Rocky Mountain Navy Association Newsletter July 2017

Rocky Mountain Navy Association

News The Rocky Mountain Navy Association (RMNA) is a not-for-profit, organization to promote the United States Navy and the Naval Reserve in the local community. Specific out reach efforts have been extended to civic organizations, educational institutions, and the business community. RMNA also provides mission support to the local recruiting command and offers a wide variety of professional development assistance programs to the naval reserve community. Newsletter Contact: James Garrett, CAPT, USNR (Ret.), garrettj3745@yahoo.com This is an interactive newsletter so Click on underlined inks or photos for websites for more information or zoom the page.

Vol. 2 Issue 7

July 2017 If some graphics are unreadable in the current size, just zoom the pdf to increase the size.

We have announced at our last several meetings that our Golf Outing on Monday, August 7th, would take the place of our normal luncheon on the first Wednesday of the month, August 2. Encourage all who are not playing golf to come to the Fitzsimmons Golf clubhouse on August 7th starting at about 3 p.m. or so, instead of for lunch on August 2. We have over 16 signed up for golf.

See You There!

RMNA Interests and Activities Denver Council of Navy League https://www.facebook.com/Denver-Navy-League-295522804808/ Colorado ESGR

https://www.facebook.com/colorado.esgr.1

Navy Recruiting District Denver http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/Denver/ Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/ U. S. Naval Academy Blue and Gold http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/BGO/ USS Colorado (SSN 788) Commissioning Committee http://usscoloradocommittee.org/ Members Annual Golf Tournament

This newsletter is posted online to our website at (www.navrescolorado.org) and Facebook page at (https://www.facebook.com/RockyMountainNavyAssociation/) Do you have an idea or a success story to share? Maybe you’ve heard of an upcoming event that we should all support. Send me your ideas @ garrettj3745@yahoo.com. garrettj3745@yahoo.com. There are so many interesting experiences and op-

Video….

"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." —Benjamin Franklin ."

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Saturday July 22 RMN Summer Party.

At Ron Servis’s Place 11616 West Shaffer Place, Unit S-101 Littleton, Colorado 80127 Go to the Clubhouse (S-101) which is right next to unit 102, beside the American Flag.

Email Dick Young (dickyoung123@gmail.com if you are coming and how many coming including spouses, children, close friends, neighbors and Navy people you know to invite. He will need a head count from you as to whom you are inviting or bringing.

Bio...

Directions to : From C-470, whether coming from the north or from the south, get off at West Ken Caryl Avenue exit and head east. Go maybe a mile or so to West Chatfield Avenue (which runs north and south). Turn right (south) and go to West Shaffer Place, called Shaffer Pl on both Mapquest and Google Maps (maybe a third or so of a mile). Ron’s place is on the southwest corner of West Chatfield Avenue and West Shaffer Place. There is a long row of office condos on West Shaffer Place.

So may need to turn west onto West Shaffer Place to get to the parking for those Condos. The clubhouse where we will be is the furthest unit east. Ron’s unit, I believe, is right next to the Clubhouse (American flag at Clubhouse). Ron Servis’s unit address is 11616 West Shaffer Place, Unit S-102, Littleton, Colorado 80127. Try Shaffer Pl if West Shaffer Pl or Place does not work.

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Amazing Stories

Click Here for the article...

Bio...

My father flew 36 missions over Europe during World War II before he was 20 years old.

He lived for 81 years, yet rarely talked about his service as a U.S. bombardier. I learned everything I know about the war studying books, documentaries, music, and movies. But one thing I did know was that my dad flew two different types of planes—a B-24 and a B-17 Flying Fortress.

The closest I'd ever gotten to the latter was when I saw "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby," a permanently grounded B-17 belonging to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. But last month, an airworthy B-17 (one of only nine left in the U.S.) was taking off less than 20 miles away from where I lived. I sped over there and got a seat.

It was a beautiful, crystal-clear day. Perfect for flying. The aircraft was gorgeous—all rivets, slabs of naked, shiny metal with guns aplenty. This is a mighty machine born of sheer raw muscle, ingenuity, and urgency. Seventy-three years later, it's still a beautiful sight to behold.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/ aviation/a27037/flying-b-17-bomber/? src=nl&mag=pop&list=nl_pnl_news&date=06 2617

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Bio...

Who: Open to members of all branches of the military including spouses and friends; What: Rocky Mountain Navy Golf Outing - nine holes best ball with hole contests at #3 - longest drive; #6 closest to Ike's tree; and #9 - closest to the pin. Winners can take the money or donate it to a charity or to our Rocky Mountain Navy.

When: August 7, 2017 with an initial tee time of 1:00pm Where: Fitzsimons Golf Course 2323 Scranton Street Aurora, CO 80045 tel. (303) 364-8125 Why: to have fun, to enjoy the camaraderie, and to feel the warm summer breeze.

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New Dry Dock Photos Show the Scope of Hidden USS Fitzgerald Damage By: Sam LaGrone July 12, 2017 11:03 AM

“A new series of photos released on Wednesday by U.S. 7th fleet now show the hidden damage suffered by USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) from its June 17 collision with a merchant vessel.

The pictures of the guided missile destroyer from the Navy’s dry dock facility in Yokosuka, Japan show the size of the hole the bulbous bow of ACX Crystal punched into Fitzgerald’s starboard side amidships below the waterline….

While in published images from Fitzgerald show A photo of Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy warships 2014. PLAN Photo the extensive damage to the ship’s superstructure above the waterline – including the collision’s effect on the ship’s A/N-SPY1D(v) radar and the crushed commander’s cabin – the Wednesday images are the first that show how badly the destroyer was wounded below the waterline.

The below-the-waterline collision flooded two berthing spaces and one machinery space and resulted in the death of seven sailors.

In addition to the damage from the impact with Crystal, the ship’s hull was twisted, a sailor familiar with early reports from the waterfront that complicated the damage control efforts.”

USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) sits in Dry Dock 4 at Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka to continue repairs and assess damage sustained from its June 17 collision with a merchant vessel. US Navy Photo

Read Article…..

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2017 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Recipients

Accordia Urgent Care & Family Practice Vidalia, Georgia

A B O U T T H E F RE E D O M AWA R D The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their support of their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.

Nominations must come from a Guard or Reserve member who is employed by the organization they are nominating, or from a family member.

The award was created to publicly recognize employers who provide exceptional support to their Guard and Reserve employees. It is the highest in a series of employer recognition awards given by the Department of Defense.

Almost one-half of the U.S. military is comprised of the Guard and Reserve. The Department of Defense shares these citizen warriors with their civilian employers, many of whom provide significant support to their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.

This award recognizes employers who provide the most outstanding support for their Guard and Reserve employees and is presented annually by the Secretary of Defense.

H I S TO RY O F THE F R EEDOM AWAR D The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). ESGR is a Department of Defense office established in 1972 whose mission is to gain and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service by advocating relevant initiatives, recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of applicable laws and resolving conflict between employers and service members.

Secretary of Defense William Perry authorized the first award in 1996 and presented it to Schneider National, McDonnell Douglas, United Parcel Service Central Florida District, Tektronix, Inc. and National Life of Vermont. In the years since, a total of 220 employers have received this prestigious award. Today, up to 15 awards are presented each year to employers in three categories, large business, small business and the public sector.

The nomination process is open to all Guard and Reserve personnel or a family member acting on their behalf and applications are submitted online to ESGR. A national selection board comprised of senior Defense officials and business leaders select the award recipients.

Boston Scientific Marlborough, Massachusetts Cargill, Inc. Minnetonka, Minnesota Comcast NBC Universal Philadelphia, Pennsylvania CSI Aviation Albuquerque, New Mexico Hensel Phelps Construction Company Greeley, Colorado Howard County Fire & Rescue Columbia, Maryland Indianapolis Fire Department Indianapolis, Indiana Johnson & Johnson New Brunswick, New Jersey Mesa Natural Gas Solutions Casper, Wyoming Office of the District Attorney Eighteenth Judicial District Centennial, Colorado Renown Health Reno, Nevada Salt River Project Tempe, Arizona Tesoro San Antonio, Texas Zapata, Inc. Charlotte, North Carolina

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Inside the Book Flap BY FATALLY STRIKING THREE JAPANESE WARSHIPS DURING “THE DECISIVE CONTEST FOR CONTROL OF THE PACIFIC IN WORLD WAR II” (NEW YORK TIMES), ONE DARING PILOT MAY HAVE CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY. NOW THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY’S LAST SURVIVING DIVE-BOMBER PILOT DELIVERS A GRIPPING AND UNFORGETTABLE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF AMERICA’S GREATEST NAVAL VICTORY.

Dusty worked on this book for years with naval historians Timothy and Laura Orr, aiming to publish Never Call Me a Hero for Midway’s seventy -fifth anniversary in June 2017. Sadly, as the book neared completion in 2016, Dusty Kleiss passed away at age 100, the last surviving dive-bomber pilot to have fought at Midway. And yet the publication of Never Call Me a Hero is a cause for celebration: these pages are Dusty’s remarkable legacy, providing a riveting eyewitness account of the Battle of Midway, and an inspiring testimony to the brave men who fought, died, and shaped history during those four extraordinary days in June, seventy-five years ago.

Click here for YouTube Video

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On the morning of June 4, 1942, high above the tiny Pacific atoll of Midway, Lt. (j.g.) “Dusty” Kleiss burst out of the clouds and piloted his SBD Dauntless into a near-vertical dive aimed at the heart of Japan’s Imperial Navy, which six months earlier had ruthlessly struck Pearl Harbor. The greatest naval battle in history raged around him, its outcome hanging in the balance as the U.S. desperately searched for its first major victory of the Second World War. Then, in a matter of seconds, Dusty Kleiss’s daring 20,000-foot dive helped forever alter the war’s trajectory.

Plummeting through the air at 240 knots amid blistering anti-aircraft fire, the twenty-six-year-old Bio... pilot from USS Enterprise’s elite Scouting Squadron Six fixed on an invaluable target—the aircraft carrier Kaga, one of Japan’s most important capital ships. He released three bombs at the last possible instant, then desperately pulled out of his gut-wrenching 9-g dive. As his plane leveled out just above the roiling Pacific Ocean, Dusty’s perfectly placed bombs struck the carrier’s deck, and Kaga erupted into an inferno from which it would never recover.

Arriving safely back at Enterprise, Dusty was met with heartbreaking news: his best friend was missing and presumed dead along with two dozen of their fellow naval aviators. Unbowed, Dusty returned to the air that same afternoon and, remarkably, would fatally strike another enemy carrier, Hiryu. Two days later, his deadeye aim contributed to the destruction of a third Japanese warship, the cruiser Mikuma, thereby making Dusty the only pilot from either side to land hits on three different ships, all of which sank—losses that crippled the once-fearsome Japanese fleet.

By battle’s end, the humble young sailor from Kansas had earned his place in history—and yet he stayed silent for decades, living quietly with his children and his wife, Jean, whom he married less than a month after Midway. Now his extraordinary and long-awaited memoir, Never Call Me a Hero, tells the Navy Cross recipient’s full story for the first time, offering an unprecedentedly intimate look at the “the decisive contest for control of the Pacific in World War II” (New York Times)—and one man’s essential role in helping secure its outcome.

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After the last bar fight, America decides that he needs to be the bartender and the bouncer and moves behind the bar.

Germany comes to and sees everyone drinking with his money and sees Austria sitting in the corner by himself.

Germany, angry that Britain, France, and America took his wallet, grabs Austria and makes him stand next to him.

Germany then does the same to Czechoslovakia.

France and Britain begin swinging at Germany. Germany pushes Britain through the door and knocks him into the pool. France is also shoved through the door, but comes back in wearing a new beret and decides to hang out with Germany.

For no apparent reason, Russia slaps Finland.

Italy gets into a fight over the toys in the sandbox out back, gets a bloody nose and cries to Germany for help.

Germany and Britain get into a tug of war over Italy’s sandbox.

Britain and Germany begin throwing rocks at each other’s houses.

Because Russia helped him with beating up Poland, Germany sucker punches Russia.

While everybody is looking at Germany and Britain, Japan puts China into a headlock and begins punching his head.

America tells Japan to knock it off and tells him he’s had too much to drink and he’s cut off.

Japan jumps over the bar and punches America, and Britain, and France, and the Netherlands.

Germany shakes his fist at America and makes a rude noise.

America jumps into Germany’s sandbox and falls flat on his ass. Italy laughs at him.

Because America is mad at Germany, America punches Italy.

America, Canada, and Britain rip off France’s new beret and punch Germany.

America, Britain and Australia gang up and start shoving Japan back into a corner on the other side of the room.

Germany taps America on the shoulder and says, “What’s that over there in the snow?” Then he kicks America in the behind when he s not looking.

Everyone piles on Germany until he passes out.

America hits Japan in the face with a baseball bat like Capone did in the “Untouchables”. Twice.

As Japan is on his way to the floor, Russia shakes his fist at Japan, pretending that he’s joined the fight and hoping that he’ll be able to go through Japan’s wallet after the fight’s over.

After Japan and Germany wake up, America, France, Britain, and Russia move into Germany’s House. America moves into Japan’s house too.

America buys drinks for Germany and Japan until everyone is happy again.

Found on Pinterest

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On the other side of the room, Japan punches China. After a while, America tells them to knock it off, Germany signs a bar napkin telling Britain that he is done moving people over to his side of the room.

Germany sucker punches Poland claiming that Poland started it.

Russia says he will help and ends up punching Poland from the other side.