Memo To:  All Super Patriots

Members have been letting me know that they have received the initial release of information relative to the Year 2006 Reunion which will be held in Chattanooga, TN at the Choo-Choo Holiday Inn Complex from Wednesday, October 18, 2006 through Saturday October 21, 2006 with Check Out on October 22, 2006.

Let's Mark Our Calendars so that reservations can be made in time to attend the Reunion.  Reservations should be made as early as possible.  Be sure to book for every night you will be there.  Make Reservations by September 15, 2006 (The Inn will endeavor to make Reservations after this date on a space available basis).

Remember "unless you are there it will not be complete."

For those members who have access to the Internet, the Reunion information is also available on our website.

This information will be updated periodically as required.

All family members in addition to the squadron members are welcome to attend the reunion.

A number of members have indicated in e-mail messages that they will be in attendance at the reunion.

We have already received Squadron Registration affirmation from Calvin and Joyce Russell.

NOTES FROM MEMBERS

Chuck Cannato says hello to all.  He has revamped his computer set up by installing a new computer which now allows him to send and receive a few more messages than he has been able to do for a few months.  His new e-mail address which was mentioned in the last news letter has been changed again.

Received a message from X-Ray Hickey who sends his greetings to all the members of VMB 613.  He enjoys reading the monthly newsletter as it gives him input on what the other members are doing and how their health is holding up. 

Back in March he received his second knee total replacement so that he now has a matched pair of knees.  All went well with this operation and he can now go up and down stairs in a normal manner.  He had very little pain and had a little therapy to get the knee to straighten out and bend enough to satisfy his orthopedic surgeon.  He highly recommends the surgery to any one in need.

X-Ray and Betty send their best to all.

Jim and Mary Jane Lewis say hello and regards to all.  They are standing off the early summer onset of deer flies and deer ticks.  Jim has been busy doing various activities around the property and Mary Jane has been continuing her activities with the local town events.

Chico Duarte called to say hello and regards to all.  He hasn't been doing any thing too exciting but does maintain a serious PE program.  It requires him to arise every morning at 2:00AM and go the newspaper store where he gets it set up for the owner.  Then he walks for two hours and goes home and starts working in his garden for several hours.  Around 11:00AM he goes into the house to relax and read the news paper and then ponders what else he can do to make the day constructive.

Heard from Foster and Doris Cummings who reported that all was well with them.  The weather conditions improved in their town, meaning their violent rain storms left for a while.  The grass continued to turn green and grow so he had to go out and cut it a few times. 

They heard from Jane Protheroe who said that all continues well in Hilton Head.  Doc is now the proud owner of another boat.  This will allow him to sail the shores of Parris Island on good weather days.

Foster said that he would be going up to New Hampshire in the near future to have dinner with Joe McDonald and Rita.

In watching CNN Mews one evening Foster saw some rising flood waters in a section of Pennsylvania and thought that it might be close to Brooks Kauffman's Inn so he called to check it out.  Brooks reported that they were safe, the flood waters didn't advance any where close to their property.

Doc Protheroe says hello to all.  He sent along a copy of "The Boot" the Parris Island Base newspaper.  They had an article about the "USMC Airport Liaison" that meets new Marines-to-be at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and makes the administrative arrangements for their bus ride to Parris Island where they will officially become Marine Corps Recruits. 

At one time the rail road station at Yemassee, South Carolina was the rendezvous spot for all Marines-to-be.  From there to the pier and board barges of some type for the landing at Parris Island.

"The Boot" also had other interesting articles about the Corps and its personnel.

Doc also sent along a copy of "The Jet Stream." the Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, S.C. base newspaper.  It contained interesting articles about some of the active duty squadrons stationed there, their combat training, special weapons and the like.  Pictures of aviation personnel were shown undergoing special physical training to get them ready for their deployment time in Iraq or other combat areas in the world.

Many thanks to Doc for bringing us up to date on what is going on at the two bases.

Swede Ohlson sends greetings to all from a very wet area - Cape Cod.  They had been having a lot of heavy rain which is good for the grass and his "veggie" garden.  Soon it will be October and they head back to Venice, FL.

Despite the wet weather, golf on the Cape is good.  Jennifer is working five days a week at Woods Hole Golf Club as the L.P.G.A. Professional and has been giving a lot of lessons.

Although Swede has retired from work he manages to get in a lot of golf particularly in Florida where they belong to the Jacaranda Country Club in Venice. 

They have a nice home on the golf course - lots of room for their VMB 613 friends - come on down they say.

Bob Polakowski sends his best regards to all.  He reported that Helen had a real great time on her European trip.  Her only regret was that she couldn't stop off at a couple of places that she would have enjoyed to visit because of family ties.  The tour schedule was too far away and they couldn't deviate. 

Bob said that she had a lot to talk about and it would take more time to make sure that she covered every interesting aspect of the tour.

He has been getting in some golf but thought that the lack of rain was improving his game because the golf balls didn't stop as though normally do in the green grass.  They just kept moving on in the dry brown grass.  They do need rain though he said.

Heard from Joe Yakawich who sends regards to all.  They also are experiencing a monstrous heat wave, he wishes he had an air conditioner to use for a few hours every day.

He has been busy getting ready for his Art Show which will be held for one whole week during the period 11-19 August, 2006. As we mentioned in an earlier Newsletter he has been selected as the 1^st Featured Artist for the Montana State Fair in Billings.

He and his children and grandchildren have been collecting his paintings and sculptures for the whole world to see.  Joe himself has also had to give consideration to the uniform of the day for the event and he has finally decided upon western attire which will include a 10 Gallon Cowboy Hat.

By getting up early enough in the AM he has been able to fight the heat by going fishing by 6:00 AM and this year he has been able to catch the legal limit in no time at all and than back home for breakfast.

Mike Jacus says hello and regards to all the troops.  He returned from Palm Springs Desert at the end of June, he took his grand daughter Allison with him on the trip to visit with his brother Ray who has lived in the area for the past seven plus years.

They took in all the points of interest while there - one of which was the Palm Springs Air Museum.  It was a great collection of operating planes.  He had his granddaughter take a picture of him standing in front of an old Army B-25.  This will be an enclosure to this letter.

They also took in a trip to the Santa Rosa Mountains, and attended a play at the local college.  They were in the dark about the local students wearing T shirts with the insignia "COD" on them.  His brother explained that the students wearing them were students at "College of the Desert" not "Cash on Delivery".

Mike sent along a newspaper clip that he saved from a February newspaper about aging combat Marines and a handful of Japanese soldiers from Iwo Jima.  This occasion was to make the 60^th anniversary of one of the bloodiest and most symbolic battles of World War II - the Battle of Iwo Jima.

About 50 U.S Marines, veterans of the battle, many dressed in their uniforms, gathered with hundreds of family members at a Japanese military base on the island.  A handful of Japanese survivors - only about a dozen are still alive - joined in the "honor reunion" during which the offered prayers and wreaths for the dead.

John Peterson sends his regards to all.  He has been busy around the house but did manage to get away to attend a graduation of one of his grandchildren at Stanford University.  Normally when he went to Stanford it was to play football so this time he had the opportunity to see the campus including the various administrative buildings.

John also mentioned hearing from Mike Jacus who described his trip to California to visit with his brother and taking his granddaughter along to see the views of the California desert.

Received an e mail from Ostell Scarborough Jr. who says hello and regards to all.  He would like to hear from members who knew his Dad so that he could receive information about his experiences in the Pacific.  His home address for your response is below.