond FRA is a congressionally chartered, non-profit organization Spruance, commander of the U. S. 5th Fleet. advocating for current and former enlisted members of the During her storied history, she participated in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard on Capitol Hill. For invasion of Saipan and Iwo Jima, as well as the more information on the benefits of membership, please visit bombardment of Okinawa. (Photo: circa 1937, US www.fra.org or call 800-FRA-1924. Naval Historical Center) Communications

2 National Officers/Board Of Directors National President Donald Mucheck, L. Mendel Rivers Branch 50 National Vice President Gary C. Blackburn, Vallejo Branch 8 National Executive Joseph L. Barnes, Navy Department Branch 181 finance Officer Paul Rigby Junior PNP Lawrence J. Boudreaux, Hangtown Branch 275 February 2009 y February Be Heard! Eileen Murphy Over the past few years, I’ve heard some interesting arguments for Regional Presidents FRA Tod a not joining FRA or letting membership lapse. “You’re not fighting for New England Paul F. Loveless, Jr., Pinetree Branch 156 anything that pertains to me.” “I already have my health care benefits, Northeast James E. Brown, Staten Island Branch 226 what more do I need?” “I don’t want to belong to a place that’s just an- east Coast Ray E. Santee, Virginia Beach Branch 166 other bunch of sailors swapping stories.” southeast John E. Sutton, Mayport Branch 290 We focus on thwarting such invalid arguments in our communica- North Central Robert A. Melson, USS Indianapolis Memorial tions efforts. However, sometimes it’s best to just let shipmates say it Branch 130 themselves. south Central Donald Larson, Corpus Christi Branch 94 southwest Charles F. Tompkins, James Hunter Branch 47 The following letter was received by headquarters in reaction to the West Coast Nathan “Joe” Nash, Silver Dollar Branch 192 9 January NewsBytes article on the recently released Congressional Northwest Donald L. Bordwell, Dungeness Branch 174 Budget Office (CBO) report which offers 115 options for cutting the Nat’l. Parliamentarian PNP Robert G. Beese, Orange County Branch 175 government’s cost for DoD and VA healthcare programs (see On & Off Nat’l Chaplain Tom Whitaker, B. Duke Woody Branch 147 Capitol Hill page 8). Active Duty Advisory Council The recently released CBO report offering Options 95 through Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West 98 demonstrate that Congress may have forgotten the deluge of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent FRA guided letters, telegrams, and phone calls which prompt- Master Chief Petty Officer of theC oast Guard Charles Bowen ed passage of TFL and it’s come-along Tricare: the proof that we ancient mariners had earned medical services for life along Reserve Advisory Council with Retainer Pay. And why was our requirement of serving in Force Master Chief of the Naval Reserve Ronney A. Wright the USNFR(F6) pending 30 years total service and full retire- USMC Reserve Force Sergeant Major Kim E. Davis ment similarly discarded? Master Chief Petty Officer of theC oast Guard Reserve Force Reenactment of the struggle over health care could re- Jeffrey Smith mind all Shipmates of the many advantages earned through association, reawaken the need for collective action against an FRA TODAY Magazine unknowing Congress, and initiate a resurgence of membership Publisher FRA in veterans associations. FRA’s challenge is to convince the sea Managing Editor Eileen Murphy services’ potential membership that our three cardinal prin- Contributing Editor Lauren Armstrong cipals do indeed provide protection and service when most Design and Art Direction needed, and that we are not just another social organization FIREBRAND, Alexandria, VA www.firebrandstudios.com providing a forum to swap war stories. Design Director Scott Rodgerson Production Manager Sandy Jones Yours in Loyalty, Protection and Service, Richard Law, Branch 90 fra today (ISSN 0028-1409) is published monthly by FRA, 125 N. West St., Alexandria, Va 22314-2754. A member’s subscription is covered by the member’s Remember, there is no law that protects your pay and benefits; that annual dues. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA and additional offices. Publication of non-sponsored advertising in fra today does not is what FRA is for. If you need to renew, please do so today. If you know constitute an endorsement by the FRA or its representatives. Postmaster: someone who is eligible to join and hasn’t, please refer them to us today. The Send address changes to: Member Services, FRA, 125 N. West St., Alexandria, VA 22314-2754. fra today is published in the interests of all current and larger FRA is, the louder we are heard — you are heard — on Capitol Hill. former enlisted personnel of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Eligible non-members are not entitled to subscription rates. Established 1 November 1923. Title registered with U.S. Patent Office.

If you aren’t subscribed to NewsBytes, FRA’s free weekly FRA Administrative Headquarters: 125 N. West St., Alexandria, VA 22314-2754 legislative update, you don’t know what you’re missing! Call Phone: 703-683-1400, 800-FRA-1924 • Fax: 703-549-6610 • E-Mail: [email protected] www.fra.org 1-800-FRA-1924 or e-mail [email protected] to subscribe today! Just another way FRA keeps you informed! Volume 88 Number 2

Eileen Murphy is the Director of Marketing and Communications and serves as the Managing Editor of FRA Today. Please contact her at [email protected]. CARMIL_NA_0209:MILWAT 12/5/08 5:00 PM Page 1

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The Legislative Cycle Begins Again Joe Barnes The First Session of the 111th lease a half percent higher than the at the beginning of each Congress and Congress is underway. Like all new Employment Cost Index (ECI); full these budget-related options are noth- Congresses, extensive organizational concurrent receipt of military retired ing new. This year’s report includes work is required with regard to lead- pay and VA disability compensation options to raise the Medicare eligibil- ership, rules, committee assignments for all retirees; parity benefit fund- ity age to 67; eliminate enrollment of and other institutional requirements. ing for U.S. Coast Guard personnel; Priority Group 7 and 8 veterans in the Of particular importance to FRA reform of the Uniformed Services VA health care system; increase cost are the leadership assignments for the Former Spouses Protection Act; and shares for Priority Group 5, 7 and 8 House and Senate Armed Services implementation of the Post 9/11 GI veterans who access VA health care; and Veterans’ Committees, the Bill to include transferability of ben- increase active duty military family Transportation Committees that have efits to family members of career per- members’ cost shares for TRICARE oversight over the U.S. Coast Guard, sonnel and ensuring benefits for VEAP benefits; establish minimum out-of- and the related appropriations com- era personnel. pocket cost for TRICARE-for-Life mittees for each of these panels in Preserving and/or enhancing the beneficiaries; and increase medi- both bodies. various benefits and people programs cal cost sharing for younger military Your FRA Legislative Team is is an ongoing concern, but it’s especially retirees. working to ensure reintroduction of relevant during the current period of Some of these options are strik- priority bills that died when the last growing deficits and associated budget ingly familiar to the drastic TRICARE Congress adjourned in December. In fee hikes DoD has been proposing for some instances, the principle spon- Your FRA Legislative younger military retirees since 2006, sor or sponsors were reelected (in and the repeated Administration re- the House) or are continuing their Team is working to ensure quests in recent years for authoriza- terms (in the Senate), which makes tion of enrollment fees for the lowest this a much easier process. In other reintroduction of priority priority beneficiary groups in the VA instances, it’s necessary to identify health care system. Strong opposition new champions, meet with them and/ bills that died when the from FRA and other organizations or their staffs and urge them to rein- and effective and ongoing grassroots troduce the relevant legislation. For last Congress adjourned work by our shipmates and others example, Virginia Representative have played a key role in halting these Thelma Drake introduced legislation in December. legislative proposals. and championed FRA’s efforts to insti- Addressing these and other benefit- tute a dislocation allowance for retir- pressures. Although at press time, it’s un- related issues is nothing new for FRA ing service members. Ms. Drake was known what the new Administration’s and your Legislative Team is continu- not reelected for the 111th Congress, priorities may be, we remain vigilant ally monitoring threats to health care, so we must find other lawmakers who to speculation about reducing Defense pay, benefits and quality-of-life pro- support this cause. spending, reform initiatives and cost- grams for all Sea Services communi- Another aspect of our work at the saving options developed by govern- ties. And just as we’ve done for over beginning of each session of Congress ment and/or other entities. eight decades, we’ll launch appropriate is identifying top legislative priorities These include dozens of federal action alerts related to legislative pro- for the year and, as in recent years, health care reform “options” recently posals impacting these programs when FRA’s number one issue is ensuring released by the Congressional Budget warranted during the 111th Congress. adequate funding for DoD and VA Office (CBO) in the first of twore- health care programs. Health care is ports on various government pro- Joe Barnes is FRA’s National Executive Director and important to every member of the grams. The second report focuses on Chairman of the National Committee on Legislative Association, their families and sur- non-health care issues and will soon Service. A member of Navy Department Branch 181, vivors. Other priorities include an- be released as a separate document. he is also an advisor to the National Committees on nual active duty pay hikes that are at CBO prepares these reports regularly Budget and Finance and Membership and Retention. shipmate forum

6 Disaster Relief Scholarships I received the generous grant from the FRA for our recent FRA is proud to support America’s future leaders by award- setbacks due to Hurricane Ike. ing more than $100,000 annually in scholarships to deserv- My wife and I have applied the funds to our fence and ing students. Awardees are selected based on financial need, roof repair, its associated labor and supplies, as well as the academic standing, character and leadership qualities. FRA

February 2009 y February removal of debris and trees from our yard. Because we were scholarships are awarded to FRA members, their spouses, without power for over two weeks, all our frozen food was children, and grandchildren. lost, so we had to purchase food, too. Read the impact… FRA Tod a We very much appreciate receiving the check that came just in time to give us some relief. Please allow this letter to Thank you for selecting me as the serve as a heartfelt “thank you” to the FRA. 2009 Joseph R. Baranski Scholarship Alphonse Brown Awardee. It was very much unex- pected, and I am thankful for being selected. The Optempo here at Bagram Cold War Certificate and Medal Afganistan has been very high and is In 2007 there was an article in Navy Times about the pos- set to increase in the months to come. sibility of issuing a Cold War Medal for personnel who were However, my six-month tour has now on active duty between September 2, 1945 and December come to an end and I will redeploy 26, 1991, provided it had the support of at least 12 members to CONUS in a few short days, closing out an 11-month of Congress. I recently saw an advertisement to purchase mobilization. the Cold War Medal, which [according to the ad] *signifies Thank you and FRA for showing such generosity. Happy participation in that historic era and is based on the word- New Year and Semper Fidelis. ing of the Cold War Recognition Certificate issued by the Sgt. Frederick Race, USMC (FRA Branch 181) Federal Government.” What Cold War Recognition Certificate is issued by the Thank you for your generosity. Four years ago I was award- federal government? If I can buy the medal for $24.95, why ed an FRA college scholarship. Using those funds I was haven’t I ever received the certificate? I served on active able to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel duty in the U.S. Navy from September 1959 until my retire- Hill. This fall I started graduate school at Appalachian State ment in January 1979. University in the School of Social Work. I would never have Gary H. Bucy accomplished this without your generosity. Thank you for everything you have given me. FRA Response: Congress has not authorized a Cold War Kate Cunningham medal, but instead authorized the Cold War Recognition Certificate. The certificate is not automatically presented, but may be requested by military personnel or DoD federal em- Please join us 11 February 2009 at noon (ET) for a free ployees who served from 2 September 1945 to 26 December teleconference on FRA Scholarships — what’s available, 1991. Qualified applicants can apply by completing an online how to apply and more! Call 1-800-391-1709, and use ac- at https://www.hrc.army.mil or sending a letter requesting the cess code 444143. certificate, along with a copy of proof of honorable service, to: Commander This call is part of the 2009 Your Mission Your Voice U.S. Army Human Resources Command Teleconference Series held on the second Wednesday of Cold War Recognition Program, Hoffman II, Room 3N45 each month at noon (ET). Each month we cover an issue ATTN: AHRC-CWRS important to you and your family. For a full list, please 200 Stovall Street call 800-FRA-1924 and ask for an FRA calendar. Alexandria, VA 22332-0473 You may also FAX the letter and proof to: 1-800-723-9262.

FRA watches out for you and your family — is it Submissions: Send Shipmate Forum letters to: Editor, FRA Today, 125 N. West time to renew your membership or would you like St. Alexandria, VA 22314. E-mail submissions may be sent to [email protected]. to give the gift of membership to someone as a Please include “Shipmate Forum” in the subject line. FRA reserves the right to thank you for service to the country? Please do so select and edit letters for publication. Letters published in Shipmate Forum reflect today by calling 1-800-FRA-1924. the opinions and views of FRA members. They do not necessarily reflect the official position of FRA as a whole. FRA is not responsible for the accuracy of letter content. 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ 5 3 1 1 3 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 4 4 4 4 ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ 1 1 3 3 8 8 8 8 7 7

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8

February 2009 y February Welcome to the 111th Congress John Davis The 111th Congress convened in early January and your The 110th Congress (2007-2008) was marked by several FRA Tod a Legislative Team is working to advance FRA’s legislative significant legislative victories, including improvements to priorities for 2009. These have been selected from FRA’s concurrent receipt policies, no increases in TRICARE fees extensive legislative agenda (available at www.fra.org and (third consecutive year), higher-than-ECI pay increases the January issue of FRA Today) based on the concerns of for active duty personnel, a new GI Bill for those serving its members, the number of personnel affected, and the on or after 9/11/08, and implementation of paid-up SBP potential for legislative action during the session. In addi- for thousands of military retirees. The 110th Congress was tion to these priorities, the Association continues working also marked by bitter partisan clashes on numerous issues to advance other initiatives that will benefit active duty, and hopefully cooperation may replace confrontation in Reserve, retired and veteran shipmates and their families. the legislative process in 2009 and beyond.

CBO Healthcare Study Urges Cost Sharing for Beneficiaries

A recently released Congressional impact Medicare and other programs, have been successfully halted thanks Budget Office (CBO) report offers 115 may or may not be introduced as leg- to strong advocacy work and grass- options for cutting the government’s islative proposals or included in the roots support from FRA shipmates cost for DoD, VA and other federal FY2010 budget. Option 97 is very sim- and others. As always, FRA will alert healthcare programs. CBO regularly ilar to the drastic TRICARE fee hikes its membership accordingly as legisla- issues reports such as this one, which first proposed by DoD in 2006, which tive threats warrant. addresses the prospect of shifting some of the healthcare costs to the beneficiaries. Among the options in- cluded are: • increasing healthcare cost shares for active duty family members (Option 95); • requiring co-pays for TRICARE- for-Life beneficiaries (Option 96); • increasing fees, co-pays and de- ductibles for military retirees un- der age 65 (Option 97), and • imposing a co-pay for Priority Group 5 veterans (lower-income vets with no service-connected disabilities) receiving care at a VA medical facility (Option 98). FRA is evaluating these options and their potential impact on our members. It is important to note that, at this point, these are only options for possible consideration by lawmakers. Any of the 115 options, which also 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ 5 1 1 3 3 5 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 4 4 4 4 ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ ⁄ 1 1 3 3 8 8 8 8 7 7

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Saluting the historic service of U.S. Sailors

Edition Limit: Standing an impressive 16½ inches tall, the “Spirit of the Only 5,000! U.S. Navy” three-dimensional sculpture presents a striking image of a WWII-era sailor, hand-cast and expertly hand-painted in antique bronze tones. Adding to its impact is an abundance of hand-crafted details, including an authentically-styled uniform, complete with replica canteen, true-to-life holster with pistol, and even a fi rst “Th aid pouch. Turn the sculpture around, and you’ll discover the custom crafting extends to the rendering of an ammunition bag with carrying strap, 15-round carbine pockets and more. Standing tall on a sturdy sculpted display base crafted to match the look of rocky shores protected by sailors of every generation, the “Spirit of the U.S. Navy” salutes the historic service of World War II sailors, and the enduring legacy of the U.S. Navy to this day. Exceptional value; satisfaction guaranteed “Spirit of the U.S. Navy” comes with a 365-day money- back guarantee and is issued in a strictly limited edition of only 5,000 hand-crafted sculptures. Act now to acquire yours at the $99.95* issue price, payable in three monthly installments of $33.32 each. Send no money now. Just return the Reservation Application today. But don’t delay or you could miss out!

Hand-crafted in flawless detail! Individual hand-painting brings every detail of the sailor and his gear to life. Shown much smaller than actual height of 16½ inches RESERVATION APPLICATION THE______BRADFORD EXCHANGE 9345 Milwaukee Avenue · Niles, IL 60714-1393

YES. Please reserve “The Spirit of the U.S. Navy” sculpture for me as described in this announcement. Limit: one per order. Please Respond Promptly

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01_04808_001_BI.indd 1 12/12/08 8:18:51 AM On & off capitol hill

10 “Paid-up” SBP Dispute Last Month’s VA Period Opens Disability Pay Should Not be Recouped Legislation took effect last October that allows Survivor Benefit Plan For 12 years the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has

February 2009 y February (SBP) participants to discontinue pay- been seizing disability and ing SBP premiums once they reach age pension compensation in

FRA Tod a 70 and make at least 360 monthly SBP error from the widows of payments. deceased veterans. Senator Retirees who qualify for “paid-up” Daniel Akaka (Hawaii), status are not required to take any chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, confronted VA officials about this illegal collection of the payments originally made for the month in action to stop SBP payment deduc- which the veteran died. tions and the Defense Finance and In 1996 Congress passed a law ordering that disability and VA pension checks Accounting Service (DFAS) will no- issued in the month of a veteran’s death shall be kept by the surviving spouse. tify members of their paid-up status Unfortunately, the VA never implemented the law and continued to recoup dis- and when premiums will be stopped. ability and pension compensation paid in the month of the veterans’ death. VA Unfortunately, DFAS is experiencing Secretary James B. Peake established a task force to correct the problem and re- imburse all affected survivors. More than 11,000 surviving spouses who never difficulties in implementing the new received the benefit or were required to repay money issued to them for the vet- law for some retirees, and some of the eran’s month of death have received a lump-sum payment. The VA is also taking 137,000 participants who are eligible immediate action to rectify the payment error that’s impacted surviving spouses for paid-up status are still having pre- since 1997. mium deductions taken from their re- Spouses who believe they are entitled to this retroactive month-of-death ben- tired pay. DFAS is working to ensure efit are encouraged to contact the Survivors’ Call Center at 1-800-749-8387 be- tween 7:00 am and 7:00 pm (CST), Monday through Friday. Inquiries may also that everyone receives proper credit be submitted at www.vba.va.gov/survivorsbenefit.htm. for all premiums paid and that the premium counter (available on Retiree Account Statements) is correct for all Last Month’s Retirement Pay participants. Unlike VA disability payments for a veteran’s last month of life (see above), cur- Retirees who believe that DFAS rent law does authorize the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) has undercounted their SBP payments to recoup the final month’s military retired pay from retiree widows. A pro-rata have until 30 June 2009 to file a dis- check for the number of days the retiree was alive during that month is issued pute. All disputes must be made by later. This process creates additional hardships for grieving survivors. At FRA’s request, Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.) has re-introduced legislation in completing a DD Form 2656-11. A the 111th Congress that will change the law to allow military widows/widowers link to that form is available on www. to keep the member’s final month of retired pay. If enacted, the Military Retiree fra.org under Useful Links in the MY Survivor Comfort Act will authorize the payment of retiree’s retirement pay to FRA section. the surviving spouse (or beneficiary) for the full month in which the retiree dies. For more information, contact Currently those whose retired pay is directly deposited in a joint bank account DFAS toll-free at 1-800-321-1080. can have their monthly pay amount withdrawn, often causing significant finan- cial hardship for the survivor. FRA will list this bill on its Action Center as soon as it is introduced and shipmates are encouraged to contact their elected officials to encourage them to support this important legislation. On & off capitol hill

11 ACTIVE DUTY ISSUES FRA Tod a DoD Releases 2009 BAH Rates “No Time to Vote” Study Released

The Department of Defense (DoD) released the 2009 Basic Allowance A major new report, entitled “No Time to Vote” was released in y February 2009 for Housing (BAH) rates providing military members an average in- January by The Pew Center on the States’ “Make Voting Work” crease of 6.9 percent when the new rates took effect on 1 January (MVW) initiative. Many states are not meeting the needs of mili- 2009. For members with dependents, average increases in BAH are tary voters overseas and the study analyzes states’ absentee vot- approximately $95 per month. A typical junior enlisted member with ing processes to determine if military personnel stationed overseas dependents, for example, will find his/her BAH about $68 per month are given enough time to vote. higher than last year, while a senior non-commissioned officer with The study indicates that overseas military voters face chal- dependents will receive about $93 more than last year. lenges ranging from blank absentee ballots being mailed out too The BAH program also provides individual rate protection to late to completed ballots being returned by fax or email, raising all members. No matter what happens to measured housing costs, questions about the privacy and security of the votes. The report an individual member in a given location will never see his/her proposes policy changes to improve the voting process for military BAH rate decrease. This assures that members who have made personnel serving overseas. long-term commitments in the form of a lease or contract are not FRA is working with the Pew Center and other organizations penalized if the area’s housing costs decrease. on this issue to raise awareness and streamline the current process. Additionally, the military services were recently authorized to One alternative, for example, would be to allow service members to pay for local moves for military members forced out of a rented request and receive an absentee ballot electronically but continue home due to their landlord’s foreclosure. For more information, ser- to allow the return of the completed ballot by regular mail. Another vice members and their families should contact their installation goal is to designate one state official to administer absentee ballots housing office, contact Military One Source at 1-800-342-9647 or from overseas military personnel rather than the numerous county visit www.militaryonesource.com. clerks and other local officials who are responsible now. BAH varies by pay grade and assignment area, and service members with dependents draw higher BAH than those without. FRA tracks BAH levels to ensure they remain at levels to commen- VA Issues New GI Bill Regulation surate with actual housing costs. Regulations for implementing the new Post-9/11 GI Bill were re- cently released for comment. The expanded education benefits FRA Hosts Legislative Fellows take effect 1 August 2009 and create an entirely new program for service members who served or are serving during the War FRA recently hosted participants in the 2009 Navy and Marine on Terror. One significant change from the current Montgomery Corps’ Congressional Fellowship Programs, which for the first GI Bill (MGIB) benefit is a benefit cap for those with less than 36 time included two enlisted Marines. The fellows were briefed on months of active duty service. The regulation provides a sliding FRA’s and The Military Coalition’s (TMC) work on various person- scale based on length of service, and those who have served at nel issues. least 30 months but less than 36 months will receive 90 percent of The services’ fellowship programs are designed to expose mili- all the benefits (tuition, books, COLA, etc.). Those with 90 days to tary personnel, historically officers and government civilians, to six months of service will be eligible for 40 percent of benefits. the inner workings of the U.S. Congress and each is assigned to FRA is a member of Partnership for Veterans Education (PVE) the staff of key members of Congress. This year’s Marine Corps and has been at the forefront in the fight for improved educa- class is unique in that it includes two enlisted Marines – GySgt tion benefits for service members, including VEAP-Era personnel Bradley Simmons and MSgt. William Gibson. Simmons is assigned (Veterans Educational Assistance Program). Education reform was to the office of Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, a member ofthe one of two issues addressed by FRA’s National Board of Directors Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Gibson is a wounded warrior and Regional Vice Presidents during their 2008 visits to Capitol who will bring a unique perspective to his work in the office of Hill. (The other issue was opposition to proposed TRICARE fee Rep. Steve Buyer (Ind.), the ranking member of the House Veterans increases.) The Post-9/11 improvements are significant and long Affairs Committee. overdue, and the Association will continue to monitor the program to ensure timely implementation and compliance with the intent of Congress. ):3B[T[G/D\RXW303DJH

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13 Navy ROYs Recognized by FRA FRA Expresses Concerns to the House Veterans FRA Tod a FRA continued a long-standing tradition of recognizing excellence by Sea Committee

Service personnel in January by honoring the Navy’s 15 2008 Recruiters of y February 2009 the Year (ROYs). The Association recognized the honorees and their family At the request of Congressman Bob members at a special Capitol Hill luncheon by presenting recognition awards Filner (Calif.), chairman of the House to each. RADM Joseph Kilkenny, commander of Navy Recruiting Command (NRC); Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West; and Force Master Veterans Affairs Committee, FRA sub- Chief for NRC Chris Penton all thanked FRA for the Association’s ongoing ef- mitted its top five concerns for consid- forts to support Sailors and recognize outstanding performance. Dick Walsh, eration by the committee during the a professional staff member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who is 111th Congress. FRA referenced its also a retired Navy captain, also praised the ROYs for their achievements, as did FRA’s National President Don Mucheck and National Vice President Gary overarching priority to ensure wound- Blackburn. LA FRA National President Georgia Gallagher and other current ed troops, their families, and survivors and former FRA leaders also attended the event. of those killed in action are cared for FRA’s Legislative team also arranged for the honorees and family members by a grateful nation. The top five legis- to tour the Capitol and visit the offices of six of the honorees’ representatives. lative items include: • Improve VA funding process; • Improve claims processing; • Oppose healthcare enrollment fees; • Ensure full implementation of the Post 9/11 GI Bill by August 2009; • Eliminate restrictions on Agent Orange disability claims. A copy of the statement is available on the Association’s website (www. fra.org). NED Joe Barnes also participat- ed in a round-table meeting in late January with members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee to discuss the committee’s legislative priorities for the 111th Congress. Further, FRA is scheduled to testify before a joint House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees hearing in March.

Top: Zone Supervisor of the Year NCC (AW) Keith Eubanks and wife Casada are welcomed by Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (Ga.) during their tour of Capitol Hill. Bottom: Rep. Bruce Braley (Iowa) poses with NC1 (AW) Joshua Vinson and his wife Rene. Vinson was named Active Duty Recruiter in Charge of the Year. On & off capitol hill

14 FRA Conducts Survey of FRA Videos Now Online Military QOL Programs Two new videos are found on www.fra.org/video. FRA’s new information video is FRA recently conducted an online now available on YouTube.com and Google.com’s video section. Please share this survey to elicit input from current and link with your friends, family and prospective members. former enlisted personnel on benefits Additionally, FRA is prominently featured in a new National Medical Report February 2009 y February and Quality-of-Life (QOL) programs video about military healthcare concerns. It shows an important facet of the available to them. The survey asked Association’s legislative advocacy and will be aired on national public television

FRA Tod a Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard as part of a series on major medical issues. active duty and Reserve members, Please share this link with others! It is a fast and free way to tell others about retirees, veterans and spouses to rate the great work of FRA! which military benefits are most im- portant to them. All communities ranked health- care as a very important benefit of their military service. As a result, FRA has again made healthcare its top priority for 2009 and will work to ensure adequate funding is available for Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare programs. This is an ongoing challenge as healthcare costs are rising, the population needing military and VA medical care is grow- ing, and there are continuing recom- mendations and budgetary pressures to shift costs to beneficiaries by dras- tically increasing healthcare fees for military retirees and TRICARE-For- Life beneficiaries. FRA will reference the sur- vey results with policy-makers in the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security and also in con- gressional testimony and meetings with staff members and elected offi- cials on Capitol Hill.

The FRA Legislative team is Joe Barnes, National Executive Director, John Davis, Director of Legislative Programs, Bob Washington, Health Care Advisor and Outreach Manager, Chris Slawinski, National Veterans Service Officer and Ed Dockery, Assistant Director of Legislative Programs. 15 FRA Today February 2009 h atc onw

) and (DoD) Defense h .org/onwatc career fields in which those skills are valued is also helpful to job- seekers. Many military spouses experience a series of reward- ing jobs rather than advancing within a specific career field. Good News for Military Spouses: Many of the challenges facing job seekers are not unique to those married to service mem- bers. And military spouses actu- ally have some terrific advan- tages, because they have access to a variety of great resources reserved just for them. The .fra epartment of Department Military Spouses Military : www Networking Childcare Resources Education and Training Hiring Preferences. Go to FRA’s Career Center on www.fra.org Check out Career Center on www.fra.org Go to FRA’s Read it all at the Military Spouse Employment Information to read more about: • • • • • f and Be Flexible: rsel Sell You sell themselves short when Military spouses often even though they have many searching for work, open to new transferable and marketable skills. Being for support military community is a powerful network The information. and numerous private organizations sponsor programs that address employment challenges like finding and paying for child care, and provide funding for education and training programs, and help connect military spouses with prospective employers. Military Spouses in the Civilian Work Force Work in the Civilian Military Spouses When a service member gets orders to a new duty When a service member gets orders The Challenges: more likely the average military spouse is Statistically, to earn less than his/her civilian counterparts. Not wives and statistics also reveal that military surprisingly, husbands are also more apt to move farther and more also more likely which explains why they are frequently, to be unemployed. Jobs that require the spouse’s skills may not exist near the new duty assignment; varying state certification and licensing requirements may gen- erate added expenses and delays in finding work; and local employers may be biased against hiring a military spouse. this quarter focuses on the unique this quarter focuses OnWatch FRA’s spouses in the civilian work force. challenges of military at www.fra.org/onwatch. Read the entire copy station, it usually means major changes for the entire family — a new home, new schools for the children, and new friends, to A change in assign- name a few. ment for the service member may also mean a job change for the military spouse. Finding a new job is a high priority for the more than 55 percent of mili- tary spouses whose families are dependent on their income. Although military spouses face some unique challenges when looking for employment, they also have an arsenal of skills and resources to help one-of-a-kind around them find rewarding employment opportunities Go to www.fra. the world. What are your experiences? org/communities and share your stories. 5IF
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93&%BERWLQGG 30 Membership matters

17 FRA Tod a y February 2009

Membership Program Checklist Penny Collins In order to keep a branch moving load. Actively recruit new officers, but schools; Memorial Day and Veterans forward, establish a membership pro- be sure you don’t overburden them. Day ceremonies; or service recogni- gram to maintain the interest of current Service in branch leadership roles tion programs? members as well as attract new ones. helps teach and enhance leadership 8. Do you send representatives to What is your branch doing to recruit skills and also provides an important national and regional conventions? and retain a strong membership base? networking opportunity for business Staying in touch with other FRA ship- Ask yourself the following questions to owners and other professionals. mates on the national and regional lev- see if your program is on track. 5. Do you use recruitment materi- els is extremely important to effective 1. Has there been a sharp drop or als available from FRA National recruiting efforts back home. Send as slow decrease in membership? If Headquarters (NHQ)? Make your job many representatives as you can from so, it could mean several things. easier. NHQ produces booklets, ad, your branch and have them report Shipmates may have passed away or displays and other materials to help back on what they learned. move to another part of the country. you keep your membership recruiting 9. Are other organizations in your Or it could mean there’s lack of solid efforts on track. Use them! Visit www. community successfully recruiting policies and/or procedures to keep fra.org or call 1-800-372-1924 for a list new members? Learn from their suc- members interested in maintaining of the literature available. cess. What are they doing to attract their membership. Review your poli- 6. Does your branch exist for a rea- new members and retain current ones? cies, procedures, and politics. Survey son? If you can’t easily articulate the Their members may also be eligible for your new and existing members and purpose of the FRA and your branch, FRA. Show the benefit of strength in ask what they expect from the branch. discuss it with other shipmates. What numbers. Acknowledge the efforts of your mem- purpose do you serve in the commu- 10. Are you offering something for bers, especially in recruiting new and/ nity? What do you offer current and or reinstated members. families and spouses of your mem- former Sea Services personnel that bers? No shipmate should ever join 2. Are renewals slowly dwindling they cannot get elsewhere? Make sure alone. Make shipmates and their fami- and being outpaced by lapses? Make everyone in your branch knows why lies proud of their association with membership efforts a part of every you exist. FRA and welcome family members meeting agenda. Monitor unpaid dues 7. Do you sponsor programs in your with open arms. and actively contact newly-lapsed local community? Are you actively shipmates personally. The Bring ‘Em involved with traditional FRA pro- Back Call Program is essential to stay- grams like our annual Essay Contest Penny Collins is a member of FRA Branch 24 in ing in touch with members whose and other Americanism projects in Annapolis, Md. and can be reached at [email protected]. membership will expire or have termi- nated due to non-payment of dues. 3. Are older members over-repre- Bravo Zulu sented as a proportion of your mem- Bravo Zulu to Branch 103 (Yokosuka, bership? There are younger retirees, Japan) for their outstanding efforts veterans or military personnel in to support wounded warriors. Dur- your area. What are you doing to at- ing a recent trip to Hawaii, Branch tract younger shipmates? Think about Secretary Frank Misiura presented where they gather, how your branch a $5,000 donation on behalf of his can be of assistance to them, and how branch to the USS Missouri Memo- you could contact them (base ac- rial Wounded Warrior Company. tivities, exchanges, commissaries, VA hospitals as examples). Branch 103 Secretary Frank Misiura (far right) presented a $5,000 donation to USS 4. Are the same people serving as Missouri Wounded Warrior Chairman (middle) Kevin Dillon and FLTCM(SW/AW) Tom Howard, Command Master Chief for COMPACFLT, aboard the USS Missouri. officers year after year? Share the 18 February 2009 y February FRA Tod a

a fight for

By delivering a top secret cargo, the USS Indianapolis played a and pivotal role in hastening the end of World War II. Sadly, her place in history is also marked as one of PHILIPPINES PHILIPPINE SEA Tinian the worst at-sea naval disasters Manila SOUTH Guam in U.S. Navy history. Those who CHINA SEA survived the 1945 Japanese torpedo

attack would come to realize the Leyte

fight for their lives — and justice

— had only just begun.

19 hen the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) left San FRA Tod a Francisco on 16 July 1945, she was bound for the Pacific island of Tinian, carrying a top secret y February 2009 cargo. The heavy cruiser averaged 29 knots and Wmade the 5,000-mile passage across the Pacific in less than 10 days — a record that still stands for a surface ship. The urgent speed and guarded boxes on deck generated a great deal of speculation among the crew. “Big cranes loaded the crates and they were guarded 24/7. We had no idea what we were carrying, but the captain came on the PA system and told us the contents would shorten the war,” explained Mike Kurlya, a third-class coxswain at the time. Only later would the crew learn the Indy had carried uranium and other critical components of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. Once the classified cargo was unloaded on Tinian, the ship and crew made way for Guam, where they took on supplies. From Guam, they were bound for the island of Leyte, approximately 1,500 nautical miles to the west, where they would join the USS

Idaho (BB-42) for training maneuvers.

PHILIPPINES HonorPHILIPPINE SEA Tinian Manila SOUTH Guam

CHINA SEA The USS Indianapolis’ intended route from Leyte Guam to the Philippines

20 “We had a lot of new crew members,” recalls Kurlya. underwater threats] and our radar wasn’t very good,” “The Indy had come under kamikaze attacks in explained Harlan Twible, who was a 23-year-old ensign Okinawa in late March, which required the ship to assigned to the Indianapolis. “Our radar was a lot like return to California for repairs. Many of the crew the early computers. We got a lot of false images or we’d had asked for transfer off the ship, so we had about a see nothing at all when we scanned the horizon.” 25-percent change in crew before we left San Francisco. February 2009 y February We were going to Leyte to train the new personnel in preparation for the invasion of Japan.” The Course of History FRA Tod a During the trip, the Indianapolis had employed an On 28 July, Indy set a direct course for Leyte. The evasive zigzag maneuver to make her less vulnerable to heavy cruiser was expected to reach its destination in submarine attacks. The practice was often suspended at three days. the captain’s discretion during periods of poor visibil- Captain Charles Butler McVay III was the command- ity. The night of 29 July was cloudy and dark. Captain ing officer of the Indianapolis. He’d led her through the McVay gave orders to cease zigzagging until the weather invasion of Iwo Jima and the bombardment of Okinawa. improved. It was a decision that would be defended by Her anti-aircraft guns shot down seven enemy planes McVay and his crew for decades. before the ship was struck by the kamikaze pilot a few Kuryla had the 8-to-midnight watch with his shipmate, months earlier. Paul Knoll, that night and vividly recalls the weather Although hostilities in this part of the Pacific had ceased conditions. “We zigzagged during the day, but we’d been and the Japanese surface fleet was no longer considered on a straight course during our watch. It was one of those a threat, McVay asked for a destroyer escort. Despite the nights [with] a peek-a-boo moon. You couldn’t see your sinking of the USS Underhill (DE-682) just four days hand in front of your face and then the moon would earlier and naval intelligence reports that a Japanese come out from behind the clouds … and light up the area submarine was operating in his path, McVay’s request again. We even commented on how dark it was.” was denied. In fact, he was not even informed of these In the early morning darkness of 1 August 1945, two potential threats. Japanese torpedoes ripped through the Indy’s hull. The The Indianapolis was not equipped with submarine first blew off the bow and the second hit amidships on detection devices and was the first capital ship to make the starboard side. The ship’s forward motion didn’t the trek between Guam and the Philippines without stop immediately and the open bow acted like a scoop, an escort. “We didn’t have sonar [which would detect forcing the bow lower and lower in the water. She was listing badly to starboard and it quickly became obvi- ous the Indy was going down. The torpedo blasts had The Indianapolis was not equipped with submarine knocked out all internal communications, so the order to abandon ship was passed by word of mouth. detection devices and was the first capital ship to make the Lifejackets were stored in bags on the bulkhead, and trek between Guam and the Philippines without an escort. Kuryla and Knoll cut them down and put them on their shipmates who were wounded and burned. The pin holding the life rafts in place wouldn’t budge because the ship was listing so drastically, but they were finally able to cut the rafts loose. They then directed the men around them to get to the high side and abandon ship.

Twible had graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy only months before. The majority of his classmates went to flight school and he was the only one in his class assigned to a capital ship. When he came aboard the Indianapolis with six other officers, Captain McVay told him that much would be expected from the new ensign … and Twible didn’t disappoint.

Twible was also coming off the watch at the time of the attack. By the time he reached amidships, the starboard side was only about a foot out of the water. It 21 FRA Tod a y February 2009

was evident the Indy was going down, so Twible yelled, The Indy was due to arrive in Leyte on 31 July. Surely “Abandon ship!” Nobody did. He quickly realized they when they didn’t show up, a search team would be sent would rather cling to the ship than go into the dark, to find them … or so the crew believed. In reality, when forbidding water. So he led by example, encouraging his the Indianapolis didn’t arrive as scheduled, she was men to follow him as he worked himself down the deck, taken off the plotting board and no effort was made to which was almost vertical by then. locate her.

“I worked myself into the water and started swimming In the moments after the attack, radio operators away,” explains Twible. “About 10 feet out, I realized dispatched a series of SOS messages, including the ship’s these men had never abandoned ship before and prob- name, condition and location. In the ensuing investiga- ably didn’t know what to do. I yelled, ‘Swim away! The tion, the Navy claimed that the SOS messages were ship will suck you down!’ and they did. About 100 yards never received, but as materials became declassified out, I looked back and there was my home, going down decades later, the record shows that all three calls for by the bow, just like a movie. She went down in 12 min- help were received, but none were acted upon. utes and I truly believe God used me as an instrument “We all wondered if an SOS got out, but we had no to help those men get off the ship.” idea,” remembers Kuryla. “We figured we’d all be picked The ship indeed created a powerful suction as she went up the next day.” down. “I took in a big breath and swam to the left to The crew members waited anxiously as the cold dark avoid the superstructure as it came down,” remembers night gave way to the unrelenting sun of the next Kuryla. “I was a good strong swimmer, but the ship kept day … and the next … and the next. In the end, the sucking me back. I couldn’t hold my breath any longer; survivors would endure five nights and four days in the water was coming into my mouth. It was like they say; open ocean. Without food or water, and suffering from I saw my life flash before my eyes – my parents, my six burns and wounds, exposure, exhaustion and shark sisters, my brother. I said the Act of Contrition and then attacks, the group grew smaller and smaller with each blacked out. I don’t know how I made it to the surface, passing day. but I came up in time to see the stern go down. The screws were still turning.” Life jackets that were only designed to keep men afloat for 48 hours became waterlogged, making it difficult for the exhausted men to keep their faces out of the water. In the Water Fatigued survivors who drifted from the group soon Approximately a quarter of the 1,197-member crew became too weary to swim, some purposefully freeing never made it off the ship. About 900 crewmembers are themselves from their lifejackets and slipping below believed to have survived the sinking. As they bobbed the surface. Critically dehydrated, many gave in to the about in the oil-covered water, they worked together temptation to drink saltwater. Besides the vomiting and to keep one another calm and afloat. Those who were ulcers that resulted, many fell prey to the hallucinations strongest helped the wounded, burned and injured into of saltwater poisoning. the few available life rafts, but most had only lifejackets or inflatable life belts to assist them. They tied them- “Even though we were told not to drink the saltwater,” selves together, held on to the rafts and each other, and recalls Kuryla, “many did and had hallucinations. I made

waited for help. up my mind I was going to make it. Others gave up.” USS Indianapolis 22 According to survivor Edgar Harrell, in his book Out more-than-75-mile area, would know that help was on of the Depths, “[A] delusional sailor would convince the way. himself that his buddy was the enemy [or think] he was Hours later, Navy Lieutenant Adrian Marks and his hiding fresh water. I remember hallucinating sailors crew arrived at the scene in a PBY-5A Catalina seaplane. claiming to see a ship or an island and excitedly try to He dropped rafts and provisions before disregarding enlist others to swim with them to safety. Inevitably, February 2009 y February standing orders to make an open-sea landing in 10 to when we disagreed with them or attempted to calm 12-foot swells. The plane suffered damage that would them, they would become belligerent and often vicious.”

FRA Tod a require her crew to bail water throughout the rescue ef- The shipmates tried desperately to buoy one another fort, but Marks taxied the plane to pick up 56 survivors up – both physically and emotionally. Many paired before additional help arrived. When the fuselage was up, wrapping arms and legs around their partner for full, the survivors were tied to the wings with parachute warmth and taking turns resting. They encouraged one shrouds. another to pray, remember their loved ones at home, In the gathering darkness, the USS Cecil Doyle and continue their fight for survival. (DD‑368) heard Marks’ radio call for assistance. The But the days at sea were taking their toll. According to Doyle, positioned more than 100 miles away, began survivor Harold Eck, quoted in Out of the Depths, by steaming toward the survivors and was the first ship the morning of the third day, “over half of the original on the scene. As she approached, the captain shone his group was gone.” searchlight into the night sky, guiding other rescue ves- sels and providing a beacon of hope for the survivors. Rescue: Ducks on the Pond In a speech delivered years later to survivors and On 2 August, a Navy pilot discovered the survivors recounted in Out of the Depths, Lt. Marks described the quite by accident. While on a routine antisubmarine power of the Doyle’s light. patrol, Lieutenant (jg) Chuck Gwinn was helping his “Lt. Cdr. W. Graham Claytor [commanding officer of bombardier repair an antenna that was flapping against the Doyle] … knew there might be enemy submarines the fuselage of the plane. As he lay in the bomb bay, ahead, but he had the perception to know that some- Gwinn noticed the oil slick on the ocean surface. On a where up ahead men were clinging to life with their last second and lower pass, he saw a group of approximately ounce of strength. For hour after hour [the searchlight] 30 survivors in desperate need of help. He radioed his shone as a beacon of hope in the sky. Those [on Marks’ base at Pelelu, reporting “ducks on the water” and ask- plane who cried for water] would settle back in hope to ing for rescue assistance. gaze upon that lovely light. And those out around us, Gwinn’s Ventura PV-1 wasn’t capable of a water landing, men [who] were struggling to survive their fifth night in but he dropped a life raft and circled continuously, the water, … saw the light and summoned up that one rocking his wings so the survivors, spread out over a last ounce of strength to last till rescue came.” Many of the survivors contribute their rescue to the grace of God. According to Twible, “Some went into the water as non-believers, but every man who came out believed in God.”

Of the 900 crew members who made it into the water as the Indianapolis sank, only 316 were alive when the rescue efforts ended. The survivors were transported to hospitals in the region, where they would eventually learn their role in ending the war.

“We sank on July 30th. On August 3rd, we were picked up,” recounts Mike Kuryla. “On August 6th, we were told that [the U.S. had] dropped an atomic bomb on Japan. We all asked, ‘What’s that?’”

As the survivors recuperated, they were not allowed to talk with reporters; only Navy investigators who were Survivors of the USS Indianapolis on Guam, in August 1945. 23

Of the 700 U.S. Navy ships lost in combat during WWII, McVay was the only captain to be FRA Tod a court martialed. Many Indy survivors believe McVay served as a scapegoat and was convicted y February 2009 to divert attention away from the Navy’s failure to rescue the crew in a timely manner. gathering facts, many believe in an effort to lay blame for guilt. In 1968, McVay committed suicide by shooting the Indy disaster. The loss of the Indy wasn’t made public himself with his Navy service revolver. until almost two weeks later, on 15 August. The emperor’s announcement of Japan’s surrender on the same day overshadowed the Indianapolis’ amazing story. Honoring Those to Whom Honor Means Everything McVay’s sons, former crew members and others worked Court Martial of McVay for years to clear the captain’s name, but with little suc- Captain McVay was among the 900 or so men who cess. It was a 12-year-old boy’s school project that would abandoned ship following the torpedo attacks. He was eventually draw attention to the cause. among the last of the 316 to be rescued. But his personal and professional struggles were far from over. When Hunter Scott saw the movie “Jaws,” he was intrigued by a crusty sailor’s explanation Three months after the torpedo attack, McVay was for his hatred of sharks. The fictional charged with “hazarding his ship by failing to zigzag” character vividly told the real life story of and failing to give the order to abandon ship. The sec- the USS Indianapolis crew. When Scott, ond charge was eventually dropped, but the captain was then a sixth-grade student in Pensacola, tried for his failure to follow a zigzag course in order Fla., learned the story was based on fact, to avoid torpedo attacks. Despite the Navy’s orders to he decided to do his history fair project zigzag at the captain’s discretion and testimony from the on the Indy and began interviewing Japanese submarine commander that zigzagging would survivors. have made no difference, McVay was convicted and court martialed. The project won awards at the school and county level, but was disqualified from “I was in the hospital during Captain McVay’s trial in further competition on a technicality. But D.C.,” recalls Kuryla. “I was upset a lot when I heard about by then, Scott was on a mission. “Once the court martial. How could they blame the skipper?” I started doing the interviews, it became The court martial was wildly controversial. Of the 700 personal,” says Scott, now a Navy ensign U.S. Navy ships lost in combat during WWII, McVay assigned to helicopter school. “I came to was the only captain to be court martialed. Many Indy understand at an early age the true cost survivors believe McVay served as a scapegoat and of freedom and I wanted to do something was convicted to divert attention away from the Navy’s for these men. I wanted to honor those to Photo by Dan Sears failure to rescue the crew in a timely manner. whom honor means everything. Hunter Scott. More than 60 years later, memories of the court martial “After six months of research, my bibli- still raise ire among the survivors. “A bunch of theoreti- ography included some 500 sources,” explains Scott, cians testified at McVay’s court martial,” exclaimed who also included Navy documents that had become Twible. “They weren’t there, but I was. That part of the declassified and were not publicly available at the time Pacific was a hotbed of hazard. The visibility was so bad of McVay’s court martial. By the time it was all said and that zigzagging wasn’t appropriate.” done, one naval historian recognized the young man’s research as “the greatest collection of information on The conviction was the only blemish on an other- the USS Indianapolis in the world.” wise stellar record. Admiral Chester Nimitz remitted McVay’s sentence in 1946 and, upon his retirement in Scott’s youth and perseverance added a dimension to 1949, McVay received a “tombstone promotion” to rear the story that garnered media attention and gave the admiral … but the conviction remained. In the ensuing project higher visibility. “Hunter’s involvement was years, McVay was hounded by relatives who’d lost loved great,” says Twible, who became a marketing executive ones in the disaster, echoing the Navy’s indictment of after his military service. “He got the AP [Associated Press] behind him.” 24 “On 22 April 1998, we had a big press conference,” recalls Scott. “We had a dozen or so survivors there and Indianapolis Survivors Today several members of Congress. After the press confer- Many Indy survivors and family members of those who perished ence, we paraded into the House of Representatives in the disaster are actively involved with the Indianapolis Survivors where I had the privilege of dropping the bill.” Organization. The group hosts a website (www.ussindianapolis. February 2009 y February org) and holds a reunion in Indianapolis, Ill., every five years. The original measure expired without enactment, but a second measure was introduced in a subsequent

FRA Tod a More than 100 survivors attended the first reunion in 1960, Congress. Survivors, Scott and McVay’s son all testified including Captain McVay. “The two pilots who found and rescued before Congress, highlighting the circumstances that us were there, and there were friends and politicians there, too,” contributed to the loss of the Indianapolis — the denied recalls Kuryla. “It was so emotional to be together again after 15 request for a destroyer escort, the Navy’s failure to years. We all cried so much I call it our ‘wet lapel’ reunion.” advise McVay that enemy submarines were present and had sunk the USS Underhill within range of the Indy’s Along with clearing the captain’s name, constructing a memorial path, and the Navy’s orders that McVay should zigzag to their lost shipmates was a high priority for the survivors’ group. at his discretion and his eventual court martial for The group and the city of Indianapolis raised more than $800,000 exercising that discretion. The testimony also disputed to build a monument that was dedicated and designated as a previous claims that visibility was good on the night of national memorial by Congress in 1995. the attack and revealed that McVay was denied his first choice for a defense counsel; his assigned counsel was inexperienced. Statements were included from Admiral Raymond Spruance (for whom the Indy served as flag- ship) and Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, both of whom opposed the court martial.

“I’ve been in marketing all my life,” says Harlan Twible. “That hearing (14 September 1999) was the best sales job I’ve ever seen. Senator [John] Warner said he came into the hearing with one opinion, but his mind was changed. Secretary of the Navy [Gordon] England said he wanted McVay cleared on his watch.”

Photo provided courtesy of Hunter Scott. Photo provided Success at Last Survivors of the USS Indianapolis with Hunter Scott (second from left) Members of the Indianapolis Survivors Organization, Scott and others would testify before Congress three times, and in late 2000 they realized success. A provi- “So many people came to help us clear the captain – poli- sion of the FY2001 National Defense Authorization Act ticians, family members of survivors – there were lots of (signed into law on 30 October 2000) included a sense angels,” explains Kuryla. “I’ve always called Chuck Gwinn of Congress that the military record of Charles Butler [the pilot who found us] ‘the angel’ and Hunter Scott McVay III should reflect “that he is exonerated for the became my ‘little angel,’ although now I have to look up loss of the USS Indianapolis” and the lives of her crew. to him. He led us to exonerate Captain McVay.” “I started the project in sixth grade,” says Scott, “and The history fair project was displayed in the congres- I was a sophomore in high school when McVay was sional offices of Joe Scarborough, representative for the cleared. It took almost four years.” 1st Congressional District of Florida, which includes Scott’s home town of Pensacola. The display created The Indianapolis crew fought for their skipper for more a lot of traffic in Scarborough’s office, which piqued than 55 years; some out of a sense of loyalty, but all the congressman’s interest. His staff drafted legislation because they felt it was simply the right thing to do. to exonerate McVay and congressional support grew. “McVay was a fantastic captain. He ran a good ship,” Congresswoman Julia Carson, representing the city summarizes Twible, who joined the fight to clear the of Indianapolis (Indiana’s 7th Congressional District), captain decades ago. “I won’t stand for injustice, but if was one of several representatives who took a personal something is right, I support it wholeheartedly. It’s just interest in the legislation and helped advance it through my make up.” the House. 25

The Indianapolis crew fought for their skipper for more than 55 years; some out of a FRA Tod a sense of loyalty, but all because they felt it was simply the right thing to do. y February 2009

Mike Kuryla, who testified before Congress three times Scott participated in Navy ROTC and graduated from the on the matter, agrees. “I didn’t know [McVay] person- University of North Carolina in 2007. “I get asked a lot ally; I just knew him from his actions. He was well-liked how I could spend so many years exposing this Navy in- and ran a good ship. There was not one survivor that justice, and then join up,” laughs Scott. “The truth is that I thought [McVay] was guilty. It became my life’s ambi- never would have even considered the military if I hadn’t tion to exonerate the captain.” gotten involved with the Indy survivors. My military service is a continuation of my efforts to honor them.” Don Blum, a 21-year-old ensign who had only been aboard for 13 days when the Indianapolis was sunk, didn’t have long to form an impression of the captain. “I didn’t particularly like him,” admits Blum, “but it was wrong to court martial him. It was unfair.” Lauren Armstrong is Contributing Editor and LA FRA Member at Large. Keeping History Alive Looking back is still difficult for the survivors, but many believe it’s their obligation to keep the Indy story alive. Additional Resources Some attend the reunions to reconnect with former shipmates; some speak at Rotary clubs and schools; still Space limitations prevent us from sharing more of the others have written books about their experiences. Each amazing experiences of Indy survivors. If you’d like to continues to deal with his memories in a unique way. learn more, here are some sources that we hope you’ll find interesting: Kuryla, now 83 years old, loved the Navy and wanted to stay in, but was medically discharged in 1946. “I didn’t »» USS Indianapolis: Still at Sea: (www.ussindianapolis. talk about it for a long time. I drank to forget and used org): This is the official website of the Indy’s survivor alcohol as a crutch. But now I try to keep history alive group, which highlights the sinking, rescue and efforts to exonerate Captain McVay. The site also pays tribute for school students, and for myself. I talk for the 880 to those who perished. crewmembers who can’t talk.”

Harlan Twible was involved with the survivors group for »» Naval Historical Center website (www.history.navy. many years, but didn’t give any interviews until 1989. mil/faqs/faq30-1.htm): The site includes photographs, testimonies and other documents relating to the loss of He now speaks at high schools, colleges and to commu- the Indianapolis, as well as a list of other published works nity groups about his experiences. Although he tells the on the subject. Indy story, Twible chooses not to look back with regret or bitterness. “How can you be bitter when you are still »» Out of the Depths: This self-published alive?” he asks. “I’ve never been afraid of anything in my book is available directly from the life since that time. That lack of fear has been a fantastic author, survivor Edgar Harrell, at gift from God. I choose to look forward. I’m sorry for [email protected]. Excerpts used in the losses, but I can’t change what happened. I’m 86, this article are reprinted with permission been married for 63 years and have lots to do before I of the author. die. I believe in all sincerity, you can’t let one incident be the story of your life.” »» The Search for the USS Indianapolis (http://www.discovery.com/exp/ “When I started meeting these men, many were reluc- indianapolis/indianapolis.html): The website, sponsored tant to tell their stories,” says Hunter Scott. “Over the by the Discovery Channel, recaps the Indy’s final voyage years, I’ve found them to be willing to forgive the Navy and tells the Indianapolis’ story in the survivors own for the injustices of 1945. They were never looking for words, including transcripts from Harlan Twible and Mike personal recognition or any sort of unit citation. They Kuryla who were interviewed for this article. all truly have a humble spirit. There was no animosity. Their entire focus was on clearing the captain.”

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Sea Service Recruiters y February 2009

For more than 35 years, FRA has participated in recognition programs that honor outstanding mili- tary performance. The Association helped establish the Navy’s Sailor of the Year program in 1972 and, since then, our involvement and support have expanded to include programs that also recognize exceptional Marines and Coast Guard members. FRA understands that quality personnel are critical to mission success and we’re proud to support those who go above and beyond to get the job done. In addition to our support for the Navy Sailor of the Year program, FRA also pays tribute to the Marine Corps’ exceptional Marine Security Guards (MSGs), Drill Instructors (DIs), Security Instructors, School of Infantry Instructors, and Career Counselors. The Association also salutes the Coast Guard’s Honors Program recipients (formerly the Enlisted Persons of the Year or EPOY). In recent months, we’ve had the privilege of hosting recognition events to honor the Sea Services’ 2008 Recruiters of the Year. These men and women excel at replenishing their service’s most important asset: Manpower. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard recruiters work tirelessly to ensure the future of their service by seeking out the best and brightest to fill the ranks. Virtually all enlisted personnel had some affiliation with a recruiter as they began their military service. What are your recollections of the recruiter who convinced you to join up? Were you a re- cruiter yourself? Visit www.fra.org/history to share your perspectives on military recruiting.

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28

BRANCH 77 Green Valley, Ariz. Branch President Joel Greenberg received a personalized gavel from then-National February 2009 y February President Larry Boudreaux during branch installation ceremonies. Greenberg and

FRA Tod a Boudreaux were shipmates in Branch 275 for many years.

BRANCH 276 Omaha, Neb. Branch Vice President Frank Schrotberger, Fred Grossman, Secretary Charlie Goodman, VAVS Director Chris Shipps, Branch President Carl Burnham, Branch VAVS Representative Norm Rhoten, and Darrel Willoughby (l to r) smile as a $300 donation is presented for the annual Veterans Stand Down.

BRANCH 112 Birmingham, Ala. Branch Vice President Bobby Findley and Secretary/Treasurer Juan Bowden represented FRA in style in Birmingham’s Veterans Day Parade, driving a 1957 Chevy convertible.

BRANCH 23 Buffalo, N.Y. Branch President Richard Hadley (right) presents Shipmate Harry Johnson with his 50-year pin and certificate for con- BRANCH 281 Redding, Calif. (Martin) tinuous service since 1958. Shipmate Joe Martin receives his 45-year longevity pin, flanked by RPWC Lee Hollowell (left) and Branch President Mike Braden. News from the branches

29 FRA Tod a BRANCH 226 Staten Island, N.Y.

Capt. Gary Maynard (right), Commanding Officer y February 2009 of Naval Weapons Station Earle New Jersey, was the keynote speaker during Navy Birthday celebra- tions. RPNE Jim Brown (left) and Capt. Lawrence B. Brennan, USN (Ret.) were also on hand for the 14 October event.

BRANCH 267 St. Louis, Mo. Branch members (l to r) Gary Larrabee, George Neiswenter, John Partin, Branch President Jim Taylor, George Dodd, Dale Ferrington, John Schonhorst and Gerald Piva (kneeling) present a $500 check to Kathy O’Connor (center), Executive Director of the Lambert International Airport USO.

BRANCH 126 Jacksonville, Fla. Shipmates (l to r) David Burris, Clinton Attebery, David Pippin, E.W. Sawley and Ed Gribbin carry a banner in the 2008 Jacksonville Veterans’ Day Parade. Photo by Unit President Veralyn Thomas.

BRANCH 298 Grand Rapids, Mich. Because Branch VAVS Representative Richard “Dick” Priest has repre- sented FRA and his branch so well on the VAVS Executive Committee at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center, he was invited to participate in the selection process for a the BRANCH 269 Goose Creek, S.C. center’s new director. Branch and Unit members donated over $800 in toys for the Marine Corps Reserve To submit a photo for News From the Branches, please e-mail a photo as an Toys For Tots 2008 campaign. Shown (l to attachment in jpeg format to [email protected] or mail a high-quality photograph to r) are Branch President Larry M. Starland, FRA Today, 125 N. West Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Please include a brief description Corporal Woodcock, Unit President Rusty of the photograph and include the names of those pictured. Laser prints and scanned Wentzel, and Lance Corporal Demos. copies of photographs cannot be accepted. Reunions

30 MCB1 (w/MCB9) 7626 or Jim Brussell, PO Box 225, Fort 9–12 October 2009, Las Vegas, Nev. Loramie, OH 45845, 937-295-2865. Contact Peter S. Dowd, 781-837-0393, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) [email protected]. 13–17 May 2009, Jacksonville, Fla. Mobile Maintenance Facility – Alpha Contact Gary Theis 7925 Bechtol Rd 16–20 April 2010, Jacksonville, Fla. Lima, OH 45801-9723, 419-649-3878, February 2009 y February Contact F. Nelson, 3442 Shenandoah [email protected]. Place, Alamogordo, NM 88310, 575- USS Galveston (CLG-3) FRA Tod a 434-1461, [email protected]. 30 September–4 October 2009, Everett, USS Albany (CA-123/CG-10/SSN-753) Wash. Contact Tom “soupy” Campbell, 12–17 July 2009, Pittsburgh, Pa. Jr. 310 Monroe Avenue, Edgewater Contact John Heitsman, 330-821-8911, Park, NJ 08010-1822, 1-866-398- [email protected]. 2655, [email protected]. 142, Maxwell, TX 78656, 512-665- 1649, [email protected]. USS Altair (AKS-32) USS Hamul (AK-30/AD-20) 23–26 October 2009, Branson, Mo. 25–29 August 2009, Rapid City, S.D. USS Ozbourn (DD-846) Contact Dick Stader, 1511 84th St, Contact Garry Grimes, 763-537-7592, 23–27 September 2009, St. Louis, Kenosha, WI 53143, 262-654-9202, [email protected]. Mo. Contact Ray Loney P.O. Box 58, [email protected]. Washougal, WA 98671, 360-835-0699. USS Hobson (DMS-26) USS Ault (DD-698) 24–27 April 2009, North Charleston, USS Roanoke (CL-145) 29 April–4 May 2009, San Antonio, S.C. Contact F. Don Mucheck 8548 30 April–3 May 2009, San Antonio, Texas. Contact Scott Mclean, 3279 Vistavia Road North Charleston, SC Texas. Contact Roger Thomas 1048 Upper 75th St East, Inver Grove 29406, 843-225-9147, Sabattus St., Lot 13, Lewiston, ME Heights, MN 55076, 651-253-3068, [email protected]. 04240, 207-783-0703. [email protected]. USS Independence (CV/CVA-62) USS Thomas C. Hart (DD/FF-1092) USS Aylwin (FF-1081) 14–18 October 2009, Oklahoma Veterans Association (U.S. Navy) 9–11 October 2009, Virginia Beach, Va. City, Okla. Contact Denis Bagley 18 10–14 June 2009, Charleston, S.C. Contact Glenn Hunsberger, 715-287- Coleridge Ave., Yardville, NJ 08620, Contact Jerry R. Leatherwood, 252- 5429, [email protected]. (609) 585-1452. 524-4021, [email protected]. USS Beale (DD-471/DDE-471) USS Intrepid (CV/CVA/CVS-11) USS Warrington (DD-843) (U.S. Navy) 24–26 July 2009, Cleveland, Ohio. 22–26 April 2009, Pensacola, Fla. 29 April–3 May 2009, San Diego, Calif. All Shipmates and their families are Contact Thomas Bryant, (864) 998- Contact Stan Prager, 916-791-6700, invited. Holiday Inn Select in Cleveland 4764, [email protected]. [email protected]. 216-241-5100 for reservations. Contact USS John A. Bole (DD755) USS Whitehurst (DE-634) Bob Hinkle, 11366 Clarke Road, 19–22 April 2009, Seattle, Wash. 24–26 June 2009, Knoxville, Tenn. Columbia Station, Ohio 44028, 440- Contact Ronald Shipley 921 Illinois Contact Jim Lawrence, 843-553-1908. 572-7697 or ussbealereunion2009@ Avenue Ottawa, IL 61350, 815-434- yahoo.com. 7483, [email protected]. USS Yosemite (AD-19) 28 April–3 May 2009, Jacksonville, Fla. USS Bergall (SS-320/SSN-667) USS Kimberly (DD521) Contact Stan Galloway 4603 Castor Dr., 10–13 September 2009, New London, 19–22 October 2009, Myrtle Beach, Pueblo, CO 81001, 719-544-9267, Conn. Contact Dick Fiske, 315 Holly S.C. Contact George Scott 8351 Sylvan [email protected]. Rd, Wakefield, RI 02879-4928, 401- Dr, West Melbourne, FL 32904-2421, 789-7099, [email protected]. [email protected] or 321-676-2307, VQ-1, 2, 5 & 6 and Support Groups (All eras) USS Cony (DD/DDE-508) USS Manatee (AO-58) 17–20 September 2009, Tucson, Ariz. 24–28 June 2009, Lansing, Mi. 5–7 May 2009, Branson, Mo. Contact Allan Prevette 3232 Village 3, Contact Ken Cox, 863-307-3187, Contact Bill Cress, 361-547-6938, Camarillo, CA 93012, 805-482-1204, [email protected]. [email protected]. [email protected]. USS Dyess (DDR-DD-880) USS Nashville (CL-43) WW 2 Black Navy Veterans of Great Lakes 13–17 May 2009, Norfolk, Va. Contact 18-22 May 2009, St. Louis, Mo. 20–23 August 2009, Deerfield, Ill. Bob Barkalow, 138 Sisken Drive, West Contact Don Hill 4020 Inca Street, N.E., Contact Tom Woodley 3872 Devonshire Columbia, SC 29169, 803-936-0680, Albuquerque, NM 87111-3624, 505- Lane, Park City, IL 60085-4730, 847- [email protected]. 299-4123, [email protected]. 249-5510. USS Forrestal (CVA/CV/AVT-59) USS Ogden (LPD-5) 22–27 September 2009, Virginia Beach, 21–24 September 2009, Las Vegas, Members can post reunions online at www.fra.org, Va. Contact Jim Stewart, 21 Viburnum Nev. Contact Charley Adair 7431 Hwy submit to [email protected] or mail to: FRA Reunions, Ln., Levittown, PA 19054, 215-943- 125 N. West St., Alexandria, VA 22314. -%8*BBB[-%8*B[$03DJH ever IMPOR and its phone I It cell are in phones ever F • • • • • • • • • • • The r elated ywhere ntroducing

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Alvarez, Joseph L., AK1 126 Long, Esaw, Jr., YNCS MAL Arangio, Biagio, BMC 215 Lorang, Davey L., ADCS 136 Avery, Raymond P., MSC MAL Manuel, Lenwood W., BM2 049

February 2009 y February Bancroft, Joseph, TMC 029 McKay, Lee P., ATCS 174 Blevins, John R., POC USN MAL Middleton, Ray M., FCCS MAL Block, Richard E., Jr., PO1 USN 210 Miller, Charles H., BMC 009 FRA Tod a Bostic, Norwood E., YNC 052 Mitchell, Thomas R., FTGC MAL Bowman, Roger J., HMC 126 Montgomery, Granville, YNC 024 Boyd, Andrew D., CMC 110 Moon, Richard A., ATC 261 Boyd, Paul D., SK1 MAL Morris, Walter M., MMC MAL Brown, William J., ADRC 018 Mulligan, James B., ATCS MAL Murphy, William L., CPO(SS) 162 NAME BRANCH Cannon, Joseph B., ICC 101 Wilson, Ricky, TM1(SS) 316 Cassidy, William G., AE1 102 Nance, Edward H., AECS 126 Wood, William C., CPO USN 030 Chadwick, Vernon E., BMC 053 Nash, Mathew R., DCC 053 Cline, Edward H., Sr., NCCS 093 Navasca, Mariano V., PNCM 009 Zettner, John W., BMC 009 Conoley, Rolan M., ENC 223 Nodler, Herman G., ADCS MAL Cooksey, George, SHCS 251 Coonley, Clarendon E., BMC 010 O’Brien, Francis J., EN2 099 Craft, Manuel C., ATCS 022 Olsen, Roy, LCDR USN MAL Names in red indicate 50 year continuous members. Creeden, Robert L., ET1 MAL J indicate a Past National Officer. Crow, Thomas S., MCPON USN 070 Polster, Peter, LCDR USNR MAL Powell, Walter, Jr., AKC 050 Davenport, Richard W., HMC 217 The toll of the ship’s bell Davis, George W., Jr., SKCS MAL Reifers, Gerald E., FTCM 166 Deguzman, Angelo, SD3 MAL Runkle, Howard E., PO1 USN 026 Doran, Gerald V., EMC 279 Rustic, Edward, MGYSGT 208 reminds us of the reverence Drulard, James, AMC 141 Sanders, Otis, CPO USN MAL we owe to our departed Shipmates Edwards, Harry D., SM1 250 Sanpedro, Dionisio F., PN1 344 Ersch, Leland, AMSC 096 Schwartz, Barrett M., YN1 003 and to those who guard the honor Espinosa, Henry V., ENC(SS) MAL Sentell, J. W., SMC 234 Shirah, Henry N., Jr., ADJC MAL of our country Fandel, Ralph, Jr., MRCS 216 Sibley, James J., PNCS 060 Federer, Raymond W., BUC MAL Smith, Wayne E., YNCS(SS) 057 Feick, Gale B., CWO4 USCG 317 Stanford, Eddie J., GYSGT MAL upon the sea, Ferguson, James E., RDC 092 Stanton, William M., AFCM 091 Steffa, Oliver M., BTC 267 under the sea, Galloway, Donald N., AE1 126 Stewart, Richard G., AMC 029 Garner, James E., FTCS 365 Sykes, Joseph E., AEC 022 in the air Gill, George T., SWC 030 Grady, Junior W., ADJC MAL Tagle, Jose, SK1 MAL and upon foreign soil. Grant, Edson K., AQC 120 Tanguay, Roger E., AKC 156 Taylor, James M., GMG1 MAL Hernandez, Venceslao, SSGT MAL Thomas, James C., ETC 061 Let it be a reminder Hubbard, Edward G., BTC MAL Tipton, David W., BTC 323 Torres, Francis E., ADR1 042 of the faith they Ihori, Alvin S., CPO USN 046 Twiss, Joseph E., QMC 050 Isaacson, Paul L., ADC 022 confide in us. Uskevich, Joseph E., BMGC 018 Johnson, Franklin, UTC 042 Let us who gather here Verdugo, Esteban S., CSC 085 Keany, William J., YNC 263 not forget our obligations Kevern, Clifford N., USN RET 060 Walker, Fred R., EN1(SS) 038 Kunz, William R., CPO USN 267 Weaver, Donald G., RMC 282 Weinstein, Sidney, LCDR USN MAL and in silence LaPlant, Clifford A., POC USN 047 White, Eric G., AO1 279 Lee, Robert E., ETCS MAL Whitman, Wm. L., MU1 MAL breathe a prayer Leflore, Floyd E., BTCM 160 Widel, James O., MAJ USMC 099 Lishness, Alton L., SCPO USN MAL Wilson, Carl H., OSC 142 for our absent Shipmates. Looking For…

33 John Stevens, USMC Members of VP-50 (P5M-2) He served in Vietnam 1968-1969 with Looking for any and all crews and FRA Tod a Hotel Company, 1st PLT, 2 BN, 3 MAR squadron members, 1957-1969.

DIV. Contact B.G. White at 708 West Contact MA(AO)-1 Gerald Smith, USN y February 2009 Edith Street, Sargent, NE 68874. (Ret.) at 813-779-0537 or [email protected]. STCM Robert (Bob or Bobby) Marsh Served on the USS Nicholas (DDE-449) Ted J. Kozlowski, CDSN in Pearl Harbor in 1952-1952. Later Served aboard the USS F.D.R. (CVB served at the NAVEDTRAAPPRODEVCEN, 42, 7th Div.) with me 1949-1950. Ellyson Field, Pensacola, FL in 1978- Hometown was New Buffalo, Michigan. 1979. Contact Carl W. Walin at 850- Contact William H. Beck, 757-566-0288 453-9509 or write 8116 Camelford or write 7988 Richmond Rd, Toano, VA Drive, Pensacola, FL 32506-4924. 23168.

AMS Bud Taylor and AMH Murphy RMC James R Mandigo Stationed at VA-85 Oceana, Va., Naval Communications Unit, Naples These notices are published on a space available 1965-1968. I’d also enjoy hearing from ‘65-’66. Last known duty station was CV basis. Notices must be submitted in writing. anybody else who remembers me. in Norfolk, Possibly USS America (CV- E-mail [email protected] or mail your request to: FRA, Contact Richard “Chick” Hanson at 66). Please contact Lee Mathias, 108 Looking for…, 125 N. West St., Alexandria, VA, 22314. [email protected]. Elliot Road, North Cape May, NJ 08204 or Stan Crowley, CNAL Force Master Edward Bennett Chief (Retired) 250 New Jersey Avenue, 7RWHV%DJV Retired in 1972 from the Seabees as Villas, NJ 08251. 6KRH&DGGLHV 3RXFKHV a UTC. His last known address was in Myrtle Point, Ore. Please contact Merlyn )RU6SRUWV7UDYHODQG/HLVXUH N. Frazier at [email protected] or call %DNHU%DJ//& 805-227-0670. )5$ 0HPEHU KWWSZZZEDNHUEDJFRP

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LA FRA news

36 Message from the Northeast Regional President

Thank you to the members of the Northeast Region for your confidence in electing me to serve as your President for a third term. It is truly a great feeling as I get to know more of our busy and dedicated members, I feel like I have made

February 2009 y February new friends for life. On October 26th, 2008, I had the honor of representing the Northeast Region and placed a wreath at the Theodore Roosevelt Pilgrimage. LA FRA National FRA Tod a President Georgia Gallagher, FRA National President Donald Mucheck, and FRA National Vice President Gary Blackburn were in attendance. Thank you Sue Hershberger to the Chairman of the Pilgrimage, PRPNE Gottfried Mahler, for doing such an Regional President Northeast outstanding job. What a pleasing sight to see a few more Branch and Auxiliary members in attendance, the afternoon was very informative and we had a pleas- ant time visiting with many friends. It never ceases to amaze me how Branches and Units work together on so many projects to make the community aware of the Fleet Reserve Association. They are dedicated to fulfilling the responsibilities in our Preambles, “Loyalty, Protection and Service.” Some participate in Veterans and Memorial Day Services in local towns, county and national cemeteries. They participate in 4th of July pa- rades and patriotic community activities. A Branch and Unit attended services in observation of the United States Navy’s Birthday; they also assist with tours at “Homeport Fleet Week.” Our members drive veterans, widows and elderly to doctor’s appointments, Theodore Roosevelt Pilgrimage October hospitals, shopping and they shop for shut-ins and pick up their medications. 26th, 2008. Left to Right: FRA RP NE James They do many hours of volunteer work at VA and local hospitals. Our Units do- Brown, LA FRA RP NE Sue Hershberger, LA nate needed items to be sent to our troops in the combat zones and Thanksgiving FRA NP Georgia Gallagher, LA FRA RVP NE Sara Piacentino, FRA NVP Gary Blackburn, baskets to the needy in their communities. A member teaches arts and crafts at FRA NP Donald Mucheck. a Senior Center on a weekly basis. A Unit purchases bingo prizes for a nursing home and they assist with the bingo games. Members do volunteer work for the “Community Services for Children/Head Start Program.” They sponsor Girl Scout troops, teach Sunday and Bible School and read to school classes for “Read Across America Day.” Units donate book bags to needy children and a member coaches a cheerleading squad and assists with soccer. Many members donate Christmas gifts to community projects for needy children. “Congratulations” to a very dedicated member of the Northeast, PRPNE Sarah King, on receiving her 50 and 55 year continuous membership pins (a little late) may she have many more. I wish ‘’Health” and “Happiness” to all. Unit 124 presenting book bags for needy children to Manchester Police Officer Felix Fran Hoadley is the editor of LA FRA News and the FRA Today Liaison. Zamot. Left to right: Sue Hershberger, Unit Secretary, Manchester Police Officer Felix Zamot, Sara Piacentino, Unit President.

Unit and Branch 226 members attending Unit and Branch 124 members attending Unit 124 Secretary Sue Hershberger and services for the Navy Birthday Observation. Veterans Day Services in Lakehurst, New Unit President Sara Piacentino donating Jersey. “goodies” for bingo prizes to activities director at Crystal Lake Nursing Home. C4-Davidlaw a d n5297.qxd-AP 12/8/04 7:57 A M Page 1

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