Newsletter 3

This is our Third Ships Newsletter to be created in this format. If you would like to contribute an article, a piece of Navy or Plymouth Rock history, photo, memory or anything that might be of interest to you or other shipmates, you can sent it as an e-mail to:

Bill Provencal, Association Secretary at:
billinp@metrocast.net

or regular mail at:
Bill Provencal
37 South Main Street
Pittsfield, NH 03263

Our website is found at www.worldpath.net/~billinp/index.html. The website is maintained on a daily basis by Bill Provencal, Webmaster USS Plymouth Rock Association.

This is the third issue of the Plymouth Rock newsletter. We will publish a newsletter every 4 months (3 times a year). Our plan is to e-mail the newsletter to all Crew Members who have e-mail and to mail the newsletter to all paid association members. The newsletter prior to the reunion date, we will mail the newsletter to all Crew members either by e-mail or regular mail. If you change address or e-mail address be sure to let me (Bill Provencal) know so we can update our Crews List. My e-mail is billinp@metrocast.net

It would help us if those of you who receive the mailed copy of the newsletter and have e-mail to let me know what your e-mail address is.

As you can imagine any group or association such as ours requires funds. Our primary source of revenue are the bi-annual dues of $20.00. Please be advised that dues for 2001-2002 are due prior to the reunion in June 2003. Anyone who wants to pay their 2003-2004 dues in advance, Bob Nichols assures me that they will be gladly accepted. For those of you who are not paid Association members, any support in the form of dues would be appreciated. To become a member of the USS Plymouth Rock Association complete the Application for Membership which can be found in the Ships Website on the Links Page and mail to Bob Nichols.

                    Bob Nichols, EM1
                    24 Geraldine Rd.
                    N. Arlington, NJ   07031
                    201.998.5778
                    E-mail: enichols24@aol.com

**Paid Association Members**
Allaire, Bob	Andersen, Harry	Baldwin, Brad	Balf, Jim	Bello, Ralph
Bena, Joe	Bierce, George	Bild, Bob	Boyer, Earl	Buchanan, Richard
Bullington, Calvin	Caldwell, Tim	Casilllas, Greg	Chappel, John	Conboy, Bill
Copeland, Tory	Crowl II, Martin	Cypher, Harold	Cyr, Dennis	Dalfonzo, Sam
DeCastro, Tom	Dussault, Andrew	Edwards, R. A.	Eldridge, Margurite	Fisher, Jack E
Fisher, Jay	Forton, Andrew	Freeman, James	Greco, Jr., Sal	Gregory, Peter
Guertin, Jerry	Hart, Ed	Hartson, George	Hoffman, Dave	Hopper, Richard
Jennings, Seeley	Jepson, Norm	Johnson, John	Joyce, Ed	King, Ronald
Krolak, Ray	Kuhns, Jimmy	Lamay, Roger	Luttrell, James	Madill, Shorty
Mathis, Richard	McAvoy Sr., John	McCully, Wade	Mohawk, Paul	Moyer, Larry
Murtha, Jerry	Muse, John	Musella, Rocco	Nichols, Bob	O"Neil, Marty
O'Neil, Thomas	Power, Rand	Provencal, Bill	Purvis, Anthony	Pyle, Ted
Raniszewski, Louis	Rhine, Don	Robinson, Jim	Robinson, Warren	Rose, Chris
Schneider, James	Scott, Bill	Shanahan, Robert	Shewchuk, Richard	Simon, George
Sims, Bill	Smith, Larry	Stoval, Jack	Stull, John III	Tacinelli, Jerry
Verhagen, Mike	Viaene, Robert	Wagner, Paul	Wagner, Tom	Ward, James
Ziemba, James	Conroy, Mike	Edwards, Maurice

Any paid Association members (2001-2002) who are not on this list and who have paid their dues, please contact Bob Nichols.

Makes You Believe in Mankind Again
contributed by BTC Harry T. Andersen, USN, Ret

This is an e-mail from a young Ensign aboard USS Winston Churchill (DDG-81) to his parents after the events of September 11. (USS Churchill is an Arleigh Burke class of AEGIS Guided Missile Destroyer, commissioned March 10, 2001, and is the only active US warship named after a foreign national)

Dear Dad, "We are still at sea. The remainder of our port visits have all been cancelled. We have spent every day since the attacks going back and forth within imaginary boxes drown in the ocean, standing high security watches, and trying to make the best of it. We have seen the articles and photographs, and they are very sickening. Being isolated, I don't think we appreciate the full scope of what is happening back home, but we are definitely feeling the effects".

"About two hours ago, we were hailed by a German destroyer, Lutjens, requesting persimmon to pass close by our port side. Strange, since we're in the middle of an empty ocean, but the captain acquiesced and we prepared to render them honors from our bridgewind. As they were making their approach, our conning officer used binoculars and announced that Lutjens was flying not the German, but the American flag. As she came alongside us, we say the American flog flying half mast and her entire crew topside standing at silent, rigid attention in their dress uniform. They made a sign that was displayed on her side that read "We Stand By You", There was not a dry eye on the bridge as they stayed alongside us for a few minutes and saluted. It was the most powerful thing I have seen in my life. The German Navy did an incredible thing for this crew, and it has truly been the highest point in the days since the attacks. It's amazing to that that only half-century ago things were quite different. After Lutjens pulled away, the Officer of the Deck, who had been planning to get out later this year, turned to me and said, "I'm staying Navy". I'll write you when I know more****"

The ships reunion will be held at the Ramada-Waukegan Inn and Conference Center,
200 N. Green Bay Road, Waukegan, Ill. Phone:847-244-2400
Fax: 847-249-9716
If you are planning on attending you should send in your reservation card as soon as possible. If you do not have a card, then contact Harry Andersen at 847-336-2151 or e-mail: andycporetsnipe@aol.com

How to Get to the Ramada:
From Chicago: 1-94, North to Exit 120 East (Belvidere Rd.) 3 miles to Green Bay Rd., turn left (North) 1 mile on left-hand side.

From O"Hare Airport: Follow signs that read "To Milwaukee" then 1-94 North to Exit 120 East (Belvidere Rd.) 3 miles to Green Bay Rd., turn left (North) 1 mile on left-hand side.

From Milwaukee: 1-94 North to Exit 132 East 3 miles to Green Bay Rd., turn left (South) 1/4 mile on right-hand side.

Sunday, June 8, 2003:
Shipmates: FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS ON YOUR JOURNEY HOME. SEE YOU IN 2005

Amphibious Group at sea, 17 April 1964 h85059t.jpg (7241 bytes)

The ships are USS Hermitage (LSD-34) in left foreground, USS Francis Marion (APA-249) in center, USS Plymouth Rock (LSD-29) in the left rear and USS Yancey (APA-93) in the right rear.
Three UH-34 helicopters are flying in formation over the Francis Marion.

Photograph received from USS Francis Marion, 1964.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

Real Chiefs...

REAL CHIEFS - Think Ensigns should be seen and not heard and never ever be allowed to read books on leadership.
REAL CHIEFS - Don't have any civilian clothes.
REAL CHIEFS - Have CPO Association Cards from their last five commands.
REAL CHIEFS - Don't remember when they were not a Chief.
REAL CHIEFS - Wedding Proposal, "There will be a wedding at 1000 hours on 29 October, be there in whites with your gear packed because you will be a prime participant."
REAL CHIEFS - Favorite national holiday is CPO Initiation.
REAL CHIEFS - Keeps four sets of dress khaki uniforms in the closet in hopes they will come back.
REAL CHIEFS - Favorite food is shipboard SOS for breakfast.
REAL CHIEFS - Don't know how to tell civilian time.
REAL CHIEFS - Call each other "Chief."
REAL CHIEFS - Greatest fear is signing for property book items.
REAL CHIEFS - Dream in Navy Blue, White, Haze Gray and occasionally khaki.
REAL CHIEFS - Have served on ships that are now war memorials or tourist attractions.
REAL CHIEFS - Get tears in their eyes when the "Chief" dies in the movie "Operation Pacific."
REAL CHIEFS - Don't like "Certified Navy Twill" (CNT's). "Wash khaki" is the ONLY thing out of which to make a uniform.
REAL CHIEFS - Can find their way to the CPO Club while blindfolded on fifteen different Navy bases.
REAL CHIEFS - Have pictures of ships in their wallets.
REAL CHIEFS - Don't own pens that do not have "Property U.S. Government" printed on them.
REAL CHIEFS - Don't volunteer to get mandatory flu shots.
REAL CHIEFS - Don't order supplies, they swap for them.
REAL CHIEFS - Favorite quote is from the movie Ben Hur, "We keep you alive to serve this ship."
REAL CHIEFS - Think excessive modesty is their only fault.
REAL CHIEFS - Hate to write evaluations, except for their own.
REAL CHIEFS - Turn in a four page brag sheet for their evaluation.
REAL CHIEFS - Last ship was always better.
REAL CHIEFS - Know that the black tar in their coffee cup makes the coffee taste better.
REAL CHIEFS - Idea of heaven: Three good PO1's and a Division Officer who does what he is told.
REAL CHIEFS - Think John Wayne would have made a good Chief if he had not gone soft and made Marine movies.
REAL CHIEFS - Use the term "Good Training" to describe any unpleasant task. Scraping the sides of the ship is "Good Training." Having to sleep on your seabag in the parking lot because there was no room in the barracks is "Good Training."

I received this photo from Clem Schultz, ETR2, a crew member of the USS Fort Snelling (LSD30). Clem took this picture while his ship was operating along side the Plymouth Rock some time in 1965. I was very fascinated by the picture and decided to include it is the January-April newsletter. I would also like at this time to thank publicly those individuals who have taken the time to send me pictures of the Plymouth Rock so that we could include them in the website and newsletter. Without your help, the website would not have the wonderful pictures that we have. Again thank you. These shipmates are:

Being able to locate individuals who have served on board the Plymouth Rock and to talk to them through e-mail has been very rewarding. I do hope at this next reunion that many of you who I have talked to will be able to make the trek to Waukegan. It will be good to see new faces at the reunion. I do hope that each of you will contact each other and keep this association alive and well. I hope that those of you who have never attended a reunion will come to the fourth reunion in Waukegan in the spring of 2003. I know you will meet up with some of the greatest guys you will ever meet.

Ships flight deck loaded with cargo, notice the ships pickup. Picture contributed by John Muse

Thomas W. Hickson	Gerald Holden
Earl Boyer	John Muse
Clem Schultz	John Muse
John McAvoy	James Ziemba