Gertrude Check

I have tried to contact all those with dues in arrears this evening. Please consider renewing national and/or base membership for 2008. Don Bassler, Bremerton Base Commander.

Details of the 2008 Enlisted Submarine Birthday Ball have been announced. Four free tickets, and four $65 tickets remain. They are offered to you, first come, first serve. Call me/Don (One stipulation, One free ticket per couple)

It will be held on Friday, April 25th at the Seattle Sheridan Hotel. As you are well aware this is an annual event organized by active duty personnel. This year the Sub Ball committee has been kind to allot 20 slots for USSVI members. For details: click on http://gertrude-check.up-scope.org/subball.pdf. Call me (Don, 360-479-1642) for Sub Ball tickets before making hotel reservations.

Please review the 2008 Convention Web site at this site: http://ussvi2008.com/. It will be held in the Dallas/Ft Worth area of Texas.

FLASH-01: Spread the word! What if USSVI earned a penny every time you searched
the Internet?

=========================================================
FLASH-01: Spread the word! What if USSVI earned a penny every time you searched
the Internet?
Submitted by: Pat Householder on 2/27/2008
---------------------------------------------------------
What if USSVI earned a penny every time you searched the Internet?

Or, how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support
our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its
advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users
designate.

Starting NOW, use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search
results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of
each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed
up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your
favorite cause.

Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter USSVI as the charity you want
to support.

GoodSearch also has a toolbar you can download from the homepage so that you can
search right from the top of your browser. Click the link at the bottom for the
options.

You can keep track of USSVI's estimated earnings by clicking on “amount raised”
once you designate USSVI as your organization of choice.

The more people who use the site, the more money we’ll earn so please help
spread the word and forward this email to as many people as possible.

We hope you’ll forward this email to your family, friends and co-workers and ask
them to change their search engine to GoodSearch.com.

And, be sure to spread the word!

Thanks, Shipmates...

http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbars.aspx

Take a look at the lower end of the right column for WRD4 Base newsletter links

UPDATE_-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. (141 registered, expect total of 160-170) http://members.shaw.ca/saocwest/2008.htm: Look at attendee list:

.http://members.shaw.ca/saocwest/2008attendees.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. ( Saturday mens day is a go with a visit to the base museum, a tour of one of the new destroyers and dockyard. (Sub is drydock) and a light lunch with beers at the Submarine complex)

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.

UPDATE

Ahoy All,
Arrangements are progressing nicely for our 2008 Submariners Gathering, May 2-3-4, in Victoria, BC.
Ray Hunt, commanding officer of both Rainbow & Okanagan, has confirmed as our Guest of Honour and recent registrants include Keith Nesbit & Brian Fisher ... this is shaping up to be quite the party !!! ... all look forward to visiting Victoria and catching up with their Grilse / Rainbow shipmates.
A reminder that registrations received prior to February 29th are eligible for our Early Bird Draw for refund of one person's registration fee ... on-line details & a downloadable Registration Form are available at http://members.shaw.ca/saocwest/2008.htm
Yours Aye & We look forward to seeing you this coming May.
2008 Gathering Committee,
Submariners Association of Canada West

2008 Lt William "Willie" Spoon Memorial Scholarship Program Update

In mid-January of this year the 2008 Lt. William "Willie" Spoon Memorial scholarship raffle tickets were mailed out to the Bremerton Base membership and, to date,133 members have responded with donations which represents 45% of the membership base. Other members have also responded with generous donations in lieu of raffle tickets.

There are still ~800 raffle tickets at the National Office if anyone wants to sell them to friends and neighbors. Bud Berg has personally sold well over110 tickets.

V/R
Bob Webster - 2008 Scholarship Chairman

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!

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 Thomas Jefferson - 02 SEP 08 @ 1100

USS John Marshall - 17 JUN 08 @ 1100                  USS Lafayette - 10 DEC 08 @ 1100
USS Alexander Hamilton - 19 AUG 08 @1100
USS Andrew Jackson - 15 OCT 08 @ 1100

Subject: USSVI POC Broadcast : #200-009 <Direct Link

Date: 3/11/2008
To: Distribution List

NEWS-01: Quick Bytes
NEWS-02: Some people just can't stay busy enough
NEWS-03: Talking about USS Cavalla (SSK-244)
NEWS-04: SubVet Computer School: Keyboard can help
NEWS-05: Just because...
NEWS-06: You're invited to say farewell...
NEWS-07: A Stain on our Honor...
NEWS-08: NTINS
NEWS-09: Honoring Nautilus
NEWS-10: Yee Haw!!!
NEWS-11: Not Starwars, SPARWARS!
NEWS-12: A Salute to Henry...
VET-01: New VA Vet Centers opening or soon to oen
VET-02: 2008 Federal Benefits Book available on Web
CHARITABLE-??: no Charitable news this time .....
Don "Red" Bassler

Commander

USSVI Bremerton Base

360-479-1642

down-scope@comcast.net

KITSAP- A full day of assistance and networking for veterans and their families, as well as community providers, will be held on Thursday, April 3, at the Givens Community Center, 1026 Sidney Road in Port Orchard.

The first of the day’s events will be a Community Provider Networking luncheon from 11:30am - 1:00pm. Reservations are required for this portion of the day by contacting the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs at 360-725-2180.

“The goal is to expand our network into individual communities and to ensure those active community members know where to turn if a veteran or family member needs help,” said WDVA director John E. Lee.

The second event of the day will be a Veteran/National Guard/Reserve Information & Assistance Fair from 1:30pm - 6:00pm.

This is the traditional Family Activity Day or Veterans Information & Assistance Fair where providers will bring services to veterans and their families. “In addition to veterans, we will also be serving National Guard and Reservists and their families who are being mobilized,” said Lee. Resources for these service members and their families will also be on-site.

The final part of the day will be a Veterans Town Hall, from 6:30pm - 8:00pm. The focus of the presenting panel – to include First Gentleman Mike Gregoire, Senator Derek Kilmer, Representative Larry Seaquist, Representative Patricia Lantz and WDVA director John Lee - will be state veterans issues.

Mount Vernon will hold a similar event on April 22, with Kelso being the site for an event on April 23. For information on similar events being scheduled statewide, visit http://www.dva.wa.gov/public_events.html .

For additional information, contact WDVA at 1-800-562-0132, option 1 or visit http://www.dva.wa.gov/ .

Port Orchard Community Provider Networking Luncheon     April 3, 2008 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
FLYER WDVA Hosts Luncheon for Community Providers
Givens Community Center
Olympic Room
1026 Sidney Road
Port Orchard, WA        POC - Colleen Gilbert (WDVA)
RSVP Required to 360-725-2180 or fax to 360-725-2197
colleen@dva.wa.gov
Port Orchard Veteran/Nat'l Guard/Reserve Information and Assistance Fair        April 3, 2008
1:30 pm - 6 pm

FLYER WDVA Hosts Veterans Information & Assistance Fair - Open to the Public
Givens Community Center
Kitsap Room
1026 Sidney Road
Port Orchard, WA POC - Tom Riggs (WA Nat'l Guard)
253-720-4557 or tomriggs.riggs@us.army.mil
Port Orchard Veterans Town Hall April 3, 2008
6:30 pm - 8 pm

FLYER WDVA Hosts Veterans Town Hall - Open to the Public
Givens Community Center
Kitsap Room
1026 Sidney Road
Port Orchard, WA POC - Heidi Audette (WDVA)
360-725-2154
heidia@dva.wa.gov

Colleen Gilbert, Community and Public Relations
Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs
PO Box 41150
Olympia WA 98504-1150
360-725-2180
www.dva.wa.gov

Ahoy All,

The Submariners Association of Canada West current on-line Newsletter is now up-loaded for your perusal ...

http://members.shaw.ca/thesubmariner/08iipi.htm
Yours Aye,

Bob Emery (for SAOC West)

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	Red Robin, 10455 Silverdale Way Nw, Silverdale, WA 98383
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	Sizzler, 3558 Wheaton Way Bremerton, WA
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