The Chief says.........................................................
1
DUES DUES DUES............................................. 1
Membership.............................................................. 2
Association Officers.................................................. 2
Questions about the Sampson (DDG-10)................... 2
Future Reunion Ideas............................................... 2
2001 Reunion Details................................................ 3
USS Sampson DD-394............................................... 6
Ships and Shipmates Exhibit.................................... 6
Book Review - "The Yard"........................................ 7
Uniformed Services Disabled Retirees..................... 7
Sampson (DDG10) Ship’s Store................................. 8
Shipmates in Distress............................................... 8
From the Editor......................................................... 8
2001 Reunion Feedback........................................... 9
Life Membership Application.................................. 10
Let’s start up a test of the ships siren and
whistle with a hearty “V” to Marty Hanson for the outstanding job he has done
so far in researching and preparing for our Reunion in Chicago August
2001. Look for 2001
Reunion Details on page 3 of this edition.
He is asking for feedback so he can make any necessary changes,
while there is still time. His program
is quite comprehensive and well within reason for Chicago. My last experience with a High School
reunion was $155 /night hotel, $50 banquet in school cafeteria and $15 hotel
breakfasts, so we are the beneficiaries of some fine negotiating. His advance planning will allow you to
budget for additional days if you care to take in more sights.
The “EL”, run by the CTA, is an efficient, rapid, economical way
to get around town and there is a station near the hotel entrance. You can transfer from the EL to CTA
buses. The buses run on parallel routes
about ˝ mile apart, so you are within walking distance of most points of
interest.
The city is divided into rectangular blocks with 16 North/South
named streets to the mile and 8 numbered E/W streets to the mile. The numbering system starts with One N/S
& E/W at State and Madison Streets in the heart of the “Loop”. Other bus routes follow boulevards on more
direct routes between popular destinations and points of interest.
I have printed current versions of the bylaws and roster for each
member but in the interest of postage economy, I will distribute them at the
reunion. I can also provide the Life
and Regular Member roster or an e-mail roster as a word document attachment to
anyone requesting a copy by e-mail. I can send the bylaws by e-mail too. If you need a copy send your request to:
djshirey@msn.com.
Please note the list of shipmates sick or in distress and remember
them in your prayers. Until we meet
again a big “BZ” to all of the
executive board and a hearty “WELCOME ABOARD” to our eight LIFE Members: Hank
Mauz, Len Moss, Alan Mohr, Don Shirey,
Greg Smith, Doug Stephens, Tom Suchocki and Fred Wright. Thank you for your confidence in the
association.
Don Shirey, President
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Your dues
are either:
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Paid for 2001 _____
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or
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You owe $ _____.00
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Note: The Sampson Association
dues are the least expensive of any service organization that we are familiar
with. We depend on prompt payment of your dues. (2 years advance accepted)
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Make check
payable to:
USS Sampson DDG10
Association
Send to:
Dave Brandt
One Ridge Lake Dr
Manning, SC 29102-9512
Help us increase the size of our membership. Contact any old shipmates and see if they
are interested in joining the association.
If you have access to the internet, use that to search for old
shipmates.
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President
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Don
Shirey (64-68)
4865
Glen Ivy Lane #209
Roanoke,
VA 24018-7711
( (580) 776-0808
djshirey@msn.com
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Vice president
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Jim
Krech (69-72)
9710
Robert Trail South
Inverness
Gr. MN 55077
( (612) 686-5896
jkrvh50@netscape.net
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Secretary/Treasurer
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Dave
Brandt (65-70)
1 Ridge
Lake Drive
Manning,
SC 29102
( (803) 478-2617
dr-bjbrandt@sumter.net
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Membership
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Joe
Tenzer (61-62)
PO Box
1089
Darby,
MT 59829
( (406) 821-1040
JTJHT@aol.com
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Reunion
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Marty
Hanson (61-62)
1009
Troutilly Lane
Darien, IL
60561-8819
( (630) 686-6406
navy59@aol.com
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Newsletter
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Ted
Unser (64-67)
1941
Woodmont Court
Marietta,
GA 30062
( (770) 977-3707
ted.unser@worldnet.att.net
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(the
following is from Don Shirey)
Can anyone verify the fact that Sampson
is still in the Inactive Reserve Fleet in Philadelphia? If so, who is the point of contact for
salvaging material from her? I am trying
to acquire some modules from the MK 1118 and MK 47 Computers for a planned
display on history of naval computers from the MK 1A Computer & the MK 2
Range keeper of the 1940’s to the AN/UYK -7 & -43 Computer of the
1980-‘90’s. The displays are destined
for the Naval Shipbuilding Museum, USS Salem in Quincy MA and the “Ships and
Shipmates” Exhibit in the History Museum of Western Virginia in Roanoke VA.
Here is a list of possible sites for
2003 and 2005 reunions. As you may
recall, last year we tentatively set our goal for a resort area and mentioned
the possibility of a West Coast reunion for ’05.
Fill out your “dream sheet” now and
we’ll see what the detailer (Reunion Committee) can come up with. We will
select 3 for ’03, get details and let you select one of them for ’03 at the ’01
meeting. Then we will select 5 or 6 for ’05 long range planning and narrow it
down to 3 for voting on in ’03.
2003
Reunion
Goal: An entertainment location
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Nashville, TN
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Branson, MO
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___ Las
Vegas, NV
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(other, you name it) __________________
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2005
Reunion
Goal: West Coast
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___ San
Diego, CA
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Long Beach, CA
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___ Los
Angeles, CA
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__ San
Francisco, CA
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Portland, OR
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Bremerton, WA
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Honolulu, HI
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___ Las
Vegas, NV
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(other, you name it) __________________
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Future
Reunion
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Are you interested in a
cruise?
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Yes ___ No
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If so which cruise do you
like
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Bahamas from FL
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___ Western
Caribbean from FL
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Eastern Caribbean from FL
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Gulf of Mexico from LA or TX
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Pacific coast from CA
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Alaska from WA or Vancouver BC
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Disney package tour
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Caribbean and Disney World
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Bahamas and Disney World
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DESTINATION CHICAGO
On a cold, brutally windy day in Chicago, when the temperature's
sub-zero and strong gusts keep you from walking down the street, the first question
that will come to mind is, 'Who the hell decided to build a city and settle
here?' Well, nearly three million hardy souls now call this great city home,
and they can thank the mettle and vision of their Irish, Italian, German,
Polish, Russian, Mexican and Asian immigrant forebears and the folks that
migrated here from the southern US for creating it. This diverse mix has built
a city with an unrivaled tradition of jazz and blues, an astonishing
architecture, an appetite for hearty food, award-winning newspapers,
universities full of Nobel laureates and some of the most die-hard sports fans
you'll ever meet.
The USS Sampson Association has chosen Chicago for the site of its
2001 Reunion. However, realizing that many
of its members are sun loving people from southern climes the reunion will be
held August 16 to 21, 2001, when the sub-zero temperatures are long gone.
August can get really hot in Chicago, with temperatures from
80-90°F (27-32°C) and humidity in high percentages. This is also the peak of
the festival season, with major events taking place in the parks and
neighborhoods every weekend. The
schedule for 2001 has not been publicly released yet, but the enormously
popular Air & Water Show on the shores of Lake Michigan takes place on this
same weekend in 2000.
The USS Sampson Association has chosen an outstanding hotel for
the reunion headquarters. In these days
since Chicago has been discovered as a tourist destination, all the hotels are
charging rates in the $200 and up range.
We have been able to find an outstanding hotel that is charging $89
(plus tax) per night per room. It is
the O’Hare Marriott, located at Interstate 90 and Cumberland Avenue inside the
Chicago city limits. (The hotel’s address
is 8535 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, Il 60631.)
The Association has also been promised free parking at the hotel during
our stay. (Most Chicago and airport
hotels charge for parking.) The hotel has many other advantages. It is close to O’Hare Airport and offers a
free shuttle bus to and from the airport.
It is within walking distance of a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
commuter train station. The hotel is a
huge full-service hotel with 681 guestrooms and five restaurants and bars.
The USS Sampson Association is planning dinners both Friday and
Saturday evenings at the Marriott. The
arrangements will be similar to the Jacksonville Beach reunion at the Sea
Turtle with an informal buffet on Friday night and a waiter-served dinner on
Saturday night. A breakfast and
business meeting is planned for Sunday morning. Each of the dinners will cost about $35 per person. The breakfast will cost about $20 per
person. Check-in will be on Thursday
and a reunion registration fee of about $25 per person will be collected.
Since there is so much to see and do in Chicago you are encouraged
to come earlier and/or stay later. You
could probably spend an additional week or more touring all the activities from
the Marriott via CTA. We will be
contacting you later with additional information on the reunion. Registration and deposits will be requested
in May or June 2001.
The prices we are quoting in this and future narratives about
Chicago are subject to change. Most of
these prices were obtained in 2000 and the reunion is in 2001.
TOUR TO GREAT LAKES NTC
Chicago is nearby the Great Lakes Naval Training Center where most
of the USS Sampson Association members attended recruit training. We plan to take advantage of this proximity
to schedule a bus tour to Great Lakes on Friday. The tour will have to leave early, about 0730, to arrive in time
for the 0900 recruit graduation. Lunch
will be available for purchase at the lakefront Port-O-Call Officer’s
Club. In the afternoon we are planning
a tour of the sparkling new recruit training facilities and some of the equally
new technical training facilities. You
will be astonished at the wonderful new facilities designed and built by
Illinois architects for the Navy. The
Friday tour will return to the hotel in time for the evening dinner. How many people sign-up will determine the
cost for this tour. A tour for 10
people will cost $45 per person. For 20
people it will be $22 per person and for 30 people it will be $18 per
person.
MUSEUM TOURS
Chicago has great museums.
They include Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum of Natural
History, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Art Institute, Chicago Historical
Society and many others. We are
planning a tour for Saturday that will include the Museum Campus or the Museum
of Science and Industry. The Museum
Campus includes the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, and
Soldier Field. It is located on a
spectacular lakefront location southwest of the city center with a remarkable
view of the city center and the lake.
The Museum of Science and Industry is located farther south on the
lakefront at a separate site. The
Museum of Science and Industry includes exhibits that should be of great
interest to Navy people. For those who
have not been there, the U-505, captured on the surface by ADM Dan Gallery in
1944 is installed in front of the Museum and you can walk through the sub via a
tunnel from lower level of museum. They
have everything from a coalmine to a working farm, from preserved fetuses to
cancers at all stages of development, numerous, operable antique cars to an
immense O Gauge electric train layout that represents the southwestern
states. There is also a modern aircraft
carrier exhibit. We plan one bus to
both locations. The first stop will be
at the Museum Campus and the second stop will be at the Museum of Science and
Industry. Everyone will have the option
of getting off at either the Museum Campus or the Museum of Science and
Industry. There will not be enough time
to offer a tour that includes both locations in one day. The cost for the bus will be about $32 per
person for 10 people,. $16 per person
or $14 per person for 20 or 30 people respectively. There will be additional costs for admission to each museum. Group rates that save $2 per person are
available if we have a group of 20 or more for any one museum. The current admission costs for each museum
are Adler $5, Field $8, Shedd $15, and Science & Industry $7. There are food service facilities in most of
the museums for lunch and the cost depends on what you order. Some of these museums have extra cost
exhibits inside the museum. Some of
these exhibits are so popular that tickets must be purchased in advance. As we approach the date of the reunion the
newsletter will give you information about the museums’ web sites and the extra
cost exhibits that will be available at that time.
OTHER CHICAGO ATTRACTIONS
There are innumerable other attractions and activities available
in the Chicago area. Some of them
include: Wrigley Field, Comiskey Park, United Center, Merchandise Mart,
Symphony Center, Civic Opera House, Sears Tower and its observation deck (Sears
Tower with its new high definition TV antennas is again the tallest building in
the world), John Hancock building and its observation deck, Grant Park, Lincoln
Park, Jackson Park, Lake Michigan lakefront, Chicago River boat cruises, Lake
Michigan boat and dinner cruises, Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile shopping area,
State Street shopping area, Harold Washington Public Library, Chicago Cultural
Center, Ravinia Music Festival, Marshall Field’s State Street store, Carson
Pirie Scott’s State Street store, Water Tower Place, Morton Arboretum, and
Chicago Botanical Gardens.
TRAVEL TO CHICAGO
Many of you will travel to Chicago by air. Chicago’s hometown airline is United
Airlines. The most spectacular air
terminal at O’Hare Airport is used by United Airlines. The terminal was designed by Helmut Jahn, a
famous current-day Chicago architect. I
should warn you however, that United Airlines has one of the worst on-time and
customer service records of all the major national airlines. The other major airline at O’Hare Airport
is American Airlines. O’Hare is nearby
the reunion headquarters hotel, the O’Hare Marriott. Transportation to the O’Hare Marriott from O’Hare is free if you
use the Marriott bus. Remember your hotel is the O’Hare Marriott not
the O’Hare Marriott Suites.
The other Chicago airport is Midway Airport. Southwest Airlines is the largest and most
successful airline at Midway Airport.
Midway Airport is about 20 miles from the O’Hare Marriott. There are several ways to get to the O’Hare
Marriott from Midway. The most
expensive way is by pre-arranged limousine.
Their charge from Midway to the O’Hare Marriott is $63. If you choose to
use a limousine, we recommend you use A-1 Limousine not because they are giving
us a cut, but because in our experience they are the best limousine company in
the Chicago area. A-1’s phone number is
630-833-3788. A slightly less expensive
way is by taxi. Since both Midway
Airport and the O’Hare Marriott are in Chicago, the city taxis, Yellow or
Checker must be used. The charge for a taxi is about $48. Midway Airport is currently under
construction. A new parking garage has
been built. A new CTA line has been
built to the airport. A new air
terminal is under construction and may not be done by the summer of 2001. The cheapest way to get to the O’Hare
Marriott from Midway Airport is via CTA.
The fare is $1.50 per person.
You will have to carry your own bags and you will have to carry and keep
your bags with you when you transfer from the Orange Line from Midway Airport
to the Blue Line to O’Hare Airport in downtown Chicago. On the Blue Line you will have to get off at
the Cumberland stop which is two stops before O’Hare Airport. You can see the O’Hare Marriott from the
Cumberland stop. It is across the
Kennedy Expressway and you can get there via a pedestrian overpass over the
highway.
Those of you who travel by vehicle will
encounter Chicago highways. Chicago highways can be very confusing. There are radial highways into the center of
the city and there are beltways around the city. Chicago highways are always called by their names not their
numbers by the local people and the traffic reporters on the television and
radio stations. The best radio
reporting of traffic conditions can be found on WBBM AM radio at 780 AM. The highways inside the beltway include:
Interstate 57 (an exception to the name rule), Dan Ryan (Interstate 90 &94
south of city center), Bishop Ford (Interstate 94 south of the city center
after it separates from the Dan Ryan), Kennedy (Interstate 90 & 94 north of
city center), Eisenhower (Interstate 290), Edens (Interstate 94 north of city
center after it separates from the Kennedy), Stevenson (Interstate 55), and
Lakeshore Drive (U.S. 41). The beltways
include Tri-State Tollway (Interstate 294) and North-South Tollway (Interstate
355 and Illinois 53). The Tri-State
Tollway starts at the Indiana state line and ends at the Wisconsin state
line. The radial highways outside the
beltways include: O’Hare Airport Spur
(Interstate 190), East-West Tollway (Interstate 88), Northwest Tollway (Interstate
90), Interstate 57, and Interstate 55.
Interstate 80 passes east-west south of Chicago without entering the
city. For a portion of its route in
Indiana Interstates 80 and 94 share the same road. It is a major access route to Chicago and it is one of the
busiest highways in the area. If you
plan to approach Chicago from the east on Interstate 80 or 94 you better allow
for delays. A bypass to the Interstate
80-294 bottlenecks is the Toll Skyway (Interstate 90) (in the southeast corner
of Chicago). The Toll Skyway is a
shortcut between the Indiana Toll Road (Interstate 80-90) in Indiana and the
Dan Ryan in Chicago. The Toll Skyway is
not a good route if you are approaching the O’Hare Marriott from the east
because it dumps you in the center of the city on the Dan Ryan and you must
drive the Dan Ryan and the Kennedy out of the city and that traffic is usually
very heavy. There is no good route to
the O’Hare Marriott by automobile from Indiana. Both the southern end of 294 and the city portion of Interstate
90 are always full of traffic except in the middle of the night. Another unnamed highway is Interstate
65. It ends in Indiana at the Indiana
toll road. Interstate 65 is a major
route from the southeast U.S. to Chicago but the journey must be completed on
Interstate 294, Interstate 94, or Interstate 90.
A major caution
when you drive to the O’Hare Marriott on any of these major routes into the
city is that once you get within 100 miles of Chicago on any of these routes
the traffic can begin to back up very seriously. Once you are on 294 or any of the highways inside 294 the traffic
will usually always be backed up except in the middle of the night. So don’t plan to average 60 to 70 mph near
Chicago. You will arrive much later
than you hope at the hotel. If you
drive any of the routes with tollway in their name please get lots of change
before you start. There are tollbooths
every 10 miles or so and the tolls are usually $0.40 but they can be anything
from $0.15 to $2.00 on the Skyway. Most
tollbooths are unmanned so you must have the change ahead of time. Be prepared! As, I hope you can understand after reading this, driving in and
around Chicago is not easy. It can be
quite a challenge if you are not used to driving in a big city.
TRANSPORTATION IN CHICAGO
The CTA runs the bus and train system inside the city. The CTA train system is an above-ground and
subway system that runs to both airports, Midway and O’Hare. It provides economical transportation to the
city center, and to neighborhoods and sites north, south and west of the city
center. The fare is $1.50 for each
rider. The CTA train system is not
equal to the spectacular Washington (D.C.) Metro or the San Francisco
BART. It does not cover the area like
the New York Subway System. However,
the cars are remarkably clean and convenient compared to what it once was. Chicagoans are flocking to the CTA because
it is so much improved over its past.
Everyone who comes to Chicago should plan to do some walking. Even though Chicago is much more automobile
friendly than cities such as Boston and Washington, D.C., it can be extremely
expensive whenever you park your car.
The city has plenty of above ground and below ground parking facilities
in the Loop and River North, but they are all costly. You will be charged to park at the museums. The loop parking garages charge $8 or more
on weekends and $16 or more during the week.
Magnificent Mile shopping areas charge almost $30 for parking. Parking in the neighborhoods is another
matter. You may have to drive around
endlessly to find a rare parking place.
Plan to use the CTA and walk.
You will see more. You will
avoid the crushing bumper-to-bumper traffic.
INTERNET RESOURCES FOR CHICAGO
Chicago
Transit Authority: http://www.transitchicago.com/
Chicago Architectural
Foundation: http://www.architecture.org/
United
Airlines:
http://www.ual.com/
Southwest
Airlines:
http://www.iflyswa.com/
Museum of
Science and Industry: http://www.msichicago.org/
Shedd
Aquarium:
http://www.shedd.org/
Field
Museum:
http://www.fieldmuseum.org/
Adler
Planetarium:
http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/
Art
Institute:
http://www.artic.edu/aic/index.html
Chicago
Historical Society: http://www.chicagohs.org/chshome.html
Metromix,
A guide to what is happening in Chicago: http://metromix.com/top/1,1419,M-Metromix-Home-X!Front,00.html
Navy
Pier:
http://www.navypier.com/
City of
Chicago Web Site:
http://www.ci.chi.il.us/
Chicago
Park District: http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/
Naval
Training Center, Great Lakes: http://www.ntcgl.navy.mil/
O’Hare
Marriott Hotel: http://www.marriotthotels.com/CHIAP/
Grant
Park Music Festival: http://www.grantparkmusicfestival.com/
Ravinia
Music Festival:
http://www.ravinia.org/
Lake
Michigan Dinner Cruises: http://www.odysseycruises.com
Opra
Winfrey’s Web Site:
http://www.oprah.com/
Chicago
White Sox:
http://www.chisox.com/
Chicago
Cubs
http://www.cubs.com/
Our shipmates who served on the previous USS
Sampson and now eligible to join our association. If you know of any way to find these shipmates, please let them
know about our organization. If you
have a name and address, send it to Don Shirey. Either he or Joe Tenzer will
contact them and if they are interested, I will send them a newsletter.
This month's issue of Tin-Can
Sailor has an article about the Sampson, DD-394 on page 11.
(the
following is from Don Shirey)
If you are traveling I-81 or I-77 in the Appalachian Mountains
this year or next, take a break in Roanoke and see the “Ships and Shipmates
Exhibit ”in the History Museum of Western VA.
We have researched the 52 ships that have been named “Roanoke”,
from sail powered frigate, steam and sail Bark, steam powered side wheeler and
stern paddle wheelers, a three turreted monitor in USN and a steam tug
converted to gunboat by CSN, a WWI Minelayer that survived to become a
transport for Jewish survivors on Crete to use for surreptitious immigration to
Israel in 1947, a WW II PF, A Korean war era CL and a Vietnam era AOR.
We have large-scale models
of the bark (full rigged) the monitor, tug and cruiser. We also have a replenishment oilier model
on order.
The Navy
has loaned us models of the S-A War USS Olympia C-6, a German U-boat from WW I,
a WW II LCI(L) and the CVN-70 Carl Vinson.
Come visit us, you won't be disappointed. We honor the shipmates from the valley who
served in the navy from the Civil War to 1999 by displaying their 250+ photos
and bios.
The display was built and setup by three old chiefs: DPC Rice, the
originator and cumshaw artist who acquired things, MMCS Giles, the doer and
builder, and FCCM Shirey, the bean counter and recorder. Several shipmates from Branch 41 FRA
assisted us.
The
following is a book review by Martin Hanson, a member of the USS Sampson
Association who served in the ship from its commissioning in 1961 to 1962.
The
book reviewed is about the shipyard that built the USS Sampson, (DDG-10).
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I have read a book that I think you would
enjoy. It is The Yard by Michael S. Sanders.
It is about Bath Iron Works and Bath, Maine, the town where the shipyard
is located. Like many U.S. Navy people
I have had several personal experiences with the Bath Iron Works, the town and
its people. All were highly
positive. I just loved reading this
book that reinforced so well all that is good about the shipyard, the town and
most of all the people who make both what they are. The ship I started my Navy career in was built in Bath and I had
the glorious opportunity to be a member of the crew that put another Bath-built
ship into commission when it was brand new.
Much later in my Navy career as a reservist I
became the commanding officer of a reserve navy construction battalion based in
Brunswick, Maine, just south of Bath on the “downeast” coast of Maine. My reserve construction battalion had
several Bath Iron Works employees as “weekend warrior” members. My experience in the construction battalion
gave me the opportunity to meet and work in detail with these wonderful people
in Maine. My tours in two Navy ships
built by Bath Iron Works taught me from the very beginning to admire the
marvelous workmanship of these Americans from Maine.
This wonderful book is full of personal interviews with
all kinds of people in Bath. It
includes interviews with many Bath employees including several workers at
Hardings, a new metal fabrication facility south of Bath on the famous old
Route 1. It includes interviews with
management and workers at the main facility on the Kennebec River in Bath. It also includes interviews of several Navy
people including a “newly minted” sailor who left the life of a street gang
member and now revels in the attention the skipper gives him during the ship’s
crew training for getting underway in a new Bath ship. There is an interview with the senior Navy
officer who holds the position of Supervisor of Shipbuilding and is the senior
U.S. Navy (buyer) official on site. He
is on his last tour and describes his career and what is in his future after
his upcoming retirement. The author
interviews citizens of Bath who do not work at the shipyard including a young
family who lives on the hill overlooking the yard.
The description of how a huge ship is launched
by sliding down shipbuilding ways and all the manual work based on years of
tradition that is involved in launching a ship is unique. This alone would make a fascinating
book. The story of how John Wayne, an
invited guest at a ship launching, saves the day and gets a ship stuck on the
launching ways to start sliding into the river is priceless.
The book is intertwined with discussions of the
economics of shipbuilding. As you
probably know, shipbuilding, once a huge industry in the United States from the
earliest days of the country, has now essentially disappeared. Bath, Maine, is one of the places where
shipbuilding started in the United States and it is the only early shipbuilding
area in the country where ships are still built. The book shows how the town supports the shipyard economically
and how the shipyard supports the town economically. It is clearly shown how everyone makes sacrifices for the benefit
of the economic success of the shipyard.
The book also explains how the shipyard takes
care of its workers. Shipbuilding is
dangerous business and the book shows that in detail. Workers are injured but this shipyard takes care of its injured
workers. The book shows how the
shipyard finds work for all injured personnel and sees that they continue to
have an opportunity to economically contribute for the rest of their lives.
The whole tone of this fun book is summed up by
a quote from a Bath Iron Works weapons system electrician, “Don’t tell management
this but I’d work here for free.”
(the
following is from Don Shirey)
There is a new organization attempting to bring pressure on the
Legislature to change the present law forbidding concurrent receipt of retired
pay and VA Compensation. Last year a
token 100 to 300 dollar allowance was given to a very small number of disabled
retirees. The Uniformed Services
Disabled Retirees organization has been formed to persuade veterans groups like
us to write to our Congressman and Senators to persuade them to support
legislation to permit receipt of full-retired pay with disability
compensation.
Armed Forces retirees are the only ones subject to forfeiture of
retired pay. During the 29 year
interval that I have been on disability since retirement I have personally
forfeited $212,617.43 of my E-9 Retired pay for VA Comp, something I would not
have had to do if I had elected to accept a discharge rather than retirement
and applied my 22 years to civil service.
My disabilities were minor at first, 10%, 40%, 60%, 90% and
eventually 100%. I am grateful that I
have had the longevity to enjoy those 29 years of retirement, but they would
have been better if I had not forfeited the 213 thousand dollars.
I will try to keep you informed on progress of the necessary
legislation so you can rattle your legislator’s chains on behalf of all the
disabled retirees. Please contact you
Representative and Senators on behalf of this group of retirees who have long
been discriminated against.
|
Sampson
ballcaps, black
(one
size fits all)
|
$8.50
|
|
Tee
Shirts, dark blue
(large and extra large)
|
$11.00
|
|
Color
photo of Sampson, 31/2 X 5 ( no shipping
charge)
|
$1.00
|
|
Video
of:
Operations at Sea
Homecoming
Desert Storm
Decommissioning
Ceremonies
|
$8.00
|
|
Shipping
for all items other than pictures
|
$3.00
|
Make check
payable to:
USS Sampson DDG10
Association
Contact:
Dave Brandt
One Ridge Lake Dr
Manning, SC 29102-9512
( (803) 478-2617
dr-bjbrandt@sumter.net
Jan Kokkila says Bill is still
comatose. The VA has moved him to another
hospital further away south of Cape Cod; so now she can't visit him.
She requests prayers for his recovery
and strength for her peace of mind. She
would
appreciate cards, but doesn't have the fortitude to talk about the
case.
(the following is from Don
Shirey)
Over the past eleven months, I have been
corresponding with a shipmate who is trying to get VA Service Connected
Disability for injuries he received while on the Sampson in the summer of 1966
after we returned from the Med cruise.
He was a FA, mess cooking at the time
some pranksters put him into a laundry locker and poured soap and caustic
powder in the vent, which he ingested and which also burned his eye. He subsequently lost vision in one eye and
has had lung problems. He was threatened
at knifepoint not to reveal who the pranksters were and so suffered in silence.
Until he went to the VA for help a few
years ago, he had never revealed to anyone the source of neither his injuries
nor the reason for his Unsuitable Discharge.
I recall the “rumble” in the mess cooks
compartment one night while I was OOD, in Norfolk in Aug/Sept 1966, but cannot
vouch for his presence there. The CDO does not recall the event.
If any one does recall seeing a mess
cook either being put into a locker or being assisted out of one, please
contact me and I will give you the name of a DAV/VA rep to contact to help
substantiate this shipmates claim. The
statute of limitations has long since expired for the abuse he received so
there is no fear of retribution or punishment for being involved or for not
reporting the incident.
Here is a chance to help undo the results of some thoughtless
horseplay that turned into a criminal act.
I would like to thank Don Shirey and Marty Hanson for supplying
the majority of the information in this newsletter
If there is information you would like included or excluded from
the newsletter please let me know. I
will try to accommodate and balance everyone's requests.
Ted Unser
1941 Woodmont Court
Marietta, GA 30062
( (770) 977-3707
ted.unser@worldnet.att.net
