18th
REUNION PLANS FINALIZED
Here we go
folks!!!! Final arrangements – well, almost – check the Plan of
the Days.
The Lodge
is eagerly waiting for you to make your individual reservations for the
room of your choice (either King or Two Queens) at (toll-free)
1-877-327-9894, or at 417-334-7535. Be sure to ask for the USS Hadley
Room Block, as we have a block of 40 rooms at $80 per night (plus tax)
with complimentary Continental Breakfast. The same room rate applies if
you want to arrive two days prior, or stay two days after the Reunion.
A Full Hot Breakfast with omelet station may be had on any morning for
$7.50 per person. Our Hospitality Room (Room 255) is ours for the
duration – until midnight following the Banquet. For those driving,
parking for autos and R/V’s is on a free, level, on-site lot. We have
wheelchairs for those in need – but let us know in advance on the
reservation form enclosed. All scheduled events are wheelchair
friendly.
Note –
IMPORTANT – Please make your room reservation before 20 March to avoid
losing our Room Block and the possibility of not getting the special
rate. As always, you may cancel your reservation without jeopardy up to
24 hours prior to your arrival date. CALL (toll-free) (toll-free)
1-877-327-9894, or 417-334-7535.
We are disappointed at the apparent lack of major airlines flying
directly into the new Branson Aiport. Hopefully, the smaller airlines
which do fly to Branson will be of assistance to at least some of you.
For many years, all of those who flew to Branson, actually flew to
Springfield, MO, on other airlines and took shuttle busses to the
hotels in Branson. This has worked VERY WELL for a long time, and many
of us will be using this system.
We are also surprised that some shows STILL do not have all their
schedules and prices firmed up for the late Spring and Summer
visitors. Several of our contracts have been received, signed,
and deposits made. We are not asking for a check with funds quite
yet, but will be doing so in a few weeks so we can make some guarantees
that will be the subject of the next Communiqué. The bus
transportation arrangements from the Hotel to some of the activities
are not complete, and some Show contracts are not yet received and
signed and there could be some slight changes in the costs, but for the
most part the costs shown here will be very close, if not
exact. Right now we really need to have tentative plans
from each of you as to your attendance at the Reunion and in what
activities you would like to participate. This is NO commitment, but a
good guess of what you will be doing. And even when you send your
check after you receive the NEXT communiqué, if you have a real
problem, you can back out of the whole thing. The Hotel will need
you to contact them 48 hours prior to your arrival to cancel your
individual reservation. Most of the activities need one
week’s notice, so you must notify me (Doug) so that I can lower the
guarantee with those activities affected. It has always been this
way at our Reunions. The information we need RIGHT NOW, ASAP, is
on a separate sheet enclosed with the self addressed
envelope. Here is the tentative cost picture for all the
activities:
Administrative
Costs (Website, office expenses,
and misc.expenses at the
Reunion)
$15 per person
Sat, 8 May - - SIX Brothers Musical adult $24 ; age 12-17 $14 ; 6-11 $8; lap kids are free
Sun, 9 May - - Ride
the Ducks
adult
$20; age 4-11
$15; up to age 3
$free
Branson
Belle Dinner Cruise
$56 (children
$ (??)
Mon, 10 May - -Titanic Memorial Museum adult $18; age 5-12 $ 11
5 Hughes Brothers Show adult $28 age 12-17 $14; 6-11 $7; lap kids are free
(about 47 will be on stage)
Dutton
Family Show (est.) $18
Tue, 11 May - - Veteran’s
Museum
adult
$11; age 13-18 $ 7.50;
6-12 $ 5.00
Acrobats of China
adult $27;
age 13-17 $16.00; 6-12
$ 9.00;
under 5 n/c
Banquet at the Hotel
(est.) $28
Various large and small busses, and vans etc., for transportation w/i
Branson est $25/ pers
PLEASE,
PLEASE send the enclosed form to me
right away for planning purposes. We
will have the final prices out to you very soon and will be asking for
your
funds at that time. [Website readers please e-mail
usshadley at aol dot com to receive the forms via PDF.]
GO NAVY
USS H.W Hadley
(DD774)
18th
Reunion
Lodge of the
Ozarks
Branson, Missouri
Saturday, 8
May - - - - Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Saturday, 8 May
Welcome to Branson
Check-In at the Hotel front desk and stow gear in your
compartment. Go to room # 255 (Hospitality Suite) to see if you
recognize anyone. Everyone will look just the same as you
do!! We will each have dinner on our own - - likely there at the
Hotel, and join all who want to go to our first show at 8 PM adjacent
to the Hotel. Hope you arrive in time and will have signed up for
it. The name is , ÒSix BrothersÓ. I am told it is the # 1
show in Branson at this time, and it is right at our Hotel!!
Please sign up for it, and join us.
Sunday, 9 May
Enjoy your free Continental Breakfast (every day) in the dining room.
(or a complete hot Breakfast with
omelet station @ $7.50 / per). Gather in front of the hotel to
board a modernized WWII Duck (landing craft) and depart at 10AM for a 70
minute ride and a brief splash-down into the lake. (Swimming
suits NOT necessary!!) There will be about 35 in each Duck, - a
popular excursion for both male and female sailors, and children, ages
1 to 100. We will return to the Hotel for lunch on your own at
the hotel or at another nearby restaurant. We will meet in front of the Hotel at 2 PM
to board a bus for a short tour of Branson, followed at 3 PM by a short
Memorial Service in a Park area nearby where we board the Branson Belle
before 4 PM for our early Dinner Cruise aboard the Paddlewheeler on the
Lake. A bus will return us to our Hotel about 6:30 PM. The
balance of the evening is Free-time for socializing, or for attending
one of the other Shows in the area which usually start about 8 PM.
Monday, 10 May
After Breakfast, meet in front of the Hotel to depart at 9AM by bus to the
Titanic Memorial Museum. We will try to stagger our entrances so
as not to bunch up at any one spot. We will each have hand-held
devices (like a phone) to explain things to us, and. each will
receive an identification of an actual Titanic passenger, making the
tour more realistic. A bus will return us to the Hotel area for
lunch on your own about 11:30. Our afternoon 2 hour show at 2 PM, adjacent to
the Hotel, is, The Five Hughes Brothers with their band and troup of
about 40+ people. (Our on-your-own dinner arrangements are undetermined
at this point) Our evening 2 hour show at 8 PM is "The
Duttons", a well known show, and is a one block walk from the hotel.
Tuesday, 11 May, 1945
Exactly 65 years ago this morning, as some of us were quietly eating
breakfast, or sleeping after being at General Quarters most of the
night, we heard - - GONG, GONG, GONG, GONG - - General Quarters,
General Quarters, all hands man your battle stations, - - (OH NO
? NOT AGAIN!!- -we thought), and as we ran to our Battle Stations, we
heard, Commence firing, Commence firing, Starboard side. Thus
commenced that fateful day when, just 1 hour and 40 minutes later, 30
lives would be lost, our ship would be totally damaged beyond repair by
3 Kamikazes and 2 bombs, 'abandon ship' would be ordered and, years
later, final records would show that 151 Purple Hearts would have been
awarded, and an all-time record of 23 Kamikazes would be shot down by
one ship (our ship) in a single engagement. Today, let us enjoy our
breakfast in peace, and remember those crewmen on the Hadley and the
Evans (which suffered similar damage and losses) who are no
longer with us.....
This morning, (65
years later), is open for socializing or attending another Show of your
choice in the area. After an early lunch of your choice, we will board a bus at about 12 Noon
to take us to the Branson All-Wars Veterans Museum for about a 2 hour
visit. The bus will then take us to see our last 2 hour Show, the
Acrobats of China, starting at 3 PM. (this show will be unbeliveable)
We will be picked up at 5 PM
to return to our Hotel. We will have 2 hours to be ready for our
Banquet in the hotel banquet room starting at 7 PM.
Enjoy!! We say goodbye and smooth sailing to many who
will leave early for transportation home, and we ALL pray for a healthy
and happy interlude until our next Reunion, Number 19, the
location and date for which, hopefully, will be decided before we leave
for home. Our Hospitality Suite will close permanently at
midnight, so PLEASE clear out any personal items before that
time.
U.S.S. H.W. Hadley DD-774
18th Reunion
Lodge of the Ozarks
Branson, Missouri
NEW DATE IS: Saturday, 8 MAY to Wednesday 12 MAY
2010
Communique #3
Dear Shipmates, Familes, and Friends of the Hadley,
Note that the significant date of this letter to you all ---- is ----- 11 May 2009.
You do not have to put on your glasses to read the banner at the top!! Yes, we have postponed the Reunion until next year. The result of the Poll taken is quite surprising -- not yet fully complete, but so clear that we are canceling everything in favor of doing the Reunion next May. The Hotel has agreed to the dates.
The letter dated April 29 requesting a vote was sent out only to those shipmates, families, and friends who had indicated an interest in attending the Reunion. Also, as you may remember, we have had only about 15-18 shipmates at the past two reunions, the large balance of attendees being families and friends, who make the Reunions such wonderful occasions. Their votes are important, too. We have had 38 replies so far:
23 Shipmates and 15 Families and Friends
of the 23 Shipmates, only 2 voted to keep on schedule
8 voted "either way is OK"
13 voted to Postpone to May 2010
of
the 15 Families and Friends,
only voted to keep on schedule
1 voted "either way is OK"
12 voted to Postpone to May 2010
Regardless what the straggling-in votes may turn out to be, it is virtually impossible to destroy this majority. Soooo --- with by far the preponderance of votes (mostly from Shipmates) being for Postponement, that's the way we go.
We have just canceled the hotel reservation for the Reunion in September '09 and all the aspects of it, and will cancel all the reservations for the shows and activities, and get back our deposits.... (Don't forget to cancel any hotel reservations you may have made!) We have also just made a Room Block of 40 rooms at the same hotel for the above dates and will have our customary banquet there on May 11th, 2010. That Banquet will mark the 65th Anniversary of our famous Air-Sea Battle at Okinawa. WOW!
Is there any Shipmate (in particular), or anyone else, who thought in 1945 that we would celebrating the 65th Anniversary of that battle in a tiny little unheard-of town in Missouri in 2010? Certainly, it was not I. I was just happy to be alive that day, and each one thereafter, without even dreaming about the next year - ten years, 15, 50, or 65 years later. It will be a GREAT Reunion, and y'all PLAN to be there! OK?
We will keep you ALL informed with more details as things develop, so count on it. We will arrange to reserve seats at most of the shows and activities again, but with some improvements, adding new or previously unavailable really good shows.
For those of you who move to another address, PLEASE let us know so we can keep you informed. We always get a few returned envelopes saying that the addressee has moved, giving us no forwarding address.
SOOO ---- save the dates and mark them on your calendars. 65 years is a significant Reunion!
GO NAVY!
Doug Aitken
Jmadga<at>sbcglobal.net
PS Again -- Don't forget to cancel any hotel reservations you have
made for the Sept '09 Reunion, or you will be charged!!!!
17th REUNION
WRAP-UP
LETTER
MARRIOTT COURTYARD HOTEL, CHANTILLY, VA
MAY 10th THRU MAY 14th 2007
WELL
ANOTHER TWO YEARS OF TIME HAS PASSED AND THE LAST REUNION IS NOW PART
OF OUR
HISTORY.
FOR
THE FIRST TIME IN MY MEMORY MORE FAMILY MEMBERS WERE IN ATTENDANCE TO
ENRICH
OUR TIMES TOGETHER, AND TO MEET THOSE GUYS WHO SERVED WITH THEIR
PARENTS OR
RELATIVES IN THE PAST.
IT
WOULD SEEM THAT ALL THE WISHES EXPRESSED AND THE SIGHTS TO SEE IN
WASHINGTON
D.C. WERE ACCOMPLISHED.
ONE
OF THE OUTSTANDING MEMORIES FOR ME WAS MEETING DELL B. HALL, A FIRST
TIME
ATTENDEE, WHO WITH SEVERAL OTHERS WAS ABLE TO REMOVE ME FROM THE POWER
MAGAZINE
AND BRING ME TOPSIDE. I DID NOT HAVE TO ABANDON SHIP THOUGH MANY WERE
ALREADY
IN THE WATER. THIS WAS NOT NECESSARY AS A RESCUE SHIP PULLED ALONGSIDE,
AND I
WAS NOT PLACED IN THE WATER. (IT SHOULD BE NOTED, WE ALMOST LOST DELL
AT THE
REUNION WHEN HE TRIPPED OVER ME AS I ASSUMED THE POSITION I WAS IN THE
LAST
TIME HE SAW ME, ON MY BACK.)
WE
NEGLECTED TO MENTION OLIVER AND FRIEDA JACOBSON WHO WERE FIRST-TIME
ATTENDEES.
WELCOME BACK HOME.
A
GREAT NUMBER OF PEOPLE MADE THIS REUNION A SUCCESS.
KENNETH
KING, AND HIS WIFE TAMMY, WHO DID THE SHOPPING AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE
HOTEL,
RESTAURANTS AND WHEELCHAIRS, AND WAS OF IMMENSE HELP IN ALL
AREAS.
KENNETH
ENGLISH, MY MAN FRIDAY, WAS THERE FOR ME WHEN NEEDED AND WAS WAY
AHEAD OF
US, ANTICIPATING OUR NEEDS. HIS LAPTOP COMPUTER CAME IN
HANDY AND
HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ARRANGING THE BUS RENTAL AND FINAL
ACCOMMODATIONS AT THE
HOTEL AND RESTAURANT.
DOUG
AITKEN AND HIS SON DOUG AITKEN JUNIOR, WERE OF INVALUABLE HELP HELP IN
ADMINISTRATION. IT WAS A SURPRISE THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DO IT WITHOUT
JEANNE
(WHO WAS SORELY MISSED).
BOB
EATON, WHOSE LISTINGS, BADGES AND OUR WEBSITE CONTINUE TO AMAZE ALL OF
OUR
REUNIONS.
LILLIAN
KARMEL, WHOSE TALENTS ON THE COMPUTER ALLOWED US TO DELIVER A LISTING
FOR
ADMISSIONS TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND TO MAINTAIN THE CHANGES AS THEY
OCCURRED.
FRANK
BOFFI OUR OFFICIAL COFFEEMAKER WHO COULD NOT HAVE PERFORMED THESE
SERVICES
WITHOUT THE COOPERATION OF MARTY WEIBEL, AND MARILYNN WHO SUPPLIED THE
EQUIPMENT, COFFEE AND TEA.
MARYANN
FITZPATRICK, WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES, CORRECTING MY SPELLING,
PUNCTUATION AND
CAPITALIZATION, SHE ALSO IN CHARGE OF ADDRESSING AND MAILING THE
COMMUNIQUÉS TO
ALL OF YOU. THANK YOU MY FRIEND AND AND SWEET LADY.
DIANE
SHAW AND LAURIE E. ATHERHOLT, OF THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS
AFFAIRS FOR THE CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION DELIVERED TO US AT THE
MEMORIAL
SERVICE.
SHARRON
MOFFAT, AND THE STAFF AT THE NAVAL ACADEMY, MADE THE OCCASION A
MEMORABLE ONE,
TO FATHER McGEORY, WHO CONDUCTED THE SERVICE AND HAD NICE THINGS TO SAY
TO
ABOUT THE MEN OF THE HADLEY.
WE
DID EXPERIENCE A FEW SHOCKS, A BUS THAT WAS LOST AND HEAVY TRAFFIC,
DIVERTED
OUR MEMORIAL SERVICES TO THE CHAPEL, AND NOT THE MAIN CHURCH, AND THAT
CAME OUT
OK.
A
GLITCH AT THE WHITE HOUSE, PERSONAL ITEMS WERE NOT ALLOWED, AND
THE
CONDITIONS WAS CHALLENGED BY A FEW.
THE
SET-UP AT THE RESTAURANT WAS NOT CONDUCTIVE TO KEEPING THE GROUP
TOGETHER. I HAD PLANNED ON ABOUT SEVENTY-FIVE AND WE HAD ONE
HUNDRED-
FIVE AT THE BANQUET BUT WE
SURVIVED.
NOW
THAT THIS IS BEHIND US WE MUST LOOK AHEAD. A FEW THINGS WERE LEFT
TO BE
RESOLVED.
1
WHERE WILL THE NEXT REUNION BE HELD, AND WHO WILL COORDINATE
IT? A
COMMITTEE WAS SET UP, DOUG AITKEN, MARTY WEIBEL, AND
BOB BELL
ARE PERFORMING THIS TASK.
NEW ORLEANS, AND A RIVERBOAT TRIP ON THE MISSISSIPPI TRIP ON THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER. WERE SUGGESTED AS WELL AS WELL AS VISITS TO
BRANSON,
MO.
2 A NEW REQUEST FOR HATS WAS WAS VOICED, AND
FRANK
BOFFI WILL GET DETAILS ON PRICES , AND THE EXTENT OF GOLD BRAID TO BE
ADDED TO
THE CAPS.
3
WE
ALL RECEIVED COPIES OF THE ROSTER SUPPLIED BY BOB EATON. IT IS
REQUESTED THAT YOU ALL REVIEW THEM FOR POSSIBLE CORRECTIONS AND
GET THEM
BACK TO BOB. HE IS STILL WAITING FOR MANY BIOGRAPHIES FROM
YOU GUYS
TO ADD TO THE WEBSITE. GET BUSY PLEASE.
4
THE COST OF MAILINGS ARE GETTING OUT OF HAND, AND YOU ARE REQUESTED TO
ADVISE
DOUG AITKEN IF YOU WISH TO BE REMOVED FROM THE MAILING LIST. IT
WILL NOT
BE NECESSARY TO GIVE A REASON.
5
THE
TASK THIS YEAR WAS VERY DEMANDING AND VERY TIME-CONSUMING. I
THANK
GOD THAT ALL WENT WELL, YOU ALL SEEM SATISFIED
IN HOW
THINKS TURNED OUT. YOUR GIFT TO ME WAS VERY
MUCH APPRECIATED. (HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE WAS NO BOB EVANS IN THIS
NECK OF
THE
WOODS)?
6 I WISH TO THANK MY FAMILY FOR ATTENDING
AND I
REGRET THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO SPEND A VERY LARGE AMOUNT
TIME
THEM. I AM SURE THEY ALL KNOW THEY ARE LOVED.
7 AS A FINAL THANKS YOU AND TRIBUTE TO
VALOR
BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY, I WISH TO THANK MY
LITTLE PUSHER, DANIEL WOODFORD, WHO WAS ABLE TO DO WHAT MY KIDS
ALWAYS
WANT TO DO, PUSH ME AROUND. IF IT WAS NOT ME, IT WAS GRANDPA
HAROLD, AND
I AM GLAD THAT I WAS ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM HIS SERVICES.
8
THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING THIS REUNION A VALUABLE MEMORY TO ONCE AGAIN
RECAPTURE
THE THE GLORY DAYS.
9 AS OUR RANKS DECREASE IN NUMBERS,
IT IS
NICE TO REALIZE THAT A STRONG AND DEFINING RELATIONSHIP
EXISTS
AMONG THE SURVIVORS. WE THANK THE LOVING WIVES WHO HAVE HEARD
THESE STORIES OVER AND OVER. WE THANK THE CHILDREN AND
GRANDCHILDREN OF
THESE OLD
WARRIORS, AND REJOICE IN THEIR BEING WITH US, AND BRINGING HONOR
TO US.
10 ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF ALLOWING
ME TO
BE OF SERVICE TO YOU. ANITA AND I WERE ALWAYS PROUD OF BEING ABLE TO
FIND AND
TO HONOR YOU, BY HAVING YOU WITH US EVERY TWO YEARS.
GOD
BLESS
ALL OF YOU WITH GOOD HEALTH AND PEACE
TOM
ENGLISH
/AUTHOR
IN
ORDER TO CONFORM TO THE
EXISTING TEXT FROM PREVIOUS
REUNIONS THIS TEXT HAS BEEN MODIFIED
SLIGHTLY.
FROM/ BOB EATON,
WEBMASTER
USS
BARRY DD933
Forest Sherman Class
A Museum Ship tied up at the Washington Navy Yard.
Visited by our peopleduring reunion.
USS HADLEY forty-eight star flag hanging in background.
Hadley survivors, 2007
Rear
L-R, Doug Aitken, Bill Gallagher, Marty Weibel,
Jim
Harden, Frank Boffi, Fred Hammers,
Tom
English,
Oliver Jacobson
Front
L-R,
Perry Camp, Dell B Hall, Bob
Eaton,
Harold
Woodford,
Call Borror, Bob
Bell
16th REUNION
WRAP-UP LETTER
16th REUNION --11-15 May 2005 Double Tree Hotel Oak Brook (Chicago) Illinois
5 June 2005
Dear Shipmates, Families and Friends,
When we contracted with the Hyatt Regency in late 2003 for this Reunion we did not anticipate that the hotel would change management to the Doubletree right at the time most of us would be making our hotel reservations. Despite the reining confusion at the time, all turned out just fine. Some of us checked in a little early to review final arrangements, and most all arrived on 11 May, a famous battle date familiar to all of us. There were 18 of us shipmates, and 50 various members of our families present.
Our Reunions are getting to be more family oriented. There was one family of 4, one family of 5, and another of 6. But, the all time record is now held by shipmate Bob Eaton who took 13 other members of his family to Chicago. Will someone try to beat that next time??
Enclosed for those who were unable to attend the Reunions is a copy of the PLAN OF THE DAYS, the Banquet Program, and a black and white copy of the program for the finest Memorial Service we have ever had. The originals were in color, and on heavier paper, but there were so few left that we had to make copies for you.
Our Hospitality Suites were up-scale, comfortable lounge rooms where we enjoyed going over documents and pictures with lots of stories, memories and chatting each evening. We had many snacks, popcorn, beer, and soft drinks. For some unknown reason, our consumption of hard liquor has tapered off over the years to practically nothing. The full hot breakfast each morning (included in our contract), was enjoyed by all.
The highlight of the Thursday guided bus tour of Chicago was the visit to the top of the John Hancock Bldg. where we had an eye-popping view of Lake Michigan and all of Chicago. You would have thought we were in an airplane looking down. The weather was beautiful.
Our visit to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, no doubt, was the highlight of the Reunion. We had to miss our big Buffet Breakfast on Friday the 13th as we had to leave at 0615 in our two chartered buses for the Great Lakes Boot Camp Graduation ceremony. The hotel, however, did fix for each one of us a bag of goodies and coffee 'to go" and we could eat at the hotel or on the bus. The big (included) buffet lunch at the club on the base at noon was more than sufficient. There was lots of marching music by the Navy Band at the graduation, as we watched about 500 graduating "Boots" march tall, straight, and sharp into the huge indoor pavilion bringing great pride to the assembled parents and friends, and to the USS Hadley Reunion Group. It all brought back memories.
Our Memorial Service originally had been scheduled in the Base Chapel, but due to the increased expected attendance it was relocated to the large Ross Theater on the base. As we had 6 wheelchairs, we all entered by a side door where we had reserved seats in the front rows. We were stunned to view the sea of hundreds of young, clean-cut, sharp looking sailors in whites standing quietly at attention for us. It was --WOW --and brought tears to our eyes. We immediately saw that a photo of the USS HADLEY filled the full size movie screen. During the service, other photos of the crew, the ship, and battle damage photos slowly appeared. The Chaplain delivered a message relating the duties and devotion of the older generation to the similar needs of the newer generation. Hymns were sung, and the Bell Ceremony honored those Killed in Action, and the shipmates whose deaths we learned of since the 2003 Reunion. The Service concluded outside with a Wreath Blessing, a 21 Gun Salute, and the playing of TAPS. Without doubt, it was the finest Memorial Service we have ever had.
On Saturday, a number of us went by chartered bus to the Billy Graham Museum at Wheaton College, a short distance from our Hotel. It is very well done, and was appreciated by those who went. We had intended also to visit the Mansion, and its associated gardens, of the former Editor of the Chicago Tribune, along with his Army Museum for the 1st Division and its battles in Europe during WWII. We had stayed too long at the Billy Graham Museum, and the hours of the Mansion had changed, so that part was canceled .
At our Banquet Saturday night at the Hotel, the guest speaker was James Parlier, the Command Master Chief of the Navy's North Central Region and the Great Lakes Naval Base. He held us spell- bound with his very personal account of the disastrous terrorist attack on the USS COLE in Yemen about 3 yeas ago. During his long career in the Navy, he had risen to Master Chief as a Pharmacist Mate, thence to Command Master Chief, which was his position on COLE. Fortunately, for the sailors on COLE, when the attack occurred he was able to step right in as a medic to treat the seriously wounded.
All put together, it was a fine Reunion. We said our good byes until we meet again in 2007 somewhere in the Washington D.C. area to see all the beautiful, meaningful, and thought-provoking Memorials. If you have not been there lately, you MUST return to that beautiful Capitol. A new team is going to surprise you. Shipmate Tom English, with his son Kenny, assisted by Bruce Krobusek, Richard Harden, and perhaps others of the younger generation are teaming up with fresh ideas. I'm really looking forward to it!!
I
must reiterate a short request made by Bob Eaton at the Banquet. He
requests
again that all of you shipmates (and family members) who have not sent
to him a
short Biographical Sketch (of the Shipmate), PLEASE do so, so he can
get it on
the website with all the others. We do have the best ship's website we
have
ever seen. If you don't have a computer, get a family member or
neighbor to
show the website to you --you will be amazed. This is the address for
it:
www.usshadley.com If you can do it, you should also see another website
on
Destroyers in general --it is very good and has a Hadley section. It is
very
educational. Go back to our Welcome Page. At the bottom are three
Hyperlinks.
Select Destroyer History for a complete coverage WWII Destroyers.
The
other two are the site of USS Evans, our partner at Picket Station 15,
and the
web site of the Prefecture of Okinawa.
Reunions like this 2005 Reunion do not get done without a LOT of help.
For
example, Marty and Marilyn Weible bought and hauled to the Hotel all
the
Hospitality Suite drinks and snacks, water bottles and bus snacks.
coffee maker
and coffee, etc. Bob Eaton has continually run the website, making it
better
all the time, maintained all the Address Lists, Alive and Deceased
lists,
designed and made the Name Tags, etc. Tom and Kenny English are always
there
when lots of things have to be done quickly. And others do kind things
to make
the task easier on the spot. Richard Harden deserves an applause for
delivering
his second well done Power Point Presentation at the Banquet. If he has
time,
he wants to start some "Living History" interviews so that a number
of them can be done by the 2007 reunion. He has other ideas, too.
Lastly, I
thank my partner, Jeanne, for her help at home on checking lists with
me and
reminding me of things I may have forgotten, as well helping in the
Hospitality
Suites, and putting up with my spending the time on the whole process.
The
whole reward is seeing the Reunion through to completion, and without
any
complaints!! That really makes the day. If I have left out anybody for
something important, it certainly is not intentional, and I apologize.
Unfortunately, we must end this with a sad note. Shipmate AI Safranek sailed over the horizon on 30 May at about 6PM, just 2 weeks after the Reunion. He absolutely insisted that Betty get him to the Reunion to see everyone one last time, both knowing full well what was in store for him. Although very tired, he enjoyed drinking beer with his buddies. They left early on Friday, the 13th, and Betty drove straight through to Lincoln, NE, to get him home. As a yeoman, AI knew everyone on the ship. They had attended all but one of the 16 Hadley Reunions. Betty's address is still 1149 S. 48th St., Lincoln, NE, 68510-4813, and her phone number is 402-488-9247. She would greatly appreciate hearing from shipmates and friends.
As AI would say, "- --see you at the next Reunion in 2007!
As
a form of recognition, the Training
Center Commander of the
Great Lakes Naval Training Center greets
to the Hadley Survivors with a 21-gun salute. Note the foot at the
right-hand
of the frame belonging to the seventh rifleman.
15th
REUNION
Our fifteenth
Reunion is
over. It was held 8 thru 12 May 2003. We stayed at the Radisson
Market
Square. San Antonio, Texas. There was the usual Hospitality Room
and
Banquet Night. At this we had eighty-seven in
attendance. Shipmates
present twenty-five.
The highlight of
this
reunion was the get together for the Dedication of our USS Hadley
Plaque at the
National Museum of the Pacific War, Fredericksburg, and our Memorial
Service
for those 31 shipmates Killed in Action. We also donated an
original
piece of the Hadley Bridge containing the Kamikaze scoreboard of
Japanese Flags
for all the world to see henceforth. This piece had been donated
to the crew
by Hugh Hadley Birdwell, grandson of CDR Hugh W. Hadley.
USS
HADLEY Bridge Structure
USS SAN ANTONIO
LPG17
The
U.S. Navy's newest amphibious ship, USS San Antonio (LPD 17), underway
in the
Gulf of Mexico during her initial at-sea testing. The city of San
Antonio,
being land bound, did not present us with the chance to see any naval
ships
during our 14th Reunion. To see LPD 17 in person, visit the Naval
Station
Norfolk in Virginia.
14TH REUNION
Our
fourteenth
was held 17 May to 20 May 2001 at the Hotel Chamberlain in
Hampton, Virginia . This hotel is located on
the grounds of historic Fort Monroe. This fort remained in Federal
control
throughout the entire Civil War even though it was deep in Confederate
territory.
It
was an
all-navy affair with visits to the destroyer USS Mahan DDG72,
an Arleigh
Burke class destroyer, based at the Norfolk Naval Station,
and to
the battleship USS Wisconsin BB64, for our Memorial
Service. The
Wisconsin is now a museum ship based at the city of Norfolk.
Attendance
was
grim with age making it's mark on the troops. There were
sixteen crewmembers in attendance for our banquet. Family and
friends
brought the total count to fifty-six present. Most of the no shows
begged
off for health reasons.
In
memoriam
we must note our loss since Seattle. In the last two years seventeen
of our shipmates have passed on. Three in the month of May 2001.
USS WISCONSIN BB64
An Iowa class battleship is the only remaining ship of it's class that could
be restored to active duty. It is kept with all compartments sealed and
de-humidified. Picture shows the ship docked in downtown Norfolk,
Virginia
where it abuts the Nautilus naval museum. Norfolk being across
Chesapeake Bay
from our reunion sit Hampton Bay, the ship was visited by many Hadley
crew
members during owr 14th Reunion.
USS
MAHAN DDG72
Pictured
is an Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer. We boarded
the Mahan
at the invitation of the Base Commander of Naval Station Norfolk and
were given
the royal treatment. We even enjoyed cookies and tea in the
ship's
mess hall. Note that even though classed as destroyers,
ships of
the Arleigh Burke class displace as much or more than WWII cruisers.
13TH REUNION
This reunion was officially
held at Seattle, Washington
although our hotel was at SeaTac, WA the location of the main
Airport..
We visited the Boeing Aeronautic Museum at Boeing Field. It is
loaded
with historical, mostly one of a kind, aircraft. Our most
important field
trip was to the Navy Submarine Base at Bangor, WA, next door to the
Bremerton
Navy Yard. We were invited to go aboard the USS Henry M. Jackson
SSBN619. This vessel carries 24 ICBM's. It all was quite an
experience for us WWII Swobbies.
We visited them on Memorial
Day, actually a coincidence.
On this day they hold a Memorial Day Service to remember the Submarines
the are
on perpetual patrol. My memorial recalls the number to be
forty-four. Each ship's name is called out and a ship bell is
rung.
A very solemn ceremony.
USS HENRY M. JACKSON SSBN619
12TH REUNION
Mobile
Bay, AL. Not much history at this time. We did visit the
USS
Alabama BB46 ? A Museum Ship. As with most of these
ships
most of the vessel is not open for tourists. This author did take
advantage of going into one of the main turrets and all the way down to
the
breach. That would not have been a very desirable General
Quarters
station. On the same dock next to the ship was a hanger
type
building the contain an A11 Blackbird. This and it's other
versions were
my career, thirty-six years in varying capacities.
USS
ALABAMA BB60
Mobile’s Battleship Park
Mobile Bay, AL
11th REUNION At SAN DIEGO, CA, 1995, was OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL
This one was our most
attended. It
was held at the Hanalei Hotel and was a huge success. We had some
seventy-five
crew members in attendance and a total of one hundred seventy-five
people,
counting family and friends, on banquet night. Thanks to Tom English,
our
finder, and to the correct timing. Just about all of us by now were
retired and
with the kids now out of the house. There was no excuse not to attend.
The banquet
was held on
night of our anniversary date of 11 May, our day of infamy at Radar
Picket
Station #15. This was truly an emotional event. For many first time
attendees
it was the first meeting of shipmates in fifty years. At this time of
our lives
those present are indeed the survivors. Ned Winder said the invocation.
There
were not many dry eyes in the room.
This is the
last reunion
to have pictures taken of those present. See the 50+YEARS Section to
see those
pictures.
At
the Naval Station
San Diego we went invited aboard the USS John Young DD973, a Spruance
Class
vessel. This ship has now been decommissioned and has been
sunk.
USS
JOHN YOUNG DD973 at sea.
USS
JOHN YOUNG DD973 during visit by HADLEY shipmates. Notice unknown
assault carrier in background.
Three fleet aircraft carriers at anchor off of North Island in San Diego Bay.
HADLEY shipmates seen
in courtyard of Hanalei Hotel, San Diego, CA.
10th REUNION At Williamsburg, Virginia
Historic
Williamsburg is a place that all hands should visit. It is
unique.
It has been restored to look as it looked in the 1800th Century.
Near by
is Jamestown. The first settlement on our continent. These
people
all disappeared at a time between visiting ships from England. It
would
seem that the natives were not to thrilled by these European
Settlers.
As of now we have no more information prior to Reunion No. 11. We will have to work on that deficiency.
HOW IT ALL GOT STARTED
In a question
to Doug
Aitken about his involvement in setting the first reunion this was his
response.
Yes, you
are right -
I wasn't there as my sister just died and I couldn't go.
I feel quite sure that ENS, later LTJG, Jim Daniel had the biggest part
in the
organization of it and the selection of Chicago. He was Special
Assistant to
the president of United States Steel at the time and had such things as
an
airplane at his call, and lots of pull in lots of places. (For example,
at the
reunion at Ft Lauderdale he brought, as his guest, his buddy, the
former
governor of Florida.) He was that kind of guy - former All American in
football
at Ohio State and staunch member of the Chicago Bears team. (He was a
huge man,
very outgoing, and came aboard Hadley with Mullaney at Mullaney's
request. I
think he was a guard or tackle) The reunion was at the Palmer House for
a
couple of days only, and was not very large as we didn't have any Tom
English
to locate people and no listings to amount to anything. It was a start.
Tom
Dwyer and I met with Jim in Wash. D.C. for lunch one day early in the
year, and
he laid out the plans for us.
I didn't get involved until #2 in '75 when I worked with Robbie for the
reunion
at the Del Coronado in San Diego, and from then on.
Doug Aitken
PAST
REUNIONS
Shipmates in attendance.
|
1. |
Chicago, IL |
1970 |
26 |
|
2. |
San Diego, CA |
1975 |
24 |
|
3. |
Fort Lauderdale, FL |
1978 |
18 |
|
4. |
Washington D.C. |
1980 |
19 |
|
5. |
Omaha, NE |
1982 |
27 |
|
6. |
San Francisco, CA |
1985 |
29 |
|
7. |
Charleston, SC |
1987 |
27 |
|
8. |
Colorado Springs, CO |
1989 |
38 |
|
9. |
Nashville, TN |
1991 |
40 |
|
10. |
Williamsburg, VA |
1993 |
51 |
|
11. |
San Diego, CA |
1995 |
75 |
|
12. |
Mobile Bay, AL |
1997 |
38 |
|
13. |
Seattle, WA |
1999 |
35 |
|
14. |
Hampton, VA |
2001 |
16 |
|
15. |
San Antonio, TX |
2003 |
25Right column is crew members present. |
|
16. |
Chicago, IL |
2005 |
18 |
|
17. |
Washington D.C. |
2007 |
15 |
HONOR
ROLL
|
Mary Bell |
ALL EXCEPT No. 16 |
|
Martin Weibel |
ALL 16 REUNIONS |
|
Doug Aitken |
ALL EXCEPT No. 1 |
|
Al Safranek |
ALL EXCEPT No. 4 |
Continue
your voyage through the
Hadley
story by selecting 50+
YEARS
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menu at left.
