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Text Box: God has truly blessed our Whetstone family with friendships that are such a blessing to us. I recently was in the hospital with heart problems. I was so encouraged by the notes and phone calls from my Whetstone family. Thank you!

What a wonderful time we all had in Seattle at our Whetstone reunion. I want you to know how important it is for you to come and attend the next reunion. I know some of you have thought about it, then decide not to attend. I want to entitle this article, "1st Timers View". I thank Pete and Addie for sharing their experience with all of us about attending their first reunion in 2004.

1st Timers View
Peter McManus RM 3 1962 - 63

First time going to my ships reunion, Wow! I found out about it on the web about 13 months before the Seattle reunion. The next thing happened was that I was able to contact two of my shipmates who I had served duty with. That was it. Reunion, here I come. Plans were made and the expectations of meeting my old friends for the first time in 41 years was exhilarating. My wife was a little more calm. I Just couldn't wait to check in. As soon as I checked in, down to the hospitality room I went. I didn't know any one at first. As I sat down and started talking, I met another crewmember from the same time period that I served on board. Later that night I met up with my old buddies, Marv Watson and Chuck Hall. What a great feeling! It was like we were never apart. Of course we did not look quite the same. We spent a lot of time together along with meeting other shipmates that served on board at different times than we did. I only knew two people when I arrived at the reunion; however, when we left to go home I had met many more. We all had a common bond and that was the ship and that was all that was needed to start up new friendships. What a great group of people to be with. My wife Addie and I had a great time and are looking forward to the next reunion in Corpus Christ, Texas. I guess you could say, we are hooked.

Text Box:
1st Timers View
Addie McManus

Let me begin by commenting on Seattle. Seattle is a wonderful city offering many activities and sights for its visitors. I especially enjoyed Pikes Market and all of the commotion surrounding it. The transportation was visitor friendly so it made getting from point A to point B very easy. What a wonderful place for a reunion. As for the reunion itself, obviously Marion and Kay put a lot of effort and planning to make sure everyone who attended went home with some wonderful memories. I personally enjoyed meeting my husband's friends and their wives and finally matching a face to the name. It seemed as though we had all been friends for years. They seemed so familiar to me I guess because of all the stories my husband had told me through the years. My favorite part of the reunion however was the women's meeting. There I met other women whose husband’s had served on the Whetstone. I listened as they told of their experiences not only while in the military but also of their lives afterwards. The connection and bond these ladies share is remarkable. On the one hand sharing their stories was like therapy while on the other it was an enjoyable history lesson told through their own experiences. This was the first Whetstone reunion for my husband and me, however, with God's grace, it's only the beginning of many more to come. Addie

May the Lord bless you. If I can help in anyway with you or your family, please let me know.

Chaplain Marv Watson
(RM-3 1960-63 )
3149 Sequoia Drive
Lincoln, Nebraska 68516
402-421-8957
chaplain@usswhetstone.net

Text Box: Wreath tossed overboard after reading names of all known deceased shipmates in memory of their lives and their service to their county aboard the USS Whetstone LSD-27.

Text Box: GOLF FUNNY

A golfer asked his friend, “Why are you so late?” The friend replied, “Its Sunday! I had to toss a coin between going to church or playing golf and it took 25 tosses to get it right!”

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