Reunion Report - 2002

Report prepared by Vic Alasio, President, USS Hassayampa Veteran's Association

November 19, 2002

NOW HEAR THIS!!!

Only 339 days left to Wickenburg 2003!

Well, the smoke has cleared and by now everyone should be back to the old grind. Our first reunion has been filed away in the annals of Hassayampa History and will be the source of many good memories for the coming year.

To get the statistics out of the way, there were a total of 74 Hass Sailors in Wickenburg last weekend, accompanied by 26 Hassayampa Ladies. We had an unprecedented 4 Commanding Officers and 1 MSC Master in attendance. The Wardroom was represented by no less than 7 Officers, including our second XO CDR Harry Haeussler, who at 85 was the oldest Hassayampa Veteran to make the muster. The youngest member of the Hassayampa Family, Nathan Lockwood, checked in at the ripe young age of 6. All eras were represented, from pre-commissioning to decommissioning to MSC. All divisions were also well represented. Our crew also proved that old habits die hard and consumed a record 12 cases of the Official USS Hassayampa Beverage, San Miguel beer! Some of the best Sea Stories ever told were heard by all present as we downed gallons of pure Hassayampa River Water each morning. We had Shipmates from all over the United States, including Hawaii. The furthest distance traveled was 2870 miles by Rex Courser who came in from Honolulu. The shortest was 40 miles by Rich Baca of Peoria, AZ.

Our "early registration day" on Thursday showed how much everyone was looking forward to the Reunion. Originally, 14 Shipmates had made reservations with the hotel for Thursday. A total of 32 showed up by 4 PM, with 4 of the original 14 yet to arrive!

The people of Wickenburg showed us the meaning of "hasspitality". The welcome we received was totally unexpected and very much appreciated. From the Wickenburg Police Department headed by Chief Tony Melendez, to the Chamber of Commerce, to the Mayor and Council, to the American Legion, to the guys at the middle table in the Golden Nugget every morning at breakfast. They all helped us make up our minds to have our next bash "Out Wickenburg Way."

The weekend in Wickenburg proves what we have all known for many years...our ship and our crew were very special. That sentiment was echoed whenever more than one of us sat down to chat. Shipmates that never knew each other embraced as if we were long-lost family. Our wives and sweethearts shared the Hass feeling as well. Old friendships were renewed, new friendships formed and the bond that all Shipmates share was reinforced. Unfortunately, many of our crew that had hoped to be with us didn't make it this year. Hopefully, throughout the coming year, we will be able to contact those that couldn't join us and next year's reunion will be even bigger and better.

I would like to thank Chief Randy Lange, Norm Barron and Terry Kuehn for all their hard work in getting this thing off the ground. Without their help we wouldn't have been able to pull it off. Without the help of each and every person that made it to Wickenburg we would not have had a reunion.

The USS Hassayampa proudly sailed into Wickenburg last week. Her rails were manned by the finest group of Sailors in the fleet!

More later.....

Vic Alasio

PS: Dick Eilers gave me a CD with about 180 photos which will be put up on the web site this week. ALL photos are welcome and will be put up as soon as I get them.

Report prepared by Vic Alasio, President, USS Hassayampa Veteran's Association

November 22, 2002

NOW HEAR THIS!!

The First Reunion of the USS Hassayampa (AO-145) is history...and what a time it was! With the exception of a couple of very minor logistical glitches, the weekend was an overwhelming success! Since this was my first Navy reunion, I had no idea what to expect. I thought it would just be a bunch of old farts warily eying each other and staying to themselves or gathering around the nearest beer dispensing location. Boy, was I ever wrong! When our shipmates began arriving early I was floored! As mentioned before, we expected 14 "early arrivals" on Thursday. 12 of them showed up by 4 PM...along with 20 unexpected check-ins.

Randy Lange and I arrived on Sunday afternoon and began to make preparations for a party. The first order of business was to check in with the local Police Department. We introduced ourselves to Chief Tony Melendez, told him why we were in Wickenburg and also told him if there was anything we could do to make his job easier he just had to ask. Chief Melendez told us we had it wrong...if there was anything he could do to help us, we just had to ask! That set the tone for the whole week. Everywhere we went we received the same reception. From the Chamber of Commerce to the local businesses. The outpouring of "Hasspitality" was great.

The week progressed with daily meetings with Royce Kardinal and her staff to iron out the logistics, meetings with Charley the caterer and helping Kevin hang banners and flags. An early highlight of the week occurred when Kevin showed up with a six-pack of San Miguel, informing us that the six cases Royce had ordered had arrived...twice! A short-lived Cribbage Tournament was aborted early Monday evening after Randy lost four games in a row (or was it six?)...although he did exact his revenge Tuesday morning at the local barber shop!

The first shipmate to arrive was Sid Mathews on Wednesday, driving over 1800 miles to make the muster. Randy and I sort of got a feeling for the way the reunion was heading when we had lunch with Sid at the Gold Nugget that afternoon. Sid must have been peeling onions because the tears started flowing! At that point, we knew we had something special going on.

Thursday evening found most of the early arrivals at the Gold Nugget for an enjoyable dinner. Even though the folks at Jack Pulliam's table told their waitress to give their checks to Randy and me, we all had a great evening!

Things got off to an early start Friday morning with Chief Lange performing Senior Chief Mess Cook duties by making the first of the day's many pots of Java, with coffee that he had imported from California. The lobby soon filled with shipmates eagerly awaiting the day's arrivals. After the morning dose of Pure Hassayampa River Water from the strategically placed jug, the sea stories started flowing and our shipmates began arriving. The "ship's bell" announced the arrival of "Hassayampa" three times as our former skippers checked in at the reunion Registration Desk. There were lots of handshakes and hugs as old shipmates finally hooked up with former "running mates".

Friday evening found our crew the guests of honor at a Cocktail Reception hosted by the People of Wickenburg. A Proclamation was read by the Mayor, we were welcomed by the Chamber of Commerce and serenaded by the local High School band. After a short address by the Keynote Speaker of the evening, Captain John Sentz, USNR (Ret), we took over the festivities. Colors were posted by the Color Guard from the Naval Reserve Center in Phoenix, the National Anthem was played and all present pledged allegiance to our Flag. We then held a traditional Two-Bell Ceremony honoring our departed shipmates. There wasn't a dry eye to be found as the bell tolled to the strains of the Navy Hymn and Taps. After a few words by yours truly, a few special people were introduced and thanked, especially the key planners of the reunion. The 5 Captains of Hassayampa that honored us with their attendance were introduced and we then cast off all lines and got our Reunion underway with a sumptuous dinner under the clear Arizona sky. While the temperature was a bit cool, we were all warmed by having so many old friends and shipmates there.

Saturday morning found us back at the tables for the inaugural meeting of the USS Hassayampa Veterans Association. Our Association was formed, officers elected ( Vic Alasio, Pres., Randy Lange, Vice-Pres., Norm Barron, Sec., Terry Kuehn, Master-at-Arms ), standing committees formed and a vote was taken on the date and location of our next reunion (October 24-26, 2003 - Wickenburg). Minutes of the meeting will be posted on the website soon.

Saturday afternoon was a perfect time for all assembled to take advantage of the local surroundings as groups headed out to explore what Wickenburg has to offer. More than a few of us made our way to the Hassayampa River Preserve to see the river that gave our ship her name. After an easy hike through the woods, we found that there really is water in the river! After emptying a couple of San Miguel bottles, Captain Pat Moloney and Bob Streett filled them with Pure Hassayampa Water and then actually drove Pat's SUV through the river and kicked up a bow wave! That evening we all met at Charley's Steak House for our Gala Dinner. The atmosphere was festive as we visited with our shipmates, told more sea stories and enjoyed our steak dinners.

Sunday morning came all too soon. A lavish brunch, complete with cooked to order pancakes, biscuits and gravy, bacon and eggs and other normal breakfast fare topped off a perfect weekend and an even more perfect reunion. Sunday was also the time none of us were looking forward to. It was time for saying good bye...if only till next year. Our collective emotions ran high as we said our farewells, promising to see everyone at the next reunion.

One would be hard pressed to come up with a better adjective than Terry Kuehn did to describe the Weekend in Wickenburg. It was everything he said...and more.

Now, to the future. Plans are already afoot for next year's bash. The mistakes we made this year have been noted and will be corrected. The high points will be expanded. An effort to locate even more shipmates has already begun by our Membership Committee. Chief Lange has even promised to have real milk at the coffee pot! We might even have a Cribbage Tournament because of a challenge issued by none other than Admiral Church!

As the year progresses I will be posting the photos that people send in, continue my search for more of our shipmates, help plan an even better reunion and send out those pesky "updates." For now I want to wish all hands the best for the upcoming Holiday Season and Fair Winds and Following Seas until we meet again in Wickenburg!

Vic Alasio