Monday, September 29, 2014

NEW YORK CITY VETERANS DAY PARADE


All Hands:  For the fourth year, USSVI  has been invited to participate in the New York City Veterans Day Parade. The parade always takes place on Veterans Day, rain or shine. For a complete overview of the parade, go to  http://americasparade.org/ . In order to coordinate with the parade organizers, we need to get the approximate number of participants, and a firm number of float participants. Please consider joining our ranks and promoting the United States Submarine Service and USSVI in this monumental event. Please contact me as soon as possible by email (wcandrea@bellsouth.net) or phone (561-790-1287 or 561-389-3032) if you plan on marching or bringing a float. I will need to submit float information, including make & model of towing vehicle, approximate length of towing vehicle and float, and brief description of float. All vehicles must have proof of registration and insurance upon request and all drivers must be legally licensed for the vehicle they will be driving. Please dont drag your feet on this one. There are thousands of participants, and the parade organizers need as much time as possible top the lineup, staging, police, security, etc. Contact me at the above email or phone #s for questions or info. Lets make USSVI shine, and I hope to see you in New York.

Bill Andrea, NJVC

Monday, September 22, 2014

SUBMARINE STORIES OF THE 20TH CENTURY - WANTED


STORIES WANTED FOR THE BOOK - SUBMARINE STORIES OF THE 20TH CENTURY

 

Mary Nida Smith’s nonfiction, Submarine Veterans of World War II has been acquired by Skyhorse Publishing!

Her husband, Melvin T, Smith, was one of these honorable men. He is a lifetime member of the U.S. Submarine Veterans Inc., (Holland Club), former Vice Commander of the Twin Lakes USSVI Base, Mountain Home, Arkansas, former member of the Idaho Spuds-U.S Submarine Veterans of WWII and the Northwest Regions/Idaho/Montana/Oregon/Washington.
Melvin T. Smith Mary Nida Smith

Submarine Veterans of World War II is about teenage boys who left farms, small towns, and inner cities to defend the United States and democracy worldwide. Signing up for United States Navy submarine duty was an adventure of a lifetime during the early 40s. Dreams of sailing the seas; torpedoing Japanese and German ships and subs consumed the thoughts of these young men. As gallant heroes they returned home older and wiser.

Contributed by nine men who rode submarines to great depths across the oceans into unknown territory, they share their experiences, fears and thoughts; allowing us to travel back in time through their memories. Some stories will never be told. Held deep within the secret confines of their souls, these deep sea veterans block it out for self-preservation. Yet, there are others who will never escape their own minds, reliving it over and over with eyes open or shut.

It was difficult finding veterans of that era who were able and willing to release their stories. Many have departed this earth, and those who are still with us now find themselves in their late 80s and 90s. Trained for years to keep silent, for "loose lips sink ships," some still believe what they know to be classified and refuse to disclose even the minutest of recollections. Others want to leave a legacy of reminiscences for others to learn and live by—to know that freedom is not free.

Submarine Stories of World War II was written to honor the men who served and are serving today on submarines.


Smith, an author, freelance writer, poet and photographer has lived in several states, submitting and publishing in local magazines and newspapers. Magazines: The Ozarks Mountaineer, Ozarks, Arkansas Living, Good Old Days, Polaris (WWII), Grit, Northwest Living (Field Editor), Storyteller (photograph cover), Salute, Journal of the Ozarks. Newspapers: Magic Valley Farm Lines (South Idaho Press-Clark newspapers), Port Orchard Independent (Washington- weekly column), Ozark Mountain News (Mountain Home, AR), and Oregon Journal (Portland - book reviews). Newsletters: U.S. Submarine Veterans of WWII (Arkansas Diamond Chapter), Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI- Australia), SCBWI-Missouri, SCBWI-Arkansas, Ozarks Writers League (OWL), and Missouri Writers Guild. Contributed to the anthologies: Echoes of the Ozarks and Women in Nature.


Submarine Stories of World War II (First Edition) was originally published by Red Engine Press, 2008. It was displayed for several months in the Ralph Foster Museum (College of the Ozarks), and placed three military museums: St. Marys’ Submarine Museum, St. Mary’s, Georgia, Wisconsin Veterans Museum, Madison, Wisconsin, USS Razorback and Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, Little Rock, Arkansas, and cataloged in the Donald W. Reynolds Library Baxter County, Arkansas.     When she created her blog Submarine Stories and Military Writers (2007 –present) http://submarinestories.blogspot.com she link with The Sub Report at http://thesubreport.blogspot.com where she is featured on Eric S. Ryle's Submarine Blog Roll.


http://marynidasmith.blogspot.com

http://creativewritersandillusrators.blogspot.com

Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com

Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor New York, NY www.skyhorsepublishing.com

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Submarine Veterans on Last Patrol


Anthony served aboard the Sea Fox 45-46 and a YN.

I will add him to our Eternal Patrol page.

Geo. 

 

From:

Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 4:09 PM

To: Subject: Wed Obits

 

Not a member SVWWII  (database #13892)

csrbone

Anthony U. Carbone, died September 14, 2014. Predeceased by first wife, Camilla Carbone; brother, Joseph Carbone. Born in Rochester, NY on March 29, 1925, Anthony grew up on Clayton Street in the Charlotte area where he was very active in sports. He played soccer and baseball and then basketball at Charlotte High School where he graduated in 1943. Afterward, he served in the US Navy from 1943-1947 and then worked for Eastman Kodak for 38 years. He qualified in submarines as a Plankowner in USS Brill (SS-330) in 1944, served in Sea Fox (SS-402), and was YN2(SS) when released by the Navy in 1947. He always attended the Brill Submarine reunions. Tony loved going on cruises, playing golf, and was a Baltimore Orioles fan as well as head of the Management Club at Eastman Kodak. Some of his favorite television shows included Seinfield, Bill O’Reilly, and the news. Family and friends would best describe Tony as someone who was outgoing, funny, friendly, well-respected, and resilient. He will be greatly missed.  Survived by wife, Betty Carbone; children, Nancy Flad, Ann (Bill) Cecchi, James Carbone, John (Kate) Carbone; stepchildren, Cindy Walker, Merle (Karen) Commet; siblings, Mary Van Ocher, Carmel Parks, Herb (Molly) Carbone, Michael Carbone, Joan (Richard) Carbone; 14 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. Visitation is 2-4 & 7-9 PM Wednesday at the funeral home, 1411 Vintage Lane (between 390 & Long Pond Rd). Tony’s funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 AM Thursday at St. Mark’s Church, 54 Kuhn Rd, Rochester. Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

 

SVWWII-l-10503

STIVER, Howard Marion, 95, of Otterbein Lebanon, Ohio, passed away September 14, 2014. He was a WWII Submarine Veteran. At the time of retirement in 1986 he was in charge of Grade A Milk Sanitation Enforcement for the Ohio Dept. of Health. He was preceded in death by parents, Warner and Jessie Stiver, first wife, Rose Hummel Stiver and brother, Harold Stiver. He is survived by his wife, Virginia; daughters Carole (Gordon) King of England and Louise Stiver/John Ressler, New Mexico; sons Bruce (Patty) Stiver of NE Ohio and Robert (Dawn) Stiver of Alaska; stepdaughter Karen Spatz (Joe), Brookville, Ohio; seven grand and two step grandchildren; one great grandchild, one brother and one sister. His body is donated to Wright State Medical School. Memorial services will be held at the Medina United Methodist Church and Otterbein Lebanon Church at a later date. Waite & Son Funeral Home, Medina, OH handling arrangements. Published in Dayton Daily News on Sept. 17, 2014

 

 

Not a member SVWWII  (database#13893)

http://ak-cache.legacy.net/legacy/images/Cobrands/ContraCostaTimes/Photos/WB0075632-1_20140916.jpgRichard Arthur Swarts, LCDR, USN, Ret., died Sept. 11, 2014. Richard was born in Newton, Kansas June 19, 1913. He attended schools in Great Bend, Dodge City, Garden City and Hutchison Jr. College. Richard joined the U.S. Navy in November, 1934. He advanced through all Enlisted Grades, Warrant & Commissioned in 1942. He served through WW II, the Korean War and "A" Stations on many ships. Notably, the USS Drum (SS229) (Plankowner), USS Boxer (CV21) and at the Pentagon in naval intelligence. He received many service ribbons and citations including the Submarine Combat Insignia. Richard retired from the Navy on July 1, 1960 and was active in real estate in east bay cities until 1980, where he served on CURAC for 13 years. "Dick" was an avid golfer and won medals in Northern California golf tournaments. He was well known at the Tilden Park Golf Club, where he played until he was 91 years of age. His most enjoyable golf story was when he played with, and gave tips to, a 19 year old golfer at the Pearl Harbor-Hickam Golf Course, named Jack Nicklaus. Dick was also a member of several SIRs Branches, most recently, Branch 2. Richard was a devout Christian. He served the Barrett Avenue Christian Church as Bible Teacher, Leader, Elder and Treasurer from 1980 until his death. He was predeceased by his wife of 73 years, "Vi" Swarts. He is survived by his sister, Yuvone Scott, of Lodi; Daughter, Roxanna Phillips, of Napa; two granddaughters; and five great grandchildren. His caring demeanor, loving heart, generous soul and "witty" sense of humor will be missed by all that knew and loved him. A viewing will be held at Wilson and Kratzer's Civic Center Mortuary, on Saturday, September 20, from 4:00-8:00 p.m. A military funeral will be held at Barrett Avenue Christian Church, 3701 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, at 11:00 a.m., on Monday, September 22. The Reverend Kenneth Barbauta officiating. A burial will follow at Rolling Hills Memorial Park. A Celebration of Life will then will follow at La Revolucion Restaurant, 3190 Klose Way, Richmond Hilltop. In lieu of flowers, the family requests expressions of sympathy be made to The Memorial Gift Fund of Barrett Avenue Christian Church, or to your favorite charity  in Richard's honor. Published in Contra Costa Times on Sept. 17, 2014 

 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

VETERANS RESOURCES


TO READ OR DOWNLOAD THE ABOVE ARTICLES OR PAST BULLETINS REFER TO:

 

-- http://www.nhc-ul.com/rao.html (PDF Edition w/ATTACHMENTS)

-- http://www.veteransresources.org (PDF & HTML Editions w/ATTACHMENTS)
-- http://frabr245.org  (PDF & HTML Editions in Word format)
-- http://www.veteransresources.org/rao-bulletin (past Bulletins)

Monday, September 15, 2014

TWIN LAKES SUBMARINE BASE, MOUNTAIN HOME, AR


Party for Bob & Carolyn Lents for they are moving to Fayetteville, AR

l-R Melvin T Smith, Curtis Grant, Ralph X Klotz, Duane Goodlett, Robert W. Lents,

Frank Kaye, John Baker, (sorry, don't know) and Charles Davis.

 

Dinner at the Italian Garden Restaurant




Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Submarine Stories Wanted.

If a submarine veteran who served in any war or conflict would like to see their story in a book please submit to marynida@suddenlink.net or Mary Nida Smith,162 Stamford Drive, Lakeview, AR 72642.

Your story doesn't have to be fancy for I will be rewriting them for publication. My husband who served in WWII, Vietnam and Korean has a story in my first book. I want to honor each of you male or female for your service and present your stories to students so they will know and not forget the price of war. 

My first book, Submarine Stories of World War II is cataloged in the Donald W. Reynolds Library/ Baxter County, AR.

Yes, I have signed with a wonderful agent and soon with a publisher who respects military personal.

The Sub Report.

The Sub Report blog appears to have shut down. Does anyone know what happened. It was a special blog that ask to link up to this blog in 2007-8?

Monday, September 8, 2014

Museum of Science and Industry | The Dangers Within

Museum of Science and Industry | The Dangers Within

Wanted Submarine Stories

No matter what year you served on submarines and you would love to share your story in my next book, please get in touch with me.  Thank you. Mary Nida Smith

Monday, September 1, 2014

VA benefit, care for aged Vetrans and/or spouse


Received from Ray Fritz, National USSVI Chaplain:


--- Begin forwarded message:

Subject: VA benefit, care for aged Veterans and/or spouse.

   I encourage you to please forward this e-mail to other shipmates. We never know when this little known benefit could be of value to a shipmate or spouse.

  If you are or have a family member who is a veteran or spouse of a veteran that needs extra care look at this info from the VA.

  http://www.vvachapter1075.org/vietnam-vet-help-page

 A Little-Known Benefit for Aging Veterans

  As veterans age, many are unfamiliar with a benefit that can help pay for care at home or in assisted living or a nursing home. Here's a riddle: When is a government benefit that pays for caregivers, assisted living and a nursing home not a benefit? When hardly any people know they're entitled to it.

  That seems to be the story with a Department of Veterans Affairs benefit called the Aid and Attendance and Housebound Improved Pension benefit, known as A&A, which can cover the costs of caregivers in the home (including sons and daughters who are paid to be caregivers, though not spouses) or be used for assisted living or a nursing home.

  The benefit is not insignificant: up to $2,019 monthly for a veteran and spouse, and up to $1,094 for the widow of a veteran.

  Surprised that you've never heard of it? You're not alone.

  "It's probably one of the lesser-known benefits," said Randal Noller, a Veterans Affairs spokesman in Washington. Of the 1.7 million World War II veterans alive as of 2011, who were in need of caregiving assistance and thus eligible, only 38,076 veterans and 38,685 surviving spouses were granted the A&A benefit that year, according to Mr. Noller.

  Mr. Noller is not the first to acknowledge A&A is a well-kept secret. Jim Nicholson, former secretary of Veterans Affairs, said in a December 2006 news release that "not everyone is aware of his or her potential eligibility" for the program, which he called an "underused" benefit.

  Not much has changed. A search of the Veterans Affairs Web site for evidence of public information efforts in the six years since came up blank.

  "The sad thing is, it's been an entitlement for 61 years, but it's sat idle - the V.A. employees just haven't been educated about it," said Debbie Burak of Midlothian, Va. She said she repeatedly called department offices on behalf of her father, a World War II veteran, and her mother, who became homeless after their house caught fire and their injuries required extensive care. She was told there were no benefits they were entitled to. (Indeed, when I called two Baltimore-area Veterans Affairs offices for my father, a World War II veteran, no one had heard of this benefit or any benefit that paid for care givers or assisted living or nursing homes.)

  "My parents' end of life was so difficult. They lost everything, were living in a terrible hotel, ran up every credit card we had," Ms. Burak said. "My mother begged us not to cremate her, but there was no money for a burial; we had no choice."

   It was only after her father died that Ms. Burak discovered her parents would have been entitled to as much as $160,000 over the last decade through the Aid and Attendance benefit. She applied, but no money arrived before her mother died.

  Mr. Noller said the program's low visibility might be an effect of the size of the department. "The V.A. is the second-largest agency in the federal government, and you can't expect everybody to know everything," he said, referring to the agency's work force.

  To bridge the information gap, Ms. Burak introduced VeteranAid.org, a Web site and a 501(c)(3) charity, in 2005, to provide information about A&A eligibility and how to apply.

  To qualify, a veteran need not have suffered a service-related injury. He or she only had to have clocked at least one day of his or her 90-day minimum military service during a time of war and need care giving for activities of daily living.

  Applying can be confusing and arduous. If you know the program's name and search the Veterans Affairs Web site for Aid and Attendance, the first page states, among other things, that you are not eligible for A&A unless you already qualify for a basic Veterans Affairs pension - for which you have to be "totally disabled."

  That's more than a little misleading.

  "What people don't know is that when wartime veterans turn 65, the V.A. automatically classifies them as 'totally disabled,' " Ms. Burak said. And if they meet income and asset criteria, they are eligible for a basic pension.

  The A&A benefit can be more than 50 percent higher than the basic veteran's pension ($24,239 annually for a veteran and spouse with A&A, versus $16,051 for a basic pension). The income and asset cutoffs are also higher than for A&A benefits.

  Karen McCarty, of Fort Worth, is one of the lucky ones who applied for A&A - and got it. She heard about it when the assisted living facility where her father-in-law, Robert McCarty, 92, was living, held a seminar on it.

  Ms. McCarty, a former certified public accountant, started researching the application process at the Veterans Affairs site, but, she said, "the VeteranAid.org site was much clearer." She found all the forms she needed, and her father-in-law received the first check in record time - six months.

  Not all Veterans Affairs officers are in the dark about A&A.

  After Annette Cadena's parents were in a car accident and moved to a nursing home in their tiny hometown, Fossil, Ore., it was the local Veterans Affairs officer, Paul Conroy (now retired), who saw her on the street and mentioned that her parents might qualify.

   "I was skeptical, to be honest," said Ms. Cadena. "My husband did two tours in Iraq and has worked 30 years for the Washington State Army National Guard coordinating with the V.A. to help veterans, and he had never heard of it."

   Still, she applied in August 2009, and nine months later her parents started receiving the maximum $2,019 per month.

  The benefit was a lifesaver. That is, until her father, Clinton Ray, died on Aug. 5. The payments to her mother, Bessie Ray, stopped, even though widows of veterans are also entitled to this benefit.

  "They cut her off cold," Ms. Cadena said, and told her she would have to apply all over again as a widow, which could take 9 to 18 months. "My mother said, 'Oh, my God, are they going to kick me out of the home?'" Ms. Cadena recalled.

  Still, when the benefit comes through, it can make a real difference. Marcia Hruska's mother, 85, had run through all her savings after seven years of worsening Alzheimer's and round-the-clock care in her apartment in Coconut Creek, Fla. Assisted living was the next step, but Ms. Hruska didn't know how they would pay for it, with Social Security her only income.

  "One of the assisted living facilities we visited asked if my dad had been in the service," and mentioned A&A, Ms. Hruska recalled. So she filled out the 26-page Veterans Affairs application - which used to be only four pages - and on Sept. 1, six months after applying, she received the first monthly check for $1,019. "This relieves a lot of tension," Ms. Hruska said.

  One warning note: Scams abound. The department forbids anyone to charge to help veterans fill out these challenging forms, yet a growing number of companies - many of which, on a Web search for "Aid and Attendance," pop up with waving flags and red-white-and-blue banners - offer to "help" veterans fill out the forms free, then charge thousands of dollars for financial consultation.

  And, Ms. Burak warns: "Financial planners at assisted living facilities are putting on seminars about the A&A benefit - but it isn't out of the goodness of their hearts. They are trolling for residents who have too much money to qualify, to get them to move assets into annuity products that don't count as income or assets and yield big commissions." (This is possible because, unlike Medicaid, with its five-year look back, Veterans Affairs has no look back on asset transfers.)

The department does not reveal maximum allowable assets. But $80,000 (the house and a car are exempt from this total) seems to be in the ballpark, though someone with more assets could still qualify if expenses were very high, according to Ms. Burak.

  Income limits are not set in stone either. But the maximum is around $20,000 to $23,000 after deducting costs for medical expenses, caregivers, assisted living or nursing home fees. Some people are taking advantage of A&A to protect assets for their heirs, Ms. McCarty said. Still, she said, "it's a wonderful benefit."

 

 

USSVI NATIONAL ELECTION 2014