Gertrude Check

Welcome aboard new members Seth Voyce ( Georgia. ?), Josie Jenkins III (Ohio,?) and Pete McLean (Andrew Jackson, Barbel, Nathan Hale) recruited by Bill Dandeneau

USSVI Bremerton Base Life member Angus McColl reports that his wife, Denise, a cancer patient, has developed yet another brain tumor. Hopefully, she will be able to make her oldest daughter (Heather) a base scholarship recipient's wedding in late February in Kentucky.

USSVI Bremerton Base Life Member John Clear, a diesel boat historian, will make a presentation at Keyport's Naval Undersea Museum on Saturday, Mach 8th at 2 PM in the Bonnin Room.

WD4 Commander Bud Berg. Life Member Ed Foskett and member Rocky Park conducted a recruiting effort at TTF today. They recruited two new members, Numbers 300 & 301. Their names will be announced next week.

With the above in mind, I urge all members that have not paid 2008 dues to do so. We are doing our best to provide interesting meetings with speakers and many other activities along with a first class national magazine, the American Submariner and base newsletter, Puget Soundings.

Base Storekeeper and Life Member Tommy Robinson is on the binnacle list. He is at home awaiting a oral surgery in the next day or two while on the mend from a breathing ailment.

The Submarine Association of Canada (SAOC West) is putting on an International Gathering of Submariners in Victoria BC from 2-5 May 2008. They are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the commissioning of the HMC submarines Okanagan and Rainbow . We are invited. Please look at this web page for details and a registration form. http://members.shaw.ca/saocwest/2008.htm.

The registration fee covers a Friday meet and greet event, the Saturday evening Banquet and Dance and the Sunday brunch plus a tour or two.

Some of our members have registered, including myself. I suggest others consider this opportunity reunite or meet with our Canadian hosts. Several supported us on our cruise convention and you will find them very delightful and friendly.

Just found your "Gertrude Check" web site. I thought you and your readers might be interested in the attached. I am the author of Unknown Waters, A First-Hand Account of the Historic Under-Ice Survey of the Siberian Continental Shelf by USS Queenfish (SSN-651) and, of course her skipper during this voyage. The book has been published and will be shipped out to book stores this coming week (vice late March as listed by the Amazon.com web sites. Talks (see attached) and "book signings" are now being set up, with the first one scheduled for Bay Books on Orange Avenue in Coronado, California, the evening of 28 February 2008. No other Navy towns as yet, although other signings have been firned up for the Nautical Archaeological Institute at, and the University itself, at Texas A & M, The Explorers Club in New York City, the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado, and the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge University in England. I would particularly like to do one in the Seattle/Bangor/Pacific Northwest area, if it can be set up, because that was our departure point for the expedition

I will be happy to sign any copies purchased, if mailed to me along with a self-addressed and adequately stamped (about $5.60 postage) envelope.

Best regards,

Alfred S. McLaren

Captain, USN (Ret.), Ph.D.

Director and Senior Pilot

Sub Aviator Systems LLC www.subaviators.com

PO Box 3120

Nederland, Colorado 80466-3120"

(PS: I responded to Capt McLaren with a contact at Keyport Museum for a presentation/book signing)

Please read below, a proposed amendment to USSVI Constitution concerning Holland Club. Please respond to below ads.

(I already have made my view clear to them/Don)

"We at Charleston Base are submitting a proposed amendment to the National Constitution and would like your support in this effort. Those at the National level need to know this is important to all USSVI members. PLEASE pass the following information on to your base leadership, general membership, District Commander and Regional Director.

As you know, currently the Constitution states that one has to be qualified for 50 years or more and be either a National Life Member or be a member in good standing for 5 or more consecutive years. The part we want changed is the 5-year requirement for annual members. As we see it, once a guy is qualified for 50 years he should be inducted into the Holland Club regardless of how long he has been a member of USSVI. That is the main reason, however several other factors can affect a member's eligibility. Since pretty much everyone who is qualified for 50 years is in their 70's a major concern is health. For example: a new guy joins as an annual member and is 75 years old (probably just heard about USSVI) possibly has some health issues and doesn't want (or cannot afford) to spend $200 for National Life membership. He pays dues for four years and he has major medical problems (or even a spouse with problems) and his membership lapses a year. When he re-joins he has to start the 5-year requirement all over again. This in our opinion is totally wrong.

Similarly, what if the member goes on eternal patrol at the 3 or 4-year point (or 4 years, 11 months)? Sure seems like we as an organization can induct these guys and recognize them for their accomplishment without having them "buy" Holland Club membership. We feel this also lives up to our creed.

As mentioned earlier, we believe that when a member reaches the qualified for 50 year milestone he should be inducted into the Holland Club regardless of how long he has been a member of USSVI.

We want you to know that we are submitting this proposal because if it doesn't make the ballot you would never know it was submitted. We also believe that the majority of USSVI members are in agreement with and will support this proposed change. PLEASE discuss this amendment with your base leadership and membership. Also discuss it with your District and Regional Commanders. The National leadership of this organization needs to know that this is an important issue with the membership.

Below is the proposed change:

Currently the article reads as follows:

Section 4: HOLLAND CLUB

A. Any member who has been designated “Qualified in Submarines” for fifty (50) years or more and who is either (a) a National Life Member in good standing, or (b) an annual member in good standing for five or more consecutive years, is eligible to become a member of the “Holland Club” within the organization.

The proposed change is to paragraph A as follows:

Section 4: HOLLAND CLUB

A. Any member who has been designated “Qualified in Submarines” for fifty (50) years or more and who is a member in good standing is eligible to become a member of the “Holland Club” within the organization.

Please send any feed back to me.

Regards,

Carl Chinn, Vice Commander/Membership Chairman/Newsletter

Charleston Base, USSVI"

Respond to

Author Carl Chinn carlc@sc.rr.com

NJVC Householder householderp@comcast.net

C&B CHairman Bill Lee sub_ssn589@yahoo.com

WRD Dave Harnish daveharnish@cox.net

WD4 Cdr Bud Berg crberg@comcast.net

Bremerton Base Commander Don Bassler down-scope@comcast.net

Jim Demott and I discussed start up and maintenance of the USSVI Base Web Site provided by National. As I have most of the images and other information on hand, and I can just as well update the site as relaying it through him to post. He is also a working person and I have the time. I envision this site to eventually replace the Gertrude-Check site as it is easy to update and can provide links to specialty image pages, if needed./Don

As you will note, quite a few our faces are already up on the site. Please consider submitting your face pictures to me. Two for each member. It is suggested that one be from yesteryear and a current one so all can see handsome or beautiful you are or were or both. Instructions on the site. The image should be in JPG format and reduced in SIZE (in pixels) not exceed a WIDTH of 200 pixels or a HEIGHT of 176 pixels. I will resize and crop any images you send.

Lets fill it up, especially with those "then" images.

2008 Lt William "Willie" Spoon Memorial Scholarship Program Update

Scholarship Chairman Bob Webster reports: "To date $2915 has been collected for the 2008 scholarship program." I thank all of you donors for your generosity. I also appreciate those members' efforts that are selling lots of raffle tickets and collecting raffle prizes./Don B

2008 Applications, Instruction and Tips at Mason, Jefferson and Kitsap county high schools and Olympic College. Eligible Students are children or grandchildren of qualified submariners (need not be members) living in those counties or any child or grandchild of a submarine qualified Bremerton Base member in good standing. Bob may be contacted at 360-307-9012 or e-mail rwebster@web-o.net for questions, applications etc. This year, 11- $1250 scholarships will be awarded and a $1250 donation will be made to the USSVI National Charitable Foundation Scholarship Fund

As a member you should have received 10 raffle tickets and a note to be returned in a addressed envelope with any donation to the Scholarship Chairman. If you are unable to sell or buy the tickets, please return them in the envelope. This raffle has a grand prize of $500, and a 2nd prize of $250 plus many, many smaller gift certificates and the like. Please note that over half of the funding for these scholarship are financed by this annual event. Also Bob has left 1000 tickets in the national office with Fred if you need more.

Raffle Prizes (gift certificates) are solicited from local restaurants that we visit 2 or 3 times a year each. Listed to the right are the ones that made contributions in 2007. Also individual members are encouraged to solicit prizes or cash contributions from businesses that you trade with. It is suggested that you go back to the ones you solicited last year for a donation. Here is a pdf file that appeared in last July/August's Puget Soundings that could be used to show what we did. Also this letter (word file) could be used to solicit prizes.

GO GET EM!

As many know, Base Storekeeper Tommy Robinson has really revved up of the Bremerton Base Ships Store. His sense of business has really made the store a profitable venture for the base. His enthusiasm and constant updating of products available for you to purchase is remarkable. He has even started up a webpage for the store and is taking vest orders via an order form. Please take a look here. The page is just a starter and I am sure he will have more info on it later on. His reputation has Subvets around the country ordering from him. Great job Tommy!

An international gathering of submariners in Victoria in May 2008 http://members.shaw.ca:80/saocwest/2008.htm

The Lone Sailor Statue Project Bremerton Base has forwarded a check to the Lone Sailor Statue Project for $1000 and received a thank you npte. According to Co-chairman, Tim Thomson, the base will get permanent recognition. Hopefully you will consider contributing to this project's success. See Donor list here and recently updated.

NEW SKED You can still make your submarine experience count! Trident Training Center (TTF) Command Master Chief Scott Fusco and USSVI Bremerton Base Past Commander John Gardner have a program that lets you share your submarine experience and lessons learned with young sailors graduating from the TTF ET course. Each one of the classes has been named after one of the "Forty One for Freedom". On graduation day Master Chief Fusco invites a team of two Bremerton Base members (preferably that has served on that class's name sake boat) in, to give a short talk on their experiences, etc. We have been involved in two or three of these graduations to date.

Coming up on the following dates are graduating classes with the boat names with members names that served on those boats. TEAM UP! Then/or e-mail John (jgardner@donobi.net) or call him at

360-692-8994.

                      NAVET                                                               Radioman
USS Sam Houston - 15 APR 08 @ 1100                 USS Ethan Allen - 04 MAR 08 @ 1100
USS John Marshall - 17 JUN 08 @ 1100                 USS Mario G Vallejo - 16 MAY 08 @ 1100
USS Alexander Hamilton - 19 AUG 08 @1100       USS Thomas Jefferson - 02 SEP 08 @ 1100
USS Andrew Jackson - 15 OCT 08 @ 1100            USS Lafayette - 10 DEC 08 @ 1100

Subject: USSVI POC Broadcast : #200-005 <Direct Link

Date: 2/9/2008
To: Distribution List

NEWS-01: Navy names 3 new Virginia Class SSN's
NEWS-02: A Hero's story resurfaces!
NEWS-03: One Base helps restore boats and can help you also!
NEWS-04: Quick Bytes
NEWS-05: Just Because - Membership Qual Statistics
NEWS-06: Memorial Bricks Now Available
NEWS-07: SubLant & SubPac Sailor of the Year Program
NEWS-08: Calling for Support Advertising for the Ft Worth 2008 Convention Booklet
NEWS-09: Natl Commander visits the land of ice and snow!
NEWS-10: Razorback Base has a big heart
NEWS-11: Farewell, Augusta... We're going to miss you.
NEWS-12: Sneak Preview: For 'Boat Reunion Association' Officers
NEWS-13: Help Wanted for USSVI Library Committee
NEWS-14: Help Preserve our Boats. Preserving our Heritage Program
VET-??: no Veteran Updates this time .....
CHARITABLE-01: What is the SubVet Charitable Foundation?
CHARITABLE-02: Your SubVet Charity Needs Your Support

Don "Red" Bassler

Commander

USSVI Bremerton Base

360-479-1642

down-scope@comcast.net

2008 Soup Down Sked

11:45 Start Time

1-4	Sunset Grill, 4926 Point Fosdick Dr NW, Gig Harbor
11	Keeper's Cove Restaurant,7989 Salish Lane NE, Kingston
18	Pats Restaurant, East Bremerton
25	Aztecca, Silverdale
2-1	Harbor Rock Cafe, 6565 Kimball Dr , Gig Harbor
8	Boat Shed, Bremerton, under the Manette Bridge
15	Azteca, 19045 Highway 305, Poulsbo
22	Tony's, 4908 Kitsap Way, Bremerton
29	Clear Water Casino, Suquamish
3-7	Silver City Brewery, 2799 NW Myhre Rd, Silverdale
14	JJ's Fish House, 18881 Front St NE, Poulsbo
21	Sizzler, 3558 Wheaton Way, East Bremerton
28	Cloverleaf Sports Bar and Grill, 1240 Hollis St, Bremerton
4-4	FRA #29, 521 National Ave, Bremerton
11	Brother Don's, 4200 Kitsap Way, Bremerton
18	Whiskey Creek, 1918 Washington Street, Keyport
25	Sunset Grill, 4926 Point Fosdick Dr NW, Gig Harbor
5-2	Keeper's Cove Restaurant,7989 Salish Lane NE, Kingston
9	Mandarin, 2928 Nw Bucklin Hill Rd, Silverdale, Next to Azteca
16	Ceasar's Restaurant, 3621 Wheaton Way, East Bremerton
23	Airport Diner, Bremerton Airport
30	Ponderay Café , Callow Ave Bremerton
6-6	2 Margaritas, 10600 Silverdale Way, Silverdale
13	Pats Restaurant, East Bremerton
20	Whiskey Creek, 1918 Washington Street, Keyport
27	Brother Don's, 4200 Kitsap Way, Bremerton