USS BELL
ASSOCIATION (DD587)
JULY,
2003
IN THIS ISSUE:
Ø
MAILBAG
LAS VEGAS REUNION NEWS – SEPTEMBER 28 THROUGH OCTOBER 1, 2003
The Gold Coast Hotel and Casino will
host our reunion for 2003. Check in date
is September 28 and check out date is
It has been decided that no planned
tours will be made. After visiting
Partial list of tours include:
Exclusive North Rim Grand Canyon Adventure, Grand Canyon Indian Country Tour,
Grand Canyon South Rim Air and Ground, Grand Canyon West Rim Helicopter Tour,
Grand Canyon South Rim Bus Tour, Valley of Fire ATV Tour, Hoover Mini Tour,
Hoover Dam Tour and Lake Mead Cruise, Hoover Dam Deluxe Tour, Colorado River
Raft Tour, and many, many more. One of
my favorites is the Annie Bananie Wild West
Tour. This tour includes the
FAREWELL BANQUET
Our farewell banquet will be
held on Wednesday night. The cost of the
banquet will be $35.00 per person. We
will not have a band or disk jockey for the banquet as some of you will want to
catch a late show at one of the hotels or just do your own thing.
We will have our usual business
meeting and raffle. This will probably
be held on Wednesday morning. Don’t
forget to bring a little gift for the raffle if you want to participate. It is a fun thing that we do after the
business meeting.
A form for the banquet is included in
this newsletter. If you are attending,
please complete the form and return to me as soon as possible. I will need to give the catering department a
count of those attending by early September.
So much is always going on in
Bellagio Hotel – “O”.
This is a Cirque Du Soleil
aquatic odyssey performed in, on and above water that takes you to a magical
universe. This show is always a sell
out, so when you decide you are attending the reunion and you want to see this,
you might want to call and make reservations soon after. The performances run Friday through Tuesday at
Monte Carlo Hotel – Lance Burton –
Master Magician performs Tuesday – Saturday at
Flamingo
Gold Coast –
Honky Tonk Angels – Tributes to the great ladies of
country including Patsy Cline, Reba McEntire and
Dolly Parton. Wednesday through Sunday at
This is just an example of
entertainment available.
MAILBAG
…..My
grandpa, Joseph Schwarz was a Plank Owner of the USS Bell and served aboard
from the commissioning until approximately 18 months later. I don’t have the exact dates with me at this
time. He was a member of the “black
gang” and also doubled as the ships barber.
(If he gave any of you funny haircuts per King Neptune’s Court – please
don’t let that stop you from responding!)
He recently passed away last year and I just found this website. Any memories, stories, or pictures of him you
could share would be greatly treasured.
…..Jeff
Hoffman (Grandson)
Note: If anyone remembers Mr. Schwarz and can
furnish Jeff any information, please send it to me. He did not include an address or telephone
number and I have not been able to contact him again at the email address of
his request. I will try to locate him
and get this information, but in the meantime just send any information you
might have to me.
…..I think
of you all often and pray for your safety.
Thank you for the tee shirt. It
is well received and I am proud of it. I
wish I could be there at the reunions, but all or most of the boys I was with
have gone to be with the Lord. I love
the ones that I wasn’t so acquainted with.
God bless you all and keep up the good work.
…..Harold Hughes
NICE PEOPLE
Edward Flowers son, Roland, underwent a heart transplant a
couple of months ago. So far he is doing
very good. Ed’s
address is
Rev. James (Jimmy) Faith underwent surgery for five heart
bypasses a few weeks ago. Jimmy’s
address is
Prayers are
always welcomed.
80 Year Old’s Physical
An 80-year-old man visited the doctor’s office for a
general physical, as required by his new insurance company. The doctor was amazed by the excellence of
the elderly man’s health and physical condition.
The doctor asked, “To what do you attribute your good
health?” The old timer said, “I’m a
golfer-that’s why I’m in such good shape.
I’m up well before daylight and out golfing up and down the fairways.”
The doctor said, “Well, I’m sure that helps, but there’s
got to be more to it. How old was your
dad when he died?” The old timer said, “Who said my dad’s dead?”
The doctor said, “You mean you’re 80 years old and your dad’s
still alive? The old timer said, “He
golfed with me this morning, and I think that’s why he’s still alive – he’s an
avid golfer.”
The doctor said, “Well, that’s great, but I’m sure there’s
more to it. How about your dad’s
dad? How old was he when he died?” The old timer said, “who
said my grandpa’s dead?”
The doctor said, “You mean you’re eighty years old and your
grandfather’s still living? How old is
he?” The old timer said, “He’s 118 years
old.”
The doctor was getting frustrated at this point and said
sarcastically, “I guess he went golfing with you this morning, too?” The old timer said, “No, Grandpa couldn’t go
this morning>”
Now the doctor thought he was making progress and asked, “Why,
is he beginning to feel his age?” The
old timer said, “No, Grandpa got married today>”
The doctor said
in amazement, “Got married! Why would a guy 118 years old want to get married?” The old timer said, “Who said he wanted to?”
The Story of Taps
Words by John Mitchum
It was July in
The scent of
the dogwood and the laurel lay
Heavy on the
land, while the burgeoning fruit of the
Peach and the
apple marked the full sway of summer.
For seven
fateful days, the trees, the flowers,
Yes, the very
ground itself,
Had shuddered
under the roar of cannon.
The bark of
howitzers…
And the
crackling of a legion of rifles.
Now, all was
silent.
The sledgehammer
blows of Robert E. Lee and “Stonewall”
And yet that
army was not destroyed.
Seven thousand
men had fallen in that dreadful week…
And the
savagery of the conflict was grimly evident in
The river of
wounded…that wound through the green hills.
Now, a new
sound drifted in the soft evening sky.
For Colonel
Dan Butterfield, a courageous and able soldier,
Was also a man
of music.
To honor his
fallen comrades, he had composed a simple
And heartrending
melody. On July second,
In the year of
1862, its strains floated over the graves
That scarred
the dark
It has been
more than a hundred years since that sound
Was born, but
those notes have never died away.
Every night of
the year, throughout the world, fighting men of
From the North
and the South, the East and the West,
Close their
eyes in sleep to its call. And in each of their hearts…
There glows a
fierce surge of pride.
_________________________________________________
“Fading light…falling
night…
Trumpet calls
as the sun sinks in flight.
Sleep in
peace, comrades dear…
God is near..”
FAREWELL BANQUET
NAME OF PERSONS
ATTENDING________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
NUMBER OF PERSONS ATTENDING_________________@
35.00 EACH
TOTAL AMOUNT
ENCLOSED__________________________
PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO USS BELL
ASSOCIATION.
MAIL TO:
ANN
USS
BELL ASSOCIATION
TUCKER,
GEORGIA 30084
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CALL
1-800-842-BELL – ACCESS CODE 00