The 7MC. Commander s Corner. Wahoo Base Officers. A Publication of Wahoo Base USSVI May 2018

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1 The 7MC A Publication of Wahoo Base USSVI May 2018 Wahoo Base Officers Base Commander Del Bowlby 5739 N. Cedar Ave Apt. 263 Fresno, CA delrbowlby@sbcglobal.net (559) Vice Commander & Kaps for Kids Art Brice abrice@wolvertoncg.com (559) Secretary/ Treasure Al Gedrimas PO Box 25 Le Grand, CA Ssbn634@hughes.net (209) Storekeeper Glenn Boothe 131 W. Warwick Ave. Clovis, CA gbpluspb@aol.com (559) Chaplin Donald Johnson 311 N. Carl Drive Visalia, CA @compuserve.com (559) Past Commander & P O C Jim Van Vranken 1520 Cypress Lane Chowchilla, CA olfatman@sbcglobal.net (707) (559) Our Creed To perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in pursuit of their duties while serving their country. That their dedication, deeds, and supreme sacrifice be a constant source of motivation toward the greater accomplishments. Pledge loyalty and patriotism to the United States of America and its constitution. Commander s Corner Welcome to the Commander s Corner. This April has been a busy one. On Tuesday, April 10 Art Brice and I were on KMJ radio talking about the Submarine Service, the Cold War and USSVI. We were there trying to recruit new members for both the Wahoo Base and the USSVI. We explained a little of what we do in USSVI. We even had one person call in that had been on the USS Hawkbill (SSN 666). Hopefully we will get him to come to a meeting. The following Saturday I had the privilege to go to Valley Springs, CA to participate in a ceremony put on by a group called Quilts Of Honor to receive my Quilt of Honor. Why me? Well they had never given a quilt to a Submarine sailor. Yes, A few tears rolled down my face. Finally Sunday April 15, I gave a certificate and a patch from the Wahoo Base & the USSVI to Antonio Rios who received

2 his Eagle Scout Award. It looks like things may be picking up. But as in the Navy we will have to wait and see if our work has done any good. Thanks to you Art for being there with me at the radio station. Del Bowlby Wahoo Base Commander May Meeting The May Meeting of the Wahoo Base will be held at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District May 17 th at 7:00 pm. April Meeting Minutes The Clovis Veterans Memorial District April 19, 2018 The meeting was called to order by Base Commander Bowlby at 7:08 pm. Donald Johnson lead us in the invocation Al Gedrimas lead the pledge of Allegiance Commander Bowlby read the names of the lost boats and Al Gedrimas rang the bell Introductions were held and as we had no visitors everyone knew everyone. Old Business. Jim Van Vranken gave a report about his looking into adding the other 13 boats to the WWII Memorial in front of the V A Hospital in Fresno. There was a good amount of suggestion and the group came up with another suggestion that Jim liked very well and he said he would look into that and bring a drawing to the next meeting. He also has gotten to meet with a Mrs. Goldman, the head of the 2 volunteer groups at the Hospital, to set up a tour to visit the Federal Veterans Home so that the Base could visit and to show some old movies. The movie we thought should be about submarines. Both of these items were brought up and discussed at the March meeting New Business Commander Bowlby told a story about his receiving a Quilt of Honor. He then said that he attended Eagle Scout honor ceremony giving the Eagle Scout a patch and a certificate Glenn Boothe turned over to Al Gedrimas the duties and books for the job of Secretary/Treasurer. There was no 50/50 held. Donald Johnson said the closing prayer. Commander Bowlby adjourned the meeting May Anniversaries Bill & Pauline Pratt 5/1 May Birthdays Stan Cook 5/10 Hugh Flanagan 5/12 Dawn Bloch 5/14 Thought for May You can lead a man to Congress, but you can t make him think. Milton Berle

3 Boats Lost in May USS Squalus (SS 192) Lost May 23, 1939 with a loss of (26 men 33 men were rescued) when it flooded and sank off Portsmouth, New Hampshire the boat was salvaged and recommissioned under a new name USS Lagarto (SS 371) lost May 3, 1945 with a loss of all hands (86 men) in the Gulf of Siam during a Japanese surface attack USS Stickleback (SS 415) lost May 28, 1958 the whole crew was safely evacuated Rammed by USS Silverstein (DD 543) during exercises off Hawaii. Was hit on the 28 th but was not lost until the 29 th. USS Thresher (SSN 593) Lost April 10, 1963 with a loss of all hands (112 men & 17 civilian technicians) off the New England coast USSVI News USS THRESHER (SSN 593) Submitted by: John E. Markiewicz on 4/10/2018 On this date in 1963, 55 years ago, the United States Navy it's first loss of a nuclear submarine along with 129 crew members and shipyard civilian employees aboard in what has been termed the worst submarine disaster in U.S. Navy history. Its shattered hull resides at the bottom of 8,400 feet of water, approximately 220 miles east of Cape Cod. After the disaster, the Navy accelerated safety I mprovements and a program called SUBSAFE, an extensive series of design modifications, training and other improvements, which has been largely responsible for making the operation of submarines much safer and has been credited with minimizing the loss of submarines since that date. Sailors rest your oars. May we never forget them. Arizona Silent Service memorial info Submitted by: William C. Andrea on 4/10/2018 ARIZONA SILENT SERVICE MEMORIAL Arizona Silent Service Memorial Project Dear Shipmates & Friends, The Arizona Silent Service Memorial Foundation (ASSM) invites you to join us in building this important monument. The Arizona State House and Senate unanimously approved this project which was then signed into law. The monument will be erected in Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza which is the "front yard" of the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix. We solicit your support of our endeavor which will honor ALL submariners of ALL nations, past, present, and future. This memorial will 3

4 serve to honor ALL submariners, past and present. Base News As was said in the Commanders Corner Del Bowlby made a trip to Valley Springs, CA to receive a Quilt of Honor Del received the Quilt and was told that he was the first submariner to receive a quilt from the group called Quilts of Honor. If the quilt is a beautiful in person as it is in the picture it is really something to see. I will publish the picture of the quilt on the cover sheet for you snail mail people and for the electronic group it will be an extra file with the 7MC. CalVet News 50 Years After War, Vietnam Veterans Honored for their Service to our Nation Vietnam-era veterans were honored this afternoon during a noon-time ceremony at the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Capitol Park. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, California Department of Veterans Affairs, and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 500 held a ceremony to recognize Vietnam-era veterans and present them with commemorative lapel pins marking the 50 th anniversary of the Vietnam War. We are so happy to partner with the state of California and the local chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America in celebration of Vietnam veterans. It is our privilege to be able to recognize the sacrifices these veterans have made for our great nation, said Wendy Torres, Director, Oakland Regional Benefits Office, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans are at the heart of everything we do at the VA and it is our honor to have shared that sentiment with everyone who attended. Speakers at the event included: Congressman Ami Bera; Assembly member Ken Cooley; Bradley Phillips, Pacific District Director, National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Col. John Klein, Commander of the 60 th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base; and Russell Atterberry, Undersecretary, California Department of Veterans Affairs. Fifty years ago, a generation of American men and women stepped up to serve their country in a strange place, for unclear reasons and against an unknown enemy, said Atterberry. They stepped up to serve their country and they didn t receive the warmest welcome when they returned home. Now it s our job to ensure that the contributions of Vietnam veterans will not be forgotten in 50 years or even in 150 years. Each year, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 500 hosts a ceremony to honor Vietnam veterans and provide the welcome home that was missing when they returned home years ago. This year, the event also served to commemorate the 50 th anniversary of the Vietnam War. More than 100 Vietnam veterans attended the ceremony and received a commemorative lapel pin in honor of their service to our nation. Today, we honor all the brave men and women who served their country during the Vietnam War, to give them the thanks and welcome home they so rightly deserved, but never received, said Martin J. Snezek II, President of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter

5 The Lighter Side An old hillbilly farmer had a wife who nagged him unmercifully. From morning until night (and sometimes later), she was always complaining about something. The only time he got any relief was when he was out plowing with his old mule. He tried to plow a lot. One day, when he was out plowing, his wife brought him lunch in the field. He drove the old mule into the shade, sat down on a stump, and began to eat his lunch. Immediately, his wife began pestering him. Complain, nag, nag; it just went on and on. All of a sudden, the old mule lashed out with both hind feet; caught her smack in the back of the head. It killed her dead on the spot. At the funeral several days later, the minister noticed something rather odd. When a woman mourner would approach the old farmer, he would listen for a minute, then nod his head in agreement; but when a man mourner approached him, he would listen for a minute, then shake his head in disagreement. This was so consistent, the minister decided to ask the old farmer about it. So after the funeral, the minister spoke to the old farmer, and asked him why he nodded his head and agreed with the women, but always shook his head and disagreed with all the men. The old farmer said, Well, the women would come up and say something about how nice my wife looked, or how pretty her dress was, so I d nod my head in agreement. And what about the men? the minister asked. They wanted to know if the mule was for sale. THE Submarine Chief The rain had stopped and there was a large puddle just outside the door to the American Legion H all. A rumpled old Navy Chief was standing near the edge with a fishing line in the puddle. A curious young Marine fighter pilot came over to him and asked what he was doing. "Fishing," the old Chief simply said. "Poor old chief," the Marine officer thought to himself and invited the old Navy Chief into the bar for a drink. As he felt he should start a conversation while they were sipping their spirits, the young jet pilot winked at another pilot and asked the Chief, "How many have you caught today?" "You're number 14," the old Chief answered, taking another sip from his double shot of 12- year-old Scotch, "2 Air Force, 3 Army and 9 Marines." These are actual comments made by South Carolina Troopers that were taken off their car videos: 1. "You know stop lights don't come any redder than the one you just went through" 2. "Relax; the handcuffs are tight because they're new. They'll stretch after you wear them a while." 3. "If you take your hands off the car, I'll make your birth certificate a worthless document." 4. "If you run, you'll only go to jail tired." 5. "Can you run faster than 1200 feet per second? Because that's the speed of the bullet that'll be chasing you." 6. "You don't know how fast you were going? I guess that means I can write anything I want to on the ticket, huh?" 5