2015 REUNION HOTEL SELECTED

SHIPMATES:

 

Planning for the 2015 has been proceeding smoothly. It was decided at the Newport reunion to have the 2015 reunion in Norfolk, VA. Carol and I stopped by in August to evaluate the 4 finalist hotels and we found all them to be reasonably acceptable. However, one stood out above the group.

 

We selected the Holiday Inn Norfolk Airport hotel. The Holiday Inn Norfolk Airport is not your typical Holiday Inn. It is a more upscale version of the Holiday Inns that most clients are familiar with and those who tour it are surprised how nice it is.  All rooms are charming and very spacious, plus all rooms have a microwave, fridge, and coffeemaker on a complimentary basis.They hotel has an indoor pool and hot tub, fitness center, a great little restaurant serving breakfast and dinner, a lobby bar, business center, a sundry shop, meeting and banquet facilities. Complimentary internet is provided to all guests.

 

Each morning there will be a complimentary full breakfast buffet for up to 2 guests per guest room for our reunion attendees. The hotel will provide a spacious complimentary hospitality room during our stay. We will be able to bring in our own beverages and snacks to the hospitality room. If you decide to have dinner in the restaurant they have offered a 10% discount.

 

The military reunion banquet menu is only $35.00 per person which includes tax and service charge.

 

There is complimentary airport shuttle 24 hours – 7 days a week to and from Norfolk International PLUS a courtesy shuttle for guests to local shopping and dining within a 5 mile radius of the hotel. There is also free self-parking.

 

All of this is available for only $95.00 net rate plus taxes (14% –$2.00 flat city tax) per room per night. This rate will be available for three days pre and & post the reunion dates which are April 26 – 29, 2015.

 

Now that the hotel has been selected, I will be working on the tours. There are some very fine tours and as soon as I have completed the tour schedule, I will send an email to all those with email service. When ALL plans are complete I will make a mailing via USPS to all shipmates without email service.

 

So mark your calendars for the reunion and I hope to see many of you there.

 

Smooth Sailing, Jim Julian

Stanley Edward Znoj pictures

I received the following email this morning and thought that there some of the  40's shipmates may remember Stanley. Stanley passed away in 1964 and his son has been in contact with me.
Jim Julian

Meant to get these pictures of my dad to you prior to the reunion but end of 12 and beginning of 13 in hospital/rehab.  oh well.

Anyway these two pictures of my dad, Stanley Edward Znoj were taken in 1943 and 1944.

this is 1943 prior to the Hazelwood shipping out. Pop was a SF1.

This was taken in 1944 after he had transferred off the Hazelwood. He's now a CSF.

maybe these will trigger some of Pop's shipmates memories.

regards,

Al Znoj

TAPS

I just received information that Bill Means passed away in January of this year. Here is his obituary:

William E. "Billy" Means

January 15, 2013

William E. “Billy” Means, 70, of Whitman, passed away on Tuesday January 15th at his home surrounded by his loving family. He was the beloved husband of Veronica (Ware) Means. Born in Brockton, son of the late Edward Means and Alice (O’Connell) (Means) Fowler. Billy was a lifelong resident of Whitman, graduate of Whitman-Hanson High School, class of 1962. He was a proud veteran of the United States Navy, serving his country for 1962-1966 and was a member of the American Legion Post 22 and the VFW Post 697 in Whitman. Billy was a retired union carpenter from the Local Union # 424. He enjoyed fishing and working in his own woodshop and he especially enjoyed being with his grandkids. In addition to his wife Veronica, he is survived by his 3 daughters, Michelle Means-Drass and her fiancé John Andres of West Bridgewater, Maureen Higgins and her husband Steve of Abington, and Melissa Miller and her husband Brian of East Bridgewater, his brothers, Mark Means and his wife Tracy of Virginia and Steve Fowler and his wife Lynn of Vermont, his sisters, Patricia Reade and her husband Bud of Florida, Donna Mullen and her husband Michael of New Hampshire and Judy Smith and her husband Fred of Vermont; also six grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. His services will be held on Monday January 21st at 8:00PM in the Blanchard Funeral Chapel, Plymouth St. (Rte 58 at the rotary circle) Whitman. His visitation will be held prior to the service from 4:00-8:00PM.Burial will be in the MA V.A. National Cemetery on Tuesday January 22nd at 10:30AM.Family and friends are invited to attend a gathering after his burial on Tuesday at 1:00PM in the American Legion Hall, Legion Parkway, Whitman. Donations may be made in his name to the Charity of One’s Choice.

TAPS

Last month I got a call from Paul Jennings, the son of Ross R. Jennings.  Ross passed away on March 4, 2003 at age 77. I know this is 10 years ago but Paul just found our Blog Site and called me to let me know. I did some digging and found Ross's obituary in the Tulsa World

JENNINGS -- Ross R., 77. Born January 13, 1926 in Sioux City, IA, passed away March 4, 2003. Worked for Aetna Casualty and Surety Co., for 25 years, member of US Navy in WWII. Preceded in death by wife, Janis and parents. He is survived by sons, John Mark and wife, Beth, Paul and wife, Barbara; daughter, Carol Ann Higgins and husband, Michael; grandchildren, Jacob, Charles, Daniel, Jonathan, Jennifer; brothers, Jay and Claude. Service will be held 10 a.m., Friday, March 7, 2003 at Southeast Baptist Church with interment to follow at Floral Haven Cemetery. Under the direction of Moore's Eastlawn Chapel, 622-1155.

Smooth Sailing, Jim Julian

READY FOR INSPECTION

Prior to the banquet, we had several photographs taken. One was of the crew "ready for inspection". Here is that picture with the names. If I got the wrong name on a person, let me know and I will correct it.

Smooth Sailing, Jim Julian

HAZELWOOD CAKE ??? !!!

At the banquet on April 29, Rich Ernst arranged for a surprise dessert that really surprised everyone. We were all treated to a cake made into the Hazelwood as it was configured after the DASH conversion. There was a helicopter hanger and platform and all the trimmings.

And even though it looked like the ship, it was delicious also. The forward part of the ship was chocolate and the after part was yellow cake. The superstructure was built up using rice crispies. Here is a view from the front. The cake was made by a local gal who has a full time job but does specialty cakes on the side. Her name is Irene Buonaccorsi and we thank her so much for the wonderful cake.

You may be wondering what was in all of the gift bags on the table. They contained a set of four glass coffee mugs inscribed with same pattern that is used on our caps and shirts. Since the glass is clear it was difficult to get a good picture, but here is the best I could do! 

The red tissue is in the glass so you could see the pattern which is on both sides of the cup.

 

This reunion has been so great that it will be a tough act to follow!!

 

Smooth sailing, Jim julian

 

 

 

HAZELWOOD MODEL DONATED

During our recent reunion the model of the Hazelwood was donated to the Battleship cove Museum in Fall River, MA. The model was built by John Hankins, Jr. for his father John, Sr. who served during the Kamikaze attack and survived. John Sr. has since passed away.
The model was always a welcome feature at the reunions but it was a major chore to have hauled from one reunion to the next. At the Jacksonville (2011) reunion the group agreed to have it donated to an appropriate museum. Battleship Cove seemed appropriate because if it's proximity to Newport where DD531 was home-ported a number of years.
Battleship Cove said they could guarantee that the model would be safely stored when not on display. They have a number of models and display them on a rotating basis. They also informed us that if we have a reunion nearby, they would allow us to borrow the model.

The donation was of enough interest to local TV stations that we got coverage. I do not know how long this link will be good, but if you go to this site you can see the TV coverage.

http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/wwii-destroyer-returns-to-new-england

 

Smooth sailing, Jim julian

NORFOLK, HERE WE COME

The 2013 Hazelwood reunion is history now. If you were not there, this site will be posting various items of the reunion over the coming weeks so you can see how much fun we had.
At the business meeting held at the Battleship Cove luncheon, we decided to have the 2015 reunion in Norfolk VA.  Of course the dates will be in late April and the banquet and commemoration ceremony will be on April 29, 2015. Specific details will be coming in the future, but you can mark your calendar and plan to be there.

We hope you are in the picture next time.

Smooth Sailing, Jim Julian

WHO IS COMING TO THE REUNION??

Shipmates, Here is the list (as of 04/30/2013) of those who attended the reunion. There are now 37 shipmates attending and a total of 70 when counting spouses and relatives.
If  you see any errors in rate or years please let me know. My computer files have been doing some strange things lately!! Jim Julian

               

George  Barket   44-46  SK2C  Sup           
John     Bohnovic 63-65 RM2 OPS                                  
Dale Crosier   55-58   LTJG   ENG
Frank   DeClements    BT3  ENG   
Burt     Doremus  56-57 ENS   Deck   
Robert E. Ellis  55-58  SK3     SUP    
Richard Ernst  59-63   ET2-EP2 Ops 
John E. Hankinson      Son of John E (43-45) MM     Eng     
Gordon  Heath   56-58 EMP2 ENG
Ken     Hughes 52-54  RD2    OPS
Bill      Jensen  59-61 SK3  SUP
Martin Jepson 60-62  SK3
Henry  Johnson 55-59 Eng      A        
Jim       Julian   LtJg     Ops        
Charles D. Kepner    56-59  LTJG  ENG
Robert Kevan  58-60   RD2    Ops     
Charles Lincourt  63-65    FA/FN
Ronald  Lovejoy   60-62 BT3    Eng     
Edward Lyon  60-61(?)
Steve Patryn   59-61   E4   Deck
Ted Mariner 52-56  BT3  ENG
Charles Metzger  53-57  RD1  OPS
Steve Patryn    59-61   E4  Deck
William Rickard    52-54 BT@    Eng     
Fred     Rourke      58-60  QM3    Ops     
Edward G.  Schroeder        62-64   FTG3   2nd DIV
Bruce E.  Shilling            62-64   SH3     SUP
Richard Shafer  61-64   BT2 ENG
Cletis   Skrabak 59-62  BT2  ENG 
Nelson Smock  61-63 ET2  OPS
Jim Stanford   57-58   Ltjg     OPS    
Clint J. Starke  55-57   Ltjg     Eng     
William Szturma      62-63  SOG 2 Fox Division
Walter Voll           60-64    GMG2  GUN  
Ray F. Williams          44-46   EM3    ENG   
Terry Young    63-65  QM3   OPS
Dan     Zakovic 61-63 SN  DECK    
Richard C. Zimmerman 42-45 SN1  Deck  

    

Ray Heinrich , GM1, 42-45 letter

I received the following letter from Raymond Heinrich today and I am sure he will  not mind my posting it here.
Roseland, NE
Feb 11,2013

Dear Jim,
I am finally getting around to answer your invitation to the Hazelwood reunion of 2013 in Newport, RI. I wanted to say, yes, we would be there with bells on, but there are obstacles that need consideration. Both of us (my wife and I) have some health problems which dictate everyday activity. Secondly, we do not travel alone any more so we rely on the children and they have jobs that do not lend to "days off"at that time of year. If there are any changes I will call and let you know.
However, I would appreciate It very much if you would keep me on the  mailing list, as well as other men who have served in the 40's. We were a close knit group and like to keep up on the happenings of  our  fellow shipmates. After boot camp and Gunnery School, I was assigned to the Hazelwood. I was on board when the ship was commissioned and still on board when she was decommissioned. Also Chet Locke and I were responsible for the very first reunion.
Sincerely, I thank you for your consideration and input to keep the reunion going.
/signed/ GM1, Raymond Heinrich, 42-45, Age 93+

TAPS

I received the following email recently:

Dear Jim it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that mm3 William E. Means has lost his battle with cancer and passed away Jan.15th 2013.He will be missed by everyone. Yours truly Veronica Means his wife

William was a MM3 and served in 1962. I expressed our condolences to Veronica for her loss.

I also received a phone call yesterday from the widow of Steven Marzika, Sr..  He served on the Hazelwood in 1951-55 in the Engineering Department. He passed away June 12, 2012. I expressed our condolences to her.

 

2013 REUNION SCHEDULE

USS HAZELWOOD REUNION

Warwick (Newport), RI

Thursday, April 25, 2013
You are welcome to arrive this day so you can be at the hotel for an early start in the morning.  Hospitality Room may be open in the evening.
Friday, April 26, 2013 – ARRIVAL DAY
9 AM - 10 PM – Registration at the Hospitality Room
·         Individual photos of shipmates will be taken during arrival.
·         Coffee, Rolls, Snacks, Soft Drinks, Beer and Wine available.
·         Bull Session and Sea Stories.
·         Lunch and dinner on your own
Saturday, April 27, 2013
8 AM – 9 AM - Registration, Coffee and Rolls in Hospitality Room
9 AM – Coast Guard Academy, Nautilus Museum Tour and free time in Myst
9 AM –??? Hospitality Room, open, if a volunteer is available
Dinner on your own
Sunday, April 28, 2013
8 AM – 10 AM Hospitality Room Open
10 AM -   Battleship Cove Tour
10 AM –??? Hospitality Room, open, if a volunteer is available
Monday, April 29, 2013
8AM – 9 AM - Hospitality Room Open
9 AM - Newport, RI and Naval Base Tour
5 PM – 7 PM Hot & Cold Hors d’oeuvres & Cash bar open
5 PM – 6:30 PM Group Photo and couple photos if you wish.
7 PM – 8:30 PM Banquet
After Dinner - Hospitality Room Open

REUNUION REGISTRATION FORM

If  you have trouble reading this form send me an email and I will send it to you via email. Jim julian  dd531reunion@earthlink.net

2013 HAZELWOOD REUNION

Reservation Form

Shipmate: ____________________________                   Tel: _____________________________

 Rate/Rank: ___________________ Year(s) Served: ____________________

Name(s) as you wish them to appear on your name tag(s). PLEASE PRINT:
Examples:        Jim Julian                    58-60               LTJG           OPS
                         Carol Julian                   Spouse                                                 
                                           
NAME                        YRS                RATE/RANK           DEPT

1. _________________________  ________      _______________      _________

2. _________________________  ________      _______________      _________

3. _________________________  ________      _______________      _________

HOTEL RESERVATIONS: The reunion will be held at the Radisson Hotel Providence Airport. YOU MUST MAKE YOUR OWN HOTEL RESERVATIONS.  Call 1-800-967-9033 and be sure to tell them you are with the Hazelwood Reunion. The room rate will be $79 per night plus tax or $99.00 for an Executive Suite. The hotel has free shuttle service to and from the Providence airport.

 SELECT OPTIONS FROM THE LIST BELOW AND SEND A CHECK FOR THE TOTAL

1. HAZELWOOD Cap. One size fits all. Made in USA      Qty: ______    x $10.00 =       $ _________
2. MEN’S HAZELWOOD SHIRT. Made in USA

            Select Size:  S    M     L    XL   2X   3X                     Qty: ______   x $25.00 =       $ _________

3. Bus Tour USCG Academy-New London –Tips included.

Tour is on Saturday, April 27, 2013, 9 AM - 3 PM                Qty: ______    x $25.00 =       $ _________

4. Bus Tour Battleship Cove – Fall River – Tips Included
Tour is on Sunday, April 28, 2013 10 AM – 4 PM 

                                    With Buffet Lunch ……..                  Qty: ______    x $61.00 =       $ _________

                        OR      With Deli Lunch ……….                   Qty: ______    x $57.00 =       $ _________  

5. Bus Tour Newport & lunch at Naval Base Officer’s Club
Tour is Monday, April 29, 2013 9 AM - 4 PM                       Qty: ______    x $54.00 =       $ _________
6. Banquet (Monday, April, 29, 2013) Tip & Tax included
A. Roast Prime Rib of beef w/sides and dessert.               Qty: ______    x $38.00 =       $ _________
B.  New England Baked Cod w/sides and dessert.           Qty: ______    x $34.00 =       $ _________
C.  Chicken Marsala w/sides and dessert                          Qty: ______    x $33.00 =       $ _________
5. Registration Fee. Covers hospitality room, refreshments, mailing costs and other
necessary costs.  IF YOU HAVE ALREADY PAID DO NOT PAY AGAIN                                                                                                                             $     30.00

                                                            TOTAL AMOUNT DUE     $ __________
Make your check payable to JIM JULIAN - REUNION   
and mail it to:                                                                         
Jim Julian                                          Questions? – Call:  Tel: 941-276-1217 (cell)                       
318 Salt Creek Dr.
North Port, FL 34287
                                                           
PLEASE RETURN AS SOON AS YOU ARE ABLE, BUT NO LATER THAN MARCH 15, 2011

 

REUNION TOUR SKED & MENU

Conway Tours will provide the following tour and transportation services for the USS Hazelwood DD 531:

Saturday, April 27. 2013
Coast Guard Academy, Nautilus Museum and free time in Mystic, CT
One 55-passenger motorcoach will arrive at the Radisson Airport in Warwick, RI at 8:45 am. At 9:00 am the motorcoach will depart and travel to the Coast Guard Academy, New London. Passengers will get a windshield tour. Once tour is done at the Academy, passengers will be taken to the USS Nautilus Museum for free time to explore. At approximately 12:00 pm the motorcoach will bring group to Mystic for free time to shop and have lunch on their own. A 3:00 pm departure from Mystic is planned.
Rate based on 35 passengers $25.00 per person
Rate includes round trip motorcoach to all sites and driver gratuity.

Sunday, April 28. 2013
Battleship Cove

One 55-passenger motorcoach will arrive at the Radisson Airport in Warwick, RI at 9:45 am. At 10:00 am the motorcoaches will depart for Battleship Cove. Lunch is included today on the ship. A departure is scheduled for 3:00pm back to the hotel. Rate based on 35 passengers $61.00 per person Battleship Buffet Rate based on 35 passengers $57.00 per person Deli Lunch
Rate includes round trip motorcoach, admission into Battleship Cove, lunch and driver gratuity. You will need to choose which lunch you want.
Battleship Buffet: Fresh Fruit Salad with Sherbet or Family style Minestrone Soup (Seasonal) Sliced turkey sandwich, roast beef sandwich, tuna salad sandwich. Sweet and Sour Kielbasa with peppers and onions. Pasta with marinara sauce, Boston baked beans, chunky potato salad, relish tray, potato chips, frosted cake and choice of beverage.
Deli lunch: choice of above fruit or soup, roasted turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato. Chunky potato salad, dill pickle, chips, frosted cake and beverage.

 Monday, April 29. 2013

Newport, RI
One 55-passenger motorcoach will arrive at the Radisson Airport in Warwick, RI at 8:45 am. At 9:00 am the motorcoach will depart for Newport, RI. A Conway Tour escort, Ernie Pina will give a 90 minute narrated tour of Newport. After tour, head over to the Officer's Club on the Newport Navy Base for lunch. At 1:30 pm a windshield tour of the Navy Base is included. Once the tour of the base is done passengers will either go to the pier or Dewey Field for a Memorial Service. Pier will be based on security clearance. If passengers have extra time they can go over to the museum at no cost. A departure from the Navy Base is scheduled for 4:00 pm.
Rate based on 35 passengers $54.00 per person
Rate includes round trip motorcoach, narrated driving tour, and lunch at Officer's Club, windshield tour of Navy Base, Memorial Service, and driver and guide gratuity

 BANQUET MENU

Appetizer -         Minestrone Soup
Salad -                  Tossed Garden Salad
Entrée – CHOOSE ONE – New England Baked Cod with Traditional Crumbs and Lemon  Butter

Grilled Boneless Breast of Chicken with Marsala Sauce

Prime Roast Rib of Beef, au jus

Potatoes –          Oven Roasted Potatoes

Vegetables -      Seasonable Vegetable Medley
Dessert -              Vanilla Ice Cream with Raspberry Sauce

Interesting phone conversation

One of the mailings I sent out came back and I called to get get a corrected address. I expected to speak to a shipmate but I found I was talking to a step-son of Calvin Coolidge Johnson. Calvin served on the Hazelwood during WW2 and was a survivor of the Kamikaze hit. He was either a deck hand or gunners mate. Calvin also served on at least 2 other ships and had service in the Med and at D-Day and also was awarded a number of battle ribbons.
Calvin is now in a care facility in Jacksonville, FL and is not remembering things as clearly as he had in the past. Clyde, his step-son has been working for a long time trying to get more information about Calvin's service on the Hazelwood and the other ships.
If any of those who served in WW2 recall Calvin or has any information about his service, please contact me and I will put you in touch with his step-son.

Interesting Email & Taps

I got this email this evening and I want to share it with all shippmartes. If any of those who served with Stanley Znoj, Please let me know and I will let his son know.

Hi,
I'm Al Znoj and my dad served aboard the USS Hazelwood. He was assigned during the construction, fitting out, commissioning and  deployment, so I guess he would have been a plank holder.He was a SF1 aged 31 years old in 1943, so would have been one of the old guys. Don't know if any of the attendees at the reunion will remember
him or not. He never once mentioned anything about his tour of duty on the Hazelwood, nor anything in letters or pictures. He died in 1964 at age 52 so we didn't have a chance to really sit and shoot the breeze about his naval career.

I was aboard the Hazelwood in mid 1943. Don't know if it was a family day or post commissioning or what. The only thing I remember about the visit was that the ship was huge and grey all over and having dinner in the PO mess I tasted real butter for the first time. Back then civilians had margarine that you had to mix with an orange power to make it look like butter (didn't taste anything like real butter). But I was only 4 years old at the time - funny what little kids remember.

Won't be attending the reunion, but please post my note, just in case any of the attendees remember my dad.

Thanks, Al Znoj

PS: Sir, realized that I had omitted my dad's name.
It was STANLEY EDWARD ZNOJ. He was about 5-8/5-9, maybe 145/150 pounds then.

thanks, Al Znoj

HAZELWOOD CAP

HAZELWOOD CAP

 

 

The caps are made in the USA and one size fits all. It is embroidered with USS Hazelwood, DD 531 and has a silhouette of a Fletcher Class Destroyer on it. I have 2 other caps from this manufacturer and the quality is excellent. One size fits all.

The cost is $10.00 each if you pick it up at the reunion. The cost of the cap will be added to your Reunion Reservation Form if you let me know you want one.

If you are not going to the reunion I will have to ship it to you. Shipping costs are $5.00. You can mail a check to me for $15.00 payable to Jim Julian-Reunion, 318 Salt Creek Dr., North Port, FL 34287. It will be mailed to you shortly after the reunion.

Whether you are going to the Reunion or not, caps must be ordered by March 10, 2013 to have them in time for the reunion.



HAZELWOOD SHIRTS

USS HAZELWOOD EMBROIDERED

MEN’S GOLF SHIRT

 

The shirt is a very dark blue, short sleeve, cotton golf shirt with a collar. It is embroidered with “USS Hazelwood, DD 531” and has a Fletcher Class Destroyer silhouette. The pictured shirt was made by another manufacturer but is very similar to the one you will be getting.

They come in Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, 2Xl and 3XL. The cost is $25.00 each if you pick it up at the reunion. The cost of the shirt will be added to your Reunion Reservation Form if you let me know you want one.

If you are not going to the reunion I will have to ship it to you. Shipping costs are $5.00. You can mail a check to me for $30.00 payable to Jim Julian-Reunion, 318 Salt Creek Dr., North Port, FL 34287. It will be mailed to you shortly after the reunion.

Whether you are going to the Reunion or not, shirts must be ordered by March 10, 2013 to have them in time for the reunion

Update & More Taps

TAPS: I just recently received word that Charles Stark from Munising, MI passed away in June of 2011. He served on the Hazelwood in 1955-56. I also got an email informing me that August Spalek passed away on December 7, 2012 at the age of 80 years. He was shown as a BM3 during the World Cruise and his nickname was Hollywood.
UPDATE: As of this date I, have 31 Shipmates that have indicated they are coming to the reunion or are interested or planning to. If you are planning to attend you can make your hotel reservations now. I called in several weeks ago and made  mine!!
Just call 800-967-9033 and let them know the dates you plan on being at the hotel. Of course the hotel is the RADISSON HOTEL PROVIDENCE AIRPORT. The $79.00 per night rate is lowest we have seen in several reunions. I can assure you it is a good looking hotel as we visited it earlier this year.
They provide free shuttle service to and from the airport.
I hope to see many of you at the reunion.

Smooth sailing and Happy New Year, Jim Julian