And now there are four...and all wearing stars.  The last retirements are retold in this edition, but a bigger question?  Have a good time at our 30th?  Look for photos in the December issue.  Waiting for updates and photos, the Court will come to order.

RICH HARDING and KELLY CALLISON both sent in reports of THADMIRAL's Change of Command as LANTAREA Commander on 27 June.  Kelly describes the day: "It was a typical Virginia day - very hot and very humid. Since it was really Vice Admiral Shkor's day (relief and retiring) there were lots of nice speeches about his career and accomplishments.  When THADMIRAL's turn came to speak after assuming command we gave him a rousing cheer led of course by the master of tricks AL GRACEWSKI (in uniform of course).  THADMIRAL gave an excellent speech - short as required and to the point. Two hours after the change of command and retirement ceremony started we retired to the reception.  I would have loved to have the bottled water concession that afternoon.  Rumor had it that Thad had something to do with the food being served - it was the best ever seen at one of these affairs! (I don't know KELLY...great poo-poos in Seattle that day as well!)  It was a great to see lots of old friends since almost all the Admirals at headquarters flew down on the Commandant's plane.   We pulled THAD away from his official meeting and greeting duties long enough to snap a class picture with JIM WILLIS, JOHN WALTERS, RON FRAZIER, THADMIRAL ALLEN, KELLY CALLISON, AL GRACEWSKI, CHARLIE WURSTER, JON WALDRON, RON SILVA, DAVE EDWARDS, RICH HARDING, BERT KINGHORN, & STEVE CORNELL making it into the photo.  We all wished him well and then headed back from where we came.  Atlantic Area is in great hands!"  RICH fills us in on the photo: ROGER COURSEY also attended but somehow missed the picture.  Funny story - actually J.B. also missed the picture, but when we found out he was still there I had MARY CORNELL take his picture all alone in the same location and using the magic of photo editing ... POOF he's in the picture.  Everyone had a great time - a great ceremony celebrating VADM Shkor's career. THADMIRAL noted that he felt like a corpse at a wake in that he was needed for the ceremony but was not expected to say anything." ROGER...where were you?  And did everyone get the "fill in" pun?

Remember 27 June just a mere 34 years ago?  Important day for all of us.  The contingent above was finally getting to the water after THAD's ceremony when my retirement ceremony, 34 years to the day from our swearing in, was beginning aboard POLAR SEA.  And we didn't have a heat or water problem...lots of liquid Seattle sunshine that morning with about a half inch of rain falling during the ceremony.  But POLAR SEA really did a great job hosting my retirement with a personal highlight being Captain Keith Johnson '77 draping a large Number 10 over her stern, temporarily making her POLAR STAR for the ceremony...a class act!  RAND LYMANGROVER & AL JOENS braved the Seattle elements to attend and STEVE DECESARE undoubtedly wins the prize for travelling the greatest distance for any retirement by flying in from Boston.  But it was worth it...POLAR SEA put out unparalleled, icebreaker sailor quality poo-poos!

AL GRACEWSKI sent in a quick note with the photo from his Change of Command and Retirement from the Yard on 28 June.  AL had a great contingent of Classmates show up for his final soiree with JIM WILLIS, DAVE ISBELL, GREG COPE, JIM BROKENIK, DAVE EDWARDS, PHIL CAPPEL, AL GRACEWSKI, WAYNE VERRY, CHARLIE WURSTER, CHARLIE SIBRE & RON SILVA all making the journey to Baltimore.  "It was nice to have the guys there for the ceremony.  You will probably hear reports about the daring low altitude flyover by a Coast Guard helo...so I'll leave that part a mystery for now.  Suffice it to say I don't believe such a flyover has ever been done at a Change of Command before...Ripley's?"  Don't know about Ripley's, but the bigger question is how were the poo-poos?

MARY JANE and I flew to Europe on May 19th for a wonderful European vacation before retirement.  We flew from Seattle to Budapest to begin a two river cruise up the Danube, through the Main-Danube canal, and then down the Main and Rhine rivers to Amsterdam.  We highly recommend Viking River Cruises (www.vikingrivercruises.com) as an outstanding way to see Europe.  We got bumped to 1st class from Cincinnati to Paris and it just kept getting better...we enjoyed 16 of 17 days of blue skies and sunshine.  Where'd we go?  From Budapest to Amsterdam via Ezstergom, Vienna, Melk, Linz, Passau, Regensburg, Kelheim, Nuremberg, Bamburg, Rothenberg, Wurzburg, Miltenberg, Frankfurt, Rudesheim, and Cologne...one hellova trip! From Amsterdam we took the high speed train to Paris and then spent three great days in the City of Lights.  We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast literally next to the Eiffel Tower, enjoying an amazing view from the balcony of our room...hard to beat a cloudless sky and a full moon next to the Eyefull of Tower!

We weren't the only ones taking cruises.  BARNEY reports that he and LINDA also took a little boat ride: "LINDA and I took a 6-day trip to Nova Scotia.  We took the SCOTIA PRINCE from Portland, ME to Yarmouth, NS and back. Toured the south end of NS and then went along the north end back to Yarmouth. Nice visit, and the exchange rate for cash was even nicer!  The cruise over wasn't quite the Love Boat adventure...bunk beds!  Shades of summer cruises...but we got to hold hands.  And much to my relief, they DO have beer in Nova Scotia!  The evening of our 30th anniversary (June 12th), we were enjoying the hot tub in our room, looking out over the harbor in Lunenberg, when the crew across the street decided to send a bosun up the mast of their schooner to work on the mast.   He was nearly at eye level with us in our room, and my bride - shy as she was 30 years ago - wouldn't come out of the hot tub until I closed the curtain.   What else was the Class of '71 doing 30 years ago?   Never mind... the BULLETIN is - after all - a family publication." But BARNEY, was there a full moon?

Another Classmate finally reporting around...with maybe the shortest update ever!  GREG MUCCI checks in: "Found the CGA web site, and though I would check in.  I now live outside of Baltimore, MD, and work for an engineering company.  Married with two kids (in college).  Got out of the Coast Guard in '82. Can't believe it has been 30 years."  MOOCH...that's it?  Where's the beef?  We expect a complete update for the December notes!

You'll be reading this shortly after our 30th...what a GREAT time! And the MOOCH was right.  Can't believe it has been 30 years! As of this writing with six weeks to go, we had 50 Classmates making reservations...did C. ALLEN, T. ALLEN, ARMSTRONG, BARLOW, BARRETT, BECK, BORDIERI, CALLISON, CLARKE, CLEVELAND, COPE, CORNELL, COURSEY, DECESARE,  EDWARDS, GIBSON, GONOR, HARRIS, HERSH, HOWELL, ISBELL, KINGHORN, LEONE, LEWIS, LJUNGGREN, MARHEVKO, MAWHINNEY, MILLEWICH, MILO, PRZELMOSKI, ROBERTSON, ROTHHAAR, SASSE, SCHRAMM, SEALANDER, SIBRE, SWEDBERG, SYLVESTER, TABOR, TEBEAU, TRAINOR, TURLO, VERRY, VOLK, WALDRON, WETTERS, WHICKER, WIESE, B. WILLIS, and WURSTER make their connections?  While we wait for the subpoenas to be served and the photos to be developed, we're adjourned.