February, 01 2018 
BRANSON 2018
SEPTEMBER 26-30
Our next reunion will be held at the Radisson Hotel, Branson located at 120 Wildwood Drive, South, Branson, MO. To book your rooms, please go to   www.radisson.com/WAIN which will take you to a dedicated page for hotel registration.

Branson is the farthest west of any reunion location to date and we hope that this will attract our shipmates who have been unable to attend any previous functions due to travel considerations.

Branson has been called "Las Vegas without the Gambling" due to its many attractions and shows. When the board visited in September of 2017, we found this very much true. In fact, there is SO much to do, it was difficult to decide what to choose for our group functions. TripAdvisor states: While visiting you can: attend star-studded performances at Branson's many live shows; enjoy Silver Dollar City, one of the world's top theme parks; take in the beauty and adventure of the Ozark Mountains and three pristine lakes; play some of the best golf in the Midwest; visit museums highlighting the area's rich history and culture; relax at spas and resorts; and shop at Branson's many boutiques, galleries and outlets. We used the advice of the local Convention and Visitors Bureau, other military associations who have held reunions there and our knowledge of our group to make the decisions. The reunion committee, guided by the survey conducted after our 50/30 gathering, chose two activities for the group and, with the assistance of W.O.W., one for the ladies during the Saturday morning business meeting.

Checkout https://www.explorebranson.com/ to see what else there is to do during your visit.   Our advice:  Get your tickets early as some shows sell out well in advance
Board Accomplishments since 2016
Now that the calendar has turned to 2018, it's time to reflect on what we've accomplished as a board since we were elected at the 50/30 reunion in July of 2016.

As I knew we would, we have been able to work together, each of us with talents or areas of expertise, to make decisions in the best interest of the association.

We updated our accounting software, Quick Books, including adding members names to streamline the process of sending out dues renewal invoices. Jerry McKnight completed a project to send out such invoices with a great response.   We subscribed to Quick Books On-Line which allows any of the board members to monitor our financial situation and obtain information as needed.

We increased the frequency of the Constant Contact electronic newsletters. Robert Bennett assumed the responsibility of writing articles to celebrate or commemorate holidays and Rod Shafer did a great job of responding to our requests and getting the newsletter formatted and distributed.

We funded the curator position as listed in the by-laws so Richard Molck could purchase items as necessary to upgrade and maintain our artifacts.

Skip Greene maintained his calm demeanor and kept us on point and focused on the task at hand during our deliberations.   He also opened his home to two evacuees from Florida during Irma. Thanks, Skip and Jane!

We worked with a company that organizes military reunions to achieve the best costs possible for our time in Branson.   They will also help in the selection process for 2020. We worked diligently to create what we hope will be a memorable experience as we gather there in September.

However, we didn't accomplish all that we set out to do.   We are still looking for a company that will issue us a grant to fund ongoing trailer maintenance. We have communicated with several without success and will keep trying.   We continue to work on reducing the shipping cost for purchases made in our ships store, convinced that once done, our sales will increase.

We are doing better with the website, adding more information, photo's, links, etc. It is a time-consuming process and we strive to do as much as possible in-house to save association funds.

Somewhere between 3000 - 4000 men called Wainwright home over the years. Currently there are less than 300 dues paid members.   We need as many as possible to participate in the association to keep it alive and functioning.   A two-year dues payment is less than the cost of going out for a pizza. Please visit the website at usswainwright.org, click on "become a member" and use either PayPal or the form

It has been our honor and pleasure to work on your behalf this past year and a half.   I have spoken to the other board members and if you'll have us for another term we would appreciate the opportunity to accomplish all the goals we set for ourselves.
 
Manny Seligmann, President
Trailer Report

This year was a trying year for the trailer and the trailer guy! We kicked off our annual Freedom Cruise in May at the Vietnam and All Veterans Conference in Melbourne, FL. After there we went to Pensacola NAS and setup for the Blue Angels practice. We met shipmate Matt Primm and the daughter of Cliff Davis. There weren't many visitors or donations but meeting Cliff's daughter and letting his grandchild see the ship he was on was well worth it. We then packed up and went to the USS Alabama Memorial Park in Mobile. Once again people were more interested in seeing the Alabama than touring the trailer. The staff welcomed us with open arms and let us setup right by the main building. After breaking down there we headed back to Rotonda, FL to the VFW Manny belongs to. Manny had been doing advance work and promoting the trailer coming there for months. We had a great turn out, so we learned a valuable lesson in that the leg work does need to be done before we arrive at an exhibit site. We have also learned that big attractions are not necessarily where we need to go but to more VFW's, Legion's and Veterans events. We will use this in planning next years trips. We took in $465.00 from that trip, which did not cover the fuel cost. I then took the trailer to Charleston for the United States Cruisers Sailors Association's reunion. Thanks to John Bacon for helping me set up and tear down. The association gave us a check for $ 500.00 which covered the rest of the May trips fuel as well as the trip to Charleston and back. We participated in the Old Soldier's Parade in Alpharetta, GA and once again setup at the American Legion Post that sponsors the parade. Our plan was to just be part of the parade and not set up for tours due to the amount of work necessary compared to the folks coming through the trailer in previous years. The Legion assured us that they had a wonderful spot for us which would increase visitors, but people were more interested in eating and listening to music. We will not be setting up the trailer there again. It is a wonderful parade and plan on attending for many years to come. We planned for many months to go to Kokomo, IN for the Vietnam Veterans Reunion that JC has been attending for 35 years but had to cancel due to Hurricane Irma. We attended the Veterans Day parades in Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC in November to close out the 2017 season.

We will be doing a complete overhaul of the website this year. Some of the things that will change are: charge shipping by weight for items people order from the ship's store, updated pictures of the ship's store items, updated articles on the site, and 2018 reunion information. The rest of the site does need some work, I never imaged it to be this time consuming, but it is.
R.E.D SHIRT FRIDAY
R.E.D. is an acronym that stands for Remember Everyone Deployed, created to remind people of our heroes overseas and to show that we are thinking of them.  People across the country wear red every Friday to serve as a reminder and spread the message of how important it is to keep our troops  in our thoughts
TREASURER'S REPORT
(as of 12/31/17)
General Account       $5620.15   Reunion Account     $4754.07
Ships Store Account $2536.13 Trailer Account         $4709.81
Curator Account       $880.02

Notes from our Founder
Howdy Shipmates ...
 
I have been asked by the Association President Manny Seligmann to do a short write up for the newsletter, so I have chosen the subject of 'Sharing History'.
 
For many years I have scrounged around for any history or images which pertain to the USS Wainwright. I started out looking through various history sites on line. Soon there were browsers and search utilities. I have been through a number of computers, across time.
 
Up through the 2018 year start there are something like 10 GB of data and images. Some shipmates sent in floppy disks and DVDs of history. Some of these have pictures of those old days. Some came from History Websites.
 
But the important thing for you to consider is the scanning, to files, those documents and photos so that they can be posted on the WWT Face book page. Those things which are new to me I then copy into the WWT archives.
 
Here, I am promoting you to use the face book page to show history through the images and documents that you post which are new or forgotten so that the Shipmates will remember and share these with family members. In time I suggest that these archives will be made available to you at the reunions. Bring your laptop and you can take this for your history which you can leave for your descendants. Many years from now your kids will wonder what you did in the Navy and will go searching in your sea chest and find DVDs which you have assembled.
 
So that is the basic idea. The secondary is the sending to the Naval History Center so these can be put in the DLG-28/CG28 file folder. If you don't record your history your time on earth will be blown away on the winds, and your name will be lost.
 
So fight to do these things. I am at the end of my days and need a replacement in this work, a work of some 32 years. I need someone(s) to come to this duty, this assignment. Step to it.
 
FTM1 JC Carlson, 67-70
tracker@i2k.com
Curator
Since the 2016 reunion, the board voted to create a curator account both to preserve the existing artifacts and to acquire items to enrich the experience of trailer tours. It was funded in the amount of $1000.00. I am trying to find 3 or 4 mannequins for the trailer display. Three will be used to enhance the quarterdeck and one will be dressed in the A&I (radiation protection) suit that I have. Last year I went to the Naval Yard in Washington, DC and scanned all the pictures of all three Wainwright ships that they said they had. I also talked with the head curator about what they had of ours and how we could obtain it for lease. The requirements have have changed, so there is little hope for that. He did recommend creating a form turning any donated items over to the association so there will be no issues with family wanting the items back. I then went to College Park, MD to the National Archives to recover all the pictures I could of the three ships. That building has so much to offer us and future trips are in the planning stages. I am also receiving many donated items from the three ships. I have an antique pillow that has DD-62 on it, a photo album from a DD-62 sailor, several more pictures from family members of DD-419 crew and several items provided by our shipmates. At some point we may need to determine what to take or not take due to space and storage considerations but for now I would like to just take all we can get our hands on .

IN MEMORIAM
The following shipmates have shifted colors to Fiddlers Green since we were last together
DON RABY
ROCKNE COOK
JOHN VINCENT DAVIS
GERALD ZEWE
RICKY HEAVNER
JAMES ARTHUR POWE
DAVID WELCH
TIMOTHY STRICKLAND
 
In addition we lost Phyllis McCray, mother of shipmate Bob McCray, who was an early and constant supporter of the association and Malcolm Jones who passed just before the last reunion.
If you know of any others, please let us know so we may honor them during our memorial service.

From your editor of the Wainwright Electronic Newsletter:
I would like to say Happy New Year to all of you and to remind you that we will having our ship's association reunion this year September 26-30, 2018 in Branson MO. Between now and the reunion in September watch for reminders in your email and on Facebook. Each newsletter is also posted to the association web page http://www.usswainwright.org if you happen to delete it and need to review it. A typical newsletter emailing usually includes about 600 emails, of these 600 sent I usually see about 250 of these emails that get opened. Please open these when they are received this is one way that we keep the membership informed.

If you are not receiving the email newsletters make sure that they are not ending up in your spam folder. Please add newsletter@usswainwright.org to your contacts list. This will put them in your Inbox and not in the spam folder. Some Internet Providers will block these emails if you do not have us as on your contact list. If you don't know if you are on this email listing please send me an email to newsletter@usswainwright.org and I will make sure you on the list. Also, if you change email addresses send me your new email address so that I can update my list.

With this reunion being the furthest west, we have ever been I hope that we can set a record for attendance. Hope to see everyone in September.

Rod Shafer, 
Editor Wainwright News
Ship's Store Report
2017 was a good year and I look forward to 2018 being even better as I continue my 6th year as ship's store operator. If you haven't checked out the store, please do so at www.usswainwright.org. We offer top quality hats, shirts, jackets and collectibles at affordable prices. All our items are association approved, unlike goods at other websites like eBay and Café Express. Please understand that unlike those other websites the proceeds from the ship's store helps fund the association. Please keep this in mind when making your purchasing decisions. The board is in the process of implementing a new shipping cost platform that will be based on weight instead of the flat rate fee. This should be ready to launch by summer, but we want to make sure it is correct before it launches. When I can ship something for less than the shipping cost I refund the difference. I would like suggestions on items you'd like to see carried in the store. The item will be considered but we must be aware of the cost to design and/or purchase, minimum order quantities and potential shipping issues as well as the appeal to our group. Please email me at dlg28cg28association@gmail.com by no later than May 1st. Hopefully we can have it for the next reunion in Branson, Mo. later this year.
Kurt Ausbeck, 
Ships Store Operator
WELCOME TO BRANSON FOR OUR 15TH BI-ENNIAL REUNION!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
WEDNESDAY 9/26
Registration will begin at 4:00pm and the trailer will be open for visitors.
Please join us on starting at 1800 hours (that's 6:00pm for you landlubbers)  in the Unity Room for our meet and greet Welcome Reception complete with an assortment  of delicious hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.
                       THURSDAY 9/27
After giving you the morning and early afternoon to roam around Branson on your own, we will board buses at approximately 4:00pm to depart for the Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Theater.

Magnificent riders, live buffalo, and a delicious meal is just the beginning of the excitement offered at the Dixie Stampede Dinner and Show.

This show features a friendly competition between the two sides of the theater, while you and other guests enjoy a delicious four-course meal complete with beverages. Featuring 32 horses, their skilled riders and dinner seating for 1,100 in a giant 35,000 square foot arena, Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Dinner & Show is an amazing feat.

We will start out our Dixie Stampede experience with their exciting pre-show. There is a 30-person minimum for this show.
FRIDAY 9/28
Buses will depart at 8:30am for the Shrine of the Holy Spirit, perhaps the most beautiful and appropriate place we have ever had for our memorial service.  What's a Wainwright reunion without a boat ride, so after the service, we will re-board the buses for a trip to Table Rock Lake for a lunch cruise on the Showboat Branson Belle.  During the two-hour cruise and while we enjoy a 3-course meal, we will be entertained by singers, dancers and a live band performing hits from the 70's to today.  We'll be done around 3:00pm and the rest of the evening is yours to explore Branson at night.  There is a 30-person minimum for the Belle.  If you want to attend the memorial service only, there will be no cost, but you'll have to drive.

SATURDAY 9/29
The men's business meeting will start at 9:00 am in the hospitality room followed by lunch in the Patriot Room.  While those events are in process, the ladies will be touring the Titanic Museum (15-person minimum to qualify for the group rate), leaving the hotel at 9:30am.

The museum is filled with artifacts acquired from Titanic and the tour  is enriched by having each guest shares what the actual crew and passengers experienced.


After touring Titanic, lunch will be at Mel's Hard Luck Diner, a music themed, 1950's style diner with singing servers.

The afternoon is free, so you can continue to enjoy Branson, hang out in the hospitality room or catch a nap.

At 6:00pm we will gather in Table Rock B for our evening festivities. The reunion committee determined that group pictures consume a great deal of time and realized that everyone has plenty of shots from over the years of plank owners, the various Viet Nam cruises, 4th Division, etc.   Therefore, we will take one group photo which is included in your registration fee. Of course, everyone is welcome to take their own photo's as desired.   There will be a cash bar before and during dinner and couples photos will be available at $10.00 each.

The committee has also streamlined the raffle and winners will be announced immediately following the meal.   Please do as in the past and bring something representative of your home, a handmade item you purchased or a craft you made.

The committee has arranged entertainment which will remain a surprise.  Don't worry, it will be absolutely G rated!

REUNION REGISTRATION FORM
The following link will download a printable reunion registration form:
USS WAINWRIGHT 2018 BRANSON REUNION REGISTRATION FORM
Trailer Donations
The USS Wainwright Veterans Association is a 501(c) 3 non-profit association of men who served aboard any of the three USS Wainwright ships. Our association exists to keep alive the memory of all vessels named Wainwright. With our mobile museum we educate the public about what our sailors have accomplished, and or completed while onboard any of the ship's named Wainwright. This mobile museum also promotes the United States Navy and Americanism, but we cannot do this without your support. We need your donations to support cost of operating this one of a kind teaching tool. Your donations are 100% tax deductible so please be generous and help us keep our museum going. Donations can be made on our web site http://www.usswainwright.org/donate/
Facebook Pages
U.S.S. Wainwright DLG-28/CG-28
https://www.facebook.com/groups/27853608525/
USS Wainwright Veterans Association 1980's Crew Members
Women of the Wainwright
Wainwright Veterans Association Newsletter | 269-397-1354 | newsletter@usswainwright.org | http://www.usswainwright.org/
414 Voyager Dr
Wayland, MI 49348