USS BELL
ASSOCIATION (DD587)
DECEMBER, 2010
IN THIS ISSUE:
A LITTLE SOMETHING FROM THE PAST
Hello everyone. It’s
getting to feel a bit like winter here in Georgia today. It’s been a very warm fall and all of a
sudden I’m getting out the woolies and socks.
I must admit I am not a cold weather person and when cold weather arrives
I just want to become a house hermit.
I hope everyone is doing well and have enjoyed a nice fall. When the leaves start turning all the
brilliant colors it is a beautiful sight.
Our mountains look like pictures and the leaf lookers are out with their
cameras.
The 2011 reunion will be in San Antonio,
Texas with arrival on September 14th and departure September 18th. We will be staying at the
Holiday Inn Riverwalk again. The room fee will be $99.00 per night
with your choice of room. All rooms
for the BELL group will available at $99.00 for the Run of the House, King
Non-smoking, Two Double Beds Non-smoking and Executive Suite Non-smoking. The Holiday Inn will try to honor all
requests, but cannot guarantee specific room type availability; however, the
hotel will attempt to honor room type requests upon availability at time of
reservation/arrival. All rates are
subject to the prevailing local and state taxes. Group rates are available three days before and
after the arrival/departure dates based on availability. NOTE:
The self parking rate is $18.00 per day but the BELL attendees will be
given a reduced rate of $8.00 per day. Our hospitality room will be
complimentary. A discounted Full American Breakfast Buffet is offered for
$10.00, which includes tax and tip for the BELL group.
Reservations will be made by individual attendees and must be made prior
to August 15, 2011. After that date any rooms not booked will
be returned to the hotel and after August 15th will be provided on a space
available basis at the hotel’s current selling rate. When making individual reservations or
confirming individual reservations, please call 210-224-2500 and ask for USS
BELL (DD587) Association group.
Remember it is better to make your reservation early and if you have to cancel
just call no later than 24 hours prior to arrival date to receive your refund of
the first nights stay.
The Holiday Inn
Riverwalk
went overboard in giving us the best bid of all the hotels that were bidding on
our reunion. After I sent out the
Request for Proposal a total of 23 hotels sent their bids for review. Most of them were really good but the
Holiday Inn came in with the best offers.
They really wanted us back.
More information will be available in the
spring newsletter so mark your calendars because even though September 2011
seems a long way off it will be just around the corner before we know it. My daddy was right when he told me that
the older I get, the faster time goes.
He was certainly right.
MAILBAG
.... A big hug and good wishes for a
complete recovery go out to Mrs. Kenneth (Lucy) Lamb. Lucy recently had a heart attack and is
doing very well. When I spoke to
Lucy she said she was getting along good and just taking it easy. We send our love and good wishes to Lucy.
Lucy’s address is 10934 Cristobal Way, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670.
.... My name is Kody
Atkinson. My grandfather George
Walter Atkinson, his nickname was Junior, served as a yeoman on the USS BELL
throughout the war. I am currently
in the process of putting together a family history and was curious to know if
you had any information on my Grandfathers service aboard the BELL. Family stories say my grandfather was
something of an amateur photographer and took many photos while on the BELL. If I can get my hands on some of these
pictures I will be sure to add them to your site. Also, I would like to become a member of
your organization to help support this great work you do preserving history. Should I simply send a check to the
address on the website or is there another method you would prefer? Thank you very much for all you do and any information you may be able to provide. (If anyone has information or memories of
Mr. Atkinson and would like to send them to Kody you
can either email them to shoguntora@hotmail.com or send it to me and I will
forward to Kody.
.... I have been wanting
to write but have been busy moving into my daughter’s house for a while.
I had open heart surgery last October 2009.
I am doing fine now. I’ve gotten behind writing to friends. I’m sending a check for my dues for the
BELL Newsletter. Thank you for
sending the Newsletter. I still have
the booklet of pictures that were of the group that attended the Baton Rouge
reunion. I like to find those pictures and enjoy
the friends we made. Sorry my
writing is not like it used to be but doing better the more I write. Thanks again for the Newsletters. My new address is 6949 Kenwood Drive, N.
Charleston, SC 29406.
....Sincerely, Dottie Pike
.... I am sending Clyde’s dues, although
he is no longer with us. I enjoy the
wonderful Newsletters you send.
Keep up the great letters.
.... Love, Dorothy Hatch, 2701 Crystal
Lake Road, Lot 92, Whitehall, MI 49461
.... Sorry to inform you that Mrs. Edward
(Myrtle) Richards passed away June 21, 2010.
....Ed Richards, Jr.
We are sorry to hear this news about
Myrtle. Our sympathy goes out to all
the Richards family.
Terri Grimes, Daughter-in-Law of Shipmate
Cissell Grimes and a member of the U.S.S. Bell Family
& Friends has a new book on the market.
Terri now has authored three books with a couple more on the way. Her books include “Cooking with Friends”
which is a cookbook with a collection of more than 200 recipes complete with
background stories on how many of the recipes came into being. “A Pony Named
Penny” is a children’s story about a young girl named Kate who wishes for a pony
named Penny. “Now I Lay Me Down To Die” her latest to be released and is set in Hunter’s
Hollow, Kentucky where a new resident has moved in and she can see the Dead.
Abby Morgan has an uncanny ability to see and hear the dead, whether she wants
to or not. Little did she know when she moved into
the stately Victorian, it cam complete with its own
built-in ghost, the former owner, Duke Rivers.
Having died thirty years prior under suspicious circumstances Duke has
been wandering the halls of his large ornate house, waiting for just for the
right person to come along who can see and hear him; someone like Medium
extraordinaire, Abby. With the help
of Duke’s hunky nephew Owen, Abby soon discovers the amicable specter hasn’t
been able to cross over into the light because he has unfinished business to
take care of. Namely find out who
caused his demise and having the culprit brought to justice. Teaming up together to find Duke’s killer
seemed like a good plan at the time until Abby and Owen uncover some of the
local town secrets that could blow the small town of Hunters Hollow apart. A Medium, a Man, a Ghost and the Town
about to be ripped apart by a secret kept hidden for more than thirty years. Welcome to Hunters Hollow....
Congratulation Terri. Keep up the good work and we look forward
to seeing you and the Grimes family at the reunion in San Antonio.
(Terri’s books can be found in most
bookstores and on Amazon.com.)
.... The following is a letter written by
Shipmate Patrick Walters to his parents while serving on the BELL. Thought you would enjoy the read.
.... Dated October 21, 1945 – Seoul, Korea
.... Dear Mom & Pop: Received three letters from home the
other day and so time out for a few lines.
I’m fine and dandy and they promised to have us home by Christmas for a leave
anyhow. My discharge probably won’t
come till around April and it’s not too bad now so I’ll sit back and see the
world. We might even go through the
Suez Canal to England. That would
mean we were right around the world.
Tomorrow morning we pull out for China again and then to Guam and after that we
should have our orders for the states.
Had a letter from Loretta and everything is right with the Dunn family. Sonny got deferred for a while. He’s lucky but I’m not sorry I got into
this. It was a great experience, the
war I mean and I did get out without a scratch.
Loretta says I sure can pick them when it comes to women and they all
liked Betty. It
don’t
matter anyhow but I’m glad they did.
I can just picture us all now sitting down to Christmas dinner. It’s going to be a
dream come true. This time
last year I had my doubts about ever seeing another Christmas at home. Do the bonds get home every month? Some fellows haven’t been getting theirs
although it comes out of their pay.
It isn’t much but it might come in handy later on.
Well, here’s hoping this letter finds everyone at home in good health.
Charley sends his best regards & his brother say you treated him swell and hopes
to see you all again. He’s driving a
truck for the Navy in the Philippines and kids Charley about not trusting him
with his car when the Navy trusts him with a ten ton truck.
God help the natives in Manila.
Charley says he will probably spend most of his leave in Brooklyn so
break out the extra bed and make way for half of the BELL crew. Our best bet is to hire out Prospect Hall
and let it go at that. I better cut
it short so goodnight and God Bless You All.
.... Your
Loving Son, Pat
What a great letter. If anyone has a letter or anything such
as a story of their time in the Navy and want to share it with others just send
me a copy. I love stories like the
letter above and would like to see more of them.
HUMOR IN UNIFORM – This story appeared in
the MILITARY magazine and I think it was worth printing for all to read.
Tomatoes – Submitted by Ms. Betty De
Angelo of Purvis, MS
.... My late husband, who was in the U.S. Navy serving the South Pacific during WWII, told me this story. His unit had set up camp next to a tomato farm somewhere in the South Pacific. He said the guys would go out at night and steal some of the tomatoes to eat. One morning they woke up to find the farmers driving fence posts in the ground and they figured their tomato eating was over because a fence was going up. Later that evening, they looked over at the tomato patch and saw a saltshaker on top of each fence post, and some grinning farmers waving at them.
Among all those individuals
in the U.S. stricken with Mesothelioma cancer,
veterans represent the group of people with the highest rate of the disease.
The reason why is simple. Asbestos, the only known cause of Mesothelioma, was used by the U.S. military for literally
hundreds of applications. From the
1930s to the late 1970s, veterans – especially those who worked aboard ships or
in shipyards – were regularly exposed to hazardous asbestos, a naturally-mined
substance whose sharp fibers can be inhaled and can penetrate the lungs, causing
scaring and eventually, “Pleural Mesothelioma.” While pleural
Mesothelioma
is the most common type Mesothelioma, veteran asbestos
exposure has also been connected to “Pericardial Mesothelioma
and Peritoneal Mesothelioma, which affect the lining
of the heart and abdominal cavities.
U. S. Naval veterans are the
most seriously affected by asbestos of any group of military men and women.
In fact, Mesothelioma
Navy causes are among the most common incidence of the disease in the United
States. This is because these were
most often the individuals who worked both aboard ships and in shipyards. Ships were strewn with asbestos. The mineral could be found in many parts
of each ship, from the galley to the gun rooms.
Because of its excellent heat-resistance properties it was used in
insulation, to cover pipes, as an adhesive, in floor and ceiling tiles, in
gaskets and valves, and wrapped around boilers – just to name a few of its many
uses. Members of the U.S. Navy were
exposed daily and it was not unusual for them to breathe in airborne fibers,
which would later result in a Mesothelioma diagnosis.
Those who have been affected
by military asbestos exposure should seek help from one of the many Mesothelioma clinics and cancer centers across the United
States. Those who have developed
asbestos-related health complications may be eligible for financial
compensation. To find out more about Mesothelioma there are many areas of assistance available.
Mesothelioma has
affected Veterans of the armed forces in great numbers. Even though their tour of duty occurred
several decades ago many are just now discovering that they have developed this
asbestos-related disease. Even U.S.
troops who has served or is serving in Iraq and Afganistan
may have been exposed to asbestos during their tour of service and may be at
risk for developing Mesothelioma.
There is a lot of
information on this subject available on the U.S.S. BELL website at www.ussbelldd587.org. If you don’t have access to the website
just let me know and I can send you printed information regarding Mesothelioma and where you can go for help.
A LITTLE SOMETHING FROM THE
PAST
Remember those Military
Cadences that was sung while running or marching? Seems they did have a way of getting you
motivated. Here is one that was
submitted by one of the members of Veterans Friends Association.
Above the land, across the
sea, we’re everywhere, we need to be.
We’re brothers of, a special kind.
A better band, you’ll never find.
Band of brothers, that’s
what we are.
Fighting evil, near and far.
Band of brothers, that’s what I said. Baptized by fire, scarred by lead. We’re lean and mean, and fit to fight. Anywhere day or night.
When bullets fly, and
rockets fall. We’ll stand our
ground, and give our all. We’re on
the move, we’re on the march. We’re
digging ditches, and breakin’ starch. When you hear our battle cry, you better
move and step aside.
Band of brothers, that’s
what we said. Mess with us, we’ll
shoot you dead.
Band of brothers, trained to kill.
If we don’t getcha, our sisters will.
ADLERHORST –
“Eagle’s Eyrie” – Hitler’s secret command post on the
Western Front.
BEACH PARTY – A group of soldiers who
marked channels, organized facilities and established communications during an
amphibious assault.
CICERO –
German code name for a Turkish spy who was valet to the British Ambassador in
Ankara.
He furnished information to the Nazis and they paid him handsomely—in
counterfeit money.
DAM BUSTERS – The 617th Squadron of the
RAF that bombed the German Mohne & Eder dams to slow
down the production of factories in the Ruhr Valley.
FAT MAN –
The 10,000 pound atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.
GOOSE EGG – An area near St. Vith in the Ardennes in which American troops were virtually
surrounded. They were evacuated
under enemy fire in a daring daytime action that took place on Dec. 23, 1944.
HOBGOBLIN – Code name for Pantelleria, a heavily fortified Italian island that fell
without a fight on June 11, 1944, after heavy aerial bombardment.
KACHIN – A fierce tribe in Burma
that aided the Americans fighting in Southeast Asia Jungles.
LIBERTY SHIPS – U.S. cargo ships whose
design was simplified so they could be built faster than the U-boats could sink
them.
TAIL-END CHARLIE –
Tail gunner on a bombing plane – a lonesome, cramped and dangerous job.
Until next time, I’m wishing each and every one a Blessed Christmas Season
and a Joyful and Healthy and Happy New Year.
