| USS Vreeland Log, April 2003 |
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| Name : Al Brigham |
6 Apr 2003
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| Rate/Rank : LT(SWO) |
| Years Onboard : 79-83 |
| e-mail : usnswo@aol.com |
Comments : What a terrific site...it truly takes me back to some great (and some "character building") years! In fact, just yesterday I was going through my hundreds of old Mighty Vree slides and photos...the great NAVOCFORMED pleasure cruise in 1980...Beirut and the PLO evacuation in '82...the crashed SH-3 helo (including a nice shot of HT1 John Swallia) and 50-foot seas of the late '82 North Atlantic transit home.
I had the chance to visit the Vree again in '91 during the (first) Gulf War, and the moment I walked aboard it was almost as if I had never left. And as the current war rages on in Iraq, I can't help wishing I was still steaming with my old shipmates...
Thanks for putting this site together...and please let me know if you'd like me to send any of my old Vreeland stuff.
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| Name : Bob Grafton |
14 Apr 2003
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| Rate/Rank : ICFN |
| Years Onboard : 75-77 |
| e-mail : bob.grafton@respironics.com |
| Comments : Great times aboard this ship!
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| Name : Jerry Jones |
21 Apr 2003
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| Rate/Rank : YN3 |
| Years Onboard : 71-72 |
| e-mail : jjones@wcbi.com |
| Comments : Caught the ship in Naples in the summer of 71 along with Steve Hill, "Trouble" Trussel (both from my local reserve unit in Mississippi).Was put on the deck force because I had signed up to be in the Weapons
Department. One hot day in Naples hanging over the side, holding on with one hand, trying to paint with the other, and wearing a "May West", the weapons yeoman hung over the side and said, "Jones, can you type?".
I lied and slowly pecked my way into his replacement. Does anyone remember the trip to the Roman ruins in Turkey? I still have the lion's paw. Does anyone know where Lt. Tim Brace is? Would love to have a
reunion.
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| Name : Jacobs,Rodney J |
23 Apr 2003
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| Rate/Rank : SH2(SW) |
| Years Onboard : 90-91 |
| e-mail : rjjacobs@pcola.med.navy.mil |
Comments : This is an exciting homepage of one of my previous command. Especiallybecause I enjoyed the
"vreenatics"
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| Name : Lawrence Longsworth |
24 Apr 2003
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| Rate/Rank : SN |
| e-mail : N4sdh@hotmail.com |
| Comments : I served on board the U.S.S. Sampson DDG-10 the flag ship of Desron-12 with the Vreeland ... in the Med years was abord her several times
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| Name : Anthony S. Kimpson Sr |
28 Apr 2003
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| Rate/Rank : GMGSN |
| Years Onboard : 86-88 |
| e-mail : akimpson@tampabay.rr.com |
Comments : Thanks Champ for hooking me up with this site. The Vern was my first ship and I can truley say that it was the best one out of the four that I've been on. Well I'm still in the Navy as a GM1(SW) on
recruiting duty in my howm town of Tampa Bay, Fl. A little over 2 yrs to go and I'm retired. It's good to see that a lot of our shipmates are here. I was a young guy at the time and I appreciate MM3 John Leonard taking me under his wing and showing me the ropes of the Navy. My lasting memeory of the Vern is the time during the 86 Med cruies when the ship went to man overboard quarters on a Sunday morning holiday routine because I was sleeping in a different rack down in engineering berthing so I would have to get up and work with deck div. My buddy, SN Brown at the time noticed that I wasn't in my assigned rack when he got up for the rev watch. After searching some of the area's he though I might be and not finding me he called up to the bridge and told them that I was missing. After passing the word for me a couple times at around 0700 the OOD called for man overboard quarters. A lot of you guys were mad with me that day. Anyhow, God bless all of you and I wish you all the best.
Anthony S. Kimpson
GM1(SW)
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