U. S. Army Divers Association
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- Don’t miss the U.S. Army Diver’s reunion in 2009. Mark your calendars now! Jim
- Let’s buy’em up and wear’em with pride” Adam Association Logo
- Family Condolence Letter
- Crowne Plaza Williamsburg at Fort Magruder Hotel
- THE EVOLUTION OF ARMY DIVING
4 Days in August by Bill Duncan and Jim Heimbach . For me the reunion began Thursday afternoon when I first met Jim Kennedy and his wife Helen. Jim is one of a fast diminishing number of WWll divers. His wit, charm and easygoing manner were immediately obvious. In many ways, he reminded me of Regis Philips, another WWll diver I had met months before. The 3-hour ride to Savannah was one of discovery. On the trip from Atlanta to Savannah I was in communication with Jim Heimbach, who has volunteered for airport shuttle duty. I called and added a new passenger to his list, one Bill del Rio, a family friend of Jim Kennedy. It took four phone calls and 45 minutes to locate Bill in the Savannah airport, with both Jim and Regis Phillips looking. The weekend was off to a great start! Thursday’s arrival began by becoming reacquainted with old friends and being introduced to new ones. That evening we were scheduled to take the Savannah River Murder Mystery Cruise. Whose idea was that? It started to rain as we boarded the boat. As we pulled away from the pier, it began to flood. Within minutes of our departure there were 2 or 3 inches of water on the deck and some 40 wet divers and guests. At one point the rain was so heavy and deep on the deck that Adam Brill, our illustrious president, logged a 10-minute dive while being tended by Glenn Milstead and Dave Dodd. The murder was a disaster and the only mystery was when the rain would stop. But, the company was good, the conversation was lively, and new friendships were formed in the face of pending doom. Friday brought monsoon rains and the golf tournament at Hunter Army Airfield. I am proud to say I was one of four divers to brave the elements and take first place in the reunion tourney. My teammates and wading buddies were Jim Heimbach, Randy Brown, and Joe Casey. It has been said that perhaps we were not the four sharpest crayons in the box, but we did take first place. Friday evening brought the Reunion Social. As always it was the highlight of the reunion weekend. Some 50 divers arrived with spouses and friends to eat, drink, converse, tell lies and renew old acquaintances. A Jake was brought down from Fort Eustis by Tyler Dodd and friends and was the centerpiece to many a conversation and photo. A reunion tee shirt signed by all the divers in attendance, as well as the aforementioned Bill Del Rio, was put on display. The shirt would later be auctioned off and purchased by Jim Heimbach, much to my chagrin. A diver group photo was taken with our two World War II divers, Jim and Regis, and our Korean War diver, John Breazzano, taking center stage for the shoot. About 11:00 PM the food and drink ran out, and the social came to a close. Many divers filtered down to the hospitality room to continue swapping war stories and to reminisce about past deeds, some of which actually happened. Missing comrades were remembered and talked about mercilessly. Did I mention it continued to rain throughout the evening and the forecast was for rain on Saturday for the picnic? Saturday morning brought dark, cloudy skies and two Old Savannah Tour buses to transport our party to Ft. Screven for the picnic. The festivities began at 11:30 and the North Beach Grill was ready to host us inside or out, depending on the weather. After photos of the lighthouse and a tour of the museum, it was time to eat. Incredibly, the clouds disappeared and things at the beach got warm and muggy. The newly appointed Diver’s chaplain, Fr. Bill del Rio, was called on to ask a blessing for the food and family gathered. Did I mention that Fr. del Rio came to us by way of Gijon, Spain? The picnic had begun. Michael Clark remembered our missing comrades, especially Shawn English, by explaining the significance of the memorial table. As people ate, Jim Kennedy, Regis Phillips and John Breazzano were interviewed by a reporter from the local Savannah newspaper for an article scheduled to appear in the Sunday paper. After eating, Regis and Jim shared memories of Ft. Screven and WW II. Finally, we raffled off several donated items. Then came the real money making activity of the day. David Schall mesmerized and entertained the gathering with his auctioneer skills. When it was all said and done the auction raised several hundred dollars to sustain the association for the next two years. Sunday morning began early for Jim and me as we took Regis Phillips to the airport for his return flight home. While waiting for his plane, Regis was approached by a young lady who had read the news article and wanted to thank him for his sacrifices during World War II. Back at the hotel, Adam Brill was busily preparing for the association’s membership breakfast. The business meeting addressed several association topics, the most important of which was the election of the officers who will serve us well for the next two years. The 2009 site for our next reunion was also hotly debated and finally approved. And the winner is Ft. Eustis. For the first time in 5 years the reunion will return to Newport News. I understand that the 9-member reunion committee has already begun to plan the 2009 reunion. Finally, it was time to say goodbye. It had been an exciting, emotional, uplifting four days. Hugs, handshakes and well wishes were passed about. Cars were packed, bills paid, and the long trips home begun. Pam and I returned Jim and Helen Kennedy to the Atlanta Airport where we had first met them 4 days earlier. We wished them a safe trip home and expressed our sincere hope that we would reunite at Ft. Eustis in 2009. Bill What a reunion! It seems like each reunion that I go to is always better than the last. Might be my age or maybe the bubbles in my brain are finally taking over. This year was no exception and started with the fact that it was in Fort Screven, the place where Army Engineer diving started. I was honored this year to meet and socialize with some of the guys that started, in 1942, building the future of diving for all of us. The adventure began on Thursday with trips to the local airport where I first picked up Regis Phillips, a deep-sea diver who served his country in WWII. Regis and I hadn’t been at the airport more than 20 minutes when we picked up the assignment to find a guy whom we’d never met. Bill del Rio was very elusive in this game of hide and seek at the airport but Regis and I finally found him. Father Bill del Rio is the friend of another WWII veteran, Jim Kennedy. Father Bill is a great guy and we all had some good laughs on the way back to the hotel. That night aboard the Savannah River boat, we got very involved in a Murder Mystery Cruise, which proved no big deal for a bunch of divers because it rained most of the time. We like the water, don’t we? I’m not sure who died or if we found the killer, but I do know that we made it back to the dock in one piece. Friday brought another great day for divers as the winning golf team (the only team that showed up) met on the links in the rain. I can’t really remember the scores, but we had fun slipping and sliding all over the 18 holes. The traditional “Friday Night Social” was truly an event not to be missed. Just visit your Association’s website at www.usarmydeepseadivers.com and take a look at the pictures. What a crew!! Get your one-of-a-kind reunion t-shirt, sign the special t-shirt and join in on the fun. So many great people and so little time. Saturday morning was spent sleeping in late (or sleeping it off) and meeting our air conditioned buses for the ride to Fort Screven on Tybee Island. The picnic was a huge success because we had a chance to hear from two of our WWII veterans as they related tales of their experiences during the war. One of our very own (David Schall) is a professional auctioneer and led us during our first ever auction. David entertained us as he auctioned off several special items that were donated by our members. The generosity of our members by the giving of their special gifts and talents provides a majority of the funding needed to run the Association. Sunday’s business meeting was held in the Association’s hospitality room (new this year) where new leadership was voted in and guaranteed the Association’s survival for at least another two years. Don’t miss the U.S. Army Diver’s reunion in 2009. Mark your calendars now! Jim 
Board Actions Out Going and Incoming Mark Spaw took over as the Association’s new president during the 2007 general membership. Mark did a great job of taking the Association toward our next reunion in 2009. Thank you Mark, for all of the hard work and dedication that you have given to the U.S. Army Diver’s Association. Mark named Lou Rivera as his President-elect. Lou has just recently taken over as the Association’s President, naming Terry Bryant as his new President-elect. See Lou’s short bio below. Visit Your Website The USADA now has an official website, the URL is www.usarmydeepseadivers.com. The site is in its infancy, with lots of room to grow. Go to the Association’s website and read the latest News Letter, buy your favorite diving apparel, sign up for the next reunion, and more. Bill Duncan and Jim Heimbach are our webmasters. They are responsible to update the site. If you have any recommendations feel free to send them to Bill or Jim. You can use their contact information on the website. We hope you will visit the site and direct your old army buddies to the site. The website is for you so – Enjoy! Diver’s Coin The Board approved an MOA between the USADA and the Company 1SGs to provide new soldiers a Diver’s Coin. Along with the presentation of the coin the new Army Diver will be enrolled into the U.S. Army Diver’s Association. Diver’s Online Store You’ve asked for an online Diver’s Store for many years and now you’ve got it. There are links to the store on the Diver’s website at www.usarmydeepseadivers.com. The start-up cost to the Association was $733.80. Of the start up costs, $255.00 covered the one-time artwork and set-up fees for new T-shirt and polo designs. Many hours of my personal time were spent creating the store and moving it from an idea to a reality. We have taken some of our old favorites to the store and added a new polo design to start our selection. Feel free to provide feedback to me related to customer service issues as well as suggestions for other items that we should carry. We have a base stock of items ready for immediate shipment, while some items are made to order and may take a little more time. More items will be placed in the store as we get them developed and manufactured. Go to the Diver’s website and look for the “Diver’s Store”, then make your purchases. “Let’s buy’em up and wear’em with pride” Adam Association Logo The board voted to retain the current logo (MK V diver wrestling an octopus) as the Association’s logo. Association Stationary The board voted on a design for the Association’s letterhead. This design has been adopted as the official stationary. Family Condolence Letter The board voted to create a letter of condolence which will be sent, in the future, to the family of our deceased Divers. The letter will express our sympathy to the family from the Association and the Army diving community. It will let the family know that the Association would like to stay in contact and ask the family members if they would like to remain on the Association’s mailing list. New President MSG Lou Rivera (Spooky Lou) was voted in by the board as president-elect for the 2007-2008 year. He has assumed the duties of President and will help guide the association to the next reunion. MSG Rivera is currently working in the Center for EOD and Diving with plans of being the next 1SG of D. CO 577 in Panama City, FL. He has been an Army Diver from 1990 until present. His assignments include: the 7th EN DET (LT), Panama OCT 1990 to APR 1994, 7th EN DET (HV), Hawaii MAY 1994 to JUN 1998, NDSTC JUN 1998 to SEP 2003, U.S. Army Dive Company, Fort Eustis, VA SEP 2003 to SEP 2006, D Co, 577th EN BN (NDSTC) SEP 2006 to Present. MSG Rivera was deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005. Major Missions to; Honduras (90 & 92), Columbia (93) Germany (97), & Alaska (06) 
Reunion 2009 Greetings all from the 2009 Army Diver Reunion Planning Committee! We are pleased to announce that next years reunion will be hosted at the Crowne Plaza Williamsburg at Fort Magruder Hotel, in Williamsburg, Virginia. The reunion will be from 30 April to 3 May, 2009. These dates were chosen to accommodate the active duty soldiers. 
The theme for this year’s reunion is “The Evolution of Army Diving” The reunion activities will kick off on Thursday, April 30 with “Super Lite Appreciation Dives” (MK V dives) at the Divers Training Tower. This will be followed by a presentation entitled “The Past, Present and Future of Army Diving”.
We will also have a chartered schooner cruise on the “Alliance”. This beautiful schooner sails out of Yorktown, Virginia on Thursday night. The cruise is about 2 hours long and will cost about $35 per person. 
Friday’s activities will include the Army Dive Companies annual Commanders Challenge, where retirees and non-active divers will be invited to come and join in on the fun. They will be our spectators/hecklers for this physically grueling event. Immediately following the challenge the Army Dive Company Family Readiness Group will host a burger burn at the detachment and the Company will set up a static display, allowing everyone to view the modern equipment used by today’s divers. The Friday Night Social will be held at the Crowne Plaza hotel. Saturday’s daytime events will include a Poker Run (roll cages welcome) and a Golf Tournament. That evening get dressed up and attend the Formal Dinning Out at the Crowne Plaza. As always our annual membership meeting will take place on Sunday morning, prior to everyone’s departure. Prices for next years reunion will be posted very soon in the next News Letter and on the Diver’s website. Please stay tuned! THE EVOLUTION OF ARMY DIVING    
REUNION SURVEY
Please reply to this survey by email jimmdv@comcast.net or use the Poll in the Yahoo Army Diver’s Group. Thanks!! of Directory: documents documents -> Concept stage documents -> Concept stage documents -> The great global switch-off documents -> Nonprofit grant application documents -> The Truth about the Rwandan Genocide documents -> Annual InStructional unit plan documents -> Chaos equipment included Download 34.72 Kb. Share with your friends:
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