U.S.S. SALAMONIE News Letter

Welcome to another New Year, It is our wish for each and everyone to have a happy and healthy 2003.

NEW  NEW  NEW  NEW  NEW

 We now have a beautiful Salamonie Lapel pin to wear with pride with your suit or on your hat or where ever you want to wear it. It is 1-1/4 inch oval, multi-colored pin of the Salamonie with our motto and years pin.

The cost is $10.00 ppd and can be ordered thru me.

 Also we still have our other items:

All items can be ordered thru me.

Dues: Your 2003 dues are now due.

They are $20.00 per year.

Please remit to Tom Keske.

If you have paid your dues and did not receive your card, Call Tom right away.

 NOTE

 Raleigh  Masters wants to know if any one is interested in another mini reunion in Florida.  If so, then they are to contact him at:

Otherwise if no one is interested, he is not going to contact anyone to get this going.

 We have a slight glitch in our reunion plans for 2004 in San Diego.

We need a new host.  Chuck Currie has moved and is unable to do it.

If we are unable to do it there, then the next highest vote was for Niagara Falls.  We will discuss this at our next reunion in San Antonio in May.  Comments are appreciated on this.       

 E-MAIL!!!!!

Everyone.  E-Mail updates:  Please send me your e-mail addresses.  Large amounts of the address that we have are no good and messages are returned as no longer good or undeliverable.

 Also if your AREA code or PHONE number has been changed, along with any address change PLEASE let me know.  All help is appreciated.

 Tom Keske has two packs of pictures that belong to someone.  The address information has been misplaced and he does not know at this time to whom they belong.  If they might belong to you, please call Tom at his home and he will get them right back to you.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

 WELCOME ABOARD:

Gary L. Jones              63-64 SK3

Kenneth E. Pearce     61-64 SN

Donald C. Flinton      66-68 SK3

Terrence Reiter          66-67  EM3

Charles  Stepanek      53-55 EM1

Kenneth Liberti          67-68 EM2

 REASSIGNED TO A HIGHER COMMAND:

 EDWARD L BEACH           57-58       CAPTAIN

MERVIN E. TERRY              53-55       MM2

CHARLES E. COZART       64-65       FTG3

ORNGUS HEINGARTEN     65           BT3

DENNIS C. WEINGARTNER 61        BT3

LEROY GREEN                                     EMC

CHARLES ALOI                       44

ROBERT W. BAHAN*            41       EM3

ELWOOD FLOYD                52-54       IC2

ARTHUR M. MONK           56-58       RMC

NORMAN E. CADDICK     56-58       BM3

(* Original crew)

 On January 14, 2003 there will be a memorial service for Captain Edward L. Beach at the main chapel at Annapolis Md.

My wife and I along with Edward Ermak, Arthur Blanchard, Jack Kaufman, John Moliere, and LT. Robert Coulter will be attending.

 SPECIAL INTEREST;

 There are two museums in Indiana that are on the Salamonie River and they want Salamonie memoribilla for their displays.

 The museum at Warren Indiana wants to make one wing of the museum dedicated to the USS Salamonie.

The schools there are named Salamonie,

As well as a lot of the businesses.

Their summer festivals are called  Salamonie Days and are held in July.

The town fathers, school board, business’s, museum board and civic groups have sent a invitation to Tom Keske and myself for a meeting with them, February 1 & 2 in Warren Indiana.   We have accepted and will report back in the next newsletter.

 The other museum is “The Museum of the Soldier” in Portland, Indiana.

This museum is at the headwaters of the Salamonie River.

A visit is also planned to visit them at a later date.

 The museums are looking for anything that we can offer for their museums.

 They need some uniforms, (Officers, Chief’s, enlisted) for display purposes.

 If anyone has anything at all that they would like to donate, then they can send it to me and I will make sure that it is delivered and the right person gets credit for the donation(s)

 We have already sent each museum copies of our book for their libraries.

 HELP!

 Does anyone know just WHAT ribbons the USS Salamonie earned?

We are trying to determine with no creditable resources just what she was entitled to.

All help will be greatly appreciated.

 APOLOGY:

 In the last newsletter on the back page I had inserted a roster of missing crewmen.

I picked up one of my old working copies and not an updated one.  Therefore I had several names of crewman all ready on the active roster.

Thank you to all who called this to my attention and it does go to show that you do read my newsletter.

 Our plaque donations are doing very well for the Nimitz Museum and it looks like this will be a huge success and thanks to John Cooper in his endeavors.

You may still make your donation towards the plaque.  Mail your check to me and mark it for Salamonie Plaque Fund

“The Admiral Nimitz Foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit 501(c) organization.  All donations are tax deductible to the degree allowed by the law.”

So far one of our good brothers made a $200.00 donation and we thank him very much.

It is a great wish that all who can make this ceremony, do so.  You will not be disappointed.

 REUNION 2003

 Once again it is getting close to meeting new comrades and renewing old acquaintances.

 It is with great hope and desire that all who are able to attend do so.

 John Cooper has been working very diligently and has kept me apprised to his endeavors.  It sounds like he has been very busy.

 2003 U.S.S Salamonie Association Reunion

San Antonio and Fredericksburg, Texas;

MAY 2 – 6, 2003

 We will be staying at the: Four Points by Sheraton San Antonio Riverwalk North

 The room rate will be $82.00 (single or double) plus 16.75% tax.

There are four handicapped rooms available.

When making your TOLL FREE reservation using 1-800-288-3927, mention you are on the USS Salamonie Association Rate.

This group rate is good for two days before and two days after our reunion dates subject to availability.

 SATRANS runs a shuttle bus from San Antonio International Airport to and from downtown hotels.  You can catch it just outside the baggage claim area.

 The cost of the banquet Saturday night is $52.00.  This includes a full Mixed Grill dinner, beverages, glass of wine, keg of beer, and use of a separate hospitality room on Saturday and Sunday.

 The cost of the Fredericksburg Day Trip by bus is $53.00.  This includes a boxed continental breakfast to eat on the bus, the bus trip, a seat at the U.S.S. Salamonie Memorial Wall Commemorative Plaque Dedication, a tour of the Museum, and a German Buffet Lunch at the Frederick Brewing Company. 

The cutoff date for room, banquet, and Fredericksburg Trip reservations is one month before the start of the reunion; i.e. April Fools Day!

 Send your payment for the Banquet and Fredericksburg Trip to:

 The Four points by Sheraton is on our famous Riverwalk and only a ten-minute walk from the Alamo.

There is much else to see in Old San Antonio: the Missions, Institute of Texan Culture, and our two theme parks – Sea World and Fiesta Texas, Historic San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest Catholic cathedral in the U.S., is only a short walk away as are several other historic churches.  Frequent, inexpensive “trollies” run to the Alamo, restaurants on the Riverwalk, the humongous River center Mall, and the churches.

 The hotel has an outdoor pool, fitness center, restaurants, gift shop, and a bar and lounge overlooking the river.  Coffee makers are in each room.

On Monday, May 5, we will take a bus to Fredericksburg and The National Museum of the Pacific War.  There we will have the U.S.S Salamonie Memorial Wall Commemorative Plaque Dedication.  I believe it will be a very moving event to have Salamonie shipmates gather to honor our shipmates who served aboard “Old Sal” during World War II – many of whom I hope will be able to attend.

 To learn more about the Museum visit www.nimitz-museum.org.  All sub-sites listed are informative, but particularly are:

 Memorial Wall.  There are rows of plaques honoring ships and units of the Navy, Marines, Army Air Force, Army, and others from Australia, New Zealand and Britain.  The Salamonie plaque will be in distinguished company.  Our sister tankers Kankakee and Mattaponi are represented.

The Nimitz Foundation lays on a very nice memorial service at plaque dedications followed by a Museum tour.

 George Bush Gallery – with a real B-25 aboard a simulated Hornet flight deck, as in Doolittle’s Raid, and a Japanese miniature submarine about to be launched to attack Pearl Harbor, among much more, it is awesome.

 The Pacific Combat Zone – this a new large area with, among many other things, an Avenger torpedo pane, tanks, and a PT Boat.

 The Japanese Garden of Peace – This is an interesting story as to why this beautiful garden was built in the Texas Hill Country.

 After the Museum tour, we will have lunch (“liberty”) at a good old German beer hall,

The Fredericksburg Brewery.  Home Brews, or Margaritas!  The girls could then shop-till-they-drop in the many antique stores!

We can all sleep on the way back to San Antonio.

 Fredericksburg is a very picturesque town   in the beautiful Hill Country.

It was settled by Germans in the 19^th century and has now become a popular tourist destination.

It is a scenic 65mile ride from San Antonio.

 Even though a firm commitment on reservation is not required until April 1, an early as possible notification of interest to John Lichoff or myself would be appreciated.  We would particularly like to know how many will stay over through Monday and go to Fredericksburg to determine how many busses we will need.

 See y’all in San Antone!