MUSEUMPlanning a Ship Reunion?

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.





REUNIONS VISITING THE SLATER 2010

4 June USS SLATER DE766
12 August USS BENNINGTON CV20 CVA20 CVS20
1 September USS LEWIS DE535
2 September USS ALBANY CA13 CG10
14 September USS BOWERS DE637
17 September Division 15DEs
21 September USS SWEARER DE186
24 September USS ETHAN ALLEN SSBN608
1 October USS COLUMBUS CA72 CG12
8 October USS MILLS DER383
15 October USS EMMONS DD457/DMS22
15 October USS NICHOLAS DD449
15 October USS LANSDOWNE DD486




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!



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







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