USS SPHINX (ARL-24) NEWSLETTER              

    CHRISTMAS 2013

Shipmates and Families:

We want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Our 24th annual reunion of the USS Sphinx was held 16-19 September 2013 at the Boxcar Willies complex in Branson Missouri. This was our second year there following the closing of the Mountain Music Inn in 2011 which had been our home for many years. It was a very nice turn out with 40 crew members and family in attendance.

Especially nice was to see several first time crew members attending from both the Vietnam and Central America eras. Carl and Mary Fancil (Michigan), Alan and Charlene Sackett (Minnesota), Ron Campbell (Missouri), Ron Green (California), Doug Randall (Oklahoma), Barry Denison (Missouri) all from the Vietnam era and Dave Woods (Missouri) aboard in the late 80's.

We had two WW2 shipmates in attendance this year. Bill and Carol Braxton and Bob and Betty Opremchek. Bill and Carol rode the new and insane roller coaster at Silver Dollar City and screamed and hollered like teenagers the whole time. Silver Dollar city is an amusement park that many in our group attend each year; due to the numerous live shows, rides, attractions and historical themes that so many of us enjoy, not to mention the great food and fellowship all wrapped up in a one day package.

The Korean War Sailors have been the largest group of attendees, for the past 24 years but the Vietnam era guys are catching up fast as they approach retirement age. The Central American Sailors are still quite young mostly in there 40's and 50's and still have some working years before their numbers will spike. This makes now and hopefully the next few years a truly special time because living memories

of Sphinx range from 1945 thru 1989.

A sad milestone was reached this year when none of the original 4 crew members who started it all 24 years ago were in attendance. Ernie Skiles the last crew member to attend all reunions passed away shortly before this year's reunion. We are hoping his wife Mary will consider attending next year. She is always the life of the party (not kidding) Ernie was big on welcoming new crew members to the reunion and I'll bet he is looking down thrilled that so many younger Sphinx sailors are starting to show up. Ernie never accepted that ARL stood for Aux Light repair. He held fast that he served on an Atomic Rocket Launcher. We will all miss Ernie and his crazy sense of humor.

Thank you to all who brought baked goods and local home town favorite snacks to the reunion. I needed to start a diet as soon as I got home. Memorable delights were Lou Ott's ship cake, cookies from Collene Engle and Mary Ann Ironi, and so many other goodies too numerous to mention. Our reunion room was truly an amazing place. With coffee, tea, various cold beverages, snacks, TV, pictures, videos, flags, ship memorabilia. With Norman Ponder and Floyd Engle adding live blue grass music to evening gatherings, it almost felt like we were in the well deck having a 4 day party.

As all of you who were there are aware, Frank Ironi, our "Coordinator" for the past 10 years, tearfully resigned his leadership role so that someone younger could take the reins. As the youngest regularly attending member, I was nominated. With an informal vote I was given the honor of assuming his role. Frank served us well and he will be assisting as I take on the duties he so admirably performed.

Branson has been the location of nearly all previous reunions. This is based purely on wishes of the majority of attending crew members. Each year a discussion and vote is taken as to the next date and gathering location. In the past few years growing interest has developed to look into other cities but Branson's central location, large amounts of entertainment, and great value has kept it a favorite among attendees. If anyone has new ideas please bring brochures and information, so we can have an informed discussion. Our 4 day reunion is very casual. Typically, there is a 2-3 hour meeting on Tuesday morning, which includes a memorial ceremony, and a Tuesday early evening dinner out. The rest of the time is completely optional. The reunion room is always open and shipmates are always telling sea stories of days past, while others are out catching live shows that number in the hundreds in Branson.

Thank you to all who have donated to the reunion fund. These funds assist with the newsletters. We now have 165 crew members on our mailing list. These donations also cover some of the refreshments we provide in the hospitality room. Our next reunion will be at Motel 6 (Old Mountain Music Inn 8-11 Sept. 2014, 300 Schaefer Drive Branson 417 544-1972. The daily room rate is only $50. and includes breakfast. Start making your reservations early next year.

I cannot close without saying what a joy it has been attending Sphinx reunions for the past 9 years and look forward every year to reuniting with and remembering old shipmates.

Thank you to Bill Petrie for designing and maintaining our website. In between reunions I am constantly checking our Web site:

www.usssphinx.com

See you in September,

Dennis Klein

305 Lower State Rd

North Wales, Pa 19454

215-527-8176

dckdck@aol.com