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"First, a hearty welcome aboard, Lorena! David de Rooy wrote me about your plight-er- fight with the VA, so maybe the following info will be of use to you. Bev King, aesailors dot com's Newsletter editor just sent me the latest edition in which it…"
"Thanks for your message, Lorena.
What you wrote indicates you had already done your homework - good for you! About the guy your previous lawyer contacted: maybe if he saw pictures of you and Keef from the time you visited him it would jog his…"
What you wrote indicates you had already done your homework - good for you! About the guy your previous lawyer contacted: maybe if he saw pictures of you and Keef from the time you visited him it would jog his…"
"In answer to mickey doyle on Apr 29 2011, Hell, I was an EM2 aboard her too, from 1960 to1962! And the association's web address is greatsitkin.org no 'uss' and no space between 'great' and 'sitkin'. And why are there no comments after 2013?"
"Like Adam Teece, I too, live in Lehigh Acres since 2010.
Started off in Cape Coral in 1999, from California. Hey Adam,
if you're still in LhAc let me know where. You can contact
me at mb06vans11(at)yahoo.com"
Started off in Cape Coral in 1999, from California. Hey Adam,
if you're still in LhAc let me know where. You can contact
me at mb06vans11(at)yahoo.com"
"Thanks for becoming my online friend, Dave. It so happens that I just got through telling Ron Zimmerman Sr of greatsitkin.org about the tiny Great Sitkin group on Navy Vets, + the fact that joining navyvets.com is free. He is a dynamic person, so…"
"Someone who heard me singing in the shower after sentry duty (when I thought no-one else was up) suggested that I should join the Blue Jackets' Choir. This was in March 1958 and my Company # was 177. What I liked most about our off base…"
"You're 100% welcome! And thanks for YOUR reply to my question. The 'y' at the end made me think it could be South Afrikaans because of the British influence there. But then it's not much different in the US, is it? But the fact that your dad…"
"Thanks for the welcome, Dave. Is your last name Zuid Afrikaans, Dutch or Belgian? Although the name Brent is not really Dutch, I joined the Navy when I was still a Dutch immigrant with the last name Ottow - which isn't really Dutch either! …"
Only 6 sailors on the USS Great Sitkin AE 17 roster in Navy Vets? That's deplorable! There is an entire USS Great Sitkin Association on the web: http://www.greatsitkin.org with some 100 Active members, that I'm about to join as well. They have a…
Comments
I emailed the guy after he said he could not remember my husband. His answer was never heard of him. Maybe he is suffering of some of the affects of Agent Orange. I have gone down the crew list and only picked up two or three that my husband hung with. But without an address or email it is not much help. Just had his hearing last week. Now the wait begins again. Everyone says that there is not much more I can do that I have not already taken care of and to just wait. I did one more thing. I have started a non profit in Las Vegas to help the homeless veterans there with housing, a food bank and help with their claims with the VA. It is amazing how many vets and widows of vets do not have a clue what they can do. Of course it takes persistence and patience. I have lots of that and I also have a representative who calls himself a jewish bulldog who doesn't give up. Plus we have a couple others on board to help me. Funny thing is that none of them are veterans. But they have relatives who have gone through the same battles and most have given up. I fought the state of CA on behalf of my multi-handicapped son who i can thank the Navy for, Rubella while stationed at Great Lakes. But that is another story. That one took seven years and the Governor of CA getting involved. But I won that one and he is in a very good place now. So I will continue my battles as long as I can. I am 70 and very hardheaded. Must be the Irish and Scottish and Welch in me. I have family members who have fought in every war this country has fought since it's creation.
I have found both of these sources. Since it has been almost fifty years since I have even seen most of his buddies I do not remember their names. One that was contacted by the first lawyer we had said he did not remember Bruce. We had visited his home in Virginia and he had been to ours in New Jersey and they made the med cruise together in 1969 as well as the west pac cruise in 1968. I have provided the VA the deck logs and the ship logs and a roster of crew members that I have found in several different sites. I do not want to give up even though he is gone because he was so disappointed each time they denied his claim. I often thought that maybe this may have been part of the cause of his death as he had given up the fight.
Sorry, I didn't learn enough "dutch" to converse in it. My father however picked up a lot because his parents spoke it at home. I'm proud of my Dutch heritage and of my Navy service. Best wishes to you Shoes.
My last name is Dutch. My grandparents came to Canada in 1921. My father was an infant then. Later on they ended up in Washington state, where I still live. the original spelling was deRooij. Thanks for the reply
Welcome Chief I hope you enjoy sharing your memories with us. glad to have you aboard