MOORE MEMORIES

USS BELL ASSOCIATION (DD587)

 

DECEMBER, 2006

 

 

IN THIS ISSUE:

 

Ø      INDIANAPOLIS REUNION INFORMATION

Ø      INFORMATION FOR 2007 REUNION

Ø      MAILBAG

Ø      NEW PROJECT

 

 

 

 

INDIANAPOLIS REUNION INFORMATION

 

The 2006 reunion in Indianapolis was another wonderful experience.  It is always such a treat to see the shipmates and family members.  We also have many “friends” of the Bell that attend and we are always happy to welcome them.  This year we were so fortunate to welcome a new shipmate on board.  Bob Mantel and his wife Marjorie saw our website and came to their first Bell reunion.  They had a great time and promised to be at next year’s reunion as well.  Also, it was a special pleasure to welcome shipmate Cissell Grimes wife, son Greg and daughter-in-law Terri to their first reunion.  They also found out about the reunion by way of the Bell website.  Shipmate Cissell passed away when Greg was a very young child and he wanted to find out more about the U.S.S. Bell and to see if any of the shipmates would have remembered his father.  They really enjoyed sitting around listening to the stories being told and also said they would be back with us in 2007. 

 

Shipmates attending were Arthur Arbogast, Mario Capitanio, Bill Cavanaugh, Jack Forester, Tom Gutierrez, Ed Klenka, Al Lewis, Bob Mantel, Maurice Moe and Honorary Shipmate Jon Diulus.   We enjoyed a tour of the City of Indianapolis and had lunch at the Rathskeller which is the oldest restaurant in the city.  Among our stops was the USS Indianapolis memorial.  We also toured the Brickyard where the Indianapolis race is held.  We had a very good lunch at the Brickyard resort restaurant and then took a spin around the track in a minibus.  We then spent some time in the museum where a lot of the cars are on display.  We also watched a movie that told the history of the race track.  On Saturday, after a short business meeting, a memorial service was held. The names of the shipmates who are no longer with us were read and the bell was rung in honor of them. 

 

Our auction again proved to be a wonderfully fun time and also generated some cash for the treasury.  We had a really nice collection of gifts for the auction.  Many thanks to Mr. & Mrs. James Henson of Willows, California, who sent such a beautiful hand made afghan for the auction. Shipmate Al Lewis, a professional auctioneer, treats us to a rollicking good time while getting the bids going.  You must always remember that you don’t scratch your head unless you are bidding.  The auction time has turned out to be so enjoyable and gets everyone in on the action.  There were lots of good laughs and wonderful memories to bring home with us.    Saturday evening was our Farewell Banquet.   We were treated to a nice meal and some really nice entertainment.  Ballroom dancing is rather big in Indianapolis and a dance group called The Continetts made up of seniors aged 60 to 82 danced for us.  They performed various dances and for their last dance, dressed in red, white and blue performed to the music “It’s a Grand Old Flag”.  After they finished, they all came over and greeted the shipmates.  What a delightful group of “Swinging Seniors”.

 

REMEMBER – One thing you can’t recycle is wasted time.

 

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INFORMATION FOR 2007 REUNION

 

By a majority vote, the shipmates attending the Indianapolis reunion have selected the city of San Antonio, Texas as the host city for the 2007 reunion site.  Plans are underway for another wonderful reunion.  A total of 12 hotels in San Antonio were bidding on our reunion.  The selected hotel is The Holiday Inn Riverwalk.  The hotel is conveniently located directly on the Riverwalk, so no transportation will be needed to get there.  The reunion arrival date will be September 12, 2007 and check-out will be September 16, 2007.   The rate for the hotel will be $105.00 plus tax per day for 1 to 4 people per room, and includes free transportation to and from the airport.  Details are being arranged and will be completed after the holidays.  A newsletter will be sent out in January with all the reunion information, so mark you calendars for September 2007.


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MAILBAG

 

…..My brother Wally Moore QM 3C served on the Bell during WWII.  You may be interested to know that he drew the comic image of the Bell.  He had a lot of artistic talent.  The internet shows him with his wife Jay at a Bell reunion.  Wally died of cancer at the age of 61 in 1984.  Thank you.

....Bob Moore, 1051 Saddleclub Drive, McMurray, PA 15317

 

…..Thank you for your kind e-mail about my brother.  I came into the Navy on March of 1944 and served with the Amphibs in the Pacific but all I did was train.  After the War, the Bell stopped at Pearl Harbor on the way back to the states.  I was there at the time and surprised my brother on boarding the Bell on December 27, 1945.  The Skipper gave Wally liberty.  It was a long time between Christmases together.  Wally’s wife Jay has Parkinson’s. 

            …..Bob Moore, 1051 Saddleclub Dr, McMurray, PA 15317

 

…..I just wanted to let you know how excited I was to see a picture of my father on your website!  My father, Donald L. Nash is the person listed as Nash in your old pictures of the crew.  Sadly, he died on January 27, 2003 at the age of 80.  I may have some additional pictures that I could e-mail you.  I will have to check my father’s office to see what he may have kept.

            …..Kimberly Nash-Yore

 

…..Bob and I want to thank you for such a lovely time.  We really had fun.  Everyone was so nice and friendly and the tours were just great.  Bob and I can’t believe how much time and effort you put in to have this reunion.  We are looking forward to next year.  Thanks again.

…..Bob & Marge Mantel, 1980 W. Gunn Rd, Rochester, MI 48306

NOTE: It was such a pleasure to welcome Shipmate Bob and his lovely wife Marge to their first Bell reunion.  We certainly look forward to seeing them in San Antonio.

 

…..I am writing to thank you for the lovely box of presents I had at my front door the other day.  It is most gratifying to have these souvenirs of my father’s ship.  The package comes with good timing.  On Thursday, I will be meeting my mother, brother and sister at my Aunt’s 90th birthday celebration.  I will let my family each have a pick of one of the items you sent, including my brother-in-law, currently serving in the Navy.  Enclosed please find a check for $10.00 in payment of my annual dues.  Finally, let me say I am so happy that someone is taking up the organization of remembering my father’s shipmates.  You are doing a great job.

            …..Stephan Zajac, P.O. Box 10722, Casa Grande, AZ 85230

NOTE:  Stephan’s father, Roy Ray Zajac was a shipmate on the Bell.  If anyone remembers Mr. Zajac or can offer any information to Stephan, please contact him and let him know.  You can also send the information to me and I will see that he gets it.

 

…..My father, Elead Wegner, served on the USS Bell. He is now in a nursing home in Algona, Iowa.  He is 87 years old.  Although I frequently asked him to tell me about his experiences on the Bell, he made few comments.  He did, however, talk occasionally about the Ommany Bay.  He worked in the engine room on the Bell.

            …..Niki Bell

 

…..It was wonderful to hear from you.  I live a ways from my dad, but I thought each time I visit, I will take a tape recorder.  I feel the same way you do and have begun to do a lot of research about the kin of ship my dad was on.  I have always wanted to know about his experiences and have begun compiling a scrapbook of information.  I find that I watch as many shows on TV about WWII that I can.  I just can’t imagine the knowledge these men hold.  I would love to attend a reunion.  My father’s new address is Elead Wegner, Good Samaritan Care Facility, 412 W. Kennedy, Algona, Iowa 50511.

            …..Niki Bell

 

…..My father, Cissel Cannon Grimes, served on the USS Bell DD-587 in WWII.  We believe he was a machinist mate.  We know he service on the Bell October 1942, as we have pictures of he and John Penrod and someone named Smitty on Newfoundland.  My wife and I are trying to trace my father’s military career.  Along with the Bell, we know he served on the USS Benham DD-397 from 1940 until he went on the USS Bell in 1942.  We know he was on the Benham during Pearl Harbor.  After the USS Bell, he went on the USS Lawrence DD-250.  But again, we are unsure of the dates.  My question is if family members of those who served on the USS Bell can join and attend the reunions, or is it only for the veterans.  You see, my father died in 1968 of heart failure when I was only 13 months old, so I never really knew him.  I am trying to trace his military days as a way of feeling closer to him, I suppose.  It is my strongest desire to attend the 2006 reunion and talk with his shipmates and hear the old stories.  My wife and I started the search for my father’s history just a week ago and when we found out the USS Bell’s 2006 reunion was in Indianapolis we felt it was a divine intervention because we live in Indianapolis just 3 miles away from there the reunion is to be held.  So, if there is a possibility that I could become a member and attend the 2006 reunion with my wife, I would appreciate it.  My mother is still alive also, but doesn’t remember a great deal of my father’s war days.  She is helping us piece it together however.  Thank you.

            …..Greg Grimes, 10596 N. Washington Boulevard, Indianapolis, Indiana 46280.

NOTE:  Greg, Terri and Mrs. Cissel Grimes attended the reunion.  They had a great time and enjoyed meeting the shipmates and hearing some of their stories.  They are looking forward to joining us at the 2007 reunion also.  In searching for more information on his father, he came across an interesting article about Kristen F. Heiberg.  He was kind enough to send a copy of it.  Here it is.

 

Guide to the Kristen F. Heiberg Oral History Interview, 1940-1946

 

Electrician’s Mate Class Kristen F. Heiberg served on six warships during World War II, including the destroyer U.S.S. Benham DD-397.  While serving on the Benham, Mr. Heiberg participated in the ferrying of planes to Wake Island just before Pearl Harber, witnessed the immediate aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack, accompanied the Doolittle raid on Tokyo, in which Benham fired on Japanese fishing vessels engaging in clandestine scouting for the enemy, the Battle of Midway, in which the Benham rescued 721 survivors from the carrier Yorktown, and later rescued survivors from the destroyer Hammann after both Yorktown and Hammann were torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-168.  On the night of 15 November 1942, during the Battle of Guadalcanal, Mr. Heiberg was in a forward compartment on the Benham, when a Japanese warship blew off the destroyer’s bow with a torpedo.  He and the rest of the crew abandoned ship in the darkness and were recovered by the U.S.S. Gwin DD-433, which subsequently sank the Benham with gunfire.  His later war service included the shakedown cruise of the Fletcher-class destroyer U.S.S. Bell DD-587, commissioned 1943, the seaplane tender U.S.S. Kenneth Whiting AV-14, the gasoline tanker U.S.S. Klaskanine AOG-63, the attack transport U.S.S. Crescent City PA-21, in which he saw further action during the island-hopping U.S. offensive, and the attack cargo ship U.S.S. Algol AKA-54.

 

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NEW PROJECT

 

I think it would be great to have a “U.S.S. BELL” cookbook.  So, with this in mind, I would like to request that you folks send me a couple of your favorite recipes.  I will get started after the holidays and hopefully by our next reunion, we will have a finished product.  So, get out those old recipes and pick out a couple of your favorites and let’s share them with others by way of a beautiful cookbook.  I look forward to hearing from each and everyone.

 

Remember – Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises!

 

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS

 

I would like to wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.  Stay well, stay happy, remember to say your prayers and let a smile always be a part of your day.

 

GOD BLESS AMERICA

 

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