24 April 2023

Newport Dealeys Shipmates

  Our Newport Dealeys reunion committee met in February via teleconference to discuss our present status. The resulting consensus was that it became obvious we could no longer maintain the level of attendance that would be required to continue scheduling annual reunions.
 So I'm sadden to report to you that after 22 annual reunions, our beloved annual shipmate gatherings have come to an end as the aging years have finally caught up with us. We also decided to donate our reunion display artifacts to appropriate museums in the Newport RI / New England area. once completed, I will post the location of the recipients. Our web site will continue with updates posted periodically, as we are subscribed to the year 2029 and hopefully will continue beyond.

A little early History  

  I never imagined back in 1999 when Chief Ernie Pina informed me of a reunion he was organizing in Seekonk MA. which was attended by 44 shipmates and guests that it would eventually achieve the level that it did with close to 3000 shipmates now on our roster.
  Back then, employed but anticipating retirement soon, I agreed to attend for the Saturday evening banquet with little expectation of meeting anyone I knew. However once there, introductions and sea stories started to flow ( of course with a few beers) it quickly became obvious that " Shipmates are Forever" , especially the Newport Dealeys due to the fact that we all had the same experiences on these little ships and some of us served on several of them. Many of us bonded from that first reunion.
  Later in the evening Chief Pina conducted a short entertainment schedule and on conclusion asked if we would like to continue next year with all smiles a definite "Yes" was the answer. His next question was who would like to volunteer to be the Chairman for the next reunion and as with all military request for volunteering all was silent. A thought flashed through my mind at the time that there was definitely something about this and it was too good to let go. So I raised my hand and told Ernie that I had no clue how to proceed but with his assistance I would give it a try. With additional help of reunion organizers Military Locators and Reunion Services, I chaired our next reunion in Lake George NY and it was an overwhelming success with 148 shipmates and guests. The expressed enthusiasm of shipmates from Seamen to Admirals was the indicator that we had a positive future ahead. As the Newport Dealeys annual reunions continued to flourish and grow, many of you who volunteered to chair and assist with the organizing efforts over the years did it as a labor of love for the group and were rewarded with a great deal of satisfaction which was evident as we departed on Sunday mornings all smiles, hugs and tears looking forward to the next year's gatherings. 
Sadly, all good things eventually come to an end but memories and friendships will continue.

I personaly am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to become a part of the Newport Dealeys and participate with former shipmates to reminisce in activities of a Navy life of the past.

Thanks for the memories.

"Shipmates are Forever"

Marc Arsenault ET2
USS Hartley / USS Lester

August 5, 2022

Our 2022 Newport Dealeys Baltimore Washington Airport reunion has been canceled due to our unability to obtain a suffient number of shipmate registrations that were required by our reunion coordinators to continue finalizing the reunion details.
A notifing email will follow to all on our listing with further details.

Marc Arsenault
Newport Dealeys

A 

March 27, 2022

 The result of the survey indicated that our tradinal annual reunions (Thursday thru Sunday) should continue until the attendance can no longer sustain our level of activities and only then consider other alternatives.  A majority also indicated a Friday tour and Saturday left open for inhouse socializing and related activities was preferred. 

Our 2022 co-chairmen Mike Upchurch (USS Van Voorhis) and Jerry Skorch (USS JK Taussig) have been in contact with our reunion coordinators Gatherings Plus and are in the process of selecting a reunion city location and dates. 
The reunion notice will be emailed out to all our active reunion shipmates and posted here as soon as it becomes available.

Marc Arsenault 
Newport Dealeys