USS Tarawa Veterans' Association  Official Website

CV-40    LHA-1

Home

CV-40 History

LHA-1 History

About UTVA

Links

2010 Reunion Info

New England Mini-Meet

Items For Sale

2009 Reunion Recap

 

 

 

It Didn’t Snow in Buffalo!

We’re Off to Washington, D.C., in 2011

 

W

e had a great time in Buffalo, sampled the famous chicken wings, boarded ships at the Navy Park and rode the waves in the Maid of the Mist to the very bottom of Niagara Falls. And despite fears to the contrary, it didn’t snow! We had a bit of rain one afternoon and evening but the reunion was blessed mostly with “cool and refreshing” (and sometimes stiff) winds off Lake Erie. The reunion was also notable because several shipmates volunteered to fill important jobs on the Board of Directors. The membership voted at the Saturday business meeting to meet in Washington, D.C., in 2011, at which time we will dedicate a USS Tarawa CV-40 plaque at the Navy Memorial. We will meet in Philadelphia next year.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS

            Ken Underdown volunteered to fill the vice presidency vacated by Sam Bornstein; Walter Thibodeau volunteered to become our marketing chairman; Walter Totheroh was reelected as our treasurer; William Dollar accepted appointment as our Master-at-Arms and James Elliott accepted appointment as our official photographer to replace the ailing Lee Roy Ray. Their willingness to serve was met with applause.

            Another breakthrough came with the naming of Malcolm Lanham, Sr., as the Association’s liaison with veterans of service with the USS Tarawa LHA-1. Lanham hails from Elkview, West Virginia, and served in LHA-1 from June 1976 to July 1977. He retired from the Navy with 20 years of service as a Boatswain’s Mate 1/C. In civilian life he worked for and retired from the Post Office.

RECOGNIZED FOR SERVICE

            Several individuals were recognized for their service to the Association, several of them for the full 20 years the group has been together.

            Larry and Brenda Eckard, our reunion organizers, received a clock boxed in black walnut with brass engravings noting their 20 years of devoted service to the Association.

            Charlie ‘Roscoe’ Turner, was given a statuette of the Lone Sailor from the Navy Memorial. He is recognized as the father of our group, starting the ball rolling 20 years ago.

            Bob Hutchison also received a Lone Sailor award for his devotion to our organization, having served as our one and only chaplain and developing our annual banquet Memorial Service for the departed.

            Bob Atkinson was given a clock disguised as a book and engraved to note his 19 years as our forever historian and editor of Tradewinds.

TOURS EXCEPTIONAL

            The tours were fun and enlightening. On Thursday evening most of us went to the Anchor Bar in Buffalo to try out their famous Buffalo Wings. We chewed our way through tons of wings, burgers, salads, pizzas and sandwiches to the tune of more than $400 for the group.

            We followed dinner with a bus ride to the American side of Niagara Falls with the expectation of seeing the waterfalls illuminated by color lights. By the time we got there, the wind had picked up off Lake Erie and was driving an uncomfortably cold rain. The view was therefore somewhat obscured, but lovely.

BUFFALO SIGHTSEEING

            The next day we took off on a tour of Buffalo highlights, the mansions, parks and unique architecture of the city’s public buildings. This was followed by a visit to the Naval and Military Park where we boarded the USS Little Rock, a missile cruiser, and the destroyer USS The Sullivans.

            Several of our guys remarked about the familiar smell peculiar to ships. One suggested it be bottled as a ‘manly’ after shave lotion. We had lunch, superb roast beef or equally tasty chicken Parmesan, catered for us in the Little Rock’s chief’s mess - Tarawa chow was never like this!

A SHOPPERS’ PARADISE 

            From the ships we went to Premiere Gourmet where it was possible to buy anything unusual, like canned snails or any one of a hundred different-shaped cookie cutters or exotic blends of coffee. They had a huge liquor store that featured booze from around the world.

            Saturday was centered around Niagara Falls. We went over to the Canadian side after a long delay on the border bridge and check-in with Canadian customs. We had a great buffet lunch on the 13th floor Falls View Dining Room of the Sheraton Hotel, and what a spectacular view it was, through a wall of glass.

            But the best was yet to come, a ride on the Maid of the Mist, small boats that carried us right to the base of the falls, dashed with spray and deafened by the roar. The provided ponchos did a creditable job of keeping us dry amid our fellow tourists from around the globe. Happily, no one fell overboard.

 

           

The Prez Sez

Buffalo Was Great! Now Let’s See a Good Turnout in Phillie!

To all of you who missed out, I feel Buffalo was an excellent choice for our reunion this year. We only had one bad evening and that was due to rain, not snow.  The temperature was great the whole time.

The hotel left a little to be desired; they promised us one thing and gave us something else. But the food was good, the service was fine and the wait staff was at our beck and call and very helpful; the trouble was with management. The events were great, especially the Navy Park. And if you haven't been to Niagara Falls (like me) you really missed something outstanding.

            I sincerely hope that we have a better turn out in Philadelphia. The last time I was President we had our Board of Directors meeting there. We had a great time and enjoyed the city’s rich history. Please let me hear from you even if you can't attend due to illness. I like to include the names of everyone who may need our prayers to get well.

Remember our reunions are for getting together and reliving old times. Please try to come and bring an old buddy! Cliff, the Prez