PRESCOTT FRONTIER DAYS^® PARADE
Twelve Perch Base members took the USS Phoenix float up to Prescott, Arizona on July 5th, 2025, for the Prescott Frontier Days^® Parade. The parade had many entries and a very large crowd to watch the parade. We were in the parade with Gudgeon Base and Tucson Base. About 25 members and family rode or walked in the parade from the 3 bases!
The 2025 Parade Theme was "WOMEN OF RODEO."
Many of the parade entries (including our USS Phoenix float) had memorials in honor of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who lost their lives protecting fellow Arizonans from the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013.
View more event pictures HERE.
If you missed the "BIG SHOW," you can view the 2025 Prescott Frontier Days^® Rodeo Parade on Youtube via KYCA Digital HERE. Our entries are at position 1:10:51 through 1:13:00 in the video. The narrative swapped the two entries, but "it's the thought that counts."

VETERANS CRISIS LINE
Are you a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one?
Connect with the Veterans Crisis Line to reach caring, qualified responders with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many of them are Veterans themselves. It is confidential and available every day, 24/7.
Click on the picture, above, to go to the VETERANS CRISIS LINE.

USS S‑28 (SS‑133)
Lest we forget to perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while serving their country. . .
81 years ago, on July 4, 1944, the USS S‑28 (SS‑133), sailed off into history on her final and eternal patrol.
Following a Hawaii overhaul S-28, on 3 July 1944, began training operations off Oahu. The antisubmarine warfare exercises continued into the evening of 4 July. As evening began contact between her and surface ships became sporadic and, at 18:20, the last, brief contact with S-28 was made and lost. All attempts to establish communications failed and a thorough search of the area failed to locate the submarine. A Court of Inquiry was unable to determine the cause of the loss of S-28.
49 men were lost.
SAILORS, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmates.

Visit the Perch Base Eternal Patrol page.

EXTRA, EXTRA! Read all about it!
The new MidWatch newsletter is published. Click HERE to read the new issue.

FIELD DAY
Remember FIELD DAY before your space was inspected?
Remember LOADOUTS before deployment?
Remember SECURING everything before Angles & Dangles?
Our Chief of the Boat (COB,) Kirby Anderson led a party on Saturday, June 28, to prepare the USS PHOENIX (SSN-702) float for the upcoming Prescott Frontier Days^® rodeo parade on July 5th. We also did some cleanup in the storage locker where the float is kept. The USS Phoenix (SSN-702) float, the People Trailer used during parades, and much of our Perch Base materials are stored courtesy of the Morgan family on their property, free-of-charge. Thank you to Curt and Cindy Morgan.
View more details and pictures HERE.

BASE BIRTHDAY
The date of our USSVI charter, and Base "birthday," is June 20, 1995. So on June 20, 2025, our Base will be 30 years old! Thanks to Base Commander Dave Heighway, who brought a cake to our monthly meeting on June 14, 2025, to celebrate. Read more about our Perch Base history on our website at http://www.perch-base.org/Beginning.htm.
Also, our Membership Chairman Paul Miller awarded a 25-year Longevity Award pin to Life and Holland Club member George Williams. Congratulations to George!
View more details and pictures HERE.

MEMORIAL DAY and
TOLLING OF THE BOATS
Perch Base USSVI participated in the Memorial Day Ceremonies at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, including Tolling of the Boats, on Monday, May 26, 2025.
Governor Joy and Howard Doyle conducted the Tolling of the Boats ceremony.
View more details and pictures HERE.

HAPPY 61st BIRTHDAY
The United States Submarine Veterans, Inc., USSVI, was chartered 61 years ago on May 24, 1964.

SO YOU WANNA BE A FROGMAN?
Perch Base Life and Holland Club member Joe Trotter and his wife Kathy toured the Naval Special Warfare Center at Coronado, CA, on May 16, 2025, with the Naval Submarine League.
The Naval Special Warfare Center is commonly called SEAL Training or BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training), but those are individual schools within the training command.
See more pictures HERE.

VICE COMMANDER INSTALLATION
Perch Base member Don Robertson was elected and installed as our Vice Commander at the Perch Base meeting on May 10, 2025, at Dillon's Restaurant.
Don fills the role as our Vice Commander since it became vacant on March 8, 2025, when Dave Heighway was installed as our Base Commander. Congratulations to Don, who was our Chief of the Boat (COB) since June 2021, and thanks to Don for his service to Perch Base as the COB.
Don was sworn in by Perch Base member Vic Van Horn who was formerly our Western Region Director and also District Commander WD1.
See more pictures HERE.

FRANK ELLIOT ETERNAL PATROL
Perch Base Holland Club Member and Life Member Frank Elliott, IC1(SS) (ret) passed onto Eternal Patrol on April 30th, 2025. Frank was 88 years old.
Frank joined the Navy in 1957 and retired after 20 years in 1976. He qualified on the USS Sablefish (SS-303) and also served on the Thomas Edison (SSBN-610), the USS Tinosa (SSN-606), the USS Finback (SSN-670), USS Spadefish (SSN-668), and the USS Pintado (SSN-672).
Frank joined Gold Country Base in 2003 and served as their Base Commander in 2009 and 2010. He joined Perch Base when he moved to Surprise, AZ, in 2024.
Frank is survived by his wife, Byrnece; his daughter, Kelly Shipp; stepchildren, James Morgen and Theresa McAdams; and numerous grandchildren.
Services were held at the at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona on May 20, 2025, at 1400 hours.
Read and see more pictures HERE.
SAILOR, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmate.

ROBIE ROBINSON ETERNAL PATROL
Perch Base Holland Club Member and Life Member Bruce D. (Robie) Robinson, MMCM(SS) (ret) passed onto Eternal Patrol on May 4th, 2025. Robie was 89 years old.
Robie transferred to Perch Base from Wyoming Base in 2000.
Robie joined the U.S. Navy in 1953 and initially served on 3 destroyers in his first 4 years, the USS Taussig, USS Marshall, and the USS Cowell. He then served his next 4 years on a cruiser, the USS Rochester, before entering the Submarine Service in 1962. Robie served and Qualified in Submarines on the USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599) from 1962 to 1963. He then rode the USS Halibut (SSN-587) from 1968-1969 following its conversion from a Regulus missile boat to a special operations missions submarine. Although details remain classified to this day, based on his service dates, he was probably a crewmember on the Halibut during the discovery of the sunken Soviet submarine K-129. MMCM(SS) Robinson served on two of the missions described in the book, Blind Man’s Bluff. He also served on the USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN-640) from 1969-1970. Other submarine-related assignments included COMSUBRONs 14 and 16 and at the S5G prototype in Idaho.
Robie retired from the Navy in 1975. He is survived by his wife, Marge, daughter, Debbie, and son, Rob. Robie and Marge had 68 years sharing their lives as husband and wife.
A graveside service with full military honors for Robie was held Monday, June 16, 2025 at Pikes Peak National Cemetery, 10545 Drennan Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80925.
Read and see more pictures HERE.
SAILOR, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmate.

BRAVO ZULU JOE & JIM!
Perch Base Submarine Veterans (USSVI) Life Members Joe Trotter and Jim Denzien gave a presentation on April 24, 2025, to the Naval Order of the United States Sea Services History Society.
Joe & Jim discussed "miscellaneous submarining."
Bravo Zulu to Joe & Jim for supporting our Creed to ". . . endeavor to educate all third parties it comes in contact with about the services our submarine brothers performed and how their sacrifices made possible the freedom and lifestyle we enjoy today."

ANNUAL PICNIC
Perch Base held its Annual Picnic meeting on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at Paloma Community Park in Peoria, AZ.
We had a special guest, Davy Jones, who hadn't been able to make it to a meeting in quite some time.
Many of the side-dishes and desserts were brought in by the membership, but the "duty chef," Stan Reinhold, who has a food handling license, cooked the burgers and hotdogs. Our Perch Base Chief of the Boat (COB,) Don Robertson also "mess cranked" for Stan. Special thanks to both Stan and Don for their contribution to the success of the picnic. The desserts included a cake celebrating the 125th year of the Submarine Service.
A Holland Club Induction Ceremony was conducted by our Past Commander George Woods and Base Commander Dave Heighway. The ceremony, which recognizes 50 years being Qualified in Submarines, inducted Pat Habel, Duane Kanitz and Joe Trotter.
Read and see more pictures HERE.

BILL TEBO ETERNAL PATROL
WWII SubVet Bill Tebo from the east coast (Thresher Base) passed away here on February 17, 2025, while visiting his daughters. He was a TMSN(SS). He was a Past Base Commander with Thresher Base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Bill was born in Grafton, Massachusetts on 08/22/1927, and carried Submarine Veterans of World War II (SVWWII) card 02511. At the time of his passing, Bill was the Executive Director of the Portmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and the SVWWII State Commander for Maine and New Hampshire.
Bill joined the Navy in 1944 and left the Navy in 1948 as a Seaman Torpedoman Mate, TMSN(SS). He served on the USS Clamagore (SS‑343) as a Torpedoman striker, lookout, and a bow & stern planesman. Bill Tebo Qualified in Submarines on the USS Sea Owl (SS‑405) in 1945.
Bill also qualified aboard the German Type XXI U-Boat EX‑U‑2513 after WWII, which included both evaluation tests of the U‑boat's design and duty in conjunction with the development of submarine and antisubmarine tactics. The Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program (GUPPY) would be initiated because of the results of these tests, where we learned about the schnorchel (a.k.a., snorkel.)
Bill's daughter Sandie Hembree held a memorial service for him on Saturday, April 5th, 2025, at the Vineyard Church (North Campus) in Peoria, AZ. David Heighway, our Perch Base Commander put together an Eternal Patrol certificate and our Base Chaplain, Governor Joy, presented the certificate.
Read and see more pictures HERE.
SAILOR, REST YOUR OAR! YOUR WATCH HAS ENDED.
Your Brothers of the 'Phin Have the Watch.
Fair Winds and Following Seas, Shipmate.

JOIN US AT A MEETING.
We meet the second Saturday of every month at 1200 hours (noon if you’ve been out a while) at Dillon's Restaurant, 20585 North 59th Ave, Glendale, AZ 85308-6821 (Left-click address, or the map above, for a Google map to Dillon's.) Come at 1100 for time to "socialize."
NOTE: Check our SAILING ORDERS page before "dropping in" on a meeting!

DANA ALLMOND, ARMY LtCol (ret)
GUEST SPEAKER
Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Dana Allmond, Chief of the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services Office of Veteran & Military Family Affairs within the Arizona Department of Economic Security was our guest speaker at the Perch Base monthly meeting on March 8, 2025. She was also accompanied by her Deputy Chief Marcus Trombetta.
Dana discussed the services available from her organization and a theme of "No Veteran Left Behind."
See more pictures HERE.

HONOR FLIGHTS
Perch Base Submarine Veterans (USSVI) can apply for a trip to Washington, DC from Honor Flight Arizona.
Application forms are available on their website, www.honorflightaz.org. There are 124 Honor Flight hubs across the country, including Honor Flight Arizona. The cost to send a Veteran on the 3-day Honor Flight from Arizona is $1,300 and includes airfare, hotel and food, but the Veteran pays nothing. The cost is covered by donations to the 501(c)(3) organization. Guardians that accompany a Veteran pay their own way. Spouses cannot be Guardians, but other family members are encouraged. They are presently sending mainly Korean and Vietnam War Veterans between 1941 to 1975, including Cold War Veterans. A recent flight (which included our Base Commander George Woods) that just returned on May 10, 2024, had 30 Veterans. The Honor Flight Arizona usually has 5 flights in the spring and 5 flights in the fall, but intends to increase to a total of 12 per year.
Tour activities included the US Navy Memorial, Fort McHenry, the National WW2 Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Marine Corp Memorial, Military Women’s Memorial, Maryland Museum of Military History, the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a group picture at Fort Myer Air Force Base. George Woods was highly complementary of his Honor Flight in 2024. Jim Andrews was on an Honor Flight in 2022.

WANT TO CARPOOL?
NEED A RIDE?
The image, above, shows that we have members all over metropolitan Phoenix. Left-click on the image for a larger view. If you are a Perch Base member and would like to consider carpooling, you are willing to pickup another member, or you need a ride to meetings or events, send an email to the webmaster at webmaster@perch-base.org.
The Board of Directors will attempt to match you with another nearby member who has similarly asked to carpool, or is willing to pickup another member. The Board will then provide the name, email, and phone number to the interested members that can then get in touch with each other to make specific arrangements. We are not publicly posting names or personal information to maintain privacy.
Keep in mind that if you wait until the last minute to request a match-up for a particular event, we may not be able to respond in time.

BOAT SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
The purpose of the Boat Sponsorship Program (BSP) is to make the active duty submarine force members aware of USSVI and provide them with information about our activities through sponsorship of the American Submariner to the various Submarine related organizations. After all, these force members represent the future core membership of USSVI.
Perch Base is a sponsor, but did you know that individual members may sponsor each Fast Attack Submarine and/or each crew of the Boomers? Magazines are also sent to VA hospitals, NROTC units, schools and other places. The cost is $30 per year for a total of 12 magazines (three each of the four annual volumes.)
Our Perch Base Holland Club & Life Member Jack Messersmith is the USSVI BSP Program Manager. Let’s make Jack proud. Check your copy of the American Submariner to sign up for the program.

VISIT OUR NEW FACEBOOK PAGE
Come and visit, LIKE and FOLLOW our new Facebook Page, USSVI Perch Base Arizona.
Building a successful Social Media network for any organization is no longer a "we’ll think about it" topic. Today, it is a MUST DO for all nonprofit organizations, including United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI) and its Bases. It is critical if we want to expand our membership growth and communicate our unique mission story in an effective and cost-effective manner.

ROAD CONSTRUCTION
Roadwork will require lane restrictions and full closures on Loop 101, the interchange ramps and cross streets between 75th Avenue to I-17. Work will occur primarily during overnight hours and weekends to minimize traffic impacts, thus may affect travel time to future meetings at Dillon's starting September 27, 2024.
Although there is presently no closure scheduled for our next meeting on May 10, you can check the current status on the ADOT website HERE.
You can also view the live Loop 101 cameras on the AZ511 website HERE.
We will try to keep the restrictions up-to-date on the Sailing Orders page prior to each meeting.

LT(jg) GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH
In the upper picture, above, the crew of the USS Finback (SS-230) rescues downed pilot, Lieutenant Bush of Torpedo Squadron 51 on September 2, 1944 after Japanese antiaircraft defense shot down his torpedo bomber between the northeastern end of Minami Jima and the southern tip of Chichi Jima. (Left-click the picture to enlarge.)
In the bottom picture, Rescued pilots and the crew and officers of the Finback. Lt. (jg) George Herbert Walker Bush is second from the left in the front row.
Bush, and 4 other rescued aviators remained on the Finback as "guests" while she tracked and attacked convoys, endured depth charges from Japanese escort ships, and sank two ships (an oiler and small cargo ship). The five ended their stay on the Finback on Midway Island on September 29, after 29 days aboard the submarine (and crossing the international date line).
Read more about how the submarine service performed "Lifeguard Duty" during WW2 in the National Archives HERE.