No one summarized this year’s reunion better than shipmate & plankowner Dave Houghton:
“Wow! Our first reunion was held this past weekend at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina as well as the Patriot’s Point museum and by all accounts everyone had a great time.”
Recap...
We began Thursday afternoon with setting up the hospitality room with welcome folders and auction items. The official quarterdeck mat made its appearance (Thanks to Mike Hollingsworth for transporting that heavy thing to the reunion) and remained as a welcoming sign for everyone who passed by.
Folks filtered in throughout the afternoon and it was fun looking up and seeing familiar faces walking through the doorway. Right next door was the Reel Bar that became the other unofficial gathering spot. It wasn’t long before laughter became the predominant sound at that end of the resort.
As evening came, we met up on the patio for a delicious spread. Coconut shrimp, bacon wrapped scallops, artichoke dip, pimento cheese, warm brie with toast points, and some of the most delicious chocolate brownies ever made.
President Buddy Parson made his introductory remarks and then Delta Hinson took over with a trivia contest that covered the life of the ship. Congrats to Greg Doan for answering the most questions, Fast fingers and a vast collection of DeWert pictures on his phone may have been a factor in his win. We then moved indoors for a White Elephant gift exchange. Folks brought wrapped gifts from their neck of the woods and the exchange began. If you’ve never participated in one of these it’s a lot of fun. As people take a turn, they can either select a wrapped gift or “steal” one that’s already been opened. Pat Parson holds two distinctions. One, she has a sixth sense for selecting any gift that was alcohol related. That being said, the second is that she also had the most gifts stolen from her. I believe the total was six steals. Afterwards folks gathered at the fire pits and inside to continue catching up.
Friday found small groups getting together for breakfast out on the town, touring the Patriot’s Point Museum including the USS Yorktown and the USS Laffey. The latter is a WWII destroyer that absorbed 6 kamikaze hits and survived, limping her way back from the western pacific to the states.
Several groups headed downtown on a beautiful sunny, but cool, day to explore all that downtown Charleston had to offer. Others headed to tour the civil war era submarine Hunley and visit historic cemeteries that date back to the 1700’s.
Friday evening found many of the group gathering for a dinner cruise around Charleston Harbor. The meal was outstanding and feeling the deck move a bit underneath you brought back memories of dining on the mess deck while underway. Cruising under the new, and much larger, Ravenel bridge was a very impressive sight that signaled the end of the ride. Arriving back at the pier we headed back to the hotel and quite a few headed to the Reel for a nightcap and more stories.
Saturday dawned clear and cool with a breeze off the water. Thankfully there was a full breakfast buffet set out that was a great way to start the day. Following breakfast, we held the DeWert Reunion Association business meeting. The constitution and by-laws were reviewed and accepted. Per the by-laws the officer’s positions are elected to separate terms so we are not replacing the entire slate at one time. Due to be elected this year were the President and Secretary positions. VP Reggie Brown was elected as President, and Kevin Justesen was elected Secretary. Since Reggie was in the position of VP, his position had to be filled. Derek Leistra was elected to fill the remainder of the VP’s term. A huge thank you and BZ to Buddy Parson for the job he’s done over the last two years leading the association and bringing everyone together for this reunion. Well done!
After some discussion it was decided that the next reunion will be held in Jacksonville, FL in November of 2023. Details to follow. Keep your calendar open and start making plans to come to the next gathering.
Following the meeting, power naps while football was on seemed to be the plan of the day. That brought us to Saturday’s premier event, the formal banquet onboard the Yorktown. Several members looked fantastic in full dress uniforms and Admiral Doran promised to break his out for the next reunion. The setting onboard was fantastic. The banquet was held on the hangar deck with a B-25 Mitchell bomber (The Ruptured Duck) as one backdrop. Similar B-25’s had flown from carriers to strike mainland Japan early in WWII. Behind the stage was an enormous American flag that served as the other backdrop for the festivities. Delta Hinson was on hand taking pictures. Oh, did he take pictures! Low angle, high angle, groups, couples, groups of couples. Later in the evening he was seen icing his shutter finger and smoke was seen coming from his camera when the lens had to be changed after wearing itself out. If you didn’t get in a photo, it’s certainly not Delta’s fault! All kidding aside, another huge thankyou to Delta for all the time and effort he spent and continues to spend producing a photographic record of the ship and her crew. Can’t wait to scroll through the, literally, hundreds of photos he took.
LCDR Larry Parker began the remarks portion of the evening with a moving tribute to all POW/MIA’s who have not yet returned home. Following LCDR Parker’s speech, Delta read a speech from the ship’s first XO, Commander Bogle. We wish he could have been there to present his remarks in person, and he was missed. Bogle’s speech did a great job capturing the camaraderie that grew during the ship’s precomm days and flowed into the early years of the ship. ADM Doran, DeWert’s second commander, followed with fantastic remarks about how a ship takes on the attributes of her crew, and how the crew takes on the attributes of the ship. While DeWert is not physically plying the high seas, every time her crew gets together, for a short time at least, the watch is set again and DeWert is back. Let us never allow the spirit of the USS DeWert to fade.
Following three outstanding speeches, we quickly covered the results of the online, silent auction. Delta Hinson was in charge of administering the auction. He and MC Dave Frey had a very spirited bidding war going on throughout the day. Delta mentioned that he had a secret method and assured several folks that he was going to outbid Frey. Sadly, Delta did not notice that time slipped away and when he looked, the auction had ended. Guess who won the items ... MC Frey. Guess who gets to deliver said items to MC ... yep, Delta. Wishing you the best when that happens Delta! The auction raised over $2,500 which all goes to the Association. Thank you to all of those who donated items and all of those who bid, it was a great success. One other note on the auction. If you’d like to know why his name is now Buddy “Ashtray” Parson, you can ask him at the next reunion.
What banquet would be complete if there wasn’t any entertainment. Reggie Brown brought Flashback, the Party Band, onboard. Reggie is the lead singer for the band and if you ever get a chance to see Reggie perform, you’re in for a treat. Reggie knocked it out of the park and had everyone moving. To make the gig even more special and unique, Neil McEvoy played bass with the band. He looked and played like he’d been with the band forever. And much too quickly, our time onboard the Yorktown came to an end. That doesn’t mean the night came to an end, just the banquet. Oh, no, we headed back to the resort and commandeered the Reel again. There may or may not have been some members of a wedding party in there, and like soldiers, airmen, or marines, when they saw the Navy coming, they figured they should just clear out. (In fine Naval tradition we shut down the Reel as well).
Sunday morning dawned and we all made our way to the private breakfast. As we finished our meal, everyone had a chance to address the group one last time and share any memories, insights, or words of wisdom. The theme that seemed to stand out was what a positive, long-lasting impact the DeWert and her crew had on the lives of so many who served onboard FFG-45. Finally, the last official event was led by David Houghton and Dave Guarino as we held a memorial service that recognized all of the DeWert shipmates who have passed away. Two bells were tolled for each name that was read. Taps was played and honors were rendered to our fallen shipmates.
And just like that, we had come to the completion of our first reunion. Like all great times, the days flew by, and we soon found ourselves heading back home. We’d like to take this time to thank everyone who made this reunion such a great time and resounding success. Thank you to the small group who back in June of 2019 thought it would be a good idea to hold a reunion. To Delta Hinson for his wisdom and experience as we got the Association off the ground. He helped us navigate the early obstacles and set us on a good path. To the first officers of the Association who took a leap of faith and a willingness to shoulder the responsibilities of getting an organization off the ground, starting from nothing. Especially Buddy Parson and Wayne Wilcher. They both spent countless hours checking out venues, talking with caterers, vendors, and location managers, and securing great rates in contracts. Thank you to those who jumped on bi-weekly Zoom calls and added their insights and suggestions that helped fine tune the reunion and make it something special. And especially to each and every one of you who served aboard USS DeWert. Many of you went to great lengths to attend our first reunion and it is greatly appreciated. Many others wanted to attend and were unable to because life and circumstances wouldn’t allow it. Know that you were greatly missed. While you might not have been able to make it, you were and are remembered and there’s a very good chance you were talked about.
November of 2023 will be here before you know it. Our hope is that the legacy of the USS DeWert and her crew will continue on forever and that our reunions will grow over time. Just as FFG-45 left her mark around the world and in the history books, let’s continue to show that the spirit of the DeWert lives on. “Daring, Dauntless, Defiant”
Till we meet again, fair winds and following seas,
USS DeWert Reunion Association
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