the log - usc nrotc€¦ · way of st. jamesa future issue. page 6 decades doings page 8 taps page...

Calendar of EventsDEC 2016

Winter CommissioningUSC Campus

Contact NROTC Unit for time and date

16 MAR 2017Executive Committee Meeting

USC Orange County Center

13 APR 2017Board of Directors Meeting

USC Campus

Spring 2017Annual Luncheon

Date, Time and Location TBD

12 MAY 2017USC Graduation and

CommissioningUSC Campus

In this Issue. . .

From the Bridge page 2CO’s Update page 3Bulletin Board page 4Way of St. James page 6Decades Doings page 8Taps page 9Corrections and FYI page 11Back at the Battalion page 12The Photo Gallery page 13Member Registration page 14Associate Registration page 15

Vol 23 Issue 2 **** The University of Southern California NROTC Alumni League ****Fall/Winter 2016

The LOGIn Search of Trojan Legascies

In August, CAPT Paul Alwine and I attended the Swearing In Ceremony for the class of 2020 and at that time, had a chance to meet the Battalion Commander for the fall semester, MIDN 1/C Tyler Borch and learned that his late grandfather, Gerald Borch, was a member of the NROTC class of 1945 and a roommate of one of the Alumni League’s founding members, Robert Benner! Pictured above in the commissioning picture for the Class of 1945, ENS Borch is standing next to the Captain (third from the right). Bob Benner is in there somewhere, too. If Bob or anyone else can identify the others in this picture, let me know so I can publish that information in a future issue.

After hearing about the Borch connection, I started thinking about others who followed their parent’s or grandparent’s footsteps and became mem-bers of the Trojan battalion. I would like to compile a “Trojan Battal-ion Legacies” list. If you were commissioned through the USC NROTC program and have direct relatives (parents, grandparents, children, sib-lings) who were also commissioned through this program, please send me the following information: Names, graduation years, and relationships. Please email the information to: log_editor@ yahoo.com.

by Frances Annarella ’81

USC NROTC Class of 1945 at their commissioning

The Log FaLL/WinTer 2016

From the Bridge

Paul R. Alwine (Class of 1962) CAPT, SC, USN (Ret) President – USC NROTC Alumni League

Fight On!

Paul

Fall is here and another academic year is underway at USC and the Trojan battalion. In late August, the new members of the NROTC Class of 2020 were sworn-in by the new unit commanding officer, Col Chris Michelsen. These new midshipmen and Marine MECEPs will carry on the proud traditions of the USC NROTC program, and for all those of us that have gone before.

Based on your continuing generosity, the Alumni League is again awarding five $1000 scholarships, for each of the Fall and Spring semesters, to deserving midshipmen of the Trojan battalion. The midshipmen really appreciate this tangible support and recognition from you, the former members of the USC NROTC unit! Keep those checks coming and add a little more than usual to your very welcome contributions!

USC continues to grow in so many ways. Several new buildings have been built on the main campus just this year, offering much-needed new space and facilities to the growing student body. One of the latest buildings that was just dedicated is “Fertitta Hall” which is the new home for the Marshall School of Business. Located on the corner of Figueroa and Exposition, it is a beautiful brick and stone structure, dominated by a large tower. Some have compared it to a church or to the Hogwarts castle from Harry Potter! Additionally, the new “USC Village” is rapidly coming together (just north of campus, across Jefferson, where the old 32nd Street Market was located). It has several beautiful residence halls being built, along with underground parking and retail shops – including a new Trader Joes! The USC Village is scheduled to open in 2017.

In October, at the USC - Colorado football game, a num-ber of our USC NROTC alums participated in the unfurl-ing of a huge American flag on the field at halftime. It was a terrific show of patriotism and respect for our flag! Well Done!

It was recently announced that the Navy is getting rid of the current “Blue camouflage” work uniforms. As an “old guy,” I always thought them to be very dumb-look-ing, and I was glad that I never had to wear them. They are being replaced by a new “Woodland” camouflage pattern of brown, tan and green – and they are designed to be more comfortable and better fitting. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

I am very pleased to be able to work with Col Chris Mi-chelsen during the next few years of his tour here at USC. Chris is a high-energy guy and is excited to help shape and guide the development of our future Navy and Marine Corps officers through the USC NROTC program. (That other small school across town – well, that is a different story…).

Send in your checks TODAY before the end of the year, and thank you so much for your support of the USC Tro-jan battalion!


Commanding oFFiCer’s

Update

Col Christopher J. Michelsen, USMC Commanding Officer & Professor of Naval ScienceUniversity of Southern California

By introduction, my name is Chris Michelsen and I assumed command of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) Unit, Los Angeles Con-sortium (and the University of Southern California (USC) NROTC program) on 17 June 2016. I am honored and humbled to have been given this oppor-tunity. My wife, Kelly and I have been moved by the generous welcome we have received from the many USC NROTC Alumni we have met. Thank you! It means a lot.

Quick background on Kelly and me. We’ve been together for 19+ years and I’ve been in the Marine Corps for 27+ years. I literally would not be here today without her love and support. When you meet her, you’ll understand. I’ve been a logistician for my entire career. I have eight years in Japan, two de-ployments (one to Kuwait/Iraq and one to Afghani-stan), and I’ve commanded twice as a Captain, once as a Lieutenant Colonel, and this is my fourth com-mand as a Colonel. Our priorities for the Trojan Battalion are:

1) Ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the Midshipmen (MIDN), Sailors, Marines, Government and University Civilians and their families,

2) Know and adhere to our standards, and

3) Live our lives and make our decisions in accordance with our core values.

We have been direct and unambiguous about our mes-saging to the MIDN and Marines…we will do every-thing we can to support their quest to become Naval Officers, but we will not hold anyone’s hand. They must earn their commission. The MIDN and Marines have responded well to the challenge.

This year we have twelve new MIDN 4/C (scholarship and college program) plus two freshman Marine En-listed Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) Marines and sixty-nine total MIDN and Marines in the Trojan Battalion. We commissioned 10 Ensigns and Second Lieutenants in May 2016 and will gradu-ate three in December 2016. We are projected to meet our Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program goal for 2016-2017, but two still need to pass their interview. Ser-vice assignment was very successful. 100% of the 1/C MIDN received their first or second choices, i.e., two Submarine Warfare Officers (MIDN 1/C Cruvant and Hennegan), one Nuclear Surface Warfare Officer (MIDN 1/C LaPorte), seven Surface Warfare Offi-cers (MIDN 1/C English, Marquis, Murillo, Phillips, Schwartz, Spillman, and Yang), three Aviators (MIDN 1/C Cuellar, Jamison, and Treat), and one Special War-fare Officer (our current Trojan Battalion Commander MIDN 1/C Borch). All were very happy!

The fall semester is flying by. We had a very suc-cessful New Student Orientation, Parent’s Weekend

contniued on page 5


* * * Bulletin Board ** BUlletin Board ** Bulletin Board * * *How to Contact Us:

USC Naval ROTC Alumni LeagueDepartment of Naval Science

University of Southern California3560 Watt Way, PED Room 101

Los Angeles, CA 90089-0654NROTC Office Phone Number: (213) 740-2663

Our NROTC Alumni League members are scattered all over the world and it is always fun trying to keep up with all your moves and changes. One way that we can keep up, is for you to complete the “Update My Information” sec-tion of the Return Slip of The LOG when you send in your tax-deductible dues and contributions. Another way is to access the USC Alumni Association website http://alumni.usc.edu/benefits/online.html to update your profile, e-mail or mailing address. Whenever you move, get promoted, change your email address, go online to the USC Alumni site and pop in the current info. We don’t want you to become LOST…

Don’t FORGET!! 2016 Membership Dues are due NOW!

Please complete the form on the back page, write your tax-deductible check and send it to the Treasurer, Ed Tannenbaum, using the self-addressed envelope or to the NROTC Unit - Attention: Alumni League, at the address

listed under “How to Contact Us”

Board of Director’s MeetingsAll NROTC Alumni League Members are invited to attend the Spring and Fall Board Meetings as non-voting at-tendees. Reservations can be made with Paul Alwine: Home (949) 559-8659 or cell (949) 636-0603. The next board meeting will be held on Thursday, April 13, 2017 at 10:00 on the USC Campus.

NROTC Alumni Scholarship Endowment Our NROTC Alumni League Scholarship Endowment at USC is over $242,000 as of 1 February 2016. The 2015 payout from our endowment that we use to provide scholarships to the Midshipmen was $12,360. The Midshipmen appreciate your support with their school expenses. Any questions regarding the Scholarship Endowment and our scholarship program, call Dave Dawes ‘63 (714-374-1230).

From the Ship’s StoreTrojan Battalion Items: USC NROTC Polo Shirts -$40, and USC NROTC Challenge Coins - $10 each. To Order: Contact NROTC Office listed above -”How to Contact Us”.

Alumni League Items: Tote Bag - $25, Alumni League Challenge Coins - $12, Bottle Openers (made from 50 Caliber Bullets - $42. To Order: email [email protected]

All proceeds goes toward the support of the Trojan Battalion


2016 NROTC AlumNi leAgue OffiCeRs

the log is a semi-annual publication of the USC NROTC Alumni League. The USC NROTC Alumni League is a non-profit service organization commit-ted to promote, support, and strengthen ongoing ties among NROTC alumni, the Midshipmen of the Tro-jan Battalion, U.S. Naval Forces, and the University of Southern California. All Navy and Marine Corps alumni of the USC NROTC program (currently over 2,000 officers) are automatically members of the Alumni League upon commissioning.

Send comments to:

Frances Annarella ’81e-mail: [email protected] mail: See address under Bulletin Board “How to Contact Us”

Our website: http://uscnrotc.org

like us on facebook

The LOGTailgate, Navy/Marine Corps Birthday Ball, and visits by Secretary of the Navy, Vice Admiral Tyson (CO-MUSTHIRDFLT), and Astronaut Lieutenant Colonel Noriega (USC 1981). The Trojan Battalion does a mar-velous job planning and executing these events.

I look forward to meeting and working with you. You are welcome and encouraged to visit the Trojan Battal-ion any time your schedule supports it. The MIDN and Marines gain so much through your generous financial support, mentorship, and listening to your sea stories (facts not required). In the near future, I will engage your interest in pursuing a remodel of the wardroom. The concept has been cleared by USC. I think it would be a great way to honor the USC NROTC Alumni and take care of the MIDN, Sailors, and Marines for gen-erations to come.

continued from page 3

CO’s Update

Semper Fidelis,

Chris

PRESIDENTCAPT Paul Alwine, SC, USN (Ret), ’62

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTCAPT Bob Brockmeier, USN (Ret), ’63

SECRETARYCDR Maureen “Alex” Alexander, USN (Ret) ’81

INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENTCAPT Rich Suttie, USN (Ret), ’79

FINANCECol Jim Hull, USMC (Ret) ‘82

THE LOG EDITORLtCol Frances Shannon Annarella, USMC (Ret), ’81

SCHOLARSHIP & ENDOWMENTSDave Dawes ’63

TREASUREREd Tannenbaum ’62

SPECIAL EVENTSCAPT Bob Brockmeier, USN (Ret), ’63

MEMBERSHIPJim Eddy ’52

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYOpen


It was in the fall of 2014. Friends had come to visit us in Colorado, and while they were here they suggested that the four of us walk the Camino de Santiago pil-grimage. Also while they were visiting we did a couple of mountain hikes. By the time they left two things had happened: (1) the hiking convinced them that they would not be able to do the Camino, and (2) I was in-trigued enough to find out more about it. Fast forward to May 2016 and I was setting off on the Camino. In-stead of four of us, it was just me.

What is this thing called the Camino de Santiago? Let’s start with the name: Camino de Santiago. That’s Spanish for “The Way of Saint James”. It’s called that because it is a pilgrimage that ends in a small city in northwest Spain called Santiago de Compostela, which is Spanish for “Saint James of the Field of Stars”. I’ll come back to why it is considered to be a pilgrimage.

But why is this small city in northwest Spain named after Saint James…and who was Saint James anyways? James was one of the twelve close followers of Jesus…one of the men commonly referred to as the apostles. Christian tradition has it that after Jesus was crucified, and after what Christians believe were some miracu-lous events, those twelve followers went out into the world, as it was known to them back then, to pass along what they had learned from Jesus. James ended up in Spain, and tradition has it that he was buried in this town that is now called Santiago de Compostela.

For well over a thousand years people have been mak-ing this pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela…basi-cally to the burial place of Saint James.

How did “Saint James” becomes “Santiago”? James was a Jewish man and “James” in Hebrew is “Jacob”. Jacob in latin is “Iacobus”. (There is no J in Latin.) The “us” part is kind of a Latin thing, so when it trans-lated to Spanish the “us” was dropped and in Spanish it became simply “Iago”. So Saint “Iago” is “Santiago”.

When we think of a pilgrimage we generally think of it as involving a journey, and my Camino involves a jour-

ney. But the most interesting part of this pilgrimage is not the hike, if you will. So I will touch briefly on the hiking aspects, and then get into why it is considered a pilgrimage.

You may want to refer to the map on the next page. The Camino begins in southern France, in the small town of St. Jean Pied de Port. It ends in northwest Spain, in front of the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. The idea is that you walk the whole way, about 500 miles in all.

That first day, crossing from France into Spain, is the most physically challenging. You cross over the Pyr-enees, through a pass called the Napoleon Pass…be-cause Napoleon brought his troops over that pass on their way into Spain. So did Charlemagne a thousand years earlier. The weather is almost always bad up there: cold, rain or snow, wind. It is about a 5,000 foot climb up, and then a steep descent into the small Span-ish town of Roncevalles.

Here are a few stats, which my watch kept track of: The Camino is about 500 miles long. I did it in a little over a month, which works out to about 15 miles per day. Calorie burn was about 1,250 active calories per day, so I could pretty much eat and drink whatever I wanted and not worry about packing on the pounds. Total uphill walking was 29,000 feet of elevation gain, and downhill was about the same.

Here are a few questions I’ve been asked a lot: (1) How did you know where to go? Did you get lost? (2) Where did you sleep? (3) Where did you eat?

The people who live along the Camino have painted yellow arrows along the route. So the pilgrims just fol-low the arrows. Most of the Camino passes through rural farming areas, but it passed through a couple of cities. The few times I got off track were entering the cities, but the locals were kind enough to redirect me.

You can stay the night in what are called Albergues, which are basically like hostels. Or if you prefer a bit

The Way of Saint James - Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

by Jim Ingrahams ’77


more privacy and your own bathroom, you can stay in hotels or in B&Bs.

The food was good, the wine was better. And it was really cheap: $1.50 for a glass and maybe $6 or $7 for a bottle. A large beer was $2.00. Most restaurants along the Camino offer a “pilgrim’s meal, which was simple, tasty and fresh…and only $6 to $8, which included as much wine as you wanted.

The concept of a pilgrimage was something that I really didn’t get before I went. If I had to sum up what makes the Camino a pilgrimage, not just a hike, I would say it is the people: the locals along the way and especially your fellow pilgrims you meet along the way.

Here are some stats on the people I met. About 10% of the pilgrims described themselves as practicing Roman Catholics. About 40% described themselves as non-practicing Catholics; that group included people who were raised as Catholic as but did not pursue that faith as adults. About 10% were people practicing other faiths: Buddhist, Hindu, Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist. Finally, about 40% described themselves as either athe-ist or agnostic.

Those demographics surprised and sort of fascinated me: 80% of the pilgrims practice no religion at all, and another 5% or so practice a non-Christian religion. Yet they had come to what is historically a Roman Catho-

lic country to do a pilgrimage called The Way of Saint James where they were surrounded by Catholic church-es, Cathedrals, and statues of Catholic Saints.

What was even more interesting was that in many of the towns and villages along the way there was a daily Catholic Mass…in Spanish. At the end of the Mass the priest says a special blessing for the pilgrims. Who do you think attended these Masses? The practicing Ro-man Catholics? They were there, of course. But the attendees were from each of the groups I described. I don’t have a good sense of what percentage of Mass attendees came from each group, but I can say that I saw people I had met from each group at Mass along the way. And the overall numbers of people attending Mass increased over time.

Other than religious affiliation, who were the pilgrims I met along the way and why were they there? The 20 year olds were mostly there for adventure. For those 35 and up, there was a common theme in many of their lives: loss. Some had lost a parent; some had lost a child; some had lost a spouse; some had lost a mar-riage; and some felt that in some way they had lost their way in life.

Of those in the latter group, the most common thing I heard was from people who had devoted their lives

continued on page 10


This section of The Log is to share brief “happenings” or news items with our NROTC Alumni League members. It is organized by decades of your commissioning date for ease in finding info about your ’SC classmates. Submissions can be sent via e-mail to Frances Annarella at: [email protected] or on the return slip along with your annual dues. Please keep it brief and please PRINT clearly. Note: If you e-mail us, please include your commissioning year.

1940’sCharlie Repp ’45: Still around, back into sailing in a club that owns 40 boats, 20 - 40 feet. Do maintenance and sail them. Looking forward to Catalina and Chan-nel Islands this summer. Travel a little, India last spring, England this fall (typical old folks stuff), skiing ( a little) in winter.

Richard Vivian ’45: Few medical problems, otherwise doing OK.

Glenn Lundell ’47: Retired in Green Valley, AZ since 1996 after retirement from State of Alaska, Alyeska Pipe-line Service Company and USNR. Always enjoy reading the Log, especially this issue with the special recognition of my classmate and friend, CAPT Bill McGonagle. I add my recommendation that readers find and review the amazing story of USS LIBERTY’s attack.

Jack Morley ’45: Unfortunately, we lost CAPT Paul Hartley ’45, recently to cancer. He put up a long and cou-rageous fight but passed away earlier this year. He kept in touch with our small class of ’45 and hosted most of our reunions in San Diego where he and wife, Charlotte, lived.

1950’sGeorge Strella ’51: The Log gives us great coverage of the Alumni events as well as the SC unit activity. A big HOWDY to all my classmates. We all thought that WWII was the end of the wars, then our class was in the Korean war - still going on. Then came Soviet “scares” (cold war), Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, Afghanistan, and ISIS. SC graduates have participated in them all. Hats off to all the midshipmen, faculty and alumni of our great univer-sity for their dedication.

Ron Kennedy ’52: Almost forty years ago I retired after 27 years active duty, the last seven as an O-6. Lots hap-pened in four decades, like half my life. Had a small busi-ness in Coronado for ten years and spent the last twenty in south Florida very happily married to the lovely Dorie who passed away in June 2015. Now home again in San Diego, actually Bonsall in North County, with frequent trips down I-15 to Coronado. I see ’52 classmate and fel-low Rotarian Bill Green frequently and he keeps in touch with Jim Eddy. Unfortunately, I know where most of the rest are. Anyone still out there, my email and cell phone numbers never change: [email protected] and 561-758-2127.

James Barber ’55: My book “Naval Shiphandlers Guide” has sold more than 13,000 copies to date.

Ray Williams ’55: Still member of California State Bar - 50 years. Former City Commissioner, City of Beverly Hills for 6 years. Lived in Beverly Hills for 53 years. Great life with wife, Donna, and our two dogs. I am so very honored to have been an NROTC graduate in 1955. Made great friends for life at SC. Will be 85 years young in 2017. I would like to hear from some of my old ship mates from the Trojan Battalion. Call me at 310-271-9563.

Clark Leonard ’56: Met in July with three fellow NROTC friends in Lake Tahoe: Jack Leth ’56, Doug Pot-ter ’56, and Jim Park ’57. Dean Allen ’57 and Jerry Mc-Mahon ’56 were unable to attend. Since losing my wife of 60 years, I am getting my life back together and have a new lady in my life. Happy in Newport Beach, CA. Still a Marine!!! Semper Fi!

Dwight Ladd ’57: Retired in 2000 as the Chairman and CEO of O. Miller Associates, Inc, a California Aerospace Corporation. In 2010, stepped down after 23 years on Board of Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon.

D E C A D E S DO i N g s


D E C A D E S DO i N g s1960’s

Paul Alwine ’62: Another busy summer and fall! My bride and I had a great road trip to the Mendocino North Coast, along with a lot of wine tasting in Napa Valley. October trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where we had the “3 M’s” - Mojitos, Margaritas and Martinis! In Decem-ber, we will complete our “underway qualification” on a fun cruise in the eastern Caribbean. Life is short - keep having FUN!

John La Frano ’63: Recently took a trip to the San Diego area for vacation fun. On the way, visited with CAPT William Zidbeck at his home and he introduced me to the members of his helicopter who were there for a meeting. Bill later joined my brother and I for a day at the races at the Del Mar racetrack. It was great fun. At the same time, my son, Michael, told me he had been selected to join the faculty of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (SLO). He will teach Molecular Biology/Nutrition and do research. This is a beautiful area.

1970’sPatrick Park ’70: President and CEO of Dunn Realtors/Park Pacific Properties established 1974 in San Diego, CA.

Greg Stearns’74: I flew A-7’s and F/A-18’s for 20 years before retiring in 1994. I was then CEO of CH Products for 7 years. In 2001, I joined Tel Tech Plus and became the owner in 2003. My wife, Cindy, and I still enjoy the challenges of owning a business. However, to change that routine, we now make periodic trips in our RV to visit the wonders of the United States.

David Holmgren’75: I was the first married midship-man and had a child during freshman summer cruise. It is great to tell my fellow middies that Eric survived the process and is a surgeon working with wife, Judith, who is an anesthesiologist. I retired last year from teaching and just spend time looking for trouble. My six years in the Navy included Navigator on the USS LONG BEACH and SEAL Team One with some outrageous tours there. You can contact me at: [email protected].

Michael John ’76: I was appointed as the director of Ex-ecutive Communications for the Chancellor of the Uni-versity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

1980’sBrad Kratovil ’82: Our oldest daughter, Quinn, married in spring 2016 and our youngest, Dru, a senior at ASU is engaged. Paige (USC ‘85) and I enjoy spending some of the extra time (empty nest) on fall Saturdays watching SC football - Fight On

1990’sNothing to Report

2000’sKen Nelson ’07: Just completed a tour at MCAS Beau-fort as the Executive Officer of the Air Station, and flying C-12M (KingAir 200 equivalent in civilian speak). Cur-rently, I am filling an individual augmentation billet to CENTCOM in Qatar. I work at the Combined Air and Space Operations Center (CAOC) in the Combat Opera-tions Division (COD) as the Senior Operations Duty Of-ficer (SODO). Once I complete my assignment here, I look forward to coming home to my wife and daughters. Then it’s back to flying F/A-18’s again. After a refresher training course in Miramar for the F/A-18, I will return to a Marine Fighter Squadron in Beaufort, SC.

TAPS

Farewell and bon voyage to our departed shipmates.

A donation has been made to the USC NROTC Alumni League Scholarship Endowment in the name of each of-ficer listed below.

David G. Gardner ’46 Aug 26, 2016Anthony Nizetich ’47 Sept 1, 2016Richard A. Morrisset ’75 May 4, 2016

Note: All names are published and donations are made to the Alumni League Scholarship Fund in their honor when their passing is brought to our attention.


entirely to their careers, only to have been let down or disappointed at some point after all those years. I met men and women who fit this description, but noticeably more women. Both the men and women were generally in their mid to late 30s or early 40s. Their careers were their lives, and their lives were their careers and not much else…until something happened. They were passed over for a promotion, or got laid off, or their company was purchased and there was no new position for them. These were not just Americans. There were just as many Europeans in this group as there were Americans. I think that there is something significant about this, but I am not sure exactly what it is.

You might be wondering, how I found out all of this personal information. People are very open on the Camino, very willing to share personal and emotional things. Unusually so. You might wonder whether all of these people found some answers or solace related to their losses. Answers no, but solace yes. By the time we all reached Santiago de Compostela it was very common to hear people to say things like, “I came here to find some answer to something related to my loss. I have not found that answer. But I have found something more important.”

Here is something I want my former military buddies to know, because you should feel really good about this. For the last ten years I was subjected to the steady diet from the media that people all around the world dislike and disrespect America, that they do so because we are a nation of empire builders and colony builders. When you meet people on the Camino you have 15 miles to go that day, so you are likely to talk about a lot of things. As you might imagine, “What do or did you do for a living?” gets asked a lot. I would respond that I had just two real jobs in my life, and the first one was Navy Officer. Time and time again I heard “Thank you!” I heard, “Because of you we no longer live under the tyranny of Soviet Union Communism”. I was shocked…pleasantly so..at the outpouring of gratitude. I guess those mid-watches were worth it in the end.

What did I get out of it at the end? Sore feet in the middle, but I got over that; and I may have lost some pounds but those are all back. I mostly got friendships with folks I met along “the Way” that will last my entire life…just like the friendships we have with our USC NROTC shipmates from 40 years ago.

After graduating from USC with a degree in Busi-ness in 1977, Jim Ingraham was assigned to the commissioning crew of USS Stump (DD-978), where he served as Gunnery Officer, First Lieutenant, and Navigator. His next assignment was as Flag Lieu-tenant to Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group Eight. When Jim left active duty he started with the accounting firm of Price Waterhouse, where he ulti-mately was admitted to the partnership. Jim retired in 2011 and relocated to the mountains of Colorado. But he keeps a boat in San Diego and states with some pride that he still does navigation by DR and still takes fixes with a sextant.

Continued from page 7

Way of Saint James


Spring/Summer 2016 Issue Correction on Captain McGonagle’s article.

We received the following email from one of our alums, James Nierle ’85:

The story about Captain McGonagle of USS LIBERTY was of particular interest to me. I have worked a number of cases regarding the LIBERTY incident, and am well acquainted with the events and the awards made in the aftermath. However, I did not know Captain McGonagle was a USC grad.

Regrettably, the article contains two erroneous statements about the Medal of Honor. Captain McGonagle received the Medal of Honor from Secretary of the Navy Paul Nitze in a ceremony at the Navy Yard. The award was not “given in secret.” Although it became the norm during the 20th century for living awardees to be offered the opportunity of a White House ceremony if it was practicable, the President is not required to present the Medal of Honor personally.

Captain McGonagle is most certainly not the “only living awardee in our nation’s history to not have re-ceived the Medal of Honor by the President of the United States at the White House.” There have been many others.

James Nierle President, Dept of Navy Board of Decorations & Medals Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.

Thanks James for taking the time to educate us!

FYI. . .The Army Veterinary Treat Facility

Clinical Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Program - an al-ternative to paying exorbitant fees. While the CVM is primarily designed for the care of DoD animals, such as military working dogs and ceremonial horses, they also provide care to animals owned by DoD retired service members (of all branches) and their eligible dependents.

For more information, contact the Clinical Veterinary Medicine Program at [email protected] or 410-436-4158. An interactive page is available to locate a CVM near you at https://phc.amedd.army.mil/topics/animed/vtfo/Pages/VTFMap.aspx.

Note: Veterinary facilities are mostly located on military instal-lations, so if you live near a base, this may be an option.

Retiree-at-Cost Hearing Aid Program (RACHAP)

RACHAP is not a Tricare benefit. Retirees from ac-tive duty, Guard and Reserve who have hearing loss and/or tinnitus are eligible for this program at mili-tary treatment facilities. Retirees can obtain hearing aids at significant savings by using RACHAP. Two hearing aids can usually be purchased for less than $2,000.

OCONUS RACHAP listings are available at http://militaryaudiology.org/rachap-rhapp-locations/.

USC Football. . .how about them Trojans!

Slow start but a strong finish. Did you know that we went undefeated in the Colliseum this season? AND we had FIVE perfect days (a perfect day is when USC wins and both ucla and Notre Dame lose).

Fight On!


Back at the Battalion

Congratulations to the Fall Alumni League Scholarship Recipients:

The USC NROTC Alumni League is pleased to have awarded five $1000 scholarships, which are provided through the contributions of the members of the Alumni League to the Scholarship Fund, for the 2016 Fall Semester to the midship-men listed below. This scholarship recognizes their scholastic and leadership achievements in the Battalion, at USC and in their community. The funds are credited to their university account to assist with their expenses.

MIDN 1/C Kevin Cuellar

MIDN 1/C Tyler Borch

MIDN 1/C Monica Laporte

MIDN 3/C Isaac Hoyohoy

MIDN 3/C Sarah McShea

Wyatt William AuttersonEnglewood, CO

Julia Michelle BrunnHighlands Ranch, CO

Connor David CogdillModesto, CA

Charlotte Nicole HenneganPleasanton, CA

Trevor Steven GilbertSan Diego, CA

Aaron Victor HobsonKailua, HI

Franklin LinRowland Heights, CA

Tristan Anthony MartelCarson City, NV

Anthony Michael Ulysses PedreiraMercer Island, WA

Daniel Alejandro OrtizPort Huenema, CA

Isai OqueliLos Angeles, CA

Austin ReinholdOro Valley, AZ

Welcome Class of 2020!


The Photo Gallery

CAPT Paul Alwine (center) with two of the Alumni League Scholarship recipients, MIDN 1/C Kevin Cuellar (L) and MIDN 1/C Tyler Borch (R). Scholarships were presented at the battalion’s Thursday morning ProLab in November.

The Classes of 1974, 75 and 76 recently hosted a mini-reunion in Las Vegas. Attendees were:Class of 74: Rick Stephens and Michael Gorbell, Class of 75: Ken Fritts and Brad Fowler, Class of 76: Gary Conary, Michael McMillan, Michael McCloskey, David Robinson, Kent Freeland, Bruce Nelson, Jon Simmons, James MacDonald, James McCaffrey, Frank Baleskie, and Ritchie Jones, Class of 77: Paul Ad-ams, Class of 78: Steven Rubin, and Staff: Col Robert Mattingly (MOI).


UsC naval rotC alUmni leagUe

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