sierran newsletter

A newsletter for the

U.S.S. Sierra Veterans AssociATION

Volume 03 March 2013

Crew Of The USS Sierra

Next Port of Call - Charleston!

This year our reunion brings us to an old

homeport for many of the crew members of the

USS Sierra.

As always, we’ll have two fun-filled and

interesting days of tours, enjoying breakfast on

the mess decks, numerous hours in the hospitality

room recounting our years on board the USS

Sierra and catching up on the goings-on of old

and new shipmates, sharing ideas for our

association at the membership meeting, enjoying

a feast of food and friends at a great banquet

dinner, and to start it off - new this year - a

“Welcome B-B-Q”.

Bill Skillin has worked hard on this

reunion and listened to all the input from our last

USS Sierra AD-18 Veterans Association reunion.

At our last reunion in San Antonio

(Editor’s Note: Another great time - Thank you, Malcolm Jones), the association looked

into future reunions. At the membership meeting

the new ports of call for the USS Sierra Veterans

Association were discussed and agreed upon.

One of the important points brought out at

the meeting was the importance of planning our

reunions well in advance. And plan we did.

Our new course for our reunions will take

the association to two more ports that were

important to the crew of the Sierra - Chicago and

Norfolk.

Many of our US Navy careers started with

Service to our

country

1944 to 1993

a not-so-friendly “Welcome to the US Navy” in

Great Lakes Boot Camp in the Chicago area,

and many of us boarded the USS Sierra in

Norfolk, Virginia.

Our next reunions will continue to be a

great time to get together, enjoy some good

food, some interesting and memorable sights,

and, most importantly, some great conversations

with past shipmates, meeting new shipmates,

and renewing many of the those friendships.

US Navy Status - February 2013

Total Force = 317,054 Officers = 52,724 Enlisted = 259,876 Total ships = 288 Ships deployed = 101 Aircraft = 3,700 The US Senate has prioritized helping

veterans find employment New Navy grey ship paint likely to greatly

reduce maintenance The minesweeper USS Guardian, grounded

off the Philippines, will be dismantled by the US Navy

news from the fleet

page 1

Crews news

Tony Molinar (48-51) wrote to Harold and included photocopies of

part of the process of the dismantling of the USS Sierra for the Newsletter.

The initial images were taken of the scraping in 1996.

Tony also told Harold that a shipmate of his, Jack Davis (49-53) was

seriously ill.

(JAE - Tony, thanks for the note and the photocopies. They certainly are a sad sight. I’m sure all our Sierra shipmates will keep Jack in our prayers.)

Barbara Hill’s wife of Chuck Hill (46-47) sent a packet of USS

Sierra memorabilia including menus from the Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners in Tsingtao, China

in 1946, pictures of Chuck at work on the USS Sierra, and other fun stuff.

(JAE - Thank you so much Barbara for the items. They will be at the Charleston reunion

and look for them in future Sierran Newsletters.)

Jerry Ness (59-62) mailed a letter to ‘Crews News’ trying to contact James McCall and James

Swanson. James McCall’s letter was in the past Newsletter and Bill Skillin was able to give Jerry some

information about both shipmates.

(JAE - Jerry, both Bill and I were glad to help you out. Although sometimes not thought about, that is some of the benefits of membership in the USS Sierra (AD-18) Veterans Association.)

Steve Grecco (59-63) mailed in his dues and mentioned to Bill that the reminder on his mailing

label was a great friendly reminder. Steve is all paid up and plans on attending our next reunion.

(JAE - Steve, looking forward to seeing you at the reunion and thanks for noticing the dates on the mailing label.)

Cally Christenson, daughter of Lyle M. “Chris” Christenson (44-46) mailed in that her Dad,

Lyle M. Christenson FC1 had passed and just how much he loved the USS Sierra. Our shipmate was

at our San Antonio reunion and we all had a chance to share sea stories with Chris. Cally enclosed the

beautiful Memory Card with a picture of the USS Sierra in the background, and a picture of our

shipmate in his dress blues on the front.

(JAE - Cally, thank you so much for the letter and the card. Please be assured that the card and memories will be shared at our Charleston reunion.) James Swanson (59-62) sent in some assorted photos of the USS Sierra including a picture of her

docked in Gitmo. Great pics.

(JAE - James, as mentioned, I’m working on getting photos in our Newsletter so that they can be shared with all our shipmates.) Frank R Johnson Jr (60-63) included a short note of thanks to the officers of the association, with a

“Bravo Zulu” and a “Well Done”.

(JAE - Thanks from the executive board. As a “Snipe” it’s nice words to hear from a LCDR and especially a Chief Engineer.)

page 2

Welcome Aboard our ship’s

veterans association:

James Swanson (59-62) E-4

Father David Holloway (74-76) IC2

Gordon Evans (72-75)

George Unger (63-65) BT3

Suzanne Whitaker (82-84) IC3

Lesa McCormas (88-89) LCDR

Larry M Stevens (71-74) MR2

Welcome Aboard!

T a p s It is with deep sadness that we wish

safe passage in heavenly waters to our departed shipmates:

Frank Wilson

Larry Engel

Lyle “Chris” Christenson

Joseph K Schevitz

Johannes Rasmussen

Your Dues Make It Work

As members of the USS Sierra

Veterans Association, your membership dues are what make it all work. From the newsletter, the website, the information file of shipmates, and, of course, the annual reunion, your membership keeps the USS Sierra Veterans Association afloat. Thank you. Just a friendly reminder about those dues. Please note the four digit number behind your name - that is the year that your dues expire. If your dues expired in 2007, 2008, 2009, or 2010 please consider this as a final notice and please mail in your payment to continue to be a part of the association. Past due payments are due by March 31, 2013. Dues are a mere $20.00 per year and help keep all the hands of the USS Sierra AD-18 in touch with each other. Please contact Bill Skillin, Treasurer, with any questions you may have. Bill’s email address is sierra7073@bcglobal.net. His phone is (816) 584-0055 Please make checks payable to the USS Sierra AD-18 Veterans Association and mail to: USS Sierra AD-18 Veterans Association Bill Skillin 5408 NW Crooked Road Parksville, MO 64152 Example

In advance - Thank you.

John Doe 2012 123 Main Street Hometown, USA

page 3

Congratulations to our Lifetime

members of the USS Sierra AD-18 Veterans Association:

Leon Stewart

Lewis A Miller

Russell A Nelson

Tony Molinar

Dale Weed

Roland Proctor

Harold L Buehler

Joseph N Rich

Gaylord Sanders

Kenneth Carver

Lifetime

Members

USS SIERRA AD-18

2013 Charleston Reunion Information

Plans for our 2013 reunion in Charleston, South Carolina, are almost complete. We

will be staying at the Sheraton Charleston Airport Hotel, located at 4770 Goer Drive, North

Charleston, SC 29406. The reunion arrival date is October 9 2013, and departure on October

12, 2013. We have a block of rooms reserved and most of them are already gone. Once our

reserved rooms are gone and the hotel becomes 80% booked our reunion rate will no longer be available. It is anticipated that could happen as early as July. Therefore, if you

are planning on attending the reunion, we would encourage you to book your hotel room early

to ensure getting the reunion rate (and now is not too soon). You may make your reservation by

calling 1-888-747-1900 and ask for the USS Sierra Reunion rate per night of $112.37 tax

included. If you are spending additional time in the Charleston area, the hotel offers the

reunion rate three days prior and post of the actual reunion dates. The hotel also offers a

complimentary shuttle to and from the airport, as well as to the Historic Downtown Charleston

area.

Your registration fee of $90.00 per person includes: refreshments and snacks in the

USS Sierra AD-18 Veterans Association hospitality room the duration of the reunion, breakfast

buffet on Thursday and Friday mornings, the Reunion Banquet on Friday night with your

choice of entrée (Prime Rib or Tilapia) and something new this year, our icebreaker BBQ

Thursday evening.

We have the following tours planned and the pricing information for the reunion tours

are as follows:

DAY ONE - a bus trip to Patriots Point home of the USS Yorktown (CV-5), the USS

Laffey (DD-724), the USCG Cutter Ingham (WHEC-35) and the submarine USS

Clamagore (SS-343) with lunch provided and served in the CPO Mess Galley of the

USS Yorktown and return. We will be touring the old Charleston Naval Base where the

Sierra was berthed on our way to Patriots Point. $66.00 per person

DAY TWO – a boat ride to historic Fort Sumter, with a tour of the Fort and then cruise

the Charleston waterfront. The Fort Sumter tour will end in historic downtown

Charleston where you will be able to have lunch on your own and browse the shops then

we will board the bus for a tour of Historic downtown Charleston and the return to the

hotel. $71.00 per person

All registrations for the Charleston reunion must be mailed to the Treasurer prior

to August 31, 2013. If you only plan to attend the Icebreaker or the Banquet, you must

still register before the August 31, 2013 deadline. Per our contract with the hotel,

advance notification of the number of participants attending each function and pre-

payments are required. This allows the hotel to provide us the best service and pricing

possible for our reunion activities. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

We are looking forward to a great reunion in Charleston in 2013. Registration form is

enclosed and more information will be provided in the next newsletter. If you have any

questions you may call Bill Skillin at 816-584-0055.

page 4

October 9, 10, 11 & 12, 2013

Sheraton- Charleston Airport Hotel

4770 Goer Drive, North Charleston, SC 29406 Reservations: (888) 747-1900 Front Desk: (843) 747-1900

__________________________________________________________________

DAY AND DATE TIME ACTIVITY AND LOCATION

Tuesday, October 8 4:00 p.m. Governors arrive

Wednesday, October 9 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. Governors breakfast Hotel Restaurant

8:30 a.m. to Noon Governors meeting

2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration – Hospitality Room

2:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Hospitality Room – tba

Thursday, October 10 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Breakfast – Hotel Restaurant

8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Patriots Point Tour

10:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Hospitality Room – tba

4:00 p.m. to ? General Meeting – tba

6:00p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Icebreaker/ BBQ tba

Friday, October 11 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Breakfast – Hotel Retaurant

9:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Fort Sumter, Historic Charleston

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hospitality Room – tba

6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Reception – Pre-function Area

7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Banquet Dinner – tba

Saturday, October 12 Checkout Until we meet again at our 2014 Reunion.

NOTES

1. The deadline is August 31, 2013 for reunion registration and tour sign up. Sheraton Charleston

Airport Hotel reservations deadline is September 6, 2013.

2. The charge for the reunion, including hospitality room, BBQ & banquet, is $90.00 per person.

The banquet will feature Slow Roasted Prime Rib of Beef or Market Street Tilapia.

3) Also, please bring a gift for the gift drawing. Suggested spending is $10.00 to $15.00. Select

something from your state or hometown.

NOTE: All times are subject to change.

page 5

Plan of the day

Uss sierra—26th reunion

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: USS SIERRA VETERANS ASSOCIATION MAIL TO:USS Sierra AD-18 Veterans Association

5408 NW Crooked RD

Parkville MO 64152

TELEPHONE: 816-584-0055

Name of Shipmate _____________________________ Address _____________________________

City _____________________ State _______ Zip ________ Phone______________Price$_____________

Name of Spouse, Relative, Guest_________________________________ Price$_____________

Tour#1: 10/10/13 (8:45am-1:30pm) A Day at Patriots Point

$66.00 per person No ____X $66.00=Price$_____________

Tour#2: 10/11/13 (8:45am-3:00pm) Historic Downtown Charleston, Ft Sumter

$71.00 per person No ___X $71.00=Price$______________

Banquet: 10/11/13 (7:00pm-?) - Dinner Choice of Shipmate Prime Rib____ Tilapia____

Dinner Choice of Guest Prime Rib____ Tilapia____

Depart: 10/12/13 – Until we meet again in Chicago in 2014

*NOTE: Tour # 1 Lunch provided. Tour #2 includes time for shopping and lunch on your own.

My check is enclosed for this total amount (to include dues- add $20.00 per year) TOTAL $_____________

* * * Please make all checks payable to: USS SIERRA VETERANS ASSOCIATION * * *

Registration fee is $90.00 per person and must be received prior to Aug. 31, 2013. Please

register the following for attendance at the 26th reunion on October 9, 10, 11 & 12, 2013 at the Sheraton

Charleston Airport Hotel, 4770 Goer Drive, North Charleston, SC 29406.

Thursday night Icebreaker/ BBQ only $25.00 Friday night Banquet only $40.00

Registrations for the Icebreaker only or Banquet only must be made with the Treasurer at the above

telephone number prior to the Aug. 31, 2013 deadline.

***********************************DETACH HERE****************************

USS SIERRA (AD-18) Hotel Reservation Form

Mail to: Sheraton Charleston Airport Hotel,

4770 Goer Drive, North Charleston, SC 29406 Attention: Reservation Manager Telephone: (888) 747-1900 Front desk (843) 747-1900

Dates: Oct 9, 10, 11& 12, 2013 Rate: $ 112.37 tax included.

Room Type Request: King ________ Double _________ Handicap ____________

Special Needs _____ Non-smoking______ Smoking__________

Please reserve_____room(s) for____person(s). Will Arrive__________ Depart_____________

Name(s)_____________________________________________________________________

Address____________________________________

City____________________State________Zip__________

Telephone Number__________________E-Mail Address______________________________________

Check-in time is 3:00 PM. Check-out time is 12.00 noon.

Please make checks for cash payments payable to: Sheraton- Charleston Airport Hotel or use a credit card

Note: If paying by check, at least one night’s room and tax is required. Reservations for

hotel must be received no later than September 6, 2013 in order to get the reunion rate.

* Mention USS SIERRA (AD-18) REUNION TO GET REUNION RATES *

page 6

NEW OFFICER: While a Destroyer Tender pulls into Borneo for liberty it is cut down to a skeleton watch . With most of the crew ashore the ship was empty for the night. A local freighter was loading cargo and in one of the crates was an orangutan headed for a zoo. The orangutan broke out of his crate, walked the pier, and climbed up the mooring lines of the AD and climbed down to the engine room unnoticed. He came to the electrical panel that was opened for maintenance, ignoring the safety ropes, and managed to make contact with the 440 volt bus bar. Bright blue sparks flew and the entire ship suddenly went dark. A few minutes later, a seaman and a 3rd Class Petty Officer are searching with their flashlights for the problem. They come upon the burnt and hairy orangutan and look at each other. They stare for awhile. They look at his short stubby legs and his long, long arms. Finally the 3rd Class tells the Seaman: “Okay, his legs are too short for a machinist mate, his arms are too long for a boiler technician, and he’s too hairy for an electrician mate. Call the wardroom, see if any junior officer is missing.” STAND IN LINE: “Well” the old Navy Chief said to the Seaman Apprentice. “I suppose after you get discharged from the Navy, you’ll just be waiting for me to die so that you can come and dance on my grave.” “Not me, Chief!” the Seaman replied. “Once I get out of the Navy, I’m never going to stand in line again!” NEVER LEFT THE NAVY: On a family night out, it became obvious to us that Dad, an old sailor, had never really left the Navy. As my father pulled our family car in front the restaurant, my brother started to get out of the car. “Hang on!” Dad shouted. “Wait till we pull up to the pier” NEW CREW: Jim was just out of Navy Boot Camp and was on his first ship. Shortly after getting underway on their first deployment he felt a bit ill. He approached an ensign, also just out of training and on his first cruise. He saluted and asked “Excuse me sir, I am feeling seasick, and I wondered if I might go downstairs to the dispensary.” The ensign returned the salute and quickly replied, “Sailor, you are in the Navy now. You don’t go downstairs, you go below. There is no dispensary on this ship, there is a sick bay. Not only that, that is not a ceiling, it is an overhead, that is not a pillar, that is a stanchion, that is not the floor, that is the deck. If I ever hear you using civilian words instead of Navy jargon, I will throw you out of that little round window over there.”

page 7

Uss sierra ad-18 veterans association

25 maple road

Iselin, nj 08830

To:

President’s Message

This year’s reunion should prove to

be an excellent one. Great job by Bill Skillin to get this one going. With Charleston being one of the homeports for the USS Sierra, we expect a huge turn out. With that in mind, please register early. Please don’t forget your membership dues. Remember the Newsletter, the reunions, website, and camaraderie are all a part of your membership in the USS Sierra AD-18 Veterans Association.

As always, let’s remember all our servicemen and women who are serving our country. We were there once. God speed to each and everyone of them.

Harold L. Buehler, President

Harold L Buehler

In past newsletters we’ve asked for

news about you, the crew of the USS Sierra.

Our next issue will have a great story

about one of our crew members.

After the tragedy of the Sullivan

brothers on the cruiser USS Juneau (CL-52),

in 1942 the US Navy would not allow

siblings to serve on the same ship.

The Jones brothers changed that

when they served together aboard another

cruiser, the USS Boston (CA-69).

More to come in the next newsletter,

and the newspaper article will be at the

Charleston reunion about our own Chief

Petty Officer Malcolm Jones.

Keep the news coming!

Shipmate

News