I've been periodically monitoring this board and am very glad to see so many shipmates interested in the preservation of our historic legacy, which is what these museum submarines are. Getting more subvets interested in actively supporting the museum boats with elbow grease and treasure is and has been a goal of mine.
Since Dean shot up a flare and invited me to log in, I've dug out my round tuit and so here I am.
Those of us who are USSVI members have probably already noticed an uptick in the subvet news broadcast talking about our museum boats this year. This is no accident. I've personally been touring the various museum boats to get a better sense of what is going on 'on the ground' and doing some intercession between subvets and museums when things get tense.
As you will soon see, the 2009 USSVI calendar is going to be in FULL COLOR and it will exclusively feature our museum subs. It is not yet a 'done deal' but I've asked the board for their ok to put a portion of the sales proceeds towards the museum boat fund in our CF charitable foundation.
I've noticed a lot of chatter about USSVI doing this or not doing that. There is something that needs to be clearly understood by all. USSVI as a national organization is a confederation of chapters who operate under the rules of our constitution and bylaws, but beyond that are free to pursue their own goals and objectives. No member or base is compelled to do anything the national organization tells them to do. Our national authority flows from the force of good ideas and persuasion. I've been intimately acquainted with membership issues for quite some time and the truth is, we have in effect 70% of our total membership who are magazine subscribers, that that is the extent of their involvement. We have another approx 20% who will get involved in issues that 'float their boat'. There is another 10% who talk a good game but never find their 'round tuits' when the rubber hits the road. That's reality, and we have to deal with it. To be effective, we must appeal to those things that bind us together, and minimize our points of disagreement. We are a fraternal organization, after all. As in every walk of life, we have boneheads and bigots, cranky curmudgeons and we also have incredibly dedicated and hardworking shipmates who believe in our creed and work to fulfill it.
There is no point fretting about the money being donated toward scholarships. The members are speaking with their dollars. They want to do this and there is nothing wrong with this generous impulse. If we are to raise more money for museum boats, you need to start a grass roots movement, preferably coordinated, to raise the conciousness of our membership to the value of these historic beauties and explain why it is a good thing to contribute time, money and effort to keep them in good shape.
This is the path I am on, and I invite you to work with me to make it happen.
