April 2008 by Charles Brecheisen

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $678.90 with income of $20 and no expenses, leaving a balance of $698.90.

SHIPMATE PASSING: In case you missed my last email, Robert Weingarten, RM2 1953-1955 passed away early in April.

SHIPMATE PASSING: Unfortunately, I got a phone call from the daughter of Tony Flores-Toro. Shipmates who attended the first Altair reunion will remember Tony, who owned a Sears store in Florida, supplied most of the door prizes. Last Monday, Tony was in his car driving on a local Chiefland, FL street when an elderly man, in an oncoming car, swerved into his lane and hit Tony head on. Tony was killed instantly. Memorial servives will be held tomorrow (Saturday) and his ashes will be flown to his native Puerto Rico. Tony was a SN aboard the Altair 1956-1958; BUT, I have later pictures of Tony aboard a ship (Altair?) and he was a 4 stripe full Captain! Tony spoke 6 languages.

Tony took Lillie and I to dinner while at the Norfolk reunion and we heard many many sea stories from Tony.......at least the ones he could talk about. Lillie and I are still in total shock. To send condolences, please send to his daughter:

Patricia Callahan
311 Lewisberry Court
Lewisberry, PA 17339

All for now. More to follow about the plaque ceremony and the next Altair Reunion.

AS USUAL, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Use cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us

Best Regards To All.........Charles

Shipmate Passing

I regret to inform you that Robert Weingarten, RM2, 1953-1955, passed away a few days ago from Pancreatic Cancer.

Our sincerest condolences go to the Weingarten family. The family can be reached at:
Robert Weingarten Family
176 Sycamore Avenue
Bethpage, NY 11714-1913

Charles

March 2008 by Charles Brecheisen

Greetings Altair Crew.

ALTAIR PLAQUE: The Altair Plaque is completely paid for! The total expenditure was $3300 and we had paid pledges of $3165 which left the plaque a bit in the hole. There were several unpaid pledges which I felt should not be pursued. The balance of $165 was paid from dues monies. The ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 23, 2008 promptly at 1PM. ALL ARE INVITED to the Navy Memorial for the ceremony.

ALTAIR REUNION: The USS Altair reunion will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott in Myrtle Beach, SC October 24-26, 2008. If you need additional information please contact myself at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us or tomplanes@alltel.net

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Additional information will be forthcoming as soon as available. I have most of the next Altair newsletter which will be mailed which all the information about the plaque ceremony and reunion are available.

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $3478.90 with no income and plaque expenses of $2800.00 leaving a balance of $678.90.

FAKE IRS EMAILS: I got an email from IRS.el concerning my rebate check. It said that I was getting about $175 back and to contact them immediately. Well, sports fans, the 'el' after the IRS tells me in
ham radio lingo that the email was from LIBERIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Everyone beware!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All for now. Please contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us with any questions or comments. Please do NOT reply to this email.

Best Regards To All..........Charles

Shipmate Passing

Greetings Altair Shipmates. On March 12th I received the following email from Mike Troiano:

"Our shipmate and my dear friend Albert J. Pizzo passed away today after a 2 year battle with lung cancer. Please add AJ's name to our growing memorial list. Thanks. Regards, Mike"

Our sincerest condolences to the Pizzo family. The family can be reached at:

Al Pizzo Family
15 Grandview Place
Sewell, NJ 08080
856-218-8456

Charles

February 2008 by Charles Brecheisen

SHIPMATE PASSING: We lost Shipmate Jerry Daney February 19. Jerry was a SK2 and aboard the Altair 1955-1958. Our condolences to the Daney family.

FINANCIAL: Our beginning balance was $3175.35 with income of $430.00 and expenses of $126.45 leaving a balance of $3478.90 The expense was for our web site. $350 of the income was pledges for the Altair Plaque.

ALTAIR PLAQUE: WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!! We now have the entire cost of the Altair Plaque covered and it is on order. The plaque ceremony will be Thursday, October 23, 2008 promptly at 1PM. More information will be forthcoming in our next Altair Newsletter. The following weekend will be the Altair Reunion at Myrtle Beach, SC. Special thanks go to Mrs. Dan Thrasher, widow of Dan, for her generous contribution to the plaque fund. More information to follow as soon as it is available.

NEW SHIPMATES: Please welcome aboard Bruce Davis, 1962-62. Bruce lives in Orlando, Fl.; and, Bob Smith, SK3 from Norwich, NY. WELCOME ABOARD!

If you need any additional information about the Altair Plaque or the next reunion, please contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL!!! I have been getting 50-60 spams a day at this email address and have set the options to delete 100% of incoming email. Please use my fastmail.us address. Thanks!

Best Regards To All........Charles

Shipmate Passing

Greetings Altair Shipmates. I regret to inform you that the following shipmate passed on February 19, 2008:

Gerald "Jerry" Daney SK2 1955-1958

Condolences can be sent to:

The Daney Family
104 Wren Drive
Larksville, PA 18704
570-288-2479

All the USS Altair Shipmates send their condolences to the Daney Family.

January 2008 by Charles Brecheisen

ALTAIR PLAQUE: We have received $2810 in pledges and have received $2400. The total cost of the plaque and ceremony is $3000! If you pledged, please send in your pledge. The ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, October 23, 2008, the day before the Altair reunion. The ceremony is in Washington DC and is a proud moment for the USS Altair. Jim Phippard has selected the site for the plaque. Please plan to attend.

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $3156.82 with income of $535.00 (split between dues and plaque) with expenses of $516.47 leaving a balance of $3175.35. The first payment of $500.00 was made on the plaque. Once the date is confirmed (we are waiting for Admiral Colbert's wife to respond) then $2500.00 will be due immediately.

ALTAIR SHIPMATES: January was a good month for new shipmates as we board 4 new shipmates! WELCOME ABOARD!

John E. Simonides, SK3, 1966-68, Stony Creek, CT
Robert S. Lasky, SK3, 1955, Kewanee, IL
John K. Mowitz, SN, 1960-61, Merrimac, WI
Jim Ledden, SFM3, 1968, Valdese, NC

ALTAIR REUNION: As soon as more info is available on our next reunion in October, I will get a news letter on the way to all.

INSTANT MESSAGING: Both Martin Summann and I are set up on instant messaging. Martin is set up on Messenger as vabeach757@cox.net and I am set up on Yahoo IM as cmbaltairaks32 or maybe the @yahoo.com has to be on there too. Both instant messaging systems will talk to each other and Martin and I communicate almost daily. I used to be on AOL I.M. but am not any more.

All for now. Please contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail with any questions or comments.

Best Regards To All..........Charles

Pledges are now due.

Greetings Altair Crew.

Joe Basso has made the first $500 pledge for the Altair plaque, which I will repay immediately to Joe. The total cost,including the ceremony will cost $3000.

Therefore, it is time for all those that have pledged and have not sent in their pledge please do so now. The balance will be due fairly quickly. There is a balance of $650 in pledges due.

If you have not pledged and want to pledge, it will be welcomed!!!!!

A big THANK YOU to all those that pledged (and paid)!!

Best Wishes to ALL.........Charles

Charles Brecheisen
248 Drifting Cloud
Holly Lake Ranch, TX 75765-6321
903-769-5325

December 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

2008: Happy New Year to all the Altair shipmates and their families. Let's hope all have a prosperous and especially healthy 2008.

ALTAIR REUNION: Tom Planes reports very positive reports about our upcoming Altair reunion October 24-26, 2008 in Myrtle Beach, SC. My problem is getting snail mail kicked back to me due to shipmates moving and not notifying me of address change; or their passing and we are not notified by the next of kin.

ALTAIR PLAQUE: Joe Basso will be making the first commitment for the Altair plaque. Those who have pledges and not sent in their pledge, please do so. The total cost has risen to $3000, but we should have that covered.

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $3344.46 with income of $35.00and expenses of $222.64 leaving a balance of $3156.52. Expenses were stamps, labels and printing reunion sheets.

ALTAIR SHIPMATE: Please welcome on board Phillip J. Vachon. Phillip was a MMFN and served aboard 1961-1963 and resided in Florida.

All for now. Please contact me with any questions or comments at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us

Best Wishes To All.........Charles

2 0 0 8 R E U N I O N !

The second formal USS Altair AKS-32 reunion will be held October 24, 25, and 26, 2008 at the following:

Courtyard by Marriott
1000 Commons Blvd.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29572
843/361-1730
877/502-4653 Reservations
843/361-1729 FAX
www.myrtlebeachcourtyard.com

The Courtyard sales person is:
Randall Blumberg
843/361-1730 ext. 7703
843/361-1729 FAX

Make your reservations now and plan to arrive early on Friday, October 24, 2008. Tom Planes has made arrangements for 60 king rooms at $69.00. Other arrangements, a formal dinner, etc. are being made and further information will be supplied when it becomes available.

Tom can be reached at:

Tom Planes
1177 Vintage Way
Hoschton, GA 30548
tomplanes@alltel.net

November 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

NEW SHIPMATE: Please welcome aboard James (Jim) F. Ledden. Jim served aboard the Altair 1967-68 and was a SFM3. Jim currently resides in Valdese, NC

REUNION: Mark your calendars for our next 'major' Altair reunion for October 24, 25 and 26, 2008! (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) The reunion will be held at the Courtyard By Marriott, 1000 Commons Blvd., Myrtle Beach, SC 29572. Reservations 877-502-4653 and the rate for a King room is $69. More information will follow via email and snail mail as soon as available. Make your reservation early!

FINANCIAL: The beginning November balance was $3134.46 with income of $210.00 and zero expenses leaving a balance of $3344.46. $200.00 was for the Altair Plaque.

ALTAIR PLAQUE: Joe Basso assisted by Jim Phippard is working diligently on the Altair Plaque. More to follow.

All for now. Please contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us with any questions or comments.

Best Regards To All, Charles

October 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

MINI-REUNION: The 'mini' reunion was a howling success! Over 26 shipmates, many with their wives attended. Tom and Sandi Planes did an absolutely outstanding job setting this up and providing the goodies. Many thanks and hats off to Tom and Sandi! And, thanks to all the shipmates that attended.

MAJOR-REUNION: Please mark October 24-27 October 2008 on your calendars, as that will be the dates of our next reunion. The Charleston location to be determined later, but information will be forthcoming as soon as possible.

WEB SITE: Check out the updated Altair web site at http://www.ussaltair-aks32.org Martin Summann is the Webmaster and has done an outstanding job of upgrading the site. Remember, all photographs go to Dick Braun dbraun@msbservices.com and visit our blog site at http://www.altair.smugmug.com

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $3054.46 with $80.00 in income and no expenses leaving a balance of $3134.46. This includes the Altair plaque money.

DUES: Yearly dues will be due in January of each year. This will simplify matters and make easier to keep records.

SHIPMATE PASSING: I received the following email:

"This is to inform you that Ronald Eckhard passed away October 19, 2007 from esophagael cancer. He fought a long and difficult battle. You will find him buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Donna Eckhard"

Shipmate Eckhard was a MA2 1960-1961 and Mrs. Eckhard can be reached at:

5050 Clayridge Drive Apt. 107
St. Louis, MO 63129

I sent Mrs. Eckhard a return email plus a sympathy card from all the Altair shipmates.

All for now. Please contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us with any comments or questions.

Best Regards To All.........Charles

Prayer Request from shipmate Ron Eckhard

From: Ronald Eckhard cddmi@charter.net

Subject: Cancer

Hi Charles,

I want to let you know that I have Terminal and will be going into Hospice in the near future. I could use the prayers of all my shipmates.

God Bless
Ron Eckhard

Ron, Lillie and I and all the Altair shipmates will be praying for you and your family. God Bless!

Charles

September 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

SHIPMATE PASSING: I got a letter back from a shipmate marked "DEC." After checking this out, it definitely meant "deceased." The letter was sent to Shipmate Jim McWilliams of Castell, Texas. Jim was a BM3 and served on the Altair during the 1967-1968 period. Our condolences to the Jim McWilliams family.

MINI-REUNION: It looks like the attendance will be good at the 'mini' reunion in Charleston, SC, Oct. 26-28 as over 25 shipmates have signed up. Sounds like fun! This is mainly a planning reunion for our next 'major' reunion and getting the Altair Plaque off the ground.

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $2926.28 with receipts of $170 and expenses of $41.82 leaving an balance of $3054.46. $100 of the receipts was for the Altair Plaque.

That's all for now. Please contact me with any questions or comments at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us

Best Regards To All..........Charles

August 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

This will be a short report as I just had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder and having trouble using my right arm and typing fingers.

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $2134.05 with receipts of $1035.00 and expenses of $242.77 leaving a balance of $2926.28. The receipts were for the Altair Plaque fund. Expenses were mailing expenses about the upcoming 'mini' reunion.

ALTAIR PLAQUE: We now have $2550 in receipts and pledges for the plaque. Thanks to Admiral Colbert's widow and all the contributing shipmates, we have exceeded the required $2500! YEA TEAM!

ALTAIR REUNION: By now, all Altair shipmates should have received information about the upcoming 'mini' reunion either via email or snail mail. Any questions should be sent to Tom Planes tomplanes@alltel.net Make your reservation early! Y'all come!

Best Regards To All...........Charles

Mini reunion by Charles Brecheisen

Greetings Altair Shipmates. Here is some 'mini' info on our 'Mini' reunion.

Place: Ramada Inn
7401 Northwoods Blvd.
Charleston, SC 29406
Tel: 843-572-2200
Fax: 843-863-8316
Direct Line: 843-414-2210

Convenient to the airport and Interstate Highways

Dates: October 26-28, 2007

Price: $79 Single or Double; includes full hot buffet breakfast
Rooms are blocked out in the USS Altair name

You will be responsible for reserving your own room!

We will have a hospitality room close to the restaurant. There will be lots of time for meetings and BS sessions. We will also be planning our next 'major' reunion.

There will be a $25 per couple registration fee so the hospitality room can be adequately stocked.

For furthur information please contact Tom Planes at tomplanes@alltel.net

In a week or two, I will be snail mailing additional information to the entire Altair crew so the shipmates that do not have Internet will have all the information.

As usual, please do not reply to this email. If you want to reply to me, please use cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us

Best Regards To All........Charles

Shipmate Passing by Charles Brecheisen

Greetings Altair Crew.

Unfortunately, I received the following two emails.

"For those of you who knew my father Ira E. Rubin, it is with extreme sadness the I have to share with you of his passing. Dad died on Sunday August 12, 2007 after a valiant battle with heart disease. As with everything, dad put all his efforts improving his health and making himself better. Unfortunately, he couldn't win this one.

He always cherished his memories and friends from the Navy and was extremely pleased to have been able to help plan your recent reunion.

Scott Rubin"

"It is with great sadness that I share the news with your group of the passing of Ira E. Rubin. As he chaired your recent reunion, many of you know him. Dad served on the USS Altair in the late 50's. Dad passed away on Sunday, August 12, 2007 after a long battle with heart disease. He gave it a great fight, but in the end he just couldn't fight any longer.

Dad was very proud of his service in the Navy and of being able to help plan your reunion. He was very pleased to get everyone together and of the success of the event.

If you would like to send your sympathies to my mother, you may do so at the following address:

Lois Rubin
621 Ridge Road
Highland Park, IL 60035

Thank you for being part of his life.

Scott Rubin"

How sad..........Ira was a great friend and did such a wonderful job in running our first reunion. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Rubin family.

charles..........

Altair News by Charles Brecheisen

Hello Shipmates. Several weeks ago, I received a copy of a letter from Shipmate Ronald Allan addressed to Mrs. Laidler Mackall. Ronald requested that I send information that I had about Captain Colbert to Mrs. Mackall. I sent her a nice letter plus the additional unpublished "Tour Memories" authored by Ed Johnson. In a couple of weeks I received the following letter:

"Dear Mr Brecheisen: I very much appreciate you sending me the Newsletter on the USS Altair. It brought back many happy memories of our time in Barcelona. I would very much like to contribute to the "Altair Plaque" at the Navy Memorial. I was on the Board of the Memorial for many years, when we were getting it started. I have tried several times to call you, but get the "answer off" on your machine - so I presume you are out of town. I would very much appreciate it if you could call me on our return tel: No. 301-xxx-xxxx, so I can find out how best to contribute. Thank you so much. Sincerely,

Prudence Colbert Mackall
(widow of Adm. Colbert)"

All I can say is is WOW! Admiral Colbert's widow! I remember seeing her during the change of command. We chatted on the phone quite a long time.

And,

Here is the kicker!!!!!!! We have $1650 in donations for the Altair Plaque. SHE IS SENDING ME $950 to complete the required $2500!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More info to follow soon.

Best Regards To All...........Charles

July 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

SHIPMATE: I had an email concerning Frank McCrystal, SK2, 1955-58 that he recently had open heart surgery. Our thoughts and prayers are with Frank and the McCrystal family.

NAVY DRILL TEAM: The U.S. Navy drill team is truly outstanding! You can view them in action by going to http://www.youtube.com and doing a search on "Navy Norway"; and when the list comes up, click on the first one. This is for high speed internet connections only. I downloaded the 53.5 meg. file and it plays much better from the computer download. I watch this movie at least once a month.

COMPUTER: The power supply in my desktop computer popped, sparked and burned a couple of days ago. And, of course, everything is on the desktop. I could use the laptop, but it runs Vista and is not compatible with my XP files. Thank you very much Bill Gates. So, hopefully, it is only the power supply and it can be repaired. I will know in a few days.

FINANCIAL: Well, my specific figures are on the desktop, but here are some totals. The beginning July balance was $1949.05 with $185.00 cash received and no expenses leaving a balance of $2134.05. Most of this was for the Altair Memorial Plaque.

ALTAIR PLAQUE: Money and pledges are still coming in and the total is around $1500 not. GREAT JOB SHIPMATES! Keep 'em coming!

WEB SITE: Are there any HTML gurus out there? I am not able to change anything on our website as the uSoft software I used is a million years out of date. We need a web guru to do a new Altair website. Any takers, please contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us

Tom Planes et al are still working on a 'mini reunion' either late September or early October in Charleston. Please contact Tom with any info/commitments, etc. at tomplanes@alltel.net More info to follow when available.

That's all from this end. Please contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us with any comments, etc.

Best Wishes To All.......Charles

June 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

ALTAIR PLAQUE: Rich Jenikovsky has sent a $50 challenge! The first committment foraa $50 match will be met! Only one time! Come on shipmates...... The Altair plaque fund has reached $1310 in pledges and cash. Great job but I know you can do better.

SHIPMATES PASSING: I received the following email:

"USS Altair Alumni; I regretfully report the passing of one of your shipmates, Russell C. Gott, 1955-1956, FN, MN. He passed away peacefully in his sleep while hospitalized in Minnesota Friday June 15th 2007. His wife Magda is still here and can be contacted at gottbitburg@aol.com I am his next door neighbor and have enjoyed the stories of the Altair over the years, and am reporting this to you to help his wife at this difficult time.

Thank You, DeWayne Morse"

Mrs. Gott can be reached at:

15334 Dresden Way
St Paul, MN 55124-6831

FINANCIAL: The beginning balanced was $1849.05 with $100 received and zero expenses leaving a balance of $1949.05. $90 of the received was for the plaque fund.

All for now. We are still getting lots and lots of rain daily and there seems no end in sight. Septic systems are overflowing everywhere due to the high water table. We have had a drought for the past 7 years and it looks like it is over. Lillie and I are growing gills and webbed hands and feet. Please contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us with any comments or questions.

Best Regards To All.......Charles

Shipmate Isaacs passing.

I received the following email:

RE: Altair Monthly Report
Please remove my husband's name from your email list - Leslie A. Isaacs He passed away Dec. 2004.
Elaine Isaacs

Shipmate Isaacs was a FN aboard in 1952. Mrs. Isaacs can be reached at:

elaine_les@hotmail.com
Mrs. Elaine Isaacs
3306 Densmore Ct.
Silver Spring, MD 20906-1832

Best Regards, Charles

May 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

DROUGHT: We have been in a 7 year drought here in E. TX; and, other areas of the country too. BUT, Lillie and I are now growing gills and webbed feet and hands and do not see the sun for days at a time. All it dues is rain, rain and more rain. Its either feast or famine.

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $1674.05 with $175 in dues received and wall project donations with no expenses leaving a balance of $1849.05. Thanks to all paying dues! The "special fund" remains the same.

WALL PROJECT: I have only received $1120 in cash and commitments for the wall plaque. If we do not reach our goal in the next few months, I will return the cash received to the respective shipmates. Come on shipmates! This is a worthwhile project and we need to reach our goal of $2500!

All for now. Please contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us with any comments or questions.

Best Regards To All.........Charles

Robert (Chipper) Bryan, BM3 65-67, wife's passing

Greetings Altair Crew.

Robert (Chipper) Bryan (BM3 65-67) reported that his wife of 26-1/2 years passed away on April 24, 2007. There will be a Memorial Service for her in Panama City, FL on Saturday, May 5, 2007 at 2PM at St. Dominic's Catholic Church. Our sincerest condolences to Robert and his family.

Robert can be reached at:

Robert Bryan
P.O. Box 19137
Panama City Beach, FL 32417
Office: 850-522-8010
Cell: 850-527-0215
FAX: 850-52-0704
bobbryan@mindspring.com

April 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

Greetings Altair Shipmates. Here is your report for April 2007.

NEWSLETTER: I got newsletter returns as undeliverable from John Dachtler, Woody Halsey, Thomas Howarth, Edward Randell, Paul Lanzone, Earl Sniffin, Daniel Tomei. Anyone know their whereabouts?

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $1148.05 with dues receipts of $375.00 and wall plaque receipts of $190.00 with expenses of $39.00 leaving a balance of $1674.05.

COMMEMORATIVE WALL PLAQUE: We only have $1080 in cash and commitments. We need $2500! Come on shipmates!

SHIPMATE PASSING: I received the following mail:

Dear Gentlemen:

It is with considerable regret that I inform you that David Nightingale passed on last August 2006. I know he was happy to be a part of your alumni group and truly enjoyed the news and activity of the website.

I didn't know how to reach you at the time, but the recent mailing (snail mail) gave me the information I needed to be in touch.

Warmest regards to all you who have so ably served our nation.

Sincerely, Mrs. David Nightingale

Shipmate Nightingale was a SK3 and served aboard the Altair 1962-1964. Mrs. Nightingale can be reached at 3 Chaucer St., Sandwich, MA 02563

REUNION: Paul Licker has volunteered to assist in the next reunion. Any other volunteers can contact Paul at Pesachbenschlomo@aol.com Paul resided in Melbourne, Florida.

Best Regards To All, Charles Brecheisen, Holly Lake Ranch, Texas
Contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us

March 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

Greetings Altair Crew.

NEWSLETTER: The latest Altair newsletters were mailed last Friday, March 30.

ALTAIR WEB SITE: I have been using Microsoft FrontPage 2000 for our website. Microsoft no longer supports this software (thank you Microsoft) As of April 1, I can no longer make any modifications/adjustments/additions to the web site, although the web site will still work. Therefore, I have to buy new HTML software and redo the web site. I hope to have this done sometime in April.

FINANCIAL: The beginning March balance was $1390.22 with $80.00 in dues and expenses of $322.17 leaving a balance of $1148.05. Expenses were mainly for the newsletter, printing, envelopes, labels and postage.

SHIPMATE PASSING: I received the following email:

"Dear Mr. Brecheisen, While doing a Google search on the Altair, I found your newsletter and needed to drop a quick email.

My name is Susan Spence and I was Dan Thrasher's wife. I'm saddened to notify you that after a courageous two-year battle, Dan passed away from cancer on November 12, 2005.

I believe he served on the Altair i the 1966-1968 timeframe. Although he told many stories about his time on the altair, his most memorable stories surrounded his adventures (or misadventures) while on shore leave.

Besides his hockey, golf, professional and Harley buddies, Dan left behind two sons (one of whom served in the Air Force, one stepson, two daughters-in-law and three grandchildren.

Best Regards, Susan Spence (Mrs. Dan Thrasher)"

All for now. Please contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us with any questions or comments.

Best Regards To All, Charles Brecheisen, Holly Lake Ranch, Texas

February 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

Greetings Altair Crew.

WEB SITE: I have changed the email addresses on the "Shipmate" page on the web site so that the addresses cannot be automatically harvested. Check it out and let me know what you think. And, make sure I have your address correct. Hopefully, this will cut down on getting SPAM. I can be reached at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $1490.57 with $65.00 paid in dues and $165.35 in expenses leaving a balance of $1390.22. Expenses were $126.35 for our web site for one year and $39.00 for postage.

SHIPMATES PASSING: I received the following letter from Mrs. Rita Bruce:

"Just a note to let you know that my husband Clarence D. Bruce passed away. He was a wonderful man, everyone loved him, my children and grandchildren and all the great-grandchildren, was very good to every one. We miss him. He really loved the Navy and talked about his ship. Mrs. Rita Bruce"

Shipmate Bruce was aboard the Altair 1952-1953 and was a SN. I sent a sympathy card from all the shipmates, but if you remember Shipmate Bruce and wish to contact his family, Mrs. Bruce can be reached at:

601 W. Park Ave., Apt. 102
Hubbard, OH 44425-1561

All for now. Please contact me with any questions or comments.

Best Regards To All, Charles

January 2007 by Charles Brecheisen

Greetings Altair shipmates. Here is your monthly report for January 2007.

SPAM: I have been receiving 50-60 emails a day and quite a few returned to me as undeliverable. In talking to Brian at Interbax, our web host, it seems that some spammers have hijacked our Altair domain and are sending SPAM as XXX@ussaltair-aks32.org. Therefore, Brian is going to set up this email address to block 100% of incoming emails and I will not have to approve sending the monthly reports as the site moderator. What a sad situation....... Please do NOT reply to to me at this email address as it will be automatically deleted. Please use cmbaltairaks32 at fastmail.us I am investigating taking all the email addresses on the web site and instead of using "@" but using "space at space" and hopefully this will eliminate the "harvesting" of all our email addresses.

FINANCIAL: The beginning ending January balance was $1450.57 with $40.00 in dues paid and no expenses leaving a balance of $1490.57. The "special fund" remains the same.

SHIPMATES: Please welcome aboard Joseph R. Grondin, SM3, 1959-1961 (Bondsville, MA) and Thomas Wesley Lee, BMSN, 1961-1964 (Wilmington, NC). We now have 414 shipmates aboard.

ALTAIR PHOTO SITE: Please check out our new Altair photo site at http://www.altair.smugmug.com. Dick Braun has done a wonderful job of getting up all the Altair pics. Dick also has put up a film taken by a USS Antares shipmate of the Altair alongside and transferring personnel.

Thats all for now. Please contact me with any questions or comments.

Best Regards To All......Charles

December 2006 by Charles Brecheisen

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Let's all have a happy, prosperous and especially healthy 2007!

NAVY PLAY CALLING: I don't know who the coach was that called the last play in the Navy bowl game........but, he should be keel hauled, strung up on a yard arm, made to walk the plank, given 100 lashes and thrown in the brig.

SHIPMATES: Please welcome aboard Karl Carey, EM2, April 1963 - July 1964. Karl resides in House Springs, MO. WELCOME ABOARD KARL! We how have a total of 412 shipmates on board!

FINANCES: The beginning balance was $1425.57 with $25.00 received in dues and no expenses leaving a balance of $1450.57. The "special fund" remains the same.

PHOTO WEB SITE: As you have probably noticed, I have taken down all the photographs on the Altair web site. Dick Braun has done an outstanding job in uploading all the photos to a new Altair photographic web site. Please visit the site at http://www.altair.smugmug.com and view all the photos. This makes viewing the Altair photos much easier. Dick is also running the Altair blog site at http://aks32.blogspot.com Be sure and visit both sites!

All for now. Please contact me with any comments or questions as cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us

Charles

November 2006 by Charles Brecheisen

SHIPMATES: One new shipmate came on board during November; LTJG David Cullen, 1961-1963. Shipmate Cullen resided in Vienna, VA and is the 411th. shipmate on board.

FINANCIAL: The beginning December balance was $1456.64 with income of $10.00 and expenses of $41.07 for postage leaving a balance of $1425.57. Thanks to all!

EMAIL: I must say again please do NOT reply to this email either to me or all the addressees. Since I have been getting 30-40 SPAM emails a day I have set the filter to reject ALL emails. Please use cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us Fastmail.us is a great email service and does a great job of filtering out SPAM.

INTERNET: If you do a lot of surfing on the Internet, you might consider downloading the "McAfee SiteAdvisor." Its a free download and rates each site with either a green check mark indicating a safe site; or a question mark for an untested site; or, a red check mark indicating a very unsafe site. It works great.

PHOTO UPLOAD AND NEWSLETTER: I seem to be spending most of my time at the doctors, etc. and still have not done anything about setting up the photo site. Same with working on a new newsletter. But, both are on the top of my priority list and will be done.

Best Regards To All......Charles

September 2006 by Charles Brecheisen

FINANCIAL: The beginning September balance was $1356.64 with dues paid of $40 and no expenses leaving a balance of $1396.64. The "special fund" remains the original same. A record of 76 shipmates have paid dues! Many thanks to all!

SHIPMATES: Fred Keefer LTJG 1960-1962 found another new shipmate, John C. Jefferies, CT1 1960-1963. John resides in Molino, Florida.

SHIPMATES PASSING: Thanks to Fred Keefer for most of this information.

Gene Van Der Molen, FTSN 1952; passed August 2006.

Ed Stephens, RD2 1964-1966; passed July 2006; Ed was a movie and TV actor.

Bernard Ruckhardt, QMC 1960-1962; passed December 1997.

Alfred E. Menard, SM2 1960-1962; passed May 2002.

Morris Kanefsky, SK2 1959-1960; passed July 2001.

I distinctly remember Shipmate Menard as we used to "hang out" together on liberty. And, he used to let me us the signal lights communicating between ships. We used to call him "Alfred E. Neuman" after the character in Mad Comics.

The severe drought continues here in East Texas. We have lost over 75% of our beautiful dogwood trees and many oak trees have died also. And, no relief in sight. I have not done much on the photograph web site as it seems that Lillie and I spend most of our time either at the hospital or at the doctors office. I really don't like getting old!

All for now. Please contact me at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us with any comments or questions.

Best Regards to All . . . . Charles

October 2006 REPORT by Charles Brecheisen

FINANCIAL: The beginning October balance was $1396.64 with dues paid of $60 and no expenses leaving a balance of $1456.64. A total of 80 shipmates have paid dues. Many thanks!

SHIPMATES: Three new shipmates came on board in October bringing the total to 410 shipmates! Jim Brooks, YN3 was aboard 1961-63. Frank
DiSalvo, RM3 was aboard 1963-1964. And, Granville Nelson, SK2 was aboard 1959-1962. Many of you might remember Shipmate Nelson as the ships' barber giving haircuts on the main deck. I sure do remember him! Granville later transferred to stores and was a SK2. I also remember Jim Brooks.

All for now. Please contact me with any comments or questions and please us my other email address cmbaltairaks21@fastmail.us

Best Regards To All . . . . Charles

AUGUST 2006 REPORT by Charles Brecheisen

SHIPMATES: Thanks to Fred Keefer LTJG 1960 - 1962, two shipmates were added to the roster. Norman Rubinfeld, LTJG 1961-61, and Sanford J. Snuffer, LTJG 1961 - 1963. This brings the total shipmates aboard to 408. Shipmate Rubinfeld lives in Mission Viejo, CA and Shipmate Snuffer resides in Reno, NV.

FINANCIAL: The beginning August balance was $1316.64 with dues paid of $40 and zero expenses leaving a balance of $1356.64. A total of 75 shipmates have paid dues in 2006!!!! Thanks to all!

PHOTOGRAPHS: Tim Truesdell sent me a CD ROM containing 110 Altair photos all the way from New Zealand. Thank you Tim! Since there is no way to put them up on the Altair web site as it would clog it down, I have decided to put ALL the Altair photos on a photo web site named "Smugmug." The Altair site on the Smugmug site will be broken down into separate galleries for easier viewing. Plus, the Smugmug site will be password protected and only the Altair shipmates will have the password. Many thanks to Dick Braun for converting all the Truesdell photos from TIFF files to JPEGS. As soon as I figure out the Smugmug site and the procedures and get some the pics uploaded I will send all the shipmates the password to access the site.

All for now. Please contact me with any questions or comments at cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us


Best Regards to All.........Charles

Altair Mystery

Greetings Altair Crew. Ernie Forbes sent me an email and here is a copy; maybe a shipmate knows the answer.

"Heres a mystery maybe one of the crew can answer it: The Aberdeen Victory was delivered to Waterman Steamship Lines after launching and was transferred to the maritime commission for use by the Navy, the Navy used it as an AK, AK-257 to be exact after the war it was put in the reserve fleet till it was activated to be used as the ALTAIR. While it was an AK during the war it had a name - WHAT WAS THAT NAME ! ! When I was aboard I did DC work and I used to weigh the CO2 bottle at the fire station at the top of the stairs, ladder, in officers country, at this fire station there was a plaque commiserating USS ?

AK-257 during WW2, the person I was with said it was an Indian area, ? territory, state. I wrote the name down and many years later go tmy letters to my parents. They had saved every one, but it was not in them. I have tried to revisit that day in my dreams and see the name I had written, but I have had no success so far. Maybe one of the crew can recall that name. Ernie"

Best Regards To All.......Charles

Altair Picture Surprise

Greetings to all. I got a surprise in the mail yesterday all the way from New Zealand. It was a CD from Tim Truesdell, SK2 1958-1960 and had 110 Altair photos on it! Tim is currently living in New Zealand. All the pics were in tiff format and about 1 meg. each in size. Tim really sent some neat pics, too.

There is no way to upload Tim's pics even after converting them to jpegs. I also have many many other pics that have not been uploaded to the web site. Therefore, I have decided to use a photo upload service, such as smugmug.com and put ALL the pics that I have into books or albums, etc. There are quite a few hundred pics and I think that this is the only way all the Altair pics can be shown and viewed by the shipmates at their leisure without waiting for the pic pages on the web site to download. Smugmug has no ads and no login is required. The site and/or albums can be password protected if necessary.

Any comments? Any other recommended site instead of Smugmug?

Best Regards To All......Charles

JULY 2006 REPORT by Charles Brecheisen

SHIPMATES: No new shipmates came aboard in July leaving the total at 406.

FINANCIAL: WOW once again. A total of 71 shipmates have paid dues this year. The beginning balance was $1226.64 with receipts of $90.00 and no expenses leaving a balance of $1316.64. The "special fund" remains the same.

SHIPMATE VISIT: Ben "B.X." Wabich and his wife stopped by here a couple of days ago on their way to the Rio Grande Valley. Ben and I served together on the Altair in the communications area 1959-1961; and, Ben looks like he did 46
years ago! Ben retired from the Navy after 30 years of Navy service. Ben and Barbara reside in Algonac, Michigan and own a locksmith business. We had a great visit swapping old sea stories that the other had not heard.

TEXAS DROUGHT: Still no rain and our drought area is still classified as "severe."

All for now. Please contact me with any questions or comments. Again, please do NOT use this email address but use cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us

Best Wishes to All........Charles

JUNE 2006 REPORT by Charles Brecheisen

SHIPMATES: Please welcome aboard Shipmate Joel Fuller, SN 1963-1965; and Don Wangrud, GM3 1956-1957. Joel resides in Thomasville, NC and Don resides in Fargo, ND. WELCOME ABOARD Joel and Don!

SHIPMATE PASSING: Mike Troiano reports that Jerome "JJ" Campbell, SN 1964-1965 passed away in 2005. Our condolances to the Campbell family.

FINANCIAL: WOW again! A total of 62 shipmates have paid dues this year. It's really nice to have so many shipmates involved with the Altair Shipmate Group. THANKS! The beginning balance was $1126.64 with receipts of $100.00 leaving a balance of $1226.64.

TEXAS DROUGHT: It is so dry here in E. TX that our oak trees are dying, our pine trees are dying and our dogwood trees are dying. We had no measurable rain in either May or June and no prospect of rain in sight. My cactus garden is even dying. We did not even get a drop of rain from Katrina! Of course, we have a county burn ban, fireworks ban and are on water rationing. We cannot even BBQ! It's going to be a very long hot summer!

All for now. Please contact me with any questions or comments.

Best Regards To All...........


Charles Brecheisen
248 Drifting Cloud
Holly Lake Ranch, TX 75765-6321
903-769-5325

MAY 2006 REPORT by Charles Brecheisen

SHIPMATES: Please welcome aboard Walt Stout. Shipmate Stout served aboard the Altair 1964-1965, was an ENT3 and resided in Covington, TN. This brings the total shipmate list to 404! Welcome aboard Walt!

FINANCIAL: WOW, a total of 53 shipmates have paid dues so far this year far exceeding the total for last year. THANKS! The beginning balance for May was $820.64 with receipts of $345.00 and expenses of $39.00 leaving a balance of $1126.64. The "special fund" remains the same.

SHIPMATE PASSING: I received the following letter:

"Dear Mr. Brecheisen: I am writing to inform you that Bernard J. Sumbs passed away at home on Nov. 21, 2005 after a long illness at the age of 73. I think you for sending The Altair Star Newsletter. Bernard enlisted in the Navy on March 27, 1950 and was discharged on May 27, 1953. He served on the USS Altair (AKS257) and the Mattelesst (AOB-52). They were married for 51 years last June and were blessed with 2 great sons. Our youngest son was killed at the age of 37. God Bless you and our Country! Sincerely, Shirley Sumbs."

Our sincerest condolances to the Sumbs family.

All for now. Please contact me with any comments or questions.

Best Regards To All:

Charles Brecheisen
248 Drifting Cloud
Holly Lake Ranch, TX 75765-6321
903-769-5325

APRIL 2006 REPORT by Charles Brecheisen

Greetings Altair Shipmates.

The spammers are at it again! For many days now, I have had over 100 spam emails in this account (cmbaltairaks32@ussaltair-aks32.org). Plus numerous spams in my Fastmail account. So, please do not reply to this email account but use cmbaltairaks32@fastmail.us

SHIPMATES: Please welcome aboard Tennis Hatfield, HMSN 1962-1963. Tennis resides in Baisden, WV and is related to the Hatfields' of the famous feud!
This brings our shipmate total to 403. Welcome aboard Tennis!

DUES: A total of 35 shipmates have paid dues through April which has exceeded the total for all of last year! Thanks!

PHOTOGRAPHS: In case I have not mentioned it before, I have uploaded quite a few new pics on the photo's page two on the Altair web site.

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $1081.23 with dues received of $90.00 and expenses of $350.63 leaving a balance of $820.60. Expenses consisted of postage, ink, labels, envelopes and printing.

GREAT NAVY WEB SITE: For a neat Navy web site try http://objflicks.com/Seapower.htm It will take a long time to load for dial-up users.

All for now. Please contact me with any comments or questions.

Best Regards To All:

Charles Brecheisen
248 Drifting Cloud
Holly Lake Ranch, TX 75765-6321
903-769-5325

MARCH 2006 REPORT by Charles Brecheisen

Greetings Altair shipmates. Here is your monthly report for March 2006.

SHIPMATES: We have one new shipmate that boarded ship in March bringing the total count to 402 shipmates.. Please welcome aboard :

Jesse B. Jones, SH2, 1953-1955. Jesse resided in Jackson, TN

DUES: The reduced cost of dues to $10 seem to be working. Thanks to all sending in dues!

FINANCIAL: The beginning March balance was $861.26 with income of $220.00 and no expenses leaving a balance of $1081.27.

ALTAIR NEWSLETTER: I am finishing up the Altair newsletter and only have a couple of spaces to add material. I am waiting for a couple of shipmates to send in their bios and the newsletter should be mailed in a couple of weeks.

ALTAIR REUNION: There have been a few shipmates questioning when our next reunion would be held; and where. Good questions! After our first reunion in Norfolk in 2004, emotions were running high to have another reunion. Those "emotions" sort of petered out. But, we (another shipmate) is in the process of checking out Charleston, SC as a possible site. I will keep all posted.

All for now. Please contact me with any questions or comments.

Best Regards To All:

Charles Brecheisen
248 Drifting Cloud
Holly Lake Ranch, TX 75765-6321
903-769-5325

FEBRUARY 2006 REPORT by Charles Brecheisen

Greeetings Altair Shipmates. Here is your monthly report for February 2006.

SHIPMATES: We have two new shipmates bringing the total on board to 401. The shipmates are:

John Cherny, Lexington, SC BM3, 1966-1968

James "Red" Foley, Biddeford, ME SN, 1959-1961

DUES: The dues have been changed to $10; and, thanks to all that have paid their dues. It's what keeps this organization running!

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $912.07 with income of $125.00 and expenses of $175.80 leaving a balance of $861.27. The major cost was $126.35 for the Altair web site, postage. I purchased a "Naval Aviation News" February 1965, that contained a nice article on the Altairs' helo replenishment with the
Sixth Fleet.

U.S. NAVAL MEMORIAL COMMEMORATIVE WALL: Pledges are coming in nicely and thanks to all for your dollar pledges. I will give a pledge report in the next Altair monthly update. If you are not familiar with the Commemorative Wall, please
visit http://www.lonesailor.org/plaque.php and you will be impressed!

All for now. Please contact me with any questions or comments.

Charles Brecheisen
248 Drifting Cloud
Holly Lake Ranch, TX 75765-6321
903-769-5325

JANUARY 2006 REPORT by Charles Brecheisen

SHIPMATES: No new shipmates were signed up in January and the total stands at 398.

SHIPMATE PASSING: As most of you know, Louis Ruch, SKSN, 1954-1955 suddenly passed away on September 23, 2005. Louis and Frances both attended the first Altair reunion in Norfolk. Our condolances to the Ruch family.

DUES: Dues are hereby changed to $10 per year. A couple of shipmates sent in $25 and credit will be given for dues paid for 2007. Hopefully we can get more shipmates on board with dues.

FINANCIAL: The beginning balance was $867.07 with $45.00 paid in dues and zero expenses leaving a February 1 balance of $912.07. The Altair "Special Fund" remains the same.

U.S. NAVAL MEMORIAL COMMEMORATIVE WALL: I was surprised at the lack of pledge response for an Altair plaque. Thanks to those shipmates who did make a pledge. This is a great and worthwhile cause to honor the Altair Shipmates. Joe Basso is the driving force behind this idea. For those not familiar with the wall, please visit Navy Commemorative Wall

A INTERNET BROWSER NOTE: I have switched over to Mozilla's "Firefox 1.5" and no longer use Microsoft I.E. 6.0. Firefox seems a bit faster and reportedly is "safer" than I.E. Microsoft is working on I.E. 7.0 but I don't know when it will be out.

All for now. Please contact me with questions and comments.

Best Regards To All:

Charles Brecheisen
248 Drifting Cloud
Holly Lake Ranch, TX 75765-6321
903-769-5325

Shipmate Passing

Jan. 7, 2006

Dear Sir:
I am not sure which person to address concerning the death of my husband Lewis Ruch, who was aboard the Altair from 1952-1956, Passed away suddenly on Sept. 23, 2005. This is just for your records.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Lewis Ruch
POB 327
N. Stratford, NH 03590