Quarterly Newsletter / Member E-mails

Late breaking news for all Veterans

Quarterly Newsletters

Read the 1st Quarter 2009 Newsletter

Read the 4th Quarter 2008 Newsletter

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Veterans Corner

The Veterans Corner includes newsletters of interest to veterans. These communications cover actions taken on veterans issues in Congress and highlights of benefit issues. There are quite a few articles, so take your time browsing.

RAO Bulletin

This information is created by Lt. James “EMO” Tichacek, USN (Ret), Director, Retiree Assistance Office (RAO).

February 1, 2010 RAO bulletin

December 15, 2009 RAO bulletin

December 1, 2009 RAO bulletin

November 15, 2009 RAO bulletin

October 15, 2009 RAO bulletin

Veterans Legislation

This is a complete listing, by House or Senate bill numbers, of all proposed acts that effect vets.

December 13th Congressional action

November 29th Congressional action

November 13th Congressional action

October 13th Congressional action

Veterans Corner

This information is provided to us by shipmate Donald Valentine.

Here is the December 2009 issue of Veterans Corner

January 28, 2010 issue of Veterans Corner.

Here is the December 2009 issue of Veterans Corner

Here is the October 2009 issue of Veterans Corner

Here is a copy of the National Defense Authorization Act

Here is the Secretary of VA reporting to the House VA for 2009

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News from sister-ship J P Kennedy (DD850)

Ships in the picture are Fiske, Rush, Kennedy at 50's ComDESRON8 change of command

Received the following message from our sister-ship USS J P Kennedy (DD850) at Battleship Cove, MA.

Late Summer 2009 Newsletter  

All Hands,
This is the annual late Summer email to let everyone know what has been going on as well as getting them ready to report back for duty now that the Summer is just about over.

The USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr DD850 has completed her Annual Navy Inspection and the comments were good. The Officers who came down to inspect her this Fiscal Year were impressed with the year over year improvements in her restoration. Of note, they wish to convey a Bravo Zulu to our Combat Information Center, DASH Hangar/Snoopy Drone, Scullery, and painting work.

Talking about work, over the Summer we did accomplish quite a few tasks. These include:
1. Painted the Focsle.
2. Sprayed a first coat of White paint in the Bosun Locker.
3. Laid down new Non-skid on the Focsle.
4. Installed CIC Chair adapters and mounted two CIC chairs from USS Forrestal in ECM Room No 1.
5. Began Wiring of WLR-1 system in ECM No 1 and have powered up some of the components.
6. Began to clean, mount, and polish equipment, signs, and brass in ECM Room No 1.
7. Brought power up to all three SPA-8 radar repeaters and are servicing them.
8. Began undoing jury-rigged wiring in the Radio Section of CIC and attempting to rectify the amplifiers and patch panel.

Upcoming Field Day:
Our September Major Field Day is coming up in only a few short weeks during the week of 17-18-19-20. Thankfully, our loyal cooks of Bill
Hamilton, Jim Caruso, and Mike Tranquilli will be using their galley skills to ensure everyone is fed for the weekend.

Here's a typical Field Day weekend. Most volunteers will arrive Thursday night or Friday afternoon if they are staying aboard with some local volunteers arriving early Saturday.

We do work projects from 0730 to 1645, with an hour or so for lunch. We have a lot of work to be done this September including:

1. Setting up some plexi-glass display areas in the Steam line to finish off that restoration.
2. Move Welder in ASROC Magazine and load up remaining 6 missiles received from the US Navy
3. Complete MK 25 Fire Control Room
4. Completing the painting of the Port Side main deck
5. Preparing and priming the 01 Torpedo Deck and Bridge Face.
6. Installing the Forward Refueling Station hoses and receptacle.
7. Miscellaneous maintenance issues to help the ship.
8. Electrical Ground Tracing
9. Much much more!

We are developing more work projects currently, so more will be coming.

Berthing is aboard Kennedy, so bring your sleeping bag and shaving gear. After dinner, we hang out and tell seas stories. We may have a DVD movie.

The cost is $30 and you can send a check to Paula Hague, Battleship Cove, 5 Water Street, Fall River MA 02722.

Please send questions about the field day to our Volunteer Coordinator, Bob Washburn, at b.washburn@cox.net or by phone at 401-682-2088.

Lastly, please let us know if you are plan on attending (even if you wish to pay with cash upon arrival) in order to allow us to purchase and
prepare food services for the crew.

History and this ship depend on You! Join the effort.

Fair winds and following seas,
Rich Angelini
Asst Curator, JPK DD850

Back Topside

Membership E-mails

VietNam Era Shipmates --  Important Information Regarding Agent Orange

The following E-mail's were sent to us in mid-January 2010.  Please open and read these documents.  They are both in PDF format so everyone should be able to open and read them.  You need not have a specific word processing program. 

Denny Steinberger sent this E-mail to us on 1/22/2010

 Don Valentine sent this along to us on 1/23/2010

More information about this important topic will be posted here and covered in greater detail in the next scheduled Fiske Newsletter.

The following e-mail on the same topic was received on 1/27.  Please read:

Received the following e-mail in mid November from the Ship's Historian, Gil Beyer.  Please read and share your tales with Gil:
Historian’s Report 11/16/2009
Here it is seven weeks after our gathering in Idaho and I just realized that only about 8 of you that attended the Reunion fulfilled my request to complete your ‘Blue Books’ with stories of your time onboard. Either I’m as dense as a post or I’ve had other things on my mind – your choice.
To those of you that did give me, or send in, your stories I am deeply indebted as you have given me some much needed details of the years you were onboard. Your stories have given texture and depth to the bare details of deck logs and operations reports.
I’ve also received a great DVD from Shipmate Lou Nigro (1956-1960) that he put together from his 8mm movie he took during his time onboard. Shipmate Ernie Starcher is shown working on a UHF antenna on the yardarm of the forward mast and dozens of other scenes of shipboard life and liberty ports. This is the type of material that gives life to our time onboard Fiske.
There is another DVD that I received from Shipmate Bernie Cobetto of the Fiske’s first Around the World Cruise when she went to Korea in 1951 and crossed the Equator. There are some excellent scenes of King Neptune’s initiation of the Pollywogs.
Dr. Cobetto was the Squadron Medical Officer during that cruise and treated the 13-14 Fiske crewmen that came done with polio after visiting one of several Far Eastern ports on the way back to Newport. Dr. Cobetto turned After Officers Quarters into a quarantine ward for those infected. The Fiske was denied access to Marseilles because of this infection and those shipmates infected were transported off the ship at Gibraltar to be airlifted to the States. Anecdotal information seems to indicate that all but one of these shipmates recovered completely – a not insignificant number in those days – with only one shipmate suffering permanent disability. Does anyone have any further information on this event?
All of these little vignettes are what give life and breathe to the Fiske. I want to preserve these stories and only you can help me do that. All of you that attended the Reunion received a ‘Blue Book’. I ask that you complete the task I asked you to do at the Reunion – tell me a story. A story about anything that happened while you were onboard Fiske. Be it funny, sad, scary or simply one of the ways that we used to fill the hours and hours of boredom that was routine steaming.
I don’t want to be too depressing but I’ll say the same thing now that I’ve said previously – we aren’t getting any younger and when we go these stories go with us if they aren’t written down and filed somewhere. I have been in contact with the Navy Historical Foundation and they will happily receive and archive anything we choose to send them. I’ve already just about doubled their photo collection of the Fiske with copies from the Association files.
So as not to leave out any one that wasn’t fortunate enough to attend the Reunion in Post Falls I have limited number of Blue Books available for those that wish to help me complete my quest to full all the gaps and holes that currently exist in our history and maybe, just maybe, give me some material for the book that Sandie and I are trying to put together. Drop me a line or an email and I’ll send out one of the books I have left for you to fill up with whatever you want.
Gil Beyer
Association Historian

Received the following from Charlie Thompson on October 24th:
Good Morning Gentlemen,
I would like for this message to be posted on the website and also in our next newsletter. Thanks
I received the check from the USS Fiske Association for $357.50 today for my Rifle Shell Pen project I am doing for our soldiers fight for our freedom in Iraq.
As I stated at the reunion, it cost a little over $4.00 per pen and your help to assure my mission continues, I THANK YOU and the Association.
I wish had kept better records but I'm guessing that I have sent at least a 1000 pens to our troops. This will assure that about 80 more soldiers will receive pens compliments of the Fiske Association. Since the reunion I had one request for 28 pens and they were shipped out upon my return from the reunion. Then I had a First SGT request 50 pens for his soldiers and they were sent out and I just received word from him that they arrived and he will pass them out.
Since the reunion I have received word from two of our shipmates that they have rifle shell casings that they will be shipping to me. If any other shipmate has access to spent .308 rifle shells, I would really appreciate getting them. They can be sent to me at:
Charlie Thompson
117 Park Place
Panama City Beach, FL 32413
This past Thursday I had the opportunity to visit with a WWII soldier and I gave him one of my pens and he was truly touched by receiving it.
I will continue to make this rifle pens and ship to our soldiers who are currently fight for our freedom. This project will continue as long as I am physically able to do the work.
On behalf of our troops, I thank the USS Fiske Association for your contribution.
Charlie Thompson
QM2, 1960-63

Received the following from Jim Hanner, June 6, 2009:
I have been watching a number of iPod videos from the World War 2 museum in New Orleans and thought perhaps it would be of interest to all.  The web site is www.nationalww2museum.org and you just click on multimedia for the current videos. I found all that I watched to be very interesting.
Jim Hanner

Received the following e-mail from a fellow destroyerman 9/22/08: Webmaster; My name is Edward A. Hughes and I am a US Navy retired FTCM with 24 years service. From 1960 through most of 1962 I served on 2 Destroyers homeported at Mayport, Florida and attached to Destroyer Squadron Eight Those 2 Destroyers were the USS Turner (DDR 834) and the USS William R. Rush (DDR 714). Even though we Destroyers at the time were busy making Med Cruises, shake down cruises at GITMO, and standing on station to retrieve Project Mercury Astronauts, attending that event that was called the Cuban Missile Crises and being on standby to respond to any disturbance in the Central America area of which there were a few, we still did our primary job which was to provide radar picket for a big part of the ocean around us. We did go in port on occasion and I have crossed the USS Fiske quarter deck many times since we were always nested with each other in those days.   I was out of the Regular Navy for about 10 months after my first hitch and was attending Denver University on the GI Bill. During my time at Denver University I wrote a short essay and named it “Once I Was A Navyman”, a required assignment for English 102. Within a few months I reenlisted in the Navy and stayed another 20 years. Prior to my retirement in 1978 I added a number of things to “Once I was A Navyman” which added more of the Shipmates I had known, the ships they served on and also the ships I served with. I also added a number of places these Navymen came from as that was always an important thing to a Sailor. I made other minor changes to my work as well. My essay has been well received by many old Navymen and young Navymen alike and I thought the Fiske crew might enjoy it. It would please me if you would consider posting it on your fine website. Respectfully; E. A. Hughes, FTCM (SS) US Navy (Retired)

Once I Was A Navyman

I like the Navy. I like standing on deck during a long voyage with sea spray in my face and ocean winds whipping in from everywhere - The feel of the giant steel ship beneath me, it's engines driving against the sea is almost beyond understanding - It’s immense power makes the Navyman feel so insignificant but yet proud to be a small part of this ship - A small part of Her mission. I like the Navy. I like the sound of taps over the ships announcing system, the ringing of the ships bell, the foghorns and strong laughter of Navy men at work. I like the ships of the Navy; nervous darting Destroyers, sleek proud Cruisers, majestic Battle Ships, steady solid Carriers, the essential Fleet Auxiliaries and silent hidden Submarines - I like the workhorse tugboats with their proud Indian names: Iroquois, Apache, Kiawah and Sioux - Each stealthy powerful Tug safely guiding the warships to safe deep waters from all harbors. I like the historic names of other proud Navy Ships: Midway, Hornet, Princeton, Saribachi and Saratoga. The Ozark, Hunley, William R. Rush and Turner, the Constitution, Missouri, Wichita, Iowa, Arizona and Manchester, as well as The Sullivans, Seawolf, Enterprise, Tecumseh, Cole, New Jersey and Nautilus too - all majestic ships of the line - Each ship commanding the respect of all Navymen that have known Her - or were privileged to be a part of Her crew. I like the bounce of Navy music and the tempo of a Navy Band, “Liberty Whites”, “13 Button Blues”, the rare 72-hour liberty and the spice scent of a foreign port - I like Shipmates I've sailed with, worked with, served with or have known: The Gunners Mate from the Iowa cornfields; a Sonarman from the Colorado mountain country; a pal from Cairo, Alabama; an Italian from near Boston; some boogie boarders of California; and of course, a drawling friendly Oklahoma lad that hailed from Muskogee; and a very congenial Engineman from the Tennessee hills. From all parts of the land they came - Farms of the Midwest, small towns of New England - The red clay area and small towns of the South - The mountain and high prairie towns of the West - The beachfront towns of the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Gulf - All are American; all are comrades in arms - All are men of the sea and all are men of honor. I like the adventure in my heart when the ship puts out to sea, and I like the electric thrill of sailing home again, with the waving hands of welcome from family and friends, waiting on shore - The extended time at sea drags; the going is rough on occasion. But there's the companionship of robust Navy laughter, the devil-may-care philosophy of the sea. This helps the Navyman - The remembrances of past shipmates fill the mind and restore the memory with images of other ships, other ports, and other cruises long past - Some memories are good, some are not so good, but all are etched in the mind of the Navyman - And most will be there forever. I like the sea, and after a day of work, there is the serenity of the sea at dusk. As white caps dance on the ocean waves, the sunset creates flaming clouds that float in folds over the horizon - As if painted there by a master. The darkness follows soon and is mysterious. The ship’s wake in darkness has a hypnotic effect, with foamy white froth and luminescence that forms never ending patterns in the turbulent waters - I like the lights of the ship in the dark of night - The masthead lights, the red and green sidelights and stern lights. They cut through the night and appear as a mirror of stars in darkness - There are rough stormy nights, and calm, quiet, still nights where the quiet of the mid-watch allows the ghosts of all the Sailors of the world to stand watch with you. They are abundant and unreachable, but ever apparent - And there is always the aroma of fresh coffee from the galley. I like the legends of the Navy and the Navymen that created those legends - I like the proud names of Navy Heroes: Halsey, Nimitz, Beach, Farragut, Rickover and John Paul Jones. A man can find much in this Navy - Comrades in arms, pride in his country - A man can find himself and can revel in this experience. In years to come, when the Sailor is home from the sea, he will still recall with fondness the ocean spray on his face when the sea is angry - There will come a faint aroma of fresh paint in his nostrils, the echo of hearty laughter of the seafaring men who once were close companions - Now landlocked, he will grow wistful of his Navy days, when the seas were the largest part of him and a new port of call was always just over the horizon. Recalling those days and times, he will stand taller and say: "ONCE I WAS A NAVYMAN !” E. A. Hughes, FTCM (SS), USN (Retired) Copyright, 1958, 1978

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