USS Orleck Reunions

Sep 032023
 

A PLAN FOR FUTURE REUNION GATHERINGS ABOARD THE USS ORLECK DD 886

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NEW NEW NEW-Come back regularly for important updates and information. New updates will have the date posted:

  1. Sept 29, 2023-Preserve your legacy aboard USS ORLECK in your berthing area. Go here to learn how. 
  2. October 4, 2023-An important message for those who have had some problem signing up for the name plate for the berthing project by the Jacksonville Naval Museum. Click here

At the business meeting at our Veterans Day 2023 reunion in Jacksonville, Florida, permanent home of our beloved USS ORLECK DD 886, the eligible voters unanimously responded positively to my suggestion that we dissolve our Destroyer USS ORLECK DD 886 Association but only if we replace it with a new way for USS ORLECK sailors, family, and friends to continue to meet at their ship in Jacksonville each year.

While we have ended the Destr,oyer USS ORLECK DD 886 Association and while there will be no more organized reunions for the group, we are far from done. We have had a long run of successful three- and four-day events over the last thirty years but the time has come to change the way we continue. It has been wonderful to have done these reunions for you over these decades but I will be unable to continue doing them and being that no one else would or could take them over, the time had come.

The vote was for a plan that would set up a way those interested can meet aboard the USS ORLECK and to go out to dinner together every year into the future on Veterans Day as well as build the rest of their stay around that. You might want to arrange for a mini reunion with shipmates or treat it as an extended vacation and build the other events around it. Veterans Day in Jacksonville will be chockfull of many local activities from a massive parade, many events in and around USS ORLECK, now in her special and permanent mooring at Pier 1, as well as many other exciting things to do throughout this welcoming US Navy town. The possibilities are endless!

We picked Veterans Day for a good practical reason. Our last official reunion was on Veterans Day, 2022. Now on each Veterans Day into the future, we will continue to meet. It is a special day for our military. The Armistice that ended World War I happened on November 11 and the guns ceased firing at 11 AM. Setting the date and time to coincide with the Armistice has the added advantage of having a time and date that will be easy to remember and it will be the same year after year. 11/11/11. 11 AM on the 11th day of the 11th month.

Beginning in 2023 and every year thereafter, USS ORLECK sailors, family and friends will converge on Jacksonville, Florida, meet on the USS ORLECK at 11 AM, and have dinner together that evening. As mentioned above, the rest is up to you. The plan gives flexibility to meet everyone’s needs and desires even if you just plan to come for the day.

There will not be any organized events except the meeting at the USS ORLECK and dinner that evening. Kelly Harris, owner of the Village Café right on the St. Johns River, and good friend of our organization, has agreed to do that dinner each year and Heather Surface, owner of the River Taxi has agreed to be available to transport you between your river front hotel, the USS ORLECK and Kelly’s restaurant.

Nadia, the Director of Events for the USS ORLECK DD 886, has calendared your coming on November 11, 2023, and will have a special place designated for you to meet and discuss your plans for the day and weekend.

Soon there will be a special website developed by the Jacksonville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (VISIT JAX) that will keep you advised of the happenings and will enable you to communicate about it. I will post the link to that site when it is available.  Until then, information will also be found on our website so you will not miss anything by coming here.

If you have any questions about this plan, you can contact Bob Orleck at 802-565-0340 (talk or text) or email him at reunion@ussorleck.com.  You can also leave comments (see below post).

So many have experienced immense joy at our reunions and getting together with their shipmates, some who they had not seen for 40 or 50 years. Let’s keep things going in this way!

I hope to hear from many of you that you will be planning to come this upcoming Veterans Day, November 11, 2023, at 11 AM aboard USS ORLECK DD 886. Easy to remember 11AM on the 11th day of the 11th month each year from now on.

Thank you for allowing me to associate with you all these years, to organize and execute the wonderful reunions we have had. It has been the greatest honor of my life.

Please let me know your thoughts on attending. 

Best to you all.

Bob Orleck

P.S. Any updates will be posted here until further notice. Visit this page often and also if you wish to comment, CLICK HERE  go to the bottom of the other comments on the page that opens and enter your comment.

Jul 012023
 

Happy 4th of July to the sailors, family and friends of USS ORLECK DD886!

We are looking to the future.  Join with us as we do!

I have much to tell you concerning our reunion group, the USS ORLECK, and what lies ahead for us now that we have dissolved the Destroyer USS ORLECK DD 886 Association. Those who attended our 2022 Jacksonville reunion or communicated about it, know the news that we have dissolved our organizational corporate structure and will no longer be having regular reunions as we have over the last thirty years. But we are far from being finished and what is in store for you in the future could well be, for many, the most exciting time so far. We will still have the opportunity to meet in reunion and what could be better than doing it aboard USS ORLECK DD 886? You may be saying to yourself, how can that be? After the 4th of July holiday, I will be spelling out just how that will work right here on our website, so stay tuned.

First things first though and right now I would prefer we focus on the reason most served and why we associate. It is because we have freedom in the greatest nation on earth and that is marked by the special day we celebrate today. Independence Day. Thank you for doing your part aboard the USS ORLECK and I wish you all a reflective, joyful, and happy time with your family.

This July 4th, 2024, we commemorate what occurred on this date in 1776 when our nation threw off the bonds of English colonial rule and declared itself to be an independent nation. Gaining freedom was difficult and needed fighting a major war to reach.

Keeping that freedom today could well be more difficult to do as our nation is being assaulted from without and within by so many alien and evil forces. Those leading citizens who signed the Declaration of Independence had the determination that America would become a free country. Today, at this very hour, our citizens should be equally determined to keeping it that way and to resisting with our entire being those who would steal it away. We must commit our lives to protecting our Republic and keeping our nation free according to the plan laid down in our Constitution and the Bill of Rights by our Creator.

I will post the details of the plan for future gatherings and what you will want to be thinking about and planning for you as we go forward. I will be posting that right here on July 15th so please calendar that and come back so we can start the discussion. This is not just for the sailors of USS ORLECK, but the family and friends of those sailors and of our beloved ship. Spread the word.

God Bless you all.

Bob Orleck P.O. Box 473

Shallotte, NC 28459

bob@ussorleck.com

802-565-0340 (talk or text)

Please click here to leave a comment or if you would rather you can send your comments directly to me at reunion@ussorleck.com

Oct 042019
 

Sorry to report that due to circumstances beyond our control caused by Covid-19 and the resulting withdrawal of attendees, the reunion is canceled.

To make hotel reservations at the Merry Manor Best Western Hotel, located at 700 Main Street, South Portland, ME 04106

call hotel directly at 1-207-774-6151 (mention USS ORLECK)

If you have any difficulties booking your reservation ask for Don Haggett at the above number or call Bob Orleck at 802-728-9806 or email reunion@ussorleck.com

Merry Manor S. Portland hotel room rate of $99 per night  will be honored 3 days before and 3 days after the reunion. (Registration for the hotel does not register you for the events.  To register for the events go to Maine 2020 Registration form for mailing, copy the form and submit by mail with your payment as indicated.

For those flying into the Portland International Jetport, the hotel is close and free transportation will be provided from the airport to the hotel and back to the airport at the end of the reunion.

The Plan-of-the-Day has just been updated as of 2/7/2020 so you can review the many great things that will be happening at the DESTROYER USS ORLECK DD 886 Association New England 2020 Reunion, June 9th, 19th and 11th, 2020.  Remember you can arrive early and stay later with the promise of the same rate 3 days before and after the reunion.

Sep 192019
 

Sorry to report that due to circumstances beyond our control caused by Covid-19 and the resulting withdrawal of attendees, the reunion is canceled.

DESTROYER USS ORLECK 2020 NEW ENGLAND REUNION

June 9th, 10th & 11th, 2020 (Canceled)

Post a comment on the SCUTTLEBUTT (click here)

I want to talk about reunions and what lies in store for our Association. I hope you have been looking forward to information and if so, here it is.

Before discussing reunion specifics, I need to have a heart to heart with you on my current situation and ability to do reunions for you. I was 39 years old when I connected with Phil Klotz of Leavenworth, Kansas and we decided to start a reunion organization for the men of the USS ORLECK. We had our first in 1993 in San Antonio. Now I am 77, we have 16 reunions under our belt, and while still young at heart, the years have taken somewhat of a toll on certain ways I do things, so there had to be some adjustments.

You all made clear to me in many ways how much you loved the work I did to bring you quality reunions, how you liked doing them in cities around the United States and what good vacations they were for you. I loved every minute of it all (well almost). I always visited each venue at least twice before finalizing what I presented to you. We enjoyed great hotels, wonderful food and entertainment, a time to remember, share, catch-up with old friends and make new ones. At our reunion Memorial Services (this shot shows the honor guard at our Hawaii reunion Memorial Service aboard the USS MISSOURI in Pearl Harbor), we fondly remember, honor, and call out names of those USS ORLECK shipmates who have departed on a greater voyage. At the end of each reunion together, we sadly parted, knowing when and where we would hopefully, the Lord willing, be meeting again.

2003 Hawaii Reunion 21 gun salute

2003 Hawaii Reunion            21 gun salute

It was a real possibility that Norfolk could have been our last reunion, but it is not, but it is up to you to ensure that they go on. One day at a time, one reunion at a time, we will go on. There is a reunion scheduled for 2020 and it is going to be a great one. Put aside the dates of June 9th, 10th and 11th, 2020 and maybe three days before or after if you wish to extend your stay for a greater vacation. Many of you have said you use our reunions as vacations because you could not do these things the way we do them and at the price you pay. This reunion will be no different, but I have a few things to say before we talk more of the details and location.

Most of you who attend reunions know I have been trying to get someone to take over that can and is willing to do reunions for our group into the future but have been unsuccessful. I started talking about a replacement even before the San Diego Reunion in 2014, carried it on at the Bar Harbor Reunion, then the Boothbay Harbor one, and pushed harder for it at the last reunion in Norfolk, VA. Still no luck.

I have been talking with someone about doing them for us who is not a USS ORLECK sailor but that has not been as fruitful as I had hoped. We were looking at a reunion in South Dakota. I have ruled that out because some have said the activities necessary to make it a good one there would be too strenuous and difficult for some of our people due to infirmities of age. Lots of walking involved. I have thought long and hard on other possibilities that I could deliver to you but without success. I felt I had but one option and I hope that it is satisfactory to most of you because I was not willing to just let things end.

I talked to our Board of Directors and started to plan another reunion here in the Northeast. I am keenly mindful and sensitive to the fact that we have been doing the most recent reunions on the East Coast. Under the circumstances, I saw no other alternative for the moment, and this gives us one more reunion at least. I believe you, for the most part, are aware of how I have accomplished fine reunions for you before but will tell you again since it might help you understand why the reunion needs to be in New England this next time. With all past reunions, I would visit the sites at least twice, walk the streets looking for things to do and after a lot of vetting, made decisions based on what I believed would please you all. I did those trips at my own expense but that is not the reason for not being able to continue doing them. It is because of my age, the other things I must do, and it just is no longer possible. Staying close to home makes it doable for me to do this one. When we meet in business we can talk about the future.

So, this reunion is planned and ready to go for the east coast of Maine and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I have a fine three-day plan together that will include great food, entertainment, a dinner cruise, all done with the same quality I believe we have become accustomed to. Here is the most current work on the plan-of-the-day (subject to change). Also, here is a link to a registration form for the reunion. Feel free to begin now. Make your reservations. Send in your form with payment. We are only doing checks this time.

For a moment let’s look back on how we communicated about reunions and other things that kept our interest level high. We used to have a way to communicate all this reunion stuff and other happenings in a regular, meaningful way. How many of you remember the Destroyer USS ORLECK DD 886 Association’s “SCUTTLEBUTT” newsletters? (this is an example of one of the shorter newsletters done for our Arlington Memorial gathering.) Most likely many of you do remember, especially those who have been involved with our reunion group since its first gathering in 1993. But do you know much about the term itself? I mention it only because we might want to consider a form of SCUTTLEBUTT to carry on the discussion as we move toward another fine Destroyer USS ORLECK Association reunion in 2020.

The “Scuttlebutt” derived from the nautical name for a barrel used to serve water. For those who don’t have any idea what I am talking about, think of the water cooler in an office that has been depicted as a place for workers (when the boss is not around) to gather and discuss whatever.

This is how Merriam-Webster defines “Scuttlebutt”.  “Scuttlebutt, the Water Cooler Talk of 19th Century Seafarers”

“Nowadays, office workers catch up on the latest scuttlebutt around the water cooler, and when they do, they are continuing a long-standing (although not necessarily honorable) tradition. That kind of gossip sharing probably also occurred on the sailing ships of yore. Back in the early 1800s, the cask containing a ship’s daily supply of freshwater was called a scuttlebutt; that name was later applied to a drinking fountain on a ship or at a naval installation. By the early 20th century, the term for the water source was also applied to the gossip and rumors generated around it, and the latest chatter has been called scuttlebutt ever since.”

We have a SCUTTLEBUTT opportunity, albeit it different than the printed one, available today to enable us to be able to tell stories, gossip, talk about reunions or the like. Read on to find out what I mean. First a bit of history about past reunions.

The Destroyer USS ORLECK DD 886 Association was founded around 1988 and our first reunion was held in 1993 in San Antonio, Texas. Somewhere in that timeframe, we started publishing our “SCUTTLEBUTT” newsletter  and it grew in popularity and was probably the single-most important element (I call it the glue) that bound us together as a powerful and large organization. The newsletter started slow and without color grew to 48 pages in length, with color and photographs but the most important part of it were the letters from shipmates. They would share their stories of their time aboard USS ORLECK (all were absolutely true of course not the gossip and rumors attributed to Scuttlebutt talk on sailing ships ), about their lives after ORLECK and talk of reunion gatherings and more.

In those days we were fortunate to have a newspaper in Barre, Vermont, that was willing to print our newsletters for super-low costs and I handled the mailing right from my home here in Randolph, Vermont. But, alas, those days came to an end in 2006 when we lost the ability to produce the low-cost wonderful newsletters due to large production costs and mailing increases and they had to be discontinued.

Our reunions went on though and through our website we have sea stories, history (once you get to the website you will find other historical links), our tremendous “Deck Log” project that took seven years to complete but now allows for on-line searching of the 37 years of USS ORLECK deck logs so sailors can find and read about their time aboard. Also, on the site are all the “Cruise Books” published about ORLECK Westpac tours of duty. John Barrios was a key person in making these two projects a success. There is so much more, as well, and I would encourage you to go to our website and click around. You might be pleased at a lot of what you will see.

Even with the loss of our “glue”, the organization was now solid and large (boasting the largest single-ship destroyer reunions held, not only in the US but in the world). Because of natural reduction in our numbers, our gatherings get continually smaller, but they have carried on as well-attended, fine affairs, to this very day. During the Scuttlebutt Newsletter days, after San Antonio (1993-a major part of our reunion with speakers took place at the alamo), we had reunions in San Diego (1995), Charleston (1997), Portland, ME (1999), Seattle (2001 with over 300 in attendance) Orange, Texas (2002 with over 500 registering for that reunion (this was our Association reunion and I am not referring to another event in 2000 when the USS ORLECK arrived home from Turkey-that was a USS ORLECK Museum event.)  Our Association was key in USS ORLECK coming back to the United States and for many years we were closely involved in the attempts to get her a permanent home and mooring and many of our people were at the homecoming. Tony Norris had a special role to play that keeps her homecoming in our minds. Presently, Jacksonville, Florida, is attempting to have USS ORLECK moved there to serve as a museum in a permanent place of honor. When we learn something definite, we will advise as many as we can. Back to the reunion summary: 2003 in Waikiki, Hawaii, 2004 Memorial Service for Lt. Orleck in Arlington, 2006 in Wilmington, NC. Post Scuttlebutt reunions were held in Branson (2008), Northern Kentucky (2010), Newport, RI (2012), San Diego (2014), Bar Harbor (2015), Boothbay Harbor (2016) and the most recent in Norfolk, VA (2018).

We decided at the founding of our Association, to hold reunions every two years. Looking at the dates above, you can see that we did fit some extra ones in. Planning is important and it was necessary to have that one-year break since it takes at least that long to plan a good reunion, one that is unique and meaningful for our group and not, like cookie-cutter events, same old same old that can be purchased from tour companies. Each of ours was tailored to please you and that is what has made our reunions the best in the business.

For me this all started in 1982 when I connected with Cem Gurdeniz (retired Turkish Admiral who was the XO aboard ex-USS ORLECK, TCG YUCETEPE D345, after having been transferred to NATO ally, Turkey in 1982. That is another story that has been shared and I am sure, the Lord willing, will be shared again, about her 16 years as the most cherished warship in the Turkish Navy and the plans that developed to save her as a museum ship, first attempt being in Turkey, then to the United States. That connection was enabled by a Marine, Major Mac McLaughlin, (ret.) of Randolph, Vermont, who tied a part of his life to searching out and making connections aboard the USS ORLECK and then the TCG YUCETEPE. He visited her in California, after she had starred in the ABC documentary, “The Winds of War”, and sought her out in Turkey when traveling in Europe and Asia. Mac is gone now, but his story is not forgotten and that too will be shared again sometime.

A short while ago I put a page up on the website called “Scuttlebutt (let’s talk about things)”. There has not been much activity on it probably because I have not devoted the time I should have in communicating to you. Well, that has changed, and I will be sharing much more. Here is a direct link to take you there. Let’s get some discussion going about it. Go to the plan-of-the-day and the registration form. If you have any questions, contact me at bob@ussorleck.com and/or bring the matters up at the SCUTTLEBUTT.

We have one member who is trying to stimulate some discussion. Many of you know Bryan Davies. Bryan is a special and the only member of the kiwi-Orleck division of the USS ORLECK Association. Many years ago, Bryan befriended a young sailor who in 1972 came to New Zealand aboard the USS ORLECK. Bryan and his wife had that sailor, Dave Wallace, stay with them in their home for several days and a friendship developed that has been carried over to the ship and her members these past 43 years. Bryan lost track of Dave and we do not have him on our roster and have many times tried to find him for our friend. He went from ORLECK to the USS BRINKLEY BASS, but we have not been successful in locating him. Would love to hear from anyone who knows him. Bryan is an honorary member of our Association and blessed us with a visit from 8000 miles away when he attended our 2014 San Diego Reunion. He has touched the hearts of many of our people and we love him. (I interviewed him at our main banquet in San Diego in 2014 and you can watch the whole thing here if you would like. Bryan is at 6 minutes 57 seconds to 13 minutes 13 seconds). He has written on the SCUTTLEBUTT page so please go there and communicate with him. While there talk about the reunions, past, present and future. Talk about yourself, your life and family. Talk about your time aboard USS ORLECK or other ships and other adventures. Please go there and at least say “hi” and give your years aboard. We need a few to get the talk started and like the 48-page newsletters that are now just a memory, this on-line SCUTTLEBUTT can serve as the glue that the newsletters did back then.

I would encourage you to get an early start and register for the reunion. It will increase enthusiasm and attendance. Also, click on the links in this message and enjoy some of our past. The reunion attendance is limited to 150 because that is the limit for some of the events, so it has to be first come first serve.

Looking forward to hearing from many of you.

Bob Orleck, Reunion Organizer
Destroyer USS ORLECK DD 886 Association
P.O. Box 213
Randolph, VT 05060
802-728-9806
bob@ussorleck.com

Norfolk 2018 reunion-Reminder of voluntary $15 per year dues

 

All who served aboard USS ORLECK DD 886, because of your service too our nation aboardher, are lifetime members.  When we began we established $15 as voluntary dues.  While not required, dues and contributions help to pay for the extras that are a part of a great reunion effort.  If you have any questions on what dues you have paid in the past just write reunion@ussorleck.com and ask.  reunion@ussorleck.com