16 a Shipmate Survives the Sinking of the USS Yorktown, Part 3 29 FRA's
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A TALE OF TWO NDAAS 8 AUGUST 2015 GUARDIANS OF THE PAGE 18 16 A Shipmate Survives the Sinking of the USS Yorktown, Part 3 29 FRA’s Newest Life Members Learn more MDHearingAid.com " is is all you need for better living. Doctor-designed, medical-grade hearing aid outperforms expensive ones for a fraction of the cost. Don’t Let Cost Keep You From Start Hearing and Living Better—Risk Free! Hearing Better Test them anywhere you’ve struggled to hear—in restaurants, Hearing aids can cost up to $6,000 or more! Cheap during movies, or enjoying your family. Hear for yourself sound ampli! ers just amplify noise—sounds will what you’ve been missing! If you’re not satis! ed within 45 be louder, not more clear. But now, there is a better days, return them for a full refund of your purchase price. solution. Leading ENT physicians and audiologists have Save Now on the All-Digital rigorously tested the hearing aids from MDHearingAid. 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Doctor Designed • Audiologist Tested • FDA Registered MDHearingAid.com PROUDLY ASSEMBLED IN THE © 2015 MDHearingAid®. Visit MDHearingAid.com to download an order form, read testimonials, and learn more. FROM DOMESTIC & IMPORTED COMPONENTS August 2015 Volume 94 Number 8 1 Featured 18 FRA TODAY 18 GUARDIANS OF THE COAST AUGUST 2015 The romantic image of a lighthouse on a wind- swept cliff, overlooking turbulent seas below and calling seafarers home, is Americana at its best. But have lighthouses outlived their pur- pose? And if so, what’s to happen to them? Departments 2 COMMUNICATIONS 4 FROM THE FANTAIL Keepers of the Light 6 SHIPMATE FORUM 8 ON & OFF CAPITOL HILL A Tale of Two NDAAs 23 16 HISTORY & HERITAGE A Shipmate Survives the Sinking of the USS Yorktown (Part 3) 28 MEMBERSHIP MATTERS Youth Activities 29 FRA NEW LIFE MEMBERS 28 30 TAPS 31 LEGACY GIFTS TO THE FRA 32 LOOKING FOR… / REUNIONS 34 NEWS FROM THE BRANCHES 36 NEWS FROM THE AUXILIARY OF THE FRA Message from North Central Regional President Chris Drew LOYALTY, PROTECTION AND SERVICE FRA IS A CONGRESSIONALLY CHARTERED, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION ON THE COVER ADVOCATING FOR CURRENT AND FORMER ENLISTED MEMBERS OF THE Castle Hill Lighthouse was built in 1890. The granite U.S. NAVY, MARINE CORPS AND COAST GUARD ON CAPITOL HILL. FOR tower stands thirty-four feet tall and has in the past MORE INFORMATION ON THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP, PLEASE VISIT featured a 1,300-pound fog bell. It was automated WWW.FRA.ORG OR CALL 800-FRA-1924. in 1957. Photo by mcdonojj/Shutterstock. COMMUNICATIONS 2 NATIONAL OFFICERS/BOARD OF DIRECTORS National President John D. Ippert, Honolulu Branch 46 National Vice President Virgil P. Courneya, High Sierra Branch 274 National Executive Dir. Thomas J. Snee, Navy Department Branch 181 AUGUST 2015 Stephen R. Cox Finance Officer Surprising Connections Lauren Armstrong Junior PNP Mark Kilgore, Pensacola Branch 22 National Parliamentarian PNP J. C. “Jim” Eblen, Imperial Beach ON JANUARY 28, 1915, our nation’s Revenue Cutter Service combined Branch 289 FRA TODAY with the U.S. Lifesaving Service to become the United States Coast Guard. National Chaplain William H. Hall, GEM State Branch 382 Over the past 100 years, the service has protected our shorelines and the REGIONAL PRESIDENTS men and women who navigate them. !is month’s feature story highlights our nation’s most picturesque aid to navigation — the lighthouse — and Northeast / New England Floyd G. Hunt, Iroquois Branch 214 those who devoted their lives to ensuring the lights were always lit. East Coast John J. Willis, Ocean View Branch 60 Southeast Larry L. Cox, Low Country Branch 269 In researching this month’s feature, I stumbled across the story of North Central Curry Sanders, Mo Kan Branch 161 Idawalley Lewis, the daughter of Hosea Lewis, the keeper of Lime Rock South Central Michael D. Oliver, Old Naval Home Light in Newport, Rhode Island. In the early years, women were pro- Branch 307 hibited from direct assignment as lighthouse keepers, but like many Southwest Agustive A. Hermes, Jr., Chula Vista Branch 61 others, Ida and her mother accepted the responsibilities a"er Hosea West Coast Larry S. Briggs, Jr., Silver Dollar Branch 192 su#ered a stroke. Growing up on the tiny island in Newport Harbor, Northwest Michael H. Archer, Cheyenne Branch 59 Ida became an accomplished swimmer and, by the age of 15, was well known for her rowing skills, strength and courage. During her lifetime ACTIVE DUTY ADVISORY COUNCIL on Lime Rock, she tended the light religiously and is also credited with Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Michael Stevens saving at least 18 lives. (Uno$cial reports suggest she may have rescued Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald Green as many as 36 mariners.) Ida Lewis was called the “Bravest Woman in Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Steven Cantrell America” and, a"er reading her story, I can understand why. RESERVE ADVISORY COUNCIL Force Master Chief of the Navy Reserve Clarence “CJ” Mitchell USMC Reserve Force Sergeant Major Anthony Spadaro Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Force Eric Johnson FRA TODAY MAGAZINE The monthly membership publication of the Fleet Reserve Association Publisher Fleet Reserve Association National Executive Director Thomas J. Snee Communications Director Lauren Armstrong Oil painting by Lizzie McKennan Rice at age 18 (circa 1882) and an illustration of Managing Editor William Kohudic Ida Lewis (origins unknown). Contributing Photographer Paul Gunther What I didn’t realize is that Ida has been living in my home since I Design and Art Direction was a young girl. My great-grandmother was an amateur artist and, like FIREBRAND, Alexandria, VA www.firebrandstudios.com Design Director Scott Rodgerson many of her contemporaries in the late 1800s, she painted images copied Production Manager Sandy Jones from other artists. Her small painting of this brave young girl, rowing against raging seas, is one of the %rst things I see every morning and is a FRA TODAY (ISSN 1935-7192) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY FRA, 125 N. WEST ST., constant reminder that, no matter what challenges I face during the com- ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314-2754. A MEMBER’S SUBSCRIPTION IS COVERED BY THE MEMBER’S ANNUAL DUES. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT ALEXANDRIA, VA AND ADDITIONAL ing day, I’ve got to “row hard and strong” to overcome them. Imagine my OFFICES. PUBLICATION OF NON-SPONSORED ADVERTISING IN FRA TODAY DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN ENDORSEMENT BY THE FRA OR ITS REPRESENTATIVES. POSTMASTER: surprise to discover the illustration of Ida Lewis that no doubt inspired SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: MEMBER SERVICES, FRA, 125 N. WEST ST., ALEXANDRIA, Great-Grandma Lizzie when she herself was only 18 years old. VA 22314-2754. FRA TODAY IS PUBLISHED IN THE INTERESTS OF ALL CURRENT AND FORMER ENLISTED PERSONNEL OF THE U.S. NAVY, MARINE CORPS, AND COAST GUARD. Writing the feature articles for FRA Today is always an education for ELIGIBLE NON-MEMBERS ARE NOT ENTITLED TO SUBSCRIPTION RATES. ESTABLISHED me. I always learn something new and interesting, and it’s always my 1 NOVEMBER 1923. TITLE REGISTERED WITH U.S. PATENT OFFICE. goal to share that new-found knowledge with our readers. !is month, FRA ADMINISTRATIVE HEADQUARTERS: 125 N. WEST ST., ALEXANDRIA, I learned how very connected we are to our ancestors … and to one VA 22314-2754 • PHONE: 703-683-1400, 800-FRA-1924 • FAX: 703-549-6610 • E-MAIL: [email protected] • WWW.FRA.ORG another … even if it isn’t obvious at %rst blush. Our past is absolutely relevant to our present and our future. VOLUME 94 NUMBER 8 Lauren Armstrong is FRA’s Director of Communications and serves as the Managing Editor of FRA Today. Please contact her at [email protected]. Not getting the sleep you need? Is your pillow the problem? On its 10 year anniversary and with over fi ve million satisfi ed customers, MyPillow® has been selected the O! cial Pillow of the National Sleep Foundation! How Well Did You Sleep Last Night? Did you toss and turn all night? Did you wake up with a sore neck, head ache, or was your arm asleep? Do you feel like you need a nap even though you slept for eight hours? Just like you, I would wake up in the morning with all of those problems and I couldn’t fi gure out why. Like many people who have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, my lack of sleep was a! ecting the quality of my life. I wanted to do something about my sleep problems, Mike Lindell ® but nothing that I tried worked. Inventor of MyPillow The Pillow Was the Problem I bought every pillow on the market that promised to give me a better night’s sleep.