U S S R E E V E S (DLG-24/CG-24) A SSOCIATION Winter 20122012----20132013 Volume 5, Issue 4 The Ironman—A Double Ender’s Newsletter Membership Scorebox REEVES Survives Accidental Bombing Current 61 This story has been deliberately This is the official news release: Past Due 98 avoided by the Newsletter editorial The pilot of a Navy F/A-18 Hornet Snail Mail Ad- board (that would be me) for several that dropped a 500-pound bomb on the 264 dresses Only years. It’s not that there is something cruiser USS Reeves in the Indian Email Address 458 shameful about the bombing of a capi- Ocean "mistook the Reeves for his in- tal ship, it’s the simple fact that there tended target" during night weapons Total Shipmates 2,350 are shipmates in the here and now that practice, the Navy said Tuesday. were shipmates back then, like there Dues Notice! when the world went to hell. Please be sure to check your mailing label or email nota- We have to consider how it must tion. have felt to someone standing in a If it doesn’t say Current bombed space within minutes of find- above your name at the top ing an injured shipmate. Many of us of the label, you should re- new your annual dues. To often walked into the areas near the reach the greatest number of chain lockers, paint lockers and other shipmates, we will publish the complete Association utility areas in the forward bow. newsletter to any valid email or snail mail address. Your dues payments make this possible. But it was still not clear how the Inside this issue: pilot became so confused that he could bomb an American warship, Lt. Cmdr. President’s Message 2 Craig Quigley said, adding that the Shipmates’ Deck Log 3 cruiser was not towing a target during USNCSA Membership Assist 4 the weapons practice."Clearly he mis- Consider Portland 5 took the Reeves for his intended tar- Financials/Objectives 6 get," Quigley said. "The best we have View from the forward MG sets. Bow is that there was a floating target about About When We Were Born 6 anchor chain and port lifelines are missing. Gulf War Syndrome 7 5 miles away" from the cruiser. The Navy jet pilot was being de- Agent Orange Exposed Ships 9 We can see the area is opened like The Volunteers 11 briefed Tuesday aboard the aircraft a beer can. That’s what the official carrier USS Midway, where he re- Membership Application photos show. This was pretty far for- 12 turned after Monday night's bombing. ward from the forward missile house. The Midway's battle group was 32 There is a problem with letting a miles from Diego Garcia in the Indian guy who served on board back in the Ocean when the accident occurred at early 70’s reconstruct the forward sec- 9:06 p.m. Monday local time (1:06 tion of the ship in his addlepated mind (Continued on page 8) in the 2012’s. PageP a g e 222 The IronmanIronman————AA Double Ender’s Newsletter The President’s Page Happy Winter & not include a Presidential election, Sailor Association has been instru- Season’s Greet- and that alone should represent a mental in adding 166 confirmed ings to the considerable reduction in back- snail mail addresses to our mem- Reeves Associa- ground noise. ber database. This provides us tion Family Now that we’ve summarily with another method to reach po- avoided the most recent cataclys- tential members to see if they may By the time this mic threat to the universe, we can be interested in joining our ranks. edition of the move right along into matters con- You would think that a world Reeves Association Newsletter is cerning the Reeves Association. filled with internet and Facebook printed and delivered to everyone, We have a few new items in the links to us would no longer require we can rightly assume that the de- Ship’s Store that may interest you. snail-mail addresses to find ship- cision to end the Mayan Calendar The first is the new Reeves Asso- mates. However, it is proven to be on 12/21/12 was more a matter of ciation Challenge Coins, which a prime method for our recruit- Mayan convenience than a note to were recently un-veiled at the ment efforts, so we’ll get newslet- predict the destruction of the plan- 2012 reunion in Charleston. These ters mailed out to them. et. Most academics and Maya very impressive mementos are You can also be of assistance scholars acknowledge that while available for $12.00 a copy (plus to the effort by contacting old the Mayan Long Count Calendar shipping) and can be ordered by shipmates that you may not have does indeed have an end-date that contacting Mike Robertson. They seen for years. If nothing else, tell correlates to December 21, the make greats gifts for you to give them about the challenge coins and Maya never mentioned an apoca- yourself, and for anyone who was send them a copy of the newslet- lypse associated with the date. proud to have been associated with ter. We’d be happy to add them to Picture a cartoon with a Mayan a Reeves Sailor. There’s more in- our mailings and provide them scribe, chisel in hand, who runs formation and pictures of the chal- with an opportunity to re-join a out of space on the tablet and says, lenge coins on the website. piece of their past. We are also "That'll freak somebody out some Mike has also recently had our trying to bolster member interest day." reunion ball cap logo (ships sil- in the organization by adding Given the fact that we are all houette) converted for embroidery member articles and stories to the still here to read the newsletter, onto t-shirts and polo shirts. The newsletter. While we’re not all we’ll also advance the assumption pictures are posted on the web-site writers, we all have favorite stories that we all have lived through a along with instructions on how to from our time aboard the Reeves. very Merry Christmas and are order one of these fine articles. They can be historic, informative, looking forward to a Happy and Keep in mind that we do not nor- sad, or just plain funny. We don’t Prosperous New Year in 2013. I mally maintain an inventory of care, as there are plenty of ship- hope all of our extended Reeves sizes and colors, so we would be mates out there who would love to Family had a great opportunity to assembling orders for a limited hear and relate to your stories. spend time with family and friends production run. Don’t let the “I’m not much of a over the holidays, and that 2013 We have also recently had writer” complex slow you down. looks to be more promising than some assistance with our ever- Scratch out the story and we’ll be the year we just completed. If ongoing effort to find and contact happy to re-write it into something nothing else, the New Year does Reeves Shipmates. The Cruiser printable for you – and even give you the credit. Your shipmates would like to hear those stories, so give it a try. Here’s wishing you a mild winter, fair winds, and following seas //tom Volume 5, Issue 4 PageP a g e 333 Mail/eMail/Decklog From Our Shipmates ——— Hi Mr Robertson, reserves - with a BMU-2 DET after a you how much all your hard work is I am sad to report that Billy M. seabee tour with NMCB-74 as S1 appreciated. You and your sweet wife Jones went to be with the Lord on which took me to 2MEF and the first have been the spark plug that made August 27, 2012. He had kidney can- gulf war on the kuwait border. the reunions so enjoyable. Our hats cer. After a very successful surgery, Dang cold war ending made me are off to both of you! My bride of sloppy nursing care allowed him to be leave the navy and have a successful over 62 years joins me wholehearted- found on the floor by his bed not IT career in business intelligence. I ly in these words of thanks. breathing, no heartbeat at can help with some website stuff as Unfortunately, we were unable to 0100. Mind you Bill was on Fall that’s’ my business...if you ever need attend the Charleston reunion and I watch restrictions. It is sad when a hand. somehow doubt that we will be able someone dies, but worse when they Life is complex enough...I think I to attend in the future. Our thoughts died from nursing neglect. He was a still have my old Reeves cap...proud and affection for the Reeves remains fighter and ready to go all the way of my time there even if I wasn’t the full strength however. I suppose that with the kidney cancer treatment. I greatest JO...sometimes you just have some slowing down might be ex- have read that kidney cancer can be to learn later. pected by the age of 85. I suspect that directly linked to service in Viet Regards, the ranks of the original (DLG-24) Nam. HIs widow should be able to Dave Samuels (1986-1989) plank owners is thinning considera- get disability or back disabil- bly.