USS HULL ASSOCIATION (DD350, DD945)
NOT TO LEAVE THE SHIP – SUMMER 2008 EDITION
Room registrations lag behind the 2006 rate
We’re barely four months out and counting for the third Reunion of the USS HULL Association and the first in her homeport of San Diego. The dates are October 14, 15 & 16 and the centrally located site will be the beautiful Handlrey Hotel & Resort situated in Mission Valley.
In selecting San Diego for our third reunion, it was felt that this city offered many advantages including it being the original home port of the Hull, a great Navy town, numerous vacation sites and venues, great weather, and the proximity to our working committee. However, this location presents a significant risk; that being that many of our members live in or very near San Diego and hence may be unwilling to book rooms at the hotel.
That being said, room registrations to date at the hotel have notably lagged behind the registration rate of our reunion of 2006. We have committed to a block of 50 rooms in order to achieve certain benefits such as a large meeting room, discount breakfasts and preferential room rates. We have set August 1st as the cut-off date for achieving this requirement and realizing our third reunion.
So, it’s time to “turn to” in the finest HULL tradition. A successful reunion is “an all hands effort” and relies on the efforts of all interested members and not just the reunion working group. Members are encouraged to contact shipmates regarding attendance at our (and their) reunion and urge their participation. Of course it’s imperative to get those registrations in and reserve your rooms now. A good time, a memorable Reunion will be had by all if we succeed.
Shipmates will find complete details about the accommodations and the
registration form in this newsletter.
http://www.usshullassociation.org/Reunions/reunion2008.htm
More than 100 shipmates, family members and survivors attended the last Reunion gala in Las Vegas, NV 18+ months ago. “It’s been rewarding to renew old friendships,” said Carl Decker (GMG2). “We may have changed physically, but that camaraderie is still there,” he added.
“My first ship and above all the great crew, gunners and snipes in my case, will always have a soft spot in this old salt’s heart,” said Ken Holtel (LT).
“I really look forward to these events to see old shipmates and meet other HULL men from different time periods than my own,” said Nick Dimel (SM2) who spent his 18th, 19th and 20th birthday aboard the ship. “I feel this bond more so than the men I spent 30 years with on the fire department.”
Said Roger Majchrzak (LTjg) “seeing most of the mid ’60’s wardroom at the 2006 Reunion was a priceless time. He added, “meeting those from other years was also great, as to me, a shipmate was anyone on the HULL at any time frame.”
Bryce Wellnitz (QM2) said getting to meet shipmates again from the ’63-’68 time period was really worth the trip “but we still need to reach out and find shipmates from the different cruise eras.”
Bob Modell (LTjg) "Echoing Nick Dimel's comments, I also feel more of a bond and sense of dedication and purpose with those with whom I served aboard the Hull than with those I have left after 35 years with the bank, my career employer. And for that reason, I greatly look forward to our biannual reunions and ongoing communication with shipmates."
And to bring it all into perspective, some thoughts from Pat Douhan from the DD-350 HULL:
Dear HULL Association Shipmates:
I have been asked many times, what’s the big deal about reunions and why are they so important to all of you, especially since you did not start them until 48 years had passed since most of you had seen each other? My answer to them is that during our earlier years, we were busy raising a family, making a living to support them, sending the kids to college and other activities that young families are involved in plus burying ourselves in our work in an attempt to forget or cover up our thoughts of the war tragedies that many of us had experienced.
As time passed and we started to become empty nesters, with most of the family gone, we began to slow down and began to remember back when. As these thoughts began to grow, we also started to wonder where some of our shipmates were and what happened to others and THAT is when the idea of a reunion was put together.
The HULL (DD-350), being an older tin can with a small crew; we were all very close and had served a number of years on the same ship. We held our first reunion in 1985 and what a time we all had! Some of the times we were crying and others we were laughing, but being with shipmates who could relate to you enabled many of us to loosen up and begin to talk about our various experiences – both good and very bad. I, for one, know that it helped me open up and get some of the memories out of my system……even though it was and still is emotional at times.
To sum it all up, I would like to say that there is nothing like a good reunion to renew old friendships and gain a few new ones. It also gives us all something to look forward to as we enter into our senior years and as we chart our course through this memorable time.
Sincerely,
Pat Douhan
3rd Reunion 2008
The Details
Where: The Handlery Hotel & Resort, 950 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, California (619) 298-0511 direct or (800) 676-6567 toll free - Refer to “USS Hull Association” for the group rate
Handlery Hotel and Resort Website: http://www.handlery.com/sd/home.asp - Refer to “USS Hull Association” for the group rate
Handlery Hotel and Resort
950 Hotel Circle North
San Diego, CA 92108
Phone: 619.298.0511 or (800)
676-6567 Fax: 619.260.8235
Room Rates: per night- $99.00 single or double; $109.00 triple; $119.00 quad. (Rate is exclusive of tax). These group rates are available to us for extended visits to the San Diego area for three days prior to and three days post reunion based upon availability. Check-in time is 3PM and checkout time is 12 noon.
INCLUDED FUNCTIONS:
Poolside hospitality suite with hosted beverages and snacks
Full Buffet Breakfast meeting.
Dinner banquet with wine and a DJ for dancing on Thursday night
OLD TOWN TROLLEY All day City tour http://trolleytours.com/San-Diego/
MARITIME Museum tickets http://www.sdmaritime.com/ (with Russian FOXTROT sub you can board)
Other available attractions in San Diego area:
USS MIDWAY TOURS - FREE to Tin Can Sailors members http://www.destroyers.org/about%20TCS/choose.htm
San Diego Zoo,
San Diego Wild Animal Park,
SEAWORLD
Old Town State Historical Park,
Pt. Loma Monument
San Diego Trolley (10 min. walk from hotel) to the Mexican border,
S.D. Harbor cruises
Seaport Village and Historic GASLAMP District
Nearby Indian casinos.
Additional information may be found at: San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau: http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors/VisitorInformation
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Get into Navy Museums Ships- USS MIDWAY - for free – JOIN TIN CAN SAILORS- $25.00 donation http://www.destroyers.org/forms/register_form.aspx
"Lifetime Membership" - Call us at (800)
223-5535 for information. |
Reservations:
Given the very flexible cancellation policy for unforeseen events, we suggest your making a room reservation at this time.
Call the Group Reservation Department at (619) 298-0511 or toll free at (800) 676-6567. Refer to “USS Hull Association” for the group rate and to be included in our room block. All reservations should be guaranteed with a credit card for the first night plus tax. “No-show” reservations, or a reservation cancelled within 24 hours of scheduled arrival will be charged one first night room rate plus tax.
Parking: Parking for overnight guests is $5.00 per day with “in and out” privileges. Please check with the hotel for the rate for oversized vehicles.
Air travel: Lindbergh Field (SAN) is located just 6 miles from the hotel. Taxi and shuttle service is available and we will inform you of current rates in the future. At this time, a taxi ride (multi occupant) is $22.00 total. A shuttle is available at approximately $11.50 per person one-way.
In addition to the reunion, San Diego is also a beautiful city for vacationing, both from the standpoint of weather and its many activities. For those who haven’t been here for a number of years, you will be very impressed with the city’s improvements. We’re looking forward to an excellent reunion and a great turnout of our fellow HULL shipmates.
See you in San Diego in October ‘08
Bob Modell
USS Hull Association
2008 Reunion Chairman
2008reunion@usshullassociation.org
Reunion Registration Form (click to view and print)
For more information please visit: www.usshullassociation.org/Reunions/reunion2008.htm
HULL SHIPMATE HONORED
Shipmate (GMG3) David Hathcoat has been awarded the U.S. – Republic of China (ROC) Mutual Defense Commemorative Badge. Hathcoat is shown in the photo below with the Taiwanese Ambassador. Also pictured is the commemorative box the award came in.
Because of cost considerations, certification for the ROC Award has been ended by the Taiwan Veterans Badge of Honor Association. However, eligible shipmates can join the Association for a nominal fee and purchase the award through it’s PX. The Internet address for information is www.taiwanvets.com
GREAT MEMORIES - PICTURE HISTORY BY THE DECADE :http://www.usshullassociation.org/PictureHistory/PictureHistory.htm
Dig out those old photos of your time aboard Hull and see what you can add to the album.
1960’S WARDROOM MEETS
Left to right are: LT John & Barbara McKechnie, LT (jg) Tom and Beth LaHay, LT (jg) Gates Ingram & Guest & LT Bob & Charlotte Modell.
The Four Horsemen: (AKA) LT McKechnie, LT (jg) LaHay, LT (jg) Ingram & LT (jg) Modell
Our efforts to have a new Destroyer type ship named after Commodore Isaac HULL have only just begun. This is the type of project that requires perseverance and we have plenty of that. A number of shipmates have responded to our call for letters to their congressional delegates that serve on the U.S. Senate or House Armed Services Committee. Through them we are trying to encourage SECNAV to designate a new USS HULL.
As we all understand this is dependent on the building of destroyers and that is not happening in any great numbers. Recent ship namings have been dedicated to Medal of Honor awardees from the Iraq war and rightfully so.
Navy secretary pays visit to Bath Iron Works
June 17, 2008, Associated Press By David Sharp
PORTLAND, Maine—Navy Secretary Donald Winter came to Bath Iron Works on Tuesday to see shipyard upgrades amid growing questions in Washington over the future of the next-generation Zumwalt-class destroyer, an important project for shipbuilders.
Maine Senator, Susan Collins, invited the Navy secretary to get a firsthand look at improvements including its Ultra Hall, which allows shipbuilders to put together larger hull segments in a climate-controlled facility. The facility was built with the Zumwalt in mind.
But the Zumwalt program itself is in question.
With that political tug-of-war as a backdrop, the Navy appears to be re-evaluating the DDG-1000, which is much larger and more than double the cost of existing destroyers. The Navy brass is considering reconfiguring Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, said defense analyst Loren Thompson. …
The visit was worthwhile because Winter's view of American shipbuilding seems to be based mostly on the problems he has encountered with the Gulf Coast yards, Thompson said.
"What he found at Bath was probably the best naval shipbuilding operation in North America in terms of work culture, management and efficiency," he said. "So it may have been a revelation for him."
Visit the USS HULL ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP LIST - Dues payers have the password. Dues $20 for reunion period. That's for two years!
http://www.usshullassociation.org/index.htm
Social Security Numbers Off ID Cards
The Department of Defense announced this week that it plans to remove Social Security Account Numbers (SSAN) from all military identification cards by the end of 2010. Instead, the cards will display only the last four digits of the SSAN.
Defense officials said this change is an effort to thwart identity theft -- an acknowledgement that a lost ID card puts the cardholder and the military sponsor at risk for such theft.
The changes will be phased in for different beneficiary groups, with military family members being the first in line for updated cards this year. Within three years, all Defense-Department-issued ID cards will show only the last four digits of the SSAN.
HELP A VET – CHECK OUT THESE VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS
AMERICAN LEGION http://www.legion.org/homepage.php