Source: Aerograph November 2023
Greetings Shipmates,
I guess it was best said in the lyrics of Irving Berlin way back in 1933, “We’re having a heat wave, a tropical heatwave, the temperature’s rising, and it isn’t surprising.” And the debate continues of man verses nature in the world’s climate dilemma. Personally speaking, I am placing all my money on Mother Nature. I hope everyone had a wonderful summer with plenty of hydration in one form or another. I find a nice afternoon wine makes the idea of total world melt much more bearable. Now that summer is over and fall is upon us, I would like to wish everyone a heartfelt happy and healthy Veteran’s Day. Bravo Zulu to all Veterans everywhere!
I think the weather in Pensacola is always perfect now that Patti and I moved into a Condo. No more mowing the lawn. No more weed whacking. No more cleaning the pool. No more cleaning out the gutters. I could go on and on but, I think you get the point.
Patti and I had a wonderful summer traveling. We flew with no travel delays, cancelations, or fist fights. It was kind of a miracle. We finally got to see Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Devils Tower. Also enjoyed a great lunch at the authentic Stoneville Saloon in Alzada, Montana, which was originally built in Rapid City during the late 1800’s and moved to Montana circa 1938. The Buffalo burger was fantastic! We were fortunate to meet up with our son, daughter in-law, and two grandchildren. It was fun, but South Dakota was hotter than Pensacola with no breeze.
My first Lady Patti has been busy working with the Condo association social committee. They schedule many things like barbecues, luaus, game nights, and swim parties. She is also busy planning more cruises. We celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary on August 4 th. We had chicken tenders and coleslaw from Publix’s and drank cheap wine with friends. Next stop this October is Hawaii, Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia. Patti and a friend are also planning a Caribbean group cruise this December with about 20 guests. Patti doesn’t slow down and keeps me on the move, which I guess is a good thing.
I often think about mission statements, mantras, and mottos. I read one the other day in Kiplinger’s magazine which stated, “We are guided by the expectations that our readers will act on what we write about and benefit from doing so.” I found it simple and to the point. Every organization has a mission or expectation, and it is always good to define yourself through a belief system, whether it be science or voodoo. I enjoy mottos like, “all for one and one for all”, “don’t give up the ship”, and my favorite is “live to fight another day”. This is why NWSA is important. The reunions, quarterly luncheons and committees are reminders of who we are and why we are here. It’s about being something bigger than an association, but a belief system that carries the weight of generations onto new expectations. This leads to relating old adventures into new ideas, laughing, crying, and sharing a lifetime of memories with others…a reunion, where two or more people come together after a period of separation, usually sharing a common bond of a life well lived.
First VP Tom Berkeridge is doing a very professional job organizing reunion #48 from 5/1/24 to 5/5/24. Tom has set up a great itinerary, including welcome aboard pizza party, a catered rib luncheon, a boat and bus tour of Mount Dora, and a Country Club Banquet. The menus look delicious and very reasonable. Getting together with old friends and telling sea stories still qualifies as one of greatest activities people can do at a relatively cheap cost. Patti and I are looking forward to the upcoming NWSA Reunion #48. Make sure you sign up for this event at The Villages.
I would like to thank Mike Gilroy for his assistance with NWSA Scholarship awardee J. William Thiesing III.
Larry Warrenfeltz has accepted the position of NWSA Parliamentarian, thank you.
Thomas Miovas is doing a great job keeping the Bellinger list up-to-date and keeping track of our finances. Good job Tom.
And let’s not forget Steven Smith, “Cap” Casperson, and Gary Cox for keeping the web site and Aerograph up and running. You guys know your Sierra Hotel Indigo Tango.
AG1 (NAC) Ed Straten, USN, (Ret)
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Source: Aerograph August 2023
Greetings Shipmates
June 8, 2023, I relieved
Captain Larry Warrenfeltz as president of the Naval Weather Service Association
while attending the Pensacola Chapter luncheon.
Larry served with Honor and
Enthusiastic Vigor as prescribed by Navy Tradition. Bravo Zulu Larry for your steadfast
leadership and overall stellar performance for keeping this program afloat and
charting paths forward. I salute you and
thanks.
The gavel has been passed.
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I am privileged to have Thomas Berkeridge SR 1st VP and Tim Kenefick 2nd VP. Tom is hard at work organizing reunion #48 at the Villages. It’s a reunion, don’t forget your umbrellas. I would also like to mention all members and Officers of NWSA for the hard work they do to keep this organization strong and viable. Thank you!
I flippantly tell my grandchildren when I retired from the Navy in 1991, I was replaced by a cell phone. I think it was true in many respects. Now, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is upon us. When AI is fully online, computers will spit out a 30-day forecast before you can say, “Partly Cloud…”. Gone are the days of plotting charts with observations required to fit under a quarter. The New Navy is here to stay. What we did by hand and mind will fade into history as computers gain complete control. We are becoming relics along with rotary telephones, mimeograph machines and manual typewriters.
We need to keep the legacy alive. Our collective global knowledge is invaluable.
Here are a few examples:
We contributed significantly to the development of airships, aircraft, and aircraft carriers.
We released balloons and became masters of upper-level winds…another plus for naval aviation.
We released PIBALS for ballistic wind forecasts, aiding in mortar fire to assaults from 15-inch cannons.
We saw high altitude jets conquer the skies and the speed of sound became commonplace.
We dropped bathythermographs (BT’s) in the ocean and found sound channels and sonar echoes.
We were a necessary part of the space race including high tech satellite coverage of the earth.
We forecasted severe weather conditions such as hurricanes and typhoons saving countless lives.
We collected climatology data, created libraries, aiding the study of climate and climate change.
We were the essential part of every War Room and battle briefings.
We were there for every beach head from Okinawa to Omaha.
We aided SEAL Teams with planning and preparation of clandestine operations.
We were important in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other incursions.
And never forget the Admiral’s wife’s annual garden tea party. Hint, never give your real name!
We are mostly unsung and unknown. But we are all Heroes.
We are a community of highly educated and highly trained officers and enlisted men and women using empirical data to predict the future. We spent sleepless nights in hopes our forecasts were correct because we knew the outcome could be a disaster. We were the advanced warning system for our ships, aircraft, and our sailors. High seas, storm force winds, torrential rains, freezing conditions, and blizzards we did it all with little recognition…and sometimes very little data. We may not be the tip of the spear, but we will always be an important part of the spear head.
I am grateful and excited to be your president.
Can’t wait for the Villages when we all meet again.
Ed Straten
AG1(NAC), USN(Ret)
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Source: Aerograph May 2023
Greetings Shipmates,
Our Reunion #47 cruise on board Celebrity Summit
was fabulous! Now, as it was a weather service reunion,
we naturally had to have some rain. We arrived at the
ship in Miami during a heavy shower, but it soon cleared
and the weather was great for the remainder of the
cruise. Fifty-five NWSA members and guests enjoyed
our time on board. The ship’s crew and service staff
could not have been more welcoming and helpful. Many,
many thanks to Ed and Patti Straten for doing the
extensive legwork that resulted in such a successful
reunion cruise.
There have been a couple of changes in our leadership
plans over the past months. Ed Straten will step up from
the Second Vice President position to relieve me as the president next month. Tom Berkeridge was nominated
and elected as the new First VP, and Tim Kenefick has
stepped up to fill the Second VP position.
Tom Berkeridge also volunteered to take the lead on
Reunion #48. Mark your calendars now for 1-5 May
2024. We will meet in The Villages, Florida. Longerrange plans include Reunion #49 in Mississippi in 2025,
thanks to Bob and FJ Cutting.
It has been my pleasure to serve as the president of this
terrific association. The people of the Naval Weather
Association are friends for life. And you won’t find truer
friends than those who served our country.
Larry Warrenfeltz Captain, USN (Ret).
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Source: Aerograph February 2023
Greetings Shipmates,
It is almost time! Our Reunion #47 cruise on board
Celebrity Summit is only a month away. Sailing from
Miami on 30 March and returning on 3 April, we will have
a memorable get together for the association. At last
count, we have 55 folks on the manifest!
Time marches on. I have enjoyed serving as the NWSA
president for nearly two years. This summer I will turn
over the gavel to Lori Casperson, who will be a fantastic
president. (Actually, I will take the physical gavel to
Miami and pass it to Lori during the cruise. No need to
ship it from Florida to California!)
Our association is getting smaller through the natural
processes of aging and the changing priorities among
the current generation of Aerographers Mates and
METOC Officers. The membership is almost entirely
made up of people who served in the 20th Century.
While we continue to welcome younger potential
members, reality tells us that associations and service
organizations throughout the country will continue to age
and shrink. But — in the words of Navy Blue and Gold
— “Whenever two or three shall meet and old tales be
retold, from low to highest in the fleet will pledge the
Blue and Gold.”
Larry Warrenfeltz
Captain, USN (Ret)
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Source: Aerograph November 2022
Greetings Shipmates,
After a rather calm summer, life is picking up the pace as we navigate football season and look ahead to the always busy Thanksgiving – Christmas – Hanukkah – New Year’s marathon.
Also rapidly approaching (with constant bearing and decreasing range) is our Reunion #47 cruise on board Celebrity Summit. Sailing from Miami on 30 March and returning on 3 April, we plan to have a memorable get together for the association. At the last count, we have After a rather calm summer, life is picking up the pace as we navigate football season and look ahead to the always busy Thanksgiving – Christmas – Hanukkah – New Year’s marathon.
Also rapidly approaching (with constant bearing and decreasing range) is our Reunion #47 cruise on board Celebrity Summit. Sailing from Miami on 30 March and returning on 3 April, we plan to have a memorable get together for the association. At the last count, we have 67 folks on the manifest! That includes spouses, significant others, and friends as well as NWSA members. It is not too late to join us for our 2023 deployment from Miami to Key West and the Bahamas. See the Reunion #47 link on the navalweather.org website. We have created a private Facebook page for anyone going cruising with us. On Facebook, search for “NWSA Reunion #47 Cruise.” Request to join, and if you are on the manifest, you’ll be accepted. This group allows cruise rookies — like Nancy and me — to learn from the veterans
I hope everyone who is cruising with us has already ensured that your passport is current. If you don’t have a current one, the time to start the process is TODAY. After all, it’s a government-run program. It’s not exactly a quick process!
Larry Warrenfeltz
Captain, USN (Ret)
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Source: Aerograph August 2022
Greetings Shipmates,
Our Reunion #47 cruise on board Celebrity
Summit (30 March to 3 April, 2023) is really shaping up to be a
memorable get together for the association. At the last count, we have 67 folks
on the manifest! That includes spouses, significant others, and friends as well
as NWSA members. It is not too late to
join us for our 2023 deployment from Miami to Key West and the Bahamas. See the Reunion #47 link on the navalweather.org website. We have
created a private Facebook page for anyone going cruising with us. On Facebook,
search for “NWSA Reunion #47 Cruise.” Request to join, and if you are on the
manifest, you’ll be accepted. This group allows cruise rookies — like Nancy and
me — to learn from the veterans.
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An important point for all reunion cruisers — check your passports NOW! You will need a passport for #47. If you don’t have a current one, now is the time to start the process. After all, it’s a government-run program. It’s not exactly a quick process!
Elsewhere in this issue, you will read about our two NWSA scholarship recipients for 2022. With past- president Mike Gilroy chairing the scholarship committee, we have a great partnership with the American Meteorological Society (AMS). The AMS has the mechanism in place to review candidates for one undergraduate student and one grad student each year. We are supporting the future of our science. Making your contributions to the Scholarship fund is one of the best ways you could possibly make sure your money makes a difference.
Jim Maxwell (Secretary/Treasurer of the Texas Chapter) informed the NWSA Board of Directors that the Texas Chapter made the decision to close their doors effective 15 July. As Jim said, “It was a great run, but all things must end.” With four members remaining, the choice is understandable. To quote from Navy Blue and Gold … “But still when two or three shall meet, and old tales be retold, from low to highest in the fleet, will pledge the Blue and Gold.”
Larry Warrenfeltz Captain, USN (Ret)
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