Gathering to Share Memories and Help Others are Activities Aplenty This Time of Year
Pearl Harbor Day was observed by a few local veterans posts Dec. 7, but the World War II submariners group stopped holding commemorations.
“There are just not enough of them left, or who are well enough anymore, to participate,” U.S. Navy submarine veteran Bob Freeman said.
However, Navy veterans who served on submarines, or qualified to do so, still come from all over the metropolitan Detroit area to a Warren restaurant every month. They are joined by their supporters who may or may not be veterans themselves, and their meals and camaraderie are lively.
Some World War II veterans at the breakfasts include Earl Fosgard of Harrison Township, John Widajewski of Roseville and Frank Gaca of White Lake.
“Frank is 91. He just got back from deer hunting,” Freeman said. “We are the Subvets Detroit Breakfast Club. Our group is more social than fraternal. We are a group of submariners who float sea stories.”
The Submarine Veterans of World War II disbanded and gave up its congressional charter a few years ago. However, many members joined the United States Submarine Veterans Inc., “to perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in pursuit of their duties while serving their country . . .” Those people get together informally for breakfast monthly, then meet formally throughout the state.
“It began with World War II veterans, but as their numbers started thinning out, other boys joined in,” Freeman, of Chesterfield, said.
The USSVI, a congressionally chartered veterans service organization, began in 1964 in Connecticut. Every state group – called a base – is dedicated to at least one submarine that was lost in battle during WWII.
Michigan members meet in Birch Run in February; in Muskegon at the USS Silversides Museum and submarine on Memorial Day weekend; and in Charlevoix at the USS Escolar monument in October. In August, they have a picnic in the Lansing area.
Freeman is the base commander for the state. His wife, Linda, is known as the storekeeper of submariners merchandise. Their newsletter is called The Klaxon.
Maintaining the USS Silversides Museum is a service project. There is a pass-the-jar collection at breakfasts, and every $1,000 collected each year is matched by the state organization and donated to the upkeep of the Silversides museum. Some in the breakfast crowd are members of the museum board of directors.
“We’ll never get another sub donated to be a museum,” Freeman said. “It behooves us to preserve it. The whole object of our group is to perpetuate the memory of those who were lost.”
He went into the Navy in 1965 and passed through submarine prep school, then sub school before he was assigned to the USS Cobbler out of New London, Conn.
He was a fire control technician who worked on weapons systems and charting that was a forerunner to modern GPS. He sailed in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea with 86 men in a boat 350 feet long and 27 feet wide. They could remain submerged for more than two days before they had to recharge batteries and recycle air.
“Practically everybody smoked. The air was vile in that thing. Probably everything I did back then is no longer classified. Our mission was to go out on watches. When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, the Cold War was officially over.
“Today the primary duty of a submarine is to be a deterrent. One sub now has the explosive power of all the submarines used in World War II. The firepower they have keeps other countries from messing with us. They carry nuclear weapons and you hope they never ever get launched,” Freeman said.
When submariners get together, they talk about adventures on the seas, books and the vast array of technological achievements in the U.S. military.
Membership chairman of the USSVI is Dennis Smith at 734-485-2243 or [email protected]. Submarine vet members may sponsor non-voting associate members.
Selfridge military families adopted
Two families in the Selfridge Family Support Center’s Adopt a Military Family for Christmas program will benefit from more than $1,000 in gifts from the Mount Clemens Lions Club.
“This year the Mount Clemens Lions Club adopted two families from Selfridge Air National Guard Base,” club member Philip Maniaci said. “Nothing says Christmas like giving. Being able to help the men and women that keep us safe, and their families, is a great way to do it.
“After all the shopping was done, we had a lot of help with the wrapping from three National Honor Society students from Chippewa Valley High School – Alexis Lafata, Lizzy Maniaci and Aubrey Schihl. We hope that these families enjoy the gifts as much as we did doing the shopping.”
One of the active-duty families comprises a father who is a sergeant and his 2-year-old son. The other is a husband and wife with a 13-month-old daughter. The gifts were delivered to the base chapel.
“We bought clothes, clothes and more clothes, and both kids will get a bunch of toys. The girl likes books with different things she can touch, like fuzzy things, and she likes to stand up and push toys. The boy likes cars and trucks so that’s just what we got him. The adults didn’t ask for anything for themselves; 90 percent of what we got was for the kids. You think that people in the military have everything taken care of for them, but everyone realizes how far our civilian paychecks just do not go,” Maniaci said. “My wife came to tears when she thought about military families who make much less. We were humbled by doing this. If you could look into a window and see how some people are managing at this time of year, it can be very sad. At least these people don’t have to stress over what their kids will get for Christmas.”
Clubs bring Christmas to foster children
The Clinton Township Kiwanis Club, the Chippewa Valley High School Key Club, the International Academy Key Club and Dakota High School Key Club recently collaborated on a Christmas party for Macomb County’s foster care children.
“This event provides a fun day of face painting, DJ, cookie decorating, dancing, lunch,” Kiwanian Lori Stillwell said. “Kids get to write to Santa and they get to have their picture taken with Santa. One parent came up and gave all of us hugs with tears in her eyes and just said, ‘Thank you for giving my child this experience,’ and she said that it was nice not thinking of all of the negative things going on in her life for four hours.”
“Another parent expressed to a member of Key Club that she had not smiled and laughed in a very long time, and being part of such an amazing group of people that are in her same shoes made her appreciate what she has. These students come together every year to provide a day of celebration for these children that would never be able to experience a great party like this one. As the children leave, they are handed a present that was personally bought for them and wrapped. The parents are in awe and just so thankful that their child was not forgotten,” she said.
“As Kiwanians, the feeling of giving is what we work all year long for. We have many fundraisers to be able to provide events like this. Kiwanians put others before themselves.”
The adult club raises over $40,000 annually to serve over 1,000 households. They sponsor the Key clubs, including one at L’Anse Creuse High School, involving about 325 students in service projects.
Tags: Veterans News
