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Posting date: 5 June 2002
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DISTRICT
FIVE - USSVI In addition to the District Five Base of the Year (BOY) and Shipmate of the Year (SOY) Awards, I reserved one for my own special use, that is, for whatever reason I felt a Base or Shipmate or other USSVI/District Five activity deserved recognition, but had not receive it due to it not being in the SOY/BOY categories. I called that Category, the "Commander’s Choice Award" which, for this year, was to be given to the Base or Bases that contributed the most to preserving and publicizing the history and lore of submarines, submariners and submarining in general, and specifically, in and for their communities. I will admit, I shot the arrow into the tree and painted the bull’s eye around it just to make sure that I made the bull’s eye mark. I wanted to recognize those Bases that give their time, effort, personal funds, and much more, to the support of a Submarine Museum. But, the Award was to also be focused upon the attraction and use of volunteers, from Base wives and friends to other submarine veterans and organizations including civilians in their community, recognizing all of them equally and formally for their contribution. Because it is, for most submarine museums, a community-wide partnership effort. We in District Five are very fortunate to have two Submarine Museums that, obviously, were automatic "Bull’s Eye" qualifiers. The first to be so recognized was and is for the unselfish contribution of the Batfish Base of USSVI and its members, the WWII SubVets of Muskogee, and, most importantly, the civilian volunteers of the Batfish Foundation: each and everyone contributing to the success of the Batfish Museum. It is one of the best laid out submarine museums and parks in the country and the submarine itself is a pristine tribute to all submariners everywhere, and the submarine lore that is gained by thousands of visitors every year that tour the Batfish Museum is enormous. The simple but heartfelt wording of the Award Certificate was theirs… a brief recognition of all Submarine Veterans and Community Volunteers for their support of both the USS BATFISH and the Muskogee War Memorial Museum. The award was given jointly to the members of the Batfish USSVI Base, SubVets of WWII, and all supporting civilian volunteers, in a meeting that preceded the joint annual SubVets of WWII and SubVets, Inc. memorial services and Tolling of the Boats, at Muskogee’s War Memorial Park, attended by hundreds of interested and dedicated members of the community. I was duly impressed by the service and community turnout. Ken Recoy, Treasurer of the Batfish Base, accepted the award for and on behalf of all those who have been and continue to be involved in the support of the Batfish Submarine Museum, particularly those groups recognized on the award itself. The Award, as presented, read: |
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Presented Given this Day, the Fourth of May, 2002, by the Commander, District 5, US SubVets |
| The next Commander’s Choice was given
jointly to the Dallas Base and its members and volunteer civilians in recognition
of their help in the Phoenix-like resurrection (the CAVALLA has been miraculously
rising from its own ashes for three years). The first presentation was
at a special officers' and members' breakfast called by Dallas Base Commander
Ken Ballard.
The Award read: |
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Presented Given this Day, the Seventeenth of May, 2002 by the Commander, District 5, US SubVets |
| I then carried the Award to Galveston,
presenting it to John McMichael, the CAVALLA’s "Chief of the Boat"
employed by the Cavalla Historical Foundation, and a member of the Dallas
Base, who accepted it for and on behalf of the Foundation and the many
civilian volunteers that have contributed so much to the Cavalla’s incredible
rise from its own ashes!
Less than three years after McMichael’s accepted the "CAVALLA COB" position, (In a former life he was both a Master Chief and a real, honest to goodness, Boat COB) he, with the Dallas Base’s active support and involvement (just after there were serious discussions of scrapping the boat), an entire superstructure has been newly fabricated out of steel plate and the inside is beginning to glisten from stem to stern and all circuits are working. Today, the Cavalla is visited by more than 75,000 visitors a year from around the world. It is clear to anyone who knows the recent museum history of the CAVALLA, that this fine lady would have joined her other relatives at the scrap heap, were it not for the fortitude, sweat equity, dedication, hard work and the travelling of many miles to and from Dallas and Galveston, of and by the wives and members of Dallas Base, the will of the civilian volunteers that doggedly strive to preserve her, and the vision they gave the Texas Parks Association to keep her as the main attraction along with the USS STEWART (one of, if not THE last Destroyer Escorts in existence) at Seawolf Park in Galveston. All the members of District Five can be, should be, and are, justifiably proud of the accomplishments of the Dallas (Texas) and Batfish (Oklahoma) Bases. Their dedicated involvement in the preservation of these two submarines for all to see, including the generations of those not yet born, who will be able to vicariously understand what these two boats and their men meant to the freedom of the generations before them, and for all those yet to come. This is just another example, of how the members of a SubVet Base can contribute to the awareness of what our living shipmates and those on eternal patrol have done for those citizens that know little about them, yet enjoy the freedoms they gave and are still giving, in the protection of our American way of life as we know it. It also shows that USSVI can mean more to the preservation of our heritage, and to the citizens of this great nation, than just being an organization for us to meet, shipmate together, tell sea stories and have fun socializing. It can be, and for these Bases, it is… more, much more than that. District Five and all of its members, salute the few among us that have contributed so much and deserve this, the first District Five Commander’s Choice Award dedicated this year, (2002) for their efforts in promulgating the continued awareness of the history, and lore of submarines, submariners and submarining, by and for Submarine Veterans, and Civilians alike, in their Community. For more information as well as pictures
of the presentation of awards please go to And for more information regarding the Bases, while at the D5 Website, click on the Base Name and it will take you to the Base Website. Also, more information is available at the Museum Websites regarding their projects and accomplishments . The sites are: BATFISH: http://www.ussbatfish.com/ CAVALLA: http://www.cavalla.org/ Art Randall |