| If I Knew You Were Comin I'd've Baked A |  |
WSC 2006 Salt Lake City Reunion
Hi Jim T AA Editor & other WSC Shipmates:Well, we Western States Chapter members just ended a very successful Spring Muster in Salt Lake City at the RADISSON-Downtown Hotel! Our Hospitality Suite was very nice, we had a Frige, a Microwave and plenty of table space and seating with endless snacks to supplement our mealtimes! The block lengths in SLC (seven blocks to the mile) were long so we got in a lot of walking exercise! Most of the most interesting sights re: the Mormon Church (The Latter Day Saints of Jesus Christ or the LDS) World Headquarters were close by and had many interesting things to see and enjoy! For instance; on Thursday Evening we were able to attend the weekly Rehearsal of the World Famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir from 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm! There was no admission to the LDS Conference Center where the Choir rehearses and performs their Sunday Concerts which are televised and broadcast worldwide! Some shipmates visited the LDS Family History Center and the Pioneer Museum and on Thursday morning those shipmates and companions who signed up for the Crossroads Tour (our SLC city Bus Tour) were taken on a walking tour of the LDS Temple Grounds and were taken into the Public buildings and Gardens which were very beautiful! We were delighted to see several new Western States Chapter members attending this Muster and enjoying meeting with other shipmates more closley than possible at the National Reunions ! The idea of Regional Chapter membership should be encouraged and welcomed as a way to gather closer to the members homes and open up visits to Western Sites in our wonderful country! On Friday, we had a wonderful Tour to the HILL AFB Aeronautical Museum. We saw the Wright Flyer aeroplane, a "Jenny" and a "Spad", aircrafts flown in WWI and on to several hundred other Aircraft, from the Prop Jobs of the Thirties and WWII, and then the early "Jet" jobs of the late Forties and early Fifties used in the Korean Action, as well as the early "Copters" used in Korea and the Far East! Then many more Jet Military Aircraft and the advances in Civil Aviation through the rest of the 20th Century and on into the current Century! Then we went on to see "Antelope Island" in the Great Salt Lake via a causeway and maintained as a Utah State Park! We saw a "Buffalo Herd" the famous California Sea Gulls and the many migrant bird flocks which use the Lake as a rest stop on their annual migrations! The Shipmates and their spouses, friends and companions had several very nice local eateries to sample the foods available in SLC ! A nearby coffee shop, "JB's" became a favorite because of the Menu selections and very nice "Senior Choice" meal selections which were very generous, plus a "Salad Bar" and a "Breakfast Buffet"!
We had a "Sailing of the "USS LSM 219" in the Radisson Hotel in-door Pool viewed by shipmates, spouses, friends, hotel guests and employees of the Radisson who were interested! We were unable to interest the local media in covering this event even though one of the TV/Radio Stations KSL-TV5 was locate just across the street from the Hotel! At our Banquet on Saturday Evening the Western States Chapter, awarded a Certificate of Gratitude and Appreciation to: LEO AND ANN MILOWICKI AND SON FRANK for their Dedication to the Preservation to the USS LSM 219 (through Marine Modeling) and their service to the Western States Chapter (attending two Reunions and bringing the 219 to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Veteran's Day, two years in succession) and to the Association for attending a number of our National Reunions! Ann and son Frank were surprised delighted and moved, particularly since we honored their deceased Husband and Father, Leo Milowicki !
We had nineteen shipmates , two Associate members (Maxine Turner, Ted's Widow & Frank Milowicki, Leo's Son & LSM 219 Model Ship), sixteen Spouses, one Daughter (Vicki Turner), one Granddaughter (the Staub's Lillie..14 yrs.) and one Mother (Frank Milowicki's Mom): for a grand total of Fourty (40) attending. Seven Shipmates were from one Ship; the USS LSM 355 and three new WSC members attended from other ships and nine from our faithful regulars ! We hope to have pictures soon and will post and send them as they are received !
Smooth Sailing Jim & Shipmates; |
The Movie,The Bridge on the River Kwai. The British troops whistled, Colonel Bogie's March, as they marched to work through the jungle. The construction of a railroad bridge became the main focus in their "Prison of War" life. During the construction, the bridge takes on a life of its own, and a renewed purpose for the British troops in their daily routine.And I am sure it was the same with Leo and his LSM. A Bogie March now and then; renews the spirit of achievement. ~Oklahoma SandScraper 3/C |