Look alive with Seventy-Five!
|
Look alive with Seventy-Five!
|
|
|
Dear ’mates: This is a new experience for your Scribe … a column with no space limitations! Due to the decrease in hard-copy issues of our alumni magazine, we cannot possibly publish all the good stuff y’all send. So this one will go online only. (You know the URL or you would not be reading this!) I wish we had unlimited space in the eight published issues of Shipmate each year so we old farts could read all of our class news on glossy paper. I don’t know about you, but I don’t carry my laptop into the stall (like I’ve been known to do with the magazine). I suppose the younger generations don’t mind but I am a curmudgeon who wants it printed and mailed, dammit! (Why, back in my day …) But that just isn’t economically feasible for USNAAA. At any rate, here’s a broad collection of gouge from the spring and summer of 2009 that I was not able to get into print. Let’s begin with a couple of notes from Paul Viscovich (forwarded by 25th company rep Tom Kelley). The first deals with companymate (but non-graduate) Les Keller: Les Keller was in town for a workshop on how to deal more effectively with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in developing and funding tribal health care programs. That's his specialty, having earned his MA in behavioral health from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in 1994. He now practices community psychology on and around the Seward Peninsula, identifying and trying to correct community-based pathologies affecting the inhabitants. He's also First Vice-chair on the Northwest Regional Tribal Council, so he leads a busy life!
When Les left USNA in the summer of 1973, he went on active duty aboard the combat stores ship, USS MARS (AFS-1). He deployed to the South China Sea and spent a lot of time replenishing the CRUDES ships going in to shell the coasts of North Vietnam. Once, enemy gunboats attacked MARS. Manning GQ stations was delayed as everyone instinctively jammed the p-ways on the disengaged side of the ship. Fortunately there were no casualties. A good thing to come out of the MARS experience was his sea daddy led a judo club, and Les became quite proficient in the sport.
After leaving the service, he became a licensed electrician and spent the next two decades working on various construction sites throughout the state, including the Alaskan Pipeline. He lived in Barrow, up on the north coast for several years. There wasn't much to do when they weren't working, so Les helped organize an intramural basketball team. They enjoyed great success against other teams in the area, but they didn't have a team name until Les suggested, "The Skimos." Later, he was part of a whaling crew that used traditional methods to harvest bowheads (balena mysticetus). This was pretty arduous work, done at the edge of the ice with nothing more than skin boats to go out and retrieve the kill. If the crew didn't haul the whale in and get it secured in time, it would sink to the bottom of the sea. The crew then had to heave around to pull it back up. This sometimes happened several time a day. Les retired from his work as an electrician shortly after getting his master's degree. He has been working on community health and tribal affairs ever since, as previously noted. He and his wife Sandy live in Nome with their six-year-old son, Joshua and two older girls they adopted, Pattie and Laurie. Les also has five sons and two daughters from previous marriages though sadly, two of the boys died as children. Paul also updated us (with Tom’s encouragement) on the Viscovich family. Paul and his wife Christine live in Weston FL. He retired as a surface warfare officer after seven tours and ten years at sea, plus five years stationed in Panama, Italy, and Holland. Since 1999, he's been President and Night Watchman of Mainbrace Communications, an unregistered sole proprietorship dedicated to his current career as a freelance writer. As this required less than his full attention, Paul assumed duties as leading mess cook, compartment cleaner, and master-at-arms for their three children while Christine launched her real estate business. Their son Andrew (23) is a recent graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is working toward his commercial and flight instructor licenses. Alexandra (21) has completed her second year at Eastern Michigan University on a Navy scholarship. She drills with Michigan's NROTC Unit and wants to fly Navy Air. Cameron (18) graduated high school in May 2009 and will attend Florida International University with a major in Asian Studies this fall. <photo #2: The Viscovich Family> Rich Luke sent a bunch of great pictures from the wedding of Mark Klett’s daughter. Unfortunately, they came without a write-up. See the photos on the photo page. You can see that Mike Lord was there along with companymates Rich and Mark. We have John Kittler to thank for the photos and write up from DA Gove’s retirement: And then there were just a handful left on duty ... Good Time 10 decided to have it's own mini-reunion around RADM Dave Gove's retirement on 1 May. Dave's retirement was also attended by ADM Jon Greenhert, CFFC, VADM Steve Stanley (JCS J8),VADM Barry McCullough (OpNav N8), and RADM Terry Blake, Legislative Affairs and FMB Director.
Dave and Bev moved to Newport, R.I. where Dave will work for a small strategic studies group ... within an hour commute. New contact info: 6 Maitland Court, Newport, RI 02840; 401-846-8083; dlphn75 [at] msn [dot] com.
Our 10th company brethren rallied en masse in DC for a Thursday night stag dinner, the Friday retirement and a reception at DA's after the retirement. Class of ’75 10th Company present totaled 14 (over half of the class that is still alive—excellent!): VADM Steve Stanley (J8), featured speaker, with Jean, VADM Barry McCullough (N8), Bruce Miller (the Homeland Security Advisor to VP Cheney until 1/20/09, now with a studies group, with Rebecca), Zack Wilhoit (President and CEO, Ethnic Technologies, with Sue), John Kittler, Chip Stratmann, Chris McCarthy, Mike Lipari, Mike Lilek, Dave Shepherd, Dave Hammer, Dan Wherle (managing his own private jet fleet in Orlando) and Bob Burns (VP for Operations of a major newspaper chain). Most of us had not seen at least some of our attending shipmates since graduation! Also writing in but unable to attend in person: Lynn Oster, now in St Louis, Don Garrett (San Diego) and Dick Arnold (San Diego / 3rd Fleet). <photo #3: Classmates in the Naval Observatory Library> USNA.com published a couple of articles this spring about classmates who became Navy pilots and who are now serving a higher calling. Wayne Woods is minister at the First Baptist Church in Moultrie GA. Bob Sweet leads the Bethel United Methodist Church in Ozark AL. Also from USNA.com -- Bernard Bailey added another directorship to his portfolio. EF Johnson Technologies, Inc. nominated Bernie as their newest director in April. <photo #4: Tollesfrud, Plechashes, Dalton, Ginns> Alex Plechash sent a note from the Upper Midwest Chapter of USNAAA: A few of us from '75 got together for this picture at a breakfast the Upper Midwest Chapter hosted with former SECNAV John Dalton '64 on April 25. Pictured here are Neil Tollefsrud, yours truly and my wife Denise, John Dalton, John Ginn and his wife Sally. The breakfast was the first part of an all-morning program called "We Salute Our Veterans."
As for life in the Plechash household, things continue to be quite active what with my role as President of the Chapter and recent re-election as President of the local Navy League, et al. I am happy to say (I think) that I was also inducted as a USNAAA trustee on May 1 for an initial three-year term. Although I asked to be on the Finance and Audit Committee, Admiral Trost had other ideas. He wanted me on the Governance Committee instead—which as many of you know has been at ground zero of much of the Alumni Association controversy these past few years. So, if anyone in our class has issues they want to bring up or opinions you want registered, please don't hesitate in contacting me. You can find my contact information in the Chapter News section under Minnesota. Other news in the Plechash household is that my daughter Amy and her husband moved to the DC area just after Christmas, along with my grandson Aiden Alexander '30. Aaron took a job with the Department of Energy. Denise and I tried to kidnap Aiden before they left but his parents noticed. However, since my company is headquartered in McLean, VA and now that I am on the Board of Trustees, I'll be in the area on somewhat of a regular basis. However, if any of you ever travel through Minnesota and have some time, please give me a call. I'd love to get together. Thanks to Carl Klee for sending a report on the commitment of Walt Joller’s remains to the sea: As the final send off for Walt Joller, the Commanding Officer of USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75), CAPT Herm Shelanski, graciously invited the Class of 1975 to ride on board the ship for Walt’s at-sea burial. Herm had served with Walt in several E-2C squadrons. Besides me, Bill Shannon, Frank Frassica, and Les Foster (from Walt’s company), Brian DiAntonio, Steve Hubbard, Mike Hughes, Mike Lipari, and Don Ward ’87 went to sea 11-14 February with the burial occurring Saturday, 14 February. Walt’s son Erik, and Erik’s two uncles Rick and Bob Ashby, also participated. Herm let Erik stay in his in-port cabin. We were all designated as Distinguished Visitors and treated royally throughout our stay. The burial was a moving ceremony with both Herm and Bill providing eulogies, a gun salute, and concluding with the bugler playing taps. <photo #5: On the TRUMAN Flag Bridge: Frank Frassica, Bill Shannon, Brian DiAntonio, Mike Hughes, Les Foster, Carl Klee, Steve Hubbard, and Mike Lipari in front> On other news from CVN-75, Mike Cecere sent Andy Howard some photos of a ceremony held on board early this spring. Look for the pictures on the photo page. In recognition of the tie between our class year and the ship's hull number, the Flower Children paid for and presented two class crest plaques to the USS HARRY S TRUMAN (CVN-75). One plaque is for the officers, to be posted in the wardroom, and the other is for the crew, to be posted in a location to be determined by them. Additionally, the ship buried the remains of our classmate Walt Joller (killed in a tragic car accident in San Diego) at sea a couple of months ago, as Walt was a mentor to the then-CO, CAPT Herm Shelanski. You can see some pictures of that service on easels to the right of the podium at our plaque presentation ceremony, and we said a prayer for Walt as part of our ceremony. One other item of note is that the senior officer participating in this event was our classmate ADM Jon Greenert who is Commander, Fleet Forces Command (used to be called CINCLANTFLT), under whose command TRUMAN falls. --- ’75 Sir! Larry |
Send mail to ach33ooo (at) 1975 (dot) usna (dot) com with questions or
comments about this web site.
|
