As always, Ihopethis finds youand yourloved onessafe anddoing well, especially duringthesedifficultand challenging times.Undoubtedly, the speed at which events havechanged life as we know it,not only here in America,butall around the world,has beenliterallybreathtakingandwill no doubt lead to much discussion atreunion #46.
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Source: Aerograph May 2025
Greetings everybody,
It’s hard to believe but our Reunion 48
gathering is less than a week away! I’m very much looking forward to having a
great time and sharing a few sea stories with those who can attend. And for the
many shipmates who can't join us, you surely will be in our thoughts and with
us in spirit.
As you read through this issue there are two
videos certainly worth mentioning. The first is of CWO4 Jack Salvato’s
interment ceremony at Arlington on page 8. The second is of the 65 year
anniversary of the launching of TIROS-1, the world’s first successful
meteorological satellite on page 11. I’d also like to point out a wonderfully
entertaining “Glimpses of Brillion” article beginning on page 13.
Other than battling the annual spring infestation of
weeds and a little spring house cleaning, there is not much going on here in
the Smith household. We did however have a little excitement on Monday, April
the 14 th at precisely 10:00am. I was sitting at the desk
upstairs working on the Aerograph when a
couple of small shakes were followed by a pronounced jolt prompting me to head
downstairs and out the door! Shortly thereafter, reports came in that a 5.2 earthquake had occurred just south of the little mountain
town of Julian, approximately 60 miles to our northeast. Needless to say, it
definitely got our attention.
In signing off I’d like to thank all
contributors for your submissions, the Aerograph would not, and could not, exist
without you. Take care everybody and have a beautiful start to the summer.
Smitty
Thursday, 24 July 2025, is the cut-off date for the August issue of The Aerograph.
E-Mail Steve at sumisus@mac.com
USPS Address: AG1 Steven Smith, USN (Ret.)
750 Avenida De La Barca
Chula Vista, CA 91910
(571) 278-5259 (If I don’t answer, please leave
a message and I’ll get back to you ASAP)
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| In lighter vein: © Jeff Bacon 2020 |
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EDITOR’S CLOSING THOUGHTS
I recently took our 14 year old car into the dealer for routine
maintenance and was shocked when my longtime service advisor told me there were
a couple of things he needed to bring to my attention. I had a strange feeling
that when he asked me to sit down the news wasn’t going to be good. And it
wasn’t. $6,800.00 to replace the front lower control arms, ball joints and
bushings, and another $460.00 to replace worn out hood lifts (those two little
rods that prevent the hood from crashing down on one’s head.) “But Mike, the blue book value of the car is
only around seven grand!” I stammered, followed by “well, I’ll definitely have
to get a second opinion on that.”
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A short time later I happened to be outside and struck up a conversation with our next door neighbor Kyle. I told her of my car woes and she told me of two family owned auto shops that her and husband Mike have used for years. After giving me their contact information I made an appointment to have our car checked out and was not only totally blown away by their professionalism, honesty, and more than reasonable prices, but greatly relieved. That $6,800.00 price from the dealer miraculously dropped to $864.00. Now as for the hood lifts, I did a YouTube search about replacing them and it appeared relatively easy, even for a non-do-it-yourself geek like me. So after purchasing a pair at AutoZone, I asked Harumi to join me in the garage. Her task was to hold up the hood long enough for me to remove the old ones and install the new ones, a process that only took about 10 minutes. And presto! That $460.00 quote from the dealer came down to a mere $75.00. Not only was the labor free, but it was kind of fun! So much so that we just stood there grinning for a while, admiring the fine workmanship of our newfound mechanic skills.
So I guess the morals of this little story are “one can’t overstate the blessings of having good neighbors and access to you tube videos” & “never be shy about getting a second opinion.” Until next time my friends, all the best to you and yours.
Smitty
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Source: Aerograph February 2025
Greetings everybody,
I hope this finds you safe and doing well, and
that you had a beautiful holiday season with family and friends.
We’re already a month into the New Year and
Reunion 48 is rapidly approaching. I am really looking forward to having a
wonderful time and sharing a few sea stories with those of you who can attend.
Robert and FJ Cutting are putting in a lot of work towards making this a fun
and memorable gathering. Hotel lodging instructions and tentative schedule of
events are on pages 17 and 18. There are
still a few moving parts so I will email everyone the registration form and
finalized schedule of events, including costs, sometime in March after Robert finalizes everything. Please don’t forget to email Robert after making hotel
reservations so he can keep track on number of attendees.
Smitty
Thursday, 24 April 2025, is the cut-off date for the May issue of The Aerograph.
E-Mail Steve at sumisus@mac.com
USPS Address: AG1 Steven Smith, USN (Ret.)
750 Avenida De La Barca
Chula Vista, CA 91910
(571) 278-5259 (If I don’t answer, please leave
a message and I’ll get back to you ASAP)
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In lighter vein: © Jeff Bacon 2016
EDITOR’S CLOSING
THOUGHTS
To be perfectly honest, there are
times when my synapses do not fire on all cylinders, the present time being one
of them. So rather than fight it, I’ll just go with it and close this issue out
with a short read my dear friend, longtime retired LCDR Jerry McNutt, shared
with me. I hope it brings you a smile.
The Joys and Wisdom of Getting Older
George Phillips, an elderly man
from Walled Lake, Michigan, was going up to bed when his wife told him that
he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom
window. George opened the back door to go turn off the light, but saw that
there were people in the shed stealing things.
He phoned the
police, who asked "Is someone in your house?" He said
"No, but some people broke into my garden shed and are stealing from me." The police dispatcher said "All
patrols are busy; lock your doors
and an officer will be along when one is available."
George said,
"Okay." He hung up the phone and counted to 30, then phoned the
police again. "Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because
there were people stealing things from my shed. Well, you don't have to
worry about them now because I just shot and killed them both and the dogs are
eating them as we speak" and he hung up.
Within five
minutes, six Police Cars, a SWAT Team, a Helicopter, two Fire Trucks, a Paramedic and an Ambulance showed up at the Phillips'
residence, and caught the
burglars red-handed.
One of the Policemen said to
George, "I thought you said that you'd shot them!"
George said, "I thought
you said there was nobody available!"
True Story ......Don’t Mess With Old People!
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Source: Aerograph November 2024
Greetings everybody,
I hope everyone had a great summer and this
finds you safe and well. This production of the Aerograph was a fun one. It was
kind of like putting a jigsaw puzzle together and for you dissectologists, you
know the feeling of putting that last piece in place!
As you will see, the variety of member contributions
for this issue is awesome! And I am thrilled to introduce a new section titled ‘At Large Member News’ as presented by NWSA member Dennis Ruth. Not only did Dennis
send me a wonderful introduction, he contributed the very first article. You
will find both immediately after ‘Chapter
News’.
I’d like to thank all contributors for making
this edition of the Aerograph a publication all our shipmates can enjoy and
take pride in. Well done!
Smitty
Thursday, 25 January 2025, is the cut-off date for the February issue of The Aerograph.
E-Mail Steve at sumisus@mac.com
USPS Address: AG1 Steven Smith, USN (Ret.)
750
Avenida De La Barca
Chula
Vista, CA 91910
(571) 278-5259 (If I don’t answer, please leave
a message and I’ll get back to you ASAP)
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In lighter vein: © Jeff Bacon 2017
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Sitting here writing this, I can’t help but think of how quickly the year has passed and about the uncertainty of things to come. Election drama and chaos, natural disasters, cultural upheaval, you name it. It seems rare anymore when a day passes without something on the 5 O’clock news not leaving one speechless or shaking their head in disbelief. Perhaps that’s why I watch much less news these days. And that’s not a bad thing I guess because my blood pressure is down and Harumi tells me she has a feeling of Feng Shui, whatever that is. With that being said, it is my desire to close this issue with positive vibes because the good Lord knows, we can always use something to lift our spirits and make us smile. In November of 1978 I transferred from the USS Midway (CV-41) to NAFD Atsugi, Japan. Shortly thereafter, in the summer of 1979, the Australian group Little
River Band came out with an AFRTS Casey Kasem chart topper called Cool Change. As
a young AG, duty onboard the Midway was challenging, at times frustrating and
lonely, never boring, and often times rewarding as it set the course for my
Navy career. I can still remember times of incredible camaraderie with my
shipmates during periods of intense flight operations at sea. And then, as if
somebody flipped a switch, moments of solitude and breath taking beauty while
sitting out on the catwalk in the darkest of nights, watching moonbeams dance
upon the ocean’s surface and listening to the ship gracefully slip through the
water. And to this day, I can’t help but think of those times whenever I hear
that song.
Now, in the season of life where I probably do more looking
back than forward, I grow more appreciative every day for the many blessings
God has given me. Wonderful parents, family and friends, a meaningful career,
worldwide travel, music, laughter, love, and so much more that if I were to
list them all, it would make this edition much longer to the chagrin of our
shipmate Tom Miovas, who certainly does Yeoman work in the printing and mailing
of the Aerograph.
So in closing, I’d like to wish you and yours a wonderful
Thanksgiving and beautiful Christmas. And may joy and peace fill all of our
hearts and homes through the holiday season and coming year. Take care and I
hope to see many of you at Reunion 48.
Smitty
P.S. I hope you enjoy the song:
Cool Change LYRICS by
Little River Band ♪
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Sitting here writing this, I can’t help
but think of how quickly the year has passed and about the uncertainty of
things to come. Election drama and chaos, natural disasters, cultural upheaval,
you name it. It seems rare anymore when a day passes without something on the 5
O’clock news not leaving one speechless or shaking their head in disbelief.
Perhaps that’s why I watch much less news these days. And that’s not a bad
thing I guess because my blood pressure is down and Harumi tells me she has a
feeling of Feng Shui, whatever that is. With that being said, it is my desire to
close this issue with positive vibes because the good Lord knows, we can always
use something to lift our spirits and make us smile.
In
November of 1978 I transferred from the USS Midway (CV-41) to NAFD Atsugi,
Japan. Shortly thereafter, in the
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Source: Aerograph August 2024
Greetings everybody,
As the lazy dog days of summer make their
annual trek towards autumn, I hope this finds you and your families safe and
well!
Our summer has been blessed by times spent with
family. There is much I could write about our adventures but will limit it to an
event that occurred on Independence Day during the celebration of our nation’s
248th birthday. Son Brian and family came out from El Paso, TX, to
join us for the festivities and take a reprieve from the desert heat. Once
again my attempts to get tickets to view the fireworks from the flight deck of
the USS Midway Museum were dashed. It’s unbelievable how fast those suckers get
sold out! While searching for an
alternate venue I came upon information about the first annual Freedom Fest VIP
Experience held at Naval Base Point Loma, Harbor Drive Annex. Initially I had
some reservations because the ticket prices were steep and you had to pay for
parking to boot! After giving it a
little thought though, I said “what the heck, let’s go for it!” After all, something that’s a first time
event with VIP EXPERIENCE in the
headline can’t be that much of a gamble. The cost included reserved seating in
a beautiful outdoor covered patio area with a spectacular view of San Diego Bay
and city skyline, delicious catered meals for lunch and dinner, a variety of
veggie trays, fresh fruit and deserts, unlimited water, tea, juice and sodas at
no cost, and adult beverages of choice for a reasonable price. And if all that
wasn’t enough, they rolled out soft serve ice cream and S’mores in the
evening! It truly was a gluttonous
affair if ever there was one, ha! And
did I mention the fireworks? Well, this will
be a little challenging to describe if you’ve never been to San Diego, but I
have a feeling many of you have. So
imagine sitting outside in the cool of the evening and gazing down the bay as countless small
boats, and not so small yachts, glide easily through the water. The colorful
lights of the city sparkle in the distance as do the lights of Harbor and Shelter Islands, the Coronado Bay Bridge and
NAS North Island. And amidst that beautiful setting, fireworks from four barges
around the bay go off promptly at 9:00pm, lasting for a glorious 20 to 25
minutes before ending in a round of enthusiastic patriotic applause! Yes the day
was long, and by the time we arrived home late that evening we were totally
wiped out. But we were happy and thoroughly content because once again, the Navy did it right!
To echo what President Ed mentioned regarding Reunion #48, it will be
held May 5-9 in lovely Gulfport, MS, so please save the dates! Bob & FJ tell me the preliminary schedule
of events includes tours of NASA Stennis Space Center and Keesler AFB, home of
the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters”. Complete Reunion
details will be published in the November Aerograph.
Smitty
Thursday, 24 October 2024, is the cut-off date for the November issue of The Aerograph.
E-Mail Steve at sumisus@mac.com
USPS Address: AG1 Steven Smith, USN (Ret)
750 Avenida De La Barca
Chula Vista, CA 91910
(571) 278-5259 (If I don’t answer, please leave
a message and I’ll get back to you ASAP)
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| In Lighter Vein: (c) Jeff Bacon 2024 |
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EDITOR’S CLOSING THOUGHTS
Sadly, Secretary/Treasurer Tom Miovas’ assessment about our
world being in turmoil cannot be denied. Hence my reason to close this issue
with a little levity and a couple of ridiculously cute pictures of kids being
kids, that for some reason, made me think of the old Art Linkletter show from
years ago that included a segment called “Kids Say the Darndest Things”.
Art Linkletter's Kids Say
The Darndest Things (youtube.com)
A Wee Bit of Irish Humor
Paddy is doing some roofing
for Murphy.
He nears the top of the
ladder and starts shaking and going dizzy.
He calls down to Murphy and says, “I think I
will ave to go home. I’ve gone all giddy and I feel sick.
Murphy asks “Ave you got
vertigo Paddy?”
Paddy replies “No, I only live round the corner.”
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Kids enjoy a day of fishing at Convict Lake in the Eastern Sierras of California.
Until next time, may the grace, peace and love of God be with us all. Take good care everybody and stay safe.
Smitty
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