USS Truxtun Association

Truxtun Association Newsletters


The following section contains past newsletters. For the present, the Association is adopting an email list service to keep shipmates up to date on news and reunion information. All those who provided an email address at the 2016 Santa Fe reunion will be added automatically to the list. Any shipmates who want to be added to the list need only fill in the form linked HERE. You will receive an email to validate the address and confirm you want to be on the list.

November 2022 - New President's Introduction
November 8, 2022

Greetings TRUXTUN Shipmates and family members,
 
I am James "Eric" Thomas, EWCM/CMDCM(SW/AW/IW/NAC) USN (Ret.) and I will be your President for the 2024 TRUXTUN Association reunion. 
 
I served aboard TRUXTUN as a newly initiated Chief Petty Officer, an EWC(SW), Jun 85 - Jun 87 making the unusual and record setting 1986 deployment. It was scheduled as a routine WESTPAC but quickly changed to support a major National operation. From January 15th to August 13th, where we sailed the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean, operating in all 4 U.S fleets, logging 60,246.6 nautical miles, supporting Operation Prairie Fire and Operation Eldorado Canyon along with USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65) and USS ARKANSAS (CGN-41). My tour on TRUXTUN was very educational and rewarding. My experiences onboard actually changed my perceptions of the Navy, and my doubts about making the Navy a career. Success followed me from TRUXTUN, and from our accomplishments. I ended up serving for over 30 years, with my last 5 tours as a Command Master Chief.  
I'm very sorry that I was not able to attend this past 2022 reunion as I had hoped, but it was due to required medical surgical procedures, that left me temporarily unable to travel.
 
I am eagerly looking forward to the 2024 reunion, and my new position as Association President. And although I am fairly new to the TRUXTUN reunion community, having only attended the 2018 reunion in Portland, Oregon, where I was nominated for this position, thank you very much Mr. Holland (I owe you one, hahaha), but I do have a little bit of reunion leadership experience.
 
In May 2019, I organized and put together the very first reunion for the 2nd ship I served on, USS DAVID R RAY (DD-971) in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the 50th anniversary of the ship’s namesakes passing, and I thought it was about time that we had a reunion. As part of the reunion weekend, we held a Memorial Day Memorial service at HM2 David Robert Ray’s gravesite with the local community in McMinnville, TN. 
 
I used what I learned at the TRUXTUN 2018 reunion as the model, and it worked out very well. I held the business meeting, again following the TRUXTUN format, and my DAVID R RAY Shipmates agreed with a unanimous vote to adopt the TRUXTUN Association reunion format across the board for future reunions every 2 years also.
 
I will be working closely with the three other Reunion Location Planning Team members to ensure that we’re able to submit to the TRUXTUN Association Board of Directors a package for each of the 4 nominated locations that will provide detailed information of adequate accommodations along with all the proper facilities, exciting, interesting, and possibly educational tours, and very enjoyable dining options, all with reasonable pricing.  
 
And for the information of all hands, the four approved location possibilities up for consideration, and their associated Reunion Planning Team members for the 2024 reunion are:
 
        Branson, MO – Reunion Planner: James Butery
        Corpus Christi, TX - Reunion Planner: Eric Thomas
        Lexington, KY - Reunion Planner: Don Shea
        Nashville, TN - Reunion Planner: Harvey Huisingh
 
Undoubtedly, I will need lots of assistance and guidance. So please don't hesitate to chime in and provide input as you feel necessary. I am fully retired, thick skinned, and always open for suggestions and corrections to improve. So please, never hesitate to contact me with your suggestions, or if you have anything of concern. I'll sincerely appreciate all the help I can get. As in the Navy, a successful mission is achieved by proper planning and collaborative teamwork.
 
In closing, I would like to put out an enormous THANK YOU and BZ to outgoing Association President PJ Byrne, for his awesome 6-year marathon Reunion Presidential tours. What a superb job! I know I have very big shoes to fill, following him, but I’ll work hard to maintain the high standards he has established. 
 
Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Warmest Regards,
 
Eric Thomas
 
USS TRUXTUN Association
2024 Reunion President
Note from Charlie Bethea
From the Past President, Charlie Bethea

Just a short note to let you know that our member, Tom Brown has watched his wife, Marie pass on to eternity.
If you wish to send you condolences to him, please send them to

Truxtun Association 3605 Sweet Bay Dr.
Pace FL 32571

to be forwarded on to him.

Charlie Bethea, Past President
President@TruxtunAssn.org
Early 2014 Reunion Announcement
From the President

Well here we are into 2014 and the next reunion is set for October 9–12, 2014 in Jacksonville, Florida. The applications and the info for making your hotel reservations are now on the website. We have a good lineup for the reunion activities in the Jacksonville area. If you want to extend this into a vacation and spend more time in the hotel, they have agreed to let you come a day early and stay a day later.

One of the things we have done in the past is each person or couple brings a gift from your area of the country not to exceed $25.00. These gifts are placed on a table and exchanged with other participants at the Saturday Dinner. Some very nice gifts have been swapped. If you want to participate in this fun event, please bring a gift from your state.

We want a good attendance at this reunion. We need to get some new blood into our/your organization to ensure it lives on long after we have set our last sea detail. Make sure you make your reservations early so that we can get a good head count well before the reunion.

Since there is not a direct shuttle between the Jacksonville Airport and our reunion hotel, I plan to offer pickup/drop–off service to those folks flying in who do not want to rent a car. I will need to know who would like this service and when you plan to arrive and depart the reunion. Others, who are driving and willing to assist in this service, please let me know.

One of the real enjoyable aspects of the reunion is getting together to share ole times. On Thursday and Friday dinner is on your own. It is this time that the opportunity is there to go out with a group of your shipmates who may have served before or after you or on the newest Truxtun. Take this time to break bread with these folks and get to know them and you will find friends for a lifetime. Try it, you will love it.

At this reunion we will be deciding which three cities to consider in mid-America for the next reunion.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at President@TruxtunAssn.org. Come, meet friends or make new friends and enjoy yourselves. The more the merrier.

Charlie Bethea, President
President@TruxtunAssn.org
October 2012 Reno
From the Past President

Greetings from your past President. We had our 7th Truxtun reunion in Reno from 4 to 7 Oct. It was held at the Reno Ramada Hotel. The hotel is aged, but provided comfortable rooms, a good restaurant, a banquet room on the top floor with a good view of the city. We had our Saturday dinner and our Sunday morning breakfast. The food was good and the prices were right. If you didn’t attend, you missed a good reunion. The tours were also liked by all.

Enough about the past reunion. We are looking at the East coast for our next reunion and are looking at 3 cities with 2 being in Fl. Jacksonville and Pensacola. Baltimore is 3rd city. When the research is done on all the cities, one will be selected as our reunion site for 2014. Charlie Bethea, our new President will then announce the selection on this website. Please contact all your friends who were crew members and make plans to attend. We are sorely in need of younger ex shipmates to participate so we can keep these reunions going.

Looking forward to seeing all of you who plan to attend the next reunion in 2014. In the meantime become a member of the Assn so we can make sure you receive the latest information. The minutes of our membership meeting in Reno are also included.

Jerry Lane, Past President
President@TruxtunAssn.org



Shipmates All
Do you correspond with fellow shipmates that served with you aboard Truxtun? Please pass the word to them about our association and website. Our membership is open to all who served aboard a ship named Truxtun regardless of the hull number.
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