U.S.S BROOKE DEG-1/FFG-1
ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Shipmates,
On September 30, 2017 I had the distinct honor and privilege to be re-elected as President of the U.S.S. Brooke DEG-1/FFG-1 Association for another two years. Your vote of confidence speaks to the satisfaction that you have with the direction our organization is moving. I am honored by the trust and confidence that you, the membership, have accorded me in leading our fine organization.
I accept this position of responsibility with a continued steadfast determination to continue guiding our growth in the coming years. Our Association has been in existence for fifteen years and we have continued to grow. From the original twenty four members, today our membership rolls stand at 147 active members and more than 250 shipmates on our mailing list. Each year our reunions have be more and more successful in both attendance and local. The 2017 Jacksonville, FL reunion was very successful and we look forward to bringing the Brooke family together for a celebration in 2018.
As we move into our sixteenth year of existence I can tell you that we are financially sound, stronger than ever as a group and if we have accomplished nothing more we certainly have brought friends and shipmates together after many years. Indeed, we have fostered new friendships and renewed old. One just needs to attend one reunion to know what I am talking about when I say "camaraderie abounds" and the years seem to melt away.
And as we move forward I am confident that through continued efforts to contact crewmembers, our membership will continue to grow. As your president I continue to fervently believe that by increasing our numbers we enhance one of the prime goals of our charter: " To preserve and carry on the memory of our beloved ship and those who served on her." It is always a sad note to realize that a shipmate has passed on and it the past couple of years too many names have been read at our annual memorial service. But as passing is an inevitable part of life I would like to think that there is some comfort for those left behind to realize that we, the crew of Brooke, have in some small way, remembered our shipmates through our Association.
I again look forward to serving as your President and representing the U.S.S. Brooke DEG-1/FFG-1 Association. Thank you.
Fair Winds and Following Seas,
Thomas K.Adametz, USN Ret.
President
U.S.S. Brooke DEG-1/FFG-1 Association