USS RANGER CV4 REUNION GROUP

A Message from the USS Ranger CV-4 Reunion Group President

 

Greetings and Happy New Year from the USS RANGER Reunion group!

 

Another year is behind us and, with that, our New Orleans reunion. Attendance was around 25, depending the daily activity. In attendance were two RANGER shipmates. Joe Zeller and Dan Segal. Robert Bruce, Sr. and his family had planned to attend but Hurricane Michael hampered their travel plans. In attendance, again this year, were our friends from CV-61. Additionally, the children and families of shipmate Louis J. Perotti came all the way from California to attend their first reunion. They fit right in with our group.

 

Day one took us to the National WWII Museum located in downtown New Orleans. This year, two USS RANGER bricks were placed on the sidewalk outside the museum. Organized by Marlene Mozgala (daughter of shipmate T.F. (“Mo” Mozgala) one brick is dedicated the Officers and Crew who served aboard CV-4; the other recognize the ship USS RANGER(CV-4) - First From the Keel Up. The museum really was too big to cover in depth in just one day but I think most found the time sufficient to glean individual relevant knowledge. The visit included a film on WWII that I think everyone enjoyed, afterwards lunch followed by a Frank Sinatra tribute singer that was very entertaining. Between the meal and the show, Joe Zeller and Dan Segal were specifically recognized for their WWII service and received a round of applause from museum visitors. Prior to departing the museum, Marlene surprised our two shipmates and surviving family members of shipmates with copies of pages from the ship’s roster showing the shipmate’s names. The evening brought us back to the hotel and the hospitality room.

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Day two featured a tour of New Orleans with a very knowledgeable tour guide. We visited an iconic New Orleans above-ground graveyard and learned all sorts of facts about the city. In the middle of the tour, we made a stop at “Morning Call” in City Park for beignets. After a lunch in the French Quarter we took a ride down the Mississippi on the paddle boat “Natchez”. A relaxing step back into time. Then back to the hotel and the hospitality room. On the evening of day two, pizza was ordered and the annual meeting took place. Attached to the end of this newsletter are Pam Hatcher’s minutes of the 2018 business meeting.

 

Our third day took us back downtown for horse drawn-carriage rides through the French Quarter and a very interesting tour of where the Mardi Gras floats are made. A lot of effort goes into every float, with each float being unique. That evening, we enjoyed getting together for the reunion banquet. Colors were presented by the U.S. Coast Guard and Sheryl Baker led us in the singing of the Star Spangle Banner. Joanie Miller spoke about her uncle (shipmate Buddy Miller), and her personal involvement/history with the reunion group. Festivities included a great meal, the annual silent auction (conducted by Joanie Miller and Susan McInarny) and much camaraderie. Many thanks to everyone who donated items for our silent auction.

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USS RANGER Model

 

Once again, we were fortunate to have Bruce Pairman’s CV-4 model at the reunion. As those of you who have seen it know, it is a work of art. Because of its size, Bruce is interested in finding it a more permanent home. It seems that our friends in Norway may have a place for it in a museum but, as of this writing, I am unaware of its status. We’ll pass along any information we get.

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Newsletter

 

Our newsletters have continued to be posted via the USPS, or as the younger generation knows it “snail mail”. We would be interested in who prefer it this way or who might like to receive the newsletter via email. Our list contains many names, some who may no longer wish to be on the mailing list. Please let any of our officers (listed below) know your preference. If you do not provide a preference, we will continue sending your newsletter by USPS. By opting to receive newsletters via email, we can reduce the cost of printing and mailing.

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Hoping to see you in September 2019!

 

Jim Baker - President cavu@flapsdown.net (330)283-9000

 

Joanie Miller - Vice President (352) 258-3968

 

Pam Hatcher - Secretary (850) 503-5487

 

Marlene Mozgala - Treasurer cdrm2@verizon.net (413) 532-6146

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