DE 413 Newsletter July 2005

Thinking back to my early days, I believe that one of the first risqu lyrics to a song that I heard on the radio had to do with the above. You go home and get your panties, Ill go home and get my scanties and away well go. Off were gonna shuffle, shuffle off to Buffalo.

Well, maybe we wont see any actual Buffalo, but we plan to see a lot of Buffalo, New York. In early October we will not have to worry about the blizzards. The weather will probably be in the mid fifties during the day and a bit cooler in the evening. Please plan to dress accordingly. For our visit to Niagara Falls, proper attire will be provided by boat personnel.

The Buffalo Naval and Military Park, where we will have our Memorial Service is home to the Fletcher Class Destroyer, USS THE SULLIVANS, the missile cruiser, USS LITTLE ROCK and to the battle decorated World War II submarine USS CROAKER. There is also a Naval Museum (USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS is represented there) and many other exhibits and artifacts. We plan on holding our Memorial Service on the fantail of USS LITTLE ROCK.

Our hotel will be the Holiday Inn Buffalo Downtown. The address is 620 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo NY 14202. The telephone number of the hotel, which must be use for reservations is 716 886-2121.

A block of 20 rooms has been reserved at a special group rate of $89.00 plus taxes of 13.5% which brings the total to about $101.00 for the room. Mention our group, Samuel B. Roberts Survivors Association. Please make reservations early. This rate is good until Sept. 9, 2005.

When I spoke with the Tour Coordinator for this reunion I indicated that we would have to forego the pleasures of bungee jumping over Niagara Falls because we might dislodge too many pairs of eyeglasses and dentures and that it possibly would be risky to go through the Wax Museum because we might be mistaken for exhibits. Other than that, I told her to go for it.

Seriously though, I did say that we wanted to see the area but that a lot of walking could be a problem. I mentioned the possibility of wheel chairs, walkers and canes and explained that that was for our children but we were still plenty frisky. (I can see Helen cringing as she reads the above.)

1. On Monday, October 10th we will board the bus at 9:30 a.m. and drive to the Buffalo Naval and Servicemans Park located on the Erie Basin Marina. We will hold our Memorial Service on the fantail of the USS Little Rock. Following the service, we will tour the park and exhibits. We will then depart for a fun afternoon featuring a dockside picnic buffet with barbecued chicken, assorted salads, dessert, lemonade, coffee or tea. After lunch, we will have a narrated cruise through Locks 33 and 34 on the Erie Canal. There will also be time to browse through the antiques shop and canal side emporium. We will be back at the hotel by 3:30 p.m.

2. On Tuesday, October 11, were off for a US - Canadian Adventure. The buses will pick us up at 9:00 a.m. (Sam Stewart and Tom Stevenson please note.)

Goat Island and Luna Island for an up-close view of the American and Bridal Veil Falls, the beautiful Floral Clock, the unique Whirlpool (the only Whirlpool in North America to change directions twice a day), Table Rock, the most famous point to view the Horseshoe Falls, a delicious buffet lunch overlooking the Falls at the Penthouse Restaurant and a ride aboard the Maid of the Mist boat.

We will return to the hotel at 3:00 p.m. and again have the evening free for dinner and the Hospitality Room will be available with refreshments.

For the visit to Canada you will need to show two (2) pieces of identification such as drivers license, birth certificate or passport. Please do not forget to bring them along.

Wednesday, October 12 is a free day until the closing banquet which will be held in the hotel at 6:00 p.m. We will probably have a business meeting, either late morning or early afternoon.

It has been a long time since the last Newsletter and I know that I will leave some items out, and so I apologize before it begins. I now have a new computer, an iMac G5 with Flat Panel and also have the latest operating system, the OS X 10.4 Tiger. Unfortunately, I have not been able to move everything over yet and consequently some things may be lost. It is, however a fantastic system and I hope that I learn everything about it before it is too late.

I recently called Sam Blue and George Bray to see how they were doing and had nice long conversations with both. Sam and Louise are getting along well after some problems. George is still living alone in his house in Montgomery Alabama. He is trying to sell his house and his sisters which he inherited. George is having many problems and has someone come in to give him a hand. He is having problems seeing but still drives. Only during the day and to the restaurant which is quite close. says George. His daughter wants him to move in with her in Jacksonville but George will not budge until he has taken care of things in Montgomery.

We are all saddened to learn of the death of three of Paul Carrs sisters Irene Schulze, Edith Wilson and Tressy Woodard. Our most sincere condolences go out to the family.

Barbara Schaaf, our first author in residence died suddenly but of natural causes on March 29, 2005. As many of you will recall, Barbara attended many of our early reunions. She was writing a book about our ship and had actually completed it and even taken a picture of the survivors that was to be the cover of the dust jacket. Problems with her publisher kept moving the date back and finally we learned that the work had been shelved. The proposed title of the book was Juggernaut which was our TBS name during the battle.

Sometime later, she sent me a copy of a chapter of a new book she was writing about the use of Japanese submarines for transporting heavy water between Germany and Japan to be used in the manufacture of an atom bomb. It was a very well written piece and I was sorry that nothing came of it.

The last time I saw her, Dudley Moylan, Barbara and I were in a pool at the hotel in San Diego some years ago. It was, I believe, at the time of the dedication of the Taffy 3 Memorial.

Im sure that Barbara is now talking with some of our lost shipmates, tying down some of the loose ends and unanswered questions for her book. Rest easy Barbara.

If any of you have questions, the information came from her niece Lesa Vidovic. Her address is 16 Sherwood Drive, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Her e-mail address is <SherwoodM6@aol.com>.

Buffalo Niagara International Airport is ten minutes east of downtown Buffalo. Major carriers serving the airport are US Airways, Continental, American, Northwest, United, jetBlue, Southwest and Delta. The state-of-the-art terminal was constructed in 1998. Our hotel offers complimentary 24 hour Airport Shuttle service.

From I-90 (New York State Thruway) from either direction, Exit 51 (Route 33 West) will bring you into the Downtown area. Exit at Goodell Street. Follow overhead signs directing you to Delaware Avenue. At Delaware, turn right and the hotel will be three blocks on your left. The address is 620 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14202 and the Telephone Number is 716-886-2121. Complimentary parking is available for cars and RVs.

For crossing the border you must have two pieces of proof of citizenship such as birth certificate or passport. A picture ID such as drivers license is acceptable.Dontfool around. Customs and Immigration agents on both sides of the border are law enforcement officials who take their duties very seriously.

You are responsible for making your reservations at the hotel. The telephone number is 716-886-2121. There is no 800 number to make these reservations. When you call, indicate that you are with the Samuel B. Roberts, DE 413 Survivors Assn. The special rate is $89.00 per room plus taxes. These rates are good until Friday, Sept. 9. We have reserved 20 rooms, 10 kings and 10 with two doubles. Dont wait to make your reservation.

JonQuills Caf and Lounge is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. for breakfast, lunch and dinner and offers affordable meals and room service. The hotels location on Delaware Avenue is in the midst of a wide variety of eating establishments for almost every taste.

The hotel is within walking distance of a variety of boutiques, galleries, antique shops and restaurants. It is convenient to historical and architectural attractions and to the downtown business and entertainment districts.

A registration table will be provided by the hotel in the lobby on Sunday, October 9th. If I am not there, contact the desk and they will provide my whereabouts.

Our Hospitality Room, The Franklin Room will be available from Sunday through Thursday. Actual hours of operation will be announced. If you wish to bring any memorabilia for others to enjoy, please do so.

At our meeting in San Diego, most of you indicated that you wanted to have a reunion this year and that you preferred that we do it on our own. Also, the replies received from the Newsletter indicated the same.

I have tried to put something together that we can all enjoy and that might satisfy most. There are only 20 rooms reserved. If you plan on attending, please dont delay in responding and reserving. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

David Sears new book, The Last Epic Naval Battle: Voices from Leyte Gulf is now available at bookstores and Amazon.Com. I just finished reading it and am impressed by the wealth of firsthand accounts of the battle from Navy personnel from PT boats to battleships as will as the pilots, gunners and radiomen of the air groups. Taffy 3 is well represented. Thank you David for a job well done. Historians and the American public now have another source to learn about what truly was The Last Epic Naval Battle.

I shall quote some excerpts from an e-mail received from David. A website has been created < www.lastepicnavalbattle.com >. On this site you can get information on ordering autographed copies of the book. Also, there is information on the site about the battle and its veterans. We would like to extend an invitation to Samuel B. Roberts veterans of the Battle of Leyte Gulf (as well as family members of battle veterans who have passed away) to have the veterans pictures included on the site as an ongoing tribute to their accomplishments and sacrifices. The direct link to this portion of the site is:

Our goal is to eventually have a separate page for each ship. The photo should be World War II era, in uniform or civilian clothing. They may be either black and white or color and should be individual, not group photos. They should be sent as an attachment to an e-mail, formatted as tif, gif or jpeg. There should also be an accompanying statement authorizing the posting of the photograph to the website. Photos may be submitted by the veteran or member of his family. Be sure to include e-mail address, and a name, address and contact telephone number of the person submitting the photo.

The e-mails should be sent to David Sears at < dlsears@optonline.net >. Please provide caption text that gives the veterans full name, rank, rate and ship.

Write us! We encourage you to write. Wed also like to keep upand pass alongnews about the sailors, airmen and ships that forged the history of the Battle of Leyte Gulf: Reflections on the book (including critiques!) and your own experiences Reunion updates Family events and milestones. We'd like to hear and will do our best to summarize as part of forthcoming updates.

You know that those cards and letters and prayers are very meaningful for those who are having problems and we do have members who would love to hear from you. Please take a minute out and make a call or send a card. The ones who come to mind right now are:

Vince Goodrich. He is still in rehab after going through several surgeries. His leg has been amputated above the knee and hes waiting to be fitted for a prosthesis when healing is completed. I am hoping that Vince will be able to visit with us in Buffalo for a day.

Peggy and Harry Dodd. According to Perry Schulze, Peggy broke her ankle last week. She was in the hospital and rehab. When Harry was visiting, he had a drop in his blood sugar and spent the night in the hospital.

Bob Bingaman. Havent heard from Bob or Norma Jean recently but Bob had both knees replaced. I imagine he is tapdancing by now.

I know that many more of you are under the weather and I apologize for not mentioning your names. Life has been a bit hectic and it wasnt made any easier with the transition to the new computer. I am currently using both of them.