Look alive with Seventy-Five!
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Look alive with Seventy-Five!
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Dear ’mates: The Non-Reunion Reunion team has struck again. On Halloween Steve Curlee led NR III at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium when Navy hosted Temple. I’m eager to see some pictures of the costumes the Flower Children donned for the game. A large group of classmates gathered at the National Museum of Naval Aviation’s Blue Angel Atrium to witness Gary Jones’ retirement ceremony in August. Bill Shannon, D.C. Ray, and I joined a significant percentage of Gary’s Fun One companymates and many of their wives—Doug Ayars, Mike Mathews, Mike Maynard, Mike McDermott, Ron Nicol, Rob Reed, and Dennis Stone. Nancy and I particularly enjoyed it when Gary invited his wife Tammy to speak during the ceremony.
<photo 75#1: “75 enjoys the reception after the Jones Retirement”> The crew of HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN-75) invited us to join them for their friends, family, and dependents cruise. Jamie MacKenzie sent this photo of Steve Rogness participating in a flight deck fire-fighting drill.
<photo 75#2: “Damage Control training NEVER ends!”> We got a good e-mail from Mark Van Dyke. Mark (and his students) won an IBM sponsored award for using the Sakai Project in his teaching. Sakai is a venture to create open-source course management, collaboration, and online research support tools for the higher education community. “It's been a while since I corresponded with the class—I know, "No excuse, sir!" I figured it was about time to send an update. Life has been treating me well in my second career, teaching at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. Joan and the kids have been bracing me up, though, for working too many hours during my "retirement" years. I will undergo my tenure review this year, 2009-2010, so I might have a chance to slack off after that. Joan is now a personal fitness trainer (and part-time PE teacher). Older daughter Megan is now an administrator at a charter school in DC; son Bob just completed his MPA and is looking for work in law enforcement; daughter Cristin and son Jonathan are still working on undergraduate degrees. We remain pretty much a nuclear family so far, with Megan being the farthest away. Classmates have an open invitation to visit us in Hopewell Junction, NY, just 45 minutes from West Point.” It doesn’t happen often, but its golden when it does! John Park made a rare visit to San Diego for a Surface Warfare Association gig and set up a get together with the SD Home Guard—Brian Flannery and Tony Barbieri. John is with IBM in Bethesda, Brian flies left seat for FEDEX and Tony’s at the Raytheon Expeditionary Warfare Center. Coincidentally, Greg Hoffman happened to be in town for a Sikorsky presentation at NAS North Island, so the four of them attacked one of the Mexican restaurants at the Old Town State Park. A GREAT evening, filled with updates on classmates, current events and assorted lies ... hell, (amazingly) they even behaved themselves (but did close the place down … some traditions shouldn’t toyed with). The attached picture is of Tony, John, Brian and Greg. This RDVU followed on the heals of another great get together on 31 July, with Flans, Tony, Tim Harden and Chip Stratmann on another great sport fishing trip … they missed a huge yellowfin “by THAT much …”
<photo 75#3: “Old Town San Diego 20th Company Hook-Up”> Here are some highlights from the www.usna.com news:
Debbie and Tom Donaldson visited son Alex during Parents' Weekend 2009. Debbie sent this report: We had a great weekend visit with Alex and are happy to report he is doing well! He was full of stories about the infamous five-week plebe summer! During the weekend, he ate Taco Bell, went to see the Harry Potter movie, slept, made calls and got on Facebook—typical guy things. He shared a lot of humorous stories. Like the time he "lost" his nametag twice in 20 seconds ... once after a uniform race where he had placed it upside down. The detailer took it and told him to get another one. While he zipped back to his room, the detailer instructed the rest of the plebes how the nametag goes on the other side in the working uniform they had just put on. Of course, Alex rushes in with his new nametag in the usual position, and promptly "lost" that one also .... a new record!
He has enjoyed the traditions, various cadences for the many miles they march to and from events, the camaraderie, the guest lecturers on character, integrity, and honor, the weapons training (he now wears Expert ribbons for rifle and pistol), the many details he has to memorize from the 220 page Reef Points, sailing, martial arts, and obstacle and fitness confidence courses.
He hasn't enjoyed the 0430 wake-up call for 2 hours of morning fitness, the daily white glove inspections, learning rates and the yelling (he says he is immune to it now). His day is action packed with only a few minutes of personal time, which he uses to iron/clean/prep for the next day. Good thing they haven't had cell phones/computers/iPods to distract them!
At a parents' forum, we learned that over the five weeks, each plebe has done 106 miles of running, 2900 push-ups, 3000 sit-ups, 5 hours of martial arts classes, and 7 hours of swim classes. They are weighed weekly, and must keep their weight up (minimum 6600 calories daily at meals); he hasn't lost any weight but he doesn't have an ounce of fat on him...it is all muscle. With the Brigade’s return, the plebe to upperclassmen ratio changed drastically, and plebes are prime targets. Classes and the usual daily routine of 3 hours of PT, marching practice, 3 meal formations, plus all the new upperclassman "requirements" mean that time management will be critical. He will get his cell phone back, and be issued a computer, but we have been told that communication will still be limited on their part, purely from lack of time. We hope to see him again at the Homecoming game in October, and then, at Thanksgiving (we will go to VA and spend it with Alex and Thomas at Krista's), and for two weeks at Christmas. Bonus Donaldson photos, not found in the printed Shipmate column!!!
JJ Cuff forwarded the news that Gordy Roesler started a new job with the University of Southern California where he’s the Director of Energy Programs for USC’s Information Sciences Institute. Gordy now has offices in both VA and Los Angeles. JJ also reported that he spent the 4th of July holiday at Camp Lejeune, where he visited with Rick Tryon’s wife Diane. She’s holding the fort in NC while the general is deployed to Iraq. [Scribe’s note] As the years go by and we all see a lot more saltwater under the keel, we will naturally have far too many times when we need to bid farewell to classmates and loved ones. Now, I don’t particularly want to include a “Last Call” section in our class column, but I also don’t want to ignore the passing of our classmates and spouses. This month was especially sad. Joe Matyskiela succumbed to cancer. Charles Mahon’s wife Catherine and Steve Coppins’ wife Mary Lynn “ML” both passed away, as did Mark Klett’s son-in-law Joseph Kelly. Class of ’75 condolences to all. --- ’75 Sir! Larry |
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