Call for new board members!!! We’re looking to elect four new board members in our December Board & Member Meeting (December 15th)

Please join our October 20th call where we’ll be introducing prospective new board members.

Also, non-board members please remember ALL are welcome to join our board calls since we’ll get the official business done quickly then move onto our member input section of each call. We’d love to hear from you!

Alley Bar at the Officer’s Club – U.S. Naval Academy

Our Annual Alumni & Midshipmen Dinner is CONFIRMED for Saturday April 27th, 2019 at the Alley Bar at the Officer’s Club a the U.S. Naval Academy.

As of now we’re taking RSVP’s to gage interest for this year with the goal of reaching 150 attendees! So please snag a “free ticket“ on Eventbrite

Our tentative agenda is as follows:
Saturday Morning: Alumni, Cadets & Zoomies arrive
Saturday 09:30: Doors Open Alley Bar (O-Club)
Saturday 10:00: Brunch is Served with Mimosa Bar
Saturday 11:30: Presentation of Firstie Shoulder Boards
Saturday 12/12:30: Migrate to Croquet Match where we will rent a tent for USNA Out

Tentative Ticket Prices: Guest $70, Sponsor a Midn $40, Silver Sponsor $250, Blue Sponsor $500, Gold Sponsor $1000

All proceeds are intended to fuel the mission of USNA Out, support the Naval Academy, make an annual donation to Spectrum, and fund future alumni events.

Attire: Annapolis appropriate (think Croquet)

In the DC area? Join Paula M. Neira at the 25th Anniversary Year Kick Off Event with Outserve – SLDN Oct 3rd at 6:30pm

Sails and Tales 2018

For USNA Out’s Second Annual Sails and Tales 16 USNA Out’ers and Associates made their way up to the beautiful Penobscot Bay in Maine to sail for 5 days and 4 nights on board the beautiful Schooner Ladona! Previously used by the U.S. Navy in WWII as a submarine patrol vessel it has now been refurbished as a beautiful yachting vessel.

Missed the last two trips for Sails & Tales? Head over to FB and RSVP for our Third Annual Cruise next year.

“But still when two or three shall meet,  and old tales be retold … “

The first “official” USNA Out Midwest group event is on the books! Thank you Kevin Deese and Ashley Fischer for kicking off our first regional group event.

Be sure to check out USNA Out’s Facebook to find the regional group near you. (Don’t see one? let us know!)

There are some exciting developments at USNA Out and we hope that all of you can be a part of it in the year to come. To start we would like to announce:

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Together we’re looking to re-expand the scope and engagement in our organization.

New Board Members

We’re looking for FOUR new diverse board members to add to our current three to bring their ideas, energy, and motivation to a growing USNA Out.

Elections will be held in our December Board Meeting (either Dec 15^th or in-person at Army-Navy). Requirements to be a board member are a member in good standing (pay your dues) as well as attend two previous board meetings so please join us in August and October to see the progress.

Didn’t make the board elections? We’ll be implementing committees for members to become more involved and learn a bit about the organization as well as share their ideas such as:

Building a Mentorship Community for LGBT Midshipmen and Alumni

One of USNA Out’s objectives as an organization is to provide information, mentorship, and personal/professional development resources for LGBT Midshipmen and Alumni.

We are looking to build an “opt-in” mentorship program for all our Members.  For our first step, we will be adding to all of our Member Profiles an option to check “yes” to volunteer as a mentor and describe the areas of mentor expertise they are willing to provide.

After we have that option established, it’ll be up to you! If you’re looking for a mentor or advice in a certain area, you can scan our Membership Roster, see who has the right experience you are looking for, and reach out to them on your own.  No need to wait and be formally “matched” by a third party.

Army Navy 2018

Army/Navy is right around the corner! This year’s game is set to be on December 8th,

2018 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Resuscitating the tradition, USNA Out will be joining up with members of Knights Out for a pre-game tailgater. Brook Stevens ’12 and Ryan Gilbert ’10 will be coordinating the effort with KO to make this a fun event for everyone. Also, our friends at Deutsche Bank will be sponsoring the entire tailgater. Please do RSVP via Eventbrite which can be found in the event on Facebook, but please any questions email Brook at brook.stevens@usnaout.org.

RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/joint-ko-usna-out-army-navy-tailgater-tickets-47876427684

San Diego Taking the Lead!

Thanks to Hunter Rogers ’11, Adam Hammer ’16, and Tom Carpenter ’70 we have not one but TWO upcoming San Diego events.

Friday July 13^th – Pride Kick-Off Party 

Saturday October 27^th – Navy v. Notre Dame Football

2019 Alumni-Midshipmen Dinner

For 2019, we’re targeting Saturday April 27^th so more individuals can attend our event. We are looking at the Officers Club but if anybody has ideas for inexpensive (or free) venues, ideally on the Yard, that would be great. We would love to run a surplus this year, so we can support the Academy, Spectrum, and more Alumni events. We will also have a new structure this year:

• Saturday Morning: Zoomie’s & Cadets Arrive
• Saturday Afternoon: Midshipmen Host Informal Yard Tours
• Saturday Afternoon: Cocktail Reception for Dinner Sponsors
• Saturday Evening: Midshipmen Dinner & Shoulder Board Presentation
• Post-Drinks Sponsored by …..

We will also be working to secure a block of rooms at a local hotel (Lowes or equivalent).

RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/usna-out-annual-alumni-midshipmen-dinner-tickets-47897959085

Why is Army here?

Over the next year we intend on doing many joint events with our friends up North.

One such event is their annual Cadet Gala, usually the first week of April. We encourage all who can to attend. Brook Stevens, Brian Wiechowski, Joe Soto, and Brian Bender have all attended in the past and can answer questions.

We will also be paying for Midshipmen to attend their event to build cross-Academy relationships.

Building a Networked Community

USNA Out is an organization for everyone from coast to coast, overseas, and those at sea or deployed. In an effort to create closer local communities we’ve created various Facebook groups within our USNA Out Facebook page.

The Southern California group is pulling ahead with 9 members already! Please find your group and join! We’d be happy to sponsor events in your area whether it’s football, going sailing, attending a Navy women’s lacrosse game or even a pottery class! You tell us, and we’ll do our best to help you along the way.

Closed OPEN Session in Progress 

Our Board Meetings are now open to all members of USNA Out. Our Board and Member Meetings will have two parts.  The first part will be our formal Board business, for all to observe. The second, and more important part, will be our Members Forum.  During that time, we’re looking forward to hearing from you! Bring your thoughts, ideas, and energy for moving our organization forward.

We have the next 6 Meetings scheduled (through the summer of 2019!) and posted to Facebook. The next one will be Saturday, August 18^th at Noon Eastern Time (9 AM Pacific). Google Hangout link and dial-in number are posted to the Board section of our website now for your convenience.

While this email hopefully detailed many of the ideas and initiatives we have moving forward there is so much room for so much more! So please join us on these calls and let’s hear from you.

Please although not required we’d love for you to donate to the organization this year! Annual dues have typically been $40 but in order to spur recurring donations we’ll be dropping them to $24! There’s a monthly recurring option with PayPal so that’s $2 per month!

Thanks for all your support.

Go Navy, Beat Everyone!

Dave, Brook, and Rosie

USNA Out Board

• Conrad Miller ’49 (6/29/2016) – When Conrad joined us in July, 2010, he wished that “I had known about this organization before I became superannuated!” and when challenged for the secret handshake to prove that he graduated from USNA, “I’m a 1949 grad. How the hell can I remember my laundry number?” Conrad kept in close touch, letting us know how the others at his living facility were a bit “closed minded.”  Read more about Conrad at https://www.usna.com/custom/GiveRSS.ashx?type=single&newsID=3365
• Glen Davis ’76 (9/7/2016) – Glen joined USNA Out in 2008. Prior to his last move to San Diego, he was quite proud that had a table with his name on it at the famous Twin Peaks Bar in San Francisco, AKA “The Glass Coffin.” Glen was a varsity swimmer at USNA, and he shared his story participating in the Faces of USNA Out at https://usnaout.org/memoriam/glen-davis.  Read more about Glen at https://www.usna.com/custom/GiveRSS.ashx?type=single&newsID=3481
• Charles Wood ’42 (12/28/2016) – A life-long supporter of LGBT rights, Charlie was one of our first allies to join us. A resident of Spokane, Washington, upon retirement from the Navy, Charlie began a second career as an Episcopal priest. In the 1980s, Charlie and his wife, Ann, joined the Spokane Chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, and helped found Integrity, an LGBTQ advocacy group of the Episcopal Church. In 1992, Charles was the first clergy member to testify in front of Congress in support of allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military.  Read more about Charlie at https://www.usna.com/custom/GiveRSS.ashx?type=single&newsID=3775.
• David Lopez ’87 (6/7/2017) – David was a plank-owner member of USNA Out. He worked in the real estate business in Southern Florida.  Read more at David at https://www.usna.com/custom/GiveRSS.ashx?type=single&newsID=4260

All of these lost have been entered into the USNA Out memoriam.

Note: Suicide remains the number one cause of death amongst our members who have graduated less than 40 years ago.

At 50, Todd Park did not look like a man whose bone marrow teemed with 50% cancerous cells. He had no symptoms. Settled into a new job in his hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah after a naval career and other post-military employment gave him a lifetime of moving, a simple blood test taken for a discount on health insurance led to an unexpected diagnosis: acute myeloid leukemia. An avid writer, Todd blogged the raw physical, mental, and emotional experience of his treatment for this deadly disease. That blog became this posthumous memoir, Popcorn from the Void, fulfilling the commitment he made to write a book about his experience to help others struggling with leukemia.

Back cover Text: Popcorn from the Void is the raw and intense memoir of Todd Park’s 10-month leukemia treatment- from diagnosis to untimely death. Through wit and wisdom, he helps us to understand the arduous journey of a bone marrow transplant, what daily life is really like for blood cancer patients and their families, and is an example of how to live and die well: with courage, with dignity, and with unfailing hope in the face of incredible odds and powerful medicine.
“The struggle I fight truly is in my mind, so not only am I being weakened physically, I duke it out in ways that just can’t be seen with the eyes. I think that’s why people who survive a crisis of some sort tend to be different or transformed on the other end of their ordeal. Their minds got a major long-term workout, and you just know it when you meet one of these people. They have a presence about them that belies the personal hell they walked through. You know someone has been educated the same way. This is just the post-graduate level of the school of hard knocks. Cancer is definitely the PhD level, and I think it’s fair to say you’re reading my dissertation.”

Popcorn from the Void: Observations, Manic Kvetching, and the Raw Truth of Leukemia
By Todd Park
288 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1521532324
eBook $2.99/ Paperback $9.99 available in eBook and paperback format at Amazon.com:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/152153232X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499695426&sr=8-2&keywords=popcorn+from+the+void

Todd is remembered in the USNA Out Memoriam

USNA Out members were engaged in LGBT Pride Month events in the Fleet and ?? at the workplace.

USNA Out member Paula M. Neira ’85 was the guest speaker for LGBT Month for Naval Facilities and Engineering Command (NAVFAC) at the Washington Navy Yard. Paula is a founding member of USNA Out, and has been a life long dedicated advocate for LGBT open service.   Paula’s commitment to LGBT service was recognized by the Secretary of the Navy when she was chosen as the ship’s Co-Sponsor for the USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206).

USNA Out member Steve Hall ’75 was the honored guest speaker at the first ever LGBT Pride Month event at the Strategic Systems Program Office. Steve had served as the Executive Officer of the Sunnyvale, California, branch office 1989-1991.  The presentation was sponsored by the Office of Counsel for Strategic System Programs, and hosted by the Program Management Office in Sunnyvale for broadcast enterprise wide.  Concluding the celebration, VADM Wolfe spoke about the significant importance that USNA Out fulfills in being role models and mentors to junior officers and midshipmen.

Barb Wujciak ’84 reports that her crazy unbelievable Air Force career has taken another turn. The USAF is short on pilots and optometrists. So she threw her name in the hat and was selected for a 3 year Active Duty tour at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington DC. Ironic that this is a joint base with the Navy. Retirees, you can come by for an eye exam!

Shrewd USNA Outers will recognize the artist of the painting on Barb’s office bulkhead as being USNA Out member Linda Postenrieder ’82!