Let The USS Slater be your destination! After all, what's a ship crew reunion without a ship?

MEMORIALS
There have been many donations made to the USS Slater restoration fund in memory of Destroyer Escort sailors.

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REUNIONS VISITING THE SLATER 2009

30 April	USS ZEAL AM131
28 May	USS SLATER DE766
23 June	USS ENGLAND DE635
4 July	USS KIRWIN DE229/APD90 & USS EARLE B. HALL DE597/APD107
7 August	USS WESSON DE184
11 September	USS PRICE DER332, USS STRICKLAND DER333, USS CAMP DER251
12 September	USS RAYMOND DE341
18 September	USS SIBLEY APA206
2 October	USS BATES DE68/APD47
2 October	USS BULL DE693/APD78

REUNION INFORMATION

Welcome aboard the USS Slater! All groups need to notify the SLATER directly of the day and time they wish to visit the ship. We will make the reservation for you and send you a ship confirmation form. Reunion groups may choose to hold a memorial ceremony on the ship. These can be very simple or more formal, as your group prefers.

For your service, DEHM will provide, at no charge: the USS Slater color guard, persons to toll the ship's bell, a podium, a good-quality sound system and recorded music. When you make your reservation to visit the ship, please let us know if you intend to have a memorial service. If you want a Slater color guard, you can inform us and we will inform Ken Kaskoun, the Slater volunteer who schedules them.

The reunion group must make outside arrangements and payment for any chaplain services, flowers, chairs or tents. The reunion group must also arrange for any other services they wish to have (such as live music). The ship does not handle these arrangements. If you have problems with arrangements or have any questions about them or about the memorial service in general, please contact Rosehn Gipe.

Our reunion group admission is $6.00/person. While we do not charge admission for DE sailors, we greatly appreciate a donation using the $6.00/person figure as a guide for the amount of your gift. Of course, donations above this amount are always welcome. We would be grateful if any non-DE group decides to give a donation. We request that the reunion coordinator collect admission for all spouses, family members, and guests before arrival, rather than have each participant in the reunion pay individually. As you may already know, we have also begun our long-range plan of securing an endowment fund in order to insure the ship's future success. If anyone in your group would like some information about the endowment, we would be pleased to furnish it or answer any questions that you might have. We look forward to seeing you and your shipmates on the Slater.

Chaplain Services:

Rev. William Hempel Maritime Ministry (518) 463-0571

Earl E Flatt Roman Catholic Deacon (518) 355-7885

Slater Honor Guard Inform Slater staff, they will contact Mr. Kaskoun Please note: Feel free to recruit a color guard from another source, however it has been our experience that these outside groups, such as the American Legion, are difficult to book.

TENT COVERINGS AND CHAIRS Gotcha Covered William H. Clark, Jr. Duanesburg NY 120566 (518) 864-5158

Tri-City Tent Rentals 518-356-2065

PHOTOS/VIDEOS

What's Happening Productions 2571 Western Ave. RD # 3 Altamont NY 12009 (518) 355-5888

Adirondack Video Steve Scoville (518) 270-4801 Tapes of local newscats

FLORISTS

Kinary Florist 366 Delaware Avenue Albany NY 12209 (518) 463-1912	Danker Florist 658 Central Avenue Albany NY 12210 (518) 489-5461	Lark Street Flower Market 252 Lark Street Albany NY 12210 (518) 462-8221
Maiden Lane Flower Market 32 Maiden Lane Albany NY 12207 (518) 465-3067	Blumen Florist 252 Lark Street Albany NY 12207 (518) 462-0550 email: info@blumenflorist.com

Please be sure to specify that any item entering the river must by completely biodegradable - absolutely no wire or plastic decorations. Most florists will do flower swags or individual flowers. Wreaths tend to be expensive when made in a totally biodegradable manner. We suggest that you prepay for the flowers and direct the florist to deliver them to the ship on the day of your ceremony. We have had groups inadvertently leave the flowers at their hotel!



SPEAKERS-Banquet

USS Slater Speakers Bureau Al VanDerzee (518) 477-7463

HOTEL BOOKING and ADDITIONAL SIGHT SEEING INFORMATION

Albany County Convention and Visitor's Bureau 25 Quackenbush Square Albany NY 12207 (518) 434-1217 Ext.106 -Jeanne Toth, military reunion coordinator

ADDITIONAL TOUR AND/OR LUNCHEON POSSIBLITY

DUTCH APPLE CRUISES, INC PO Box 395 Albany NY 12201-0359 (518) 463-0220 *The Dutch Apple is located at SLATER's stern.

Albany Aqua Ducks PO Box 446 Albany, NY 12201-0446 518-462-3825

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Memorial Service Guidelines

Many ship reunions that we host include a memorial service as part of their visit to the USS Slater. Below is a guideline for a typical onboard memorial service. This guideline is intended to assist you in your planning, if you wish to conduct your service in another way that is fine; please need to let us know the details well in advance of your visit. We have included a brief explanation of the master of ceremonies duties vis-à-vis the color guard. Most ships do have a formal memorial program printed for their guests, but that is up to you. If you have any questions regarding memorial services in general or these guidelines in particular, please call the ship.

Master of ceremony: Announce attention to colors - "please stand"

Master of ceremony: "Color Guard, post the colors."

Presentation of colors:	approx. time - 5 minutes
Invocation:	approx. time - 5 to 10 minutes
Pledge of Allegiance	approx. time - 1 minute

Master of ceremony: "Ladies and Gentlemen, Our National Anthem."

National Anthem	approx. time - 2 minutes
Welcome/Remarks	approx. time - 5 to 10 minutes
Remembrance of Comrades with bell toll	approx. time - 5 to 10 minutes
Release of Wreath or flowers	approx. time - 3 to 5 minutes

Master of ceremony: "Please stand for Taps."

Taps	approx. time - 1 minute
Benediction	approx. time - 5 minutes
Closing Comments	approx. time - 1 minute
Navy or Coast Guard Hymn	approx. time - 4 minute

Master of ceremony: "Color Guard, retire the colors."

Retire Colors

approx. time - 3 minutes

APPROXIMATE TOTAL TIME: 33 minutes