VPNAVY VP-5 Newsletter
http://www.vpnavy.org
VPNAVY Address

Newsletter VP-90 Association Newsletter

Contributed by LARSON, LCDR John Retired oriondriver1975@yahoo.com

VP-90 MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE AUGUST 2000

GREETINGS FELLOW LIONS

Happy 30th Anniversary of the Commissioning of VP-90


We have finalized the Reunion for August 2000. This will be a very special reunion. It will mark the 30th anniversary since the squadron was formed in November 1970. It will also be the first reunion in the Chicago area, so we are hoping that we have a big turnout. So we are hoping that you will be able to make it to this reunion. It is great to get together and relive the great days when we were in VP-90.

We will meet on Friday 18th at Duffers Den on Buckley Road outside of Great Lakes Training Center from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM. You can order food and beverages there at Duffers. We won't be providing food.

On Saturday 19th we will have our picnic at the marina at Great Lakes. Show time will be 10:00 AM and go until 6:00 PM officially. Sea Stories will probably last late until dusk. The reunion committee will provide food and beverages for this event. We are hoping to have lumpia and barbecue on a stick. We will have sodas, beer and non-alcoholic beer there. The cost will be probably $10.00 per person. Children under 17 will be free. Please send your money to me. My address is at the bottom. Ron Leis will conduct his now famous auction around 4:00 PM, it will be the entertainment for the afternoon. That is what funds all these reunions! So if you would like to bring some artifacts from the VP-90 era, please bring to be auctioned off and help support these reunions.

On Sunday the 20th we will be meeting at for a Sunday Brunch. That is yet to be determined.

Here is some billeting info. There is a Navy Lodge at Great Lakes. Their tel. no is 847-689-1485. It will be a drill weekend so billeting might be hard to get at the barracks.

Some motels in the area are. Great Lakes Motel, 3101 Buckley Rd, North Chicago 847-689-1520; Western Inn, 2315 Green Bay Rd, North Chicago 847-689-4500; Days Inn, 3000 Highway 41, North Chicago 847-887-9000; Red Carpet Inn, 3207 Buckley Rd, North Chicago 847-689-9400; Holiday Inn, 619 S. Green Bay Rd, Waukegan 847-662-3200; Comfort Inn, 3031 Belvidere Rd, Waukegan 847-623-1400; Best Western, 411 S. Green Bay Rd, Waukegan 847-244-6100; Best Inns of America, 31 N. Green Bay Rd, Waukegan 847-336-9000; Ramada Inn, 200 N. Green Bay Rd, Waukegan 847-244-2400. If you need more motels I have a few more on my list. Please contact me and I will send more info.

For those who were plank holders, Don Grobl would like to hear from you. He is going to write up a short history of the squadron for the reunion. So if you have some stories or history that you remember, please pass that information on to Don. We don't want to leave out the rest of the squadron, so if you have some history or sea stories (true of course), please pass that on to Don too. Here is Don's info. Email address is: vp90grob@chorus.net His mailing address is: 7225 Morril Dr, Mazomanie, WI 53560.

For those that want to head into Chicago, that weekend the Blue Angels will be performing at the Air Show along the Lakefront. They will be other activities that you can take part in. We will inform you about them on Friday night.

Here are the directions to get to the reunion. To get to Duffers Den, which is in North Chicago. It is located between US Hwy 41 and ILL 131 on ILL 137 (Buckley Rd). Take I-294 either North (Chicago) or South (Milwaukee) to ILL 137. Go East for 3 stoplights in the left lane past ILL 43. Duffers is on the North side (left). It is the former Great Lakes CPO Club. It is now the golf course clubhouse. To get to the marina continue on ILL 137, go East for 3-4 stoplights. Ill 137 will turn to the North, continue straight in the right lane. When you get to Sheridan Rd turn right. Go to the next stoplight and turn right to get to the main gate. You can get base passes at the office on the right, if needed. Go on the base and drive toward the tower and Ross Field. Go around on the right side of the field, by the reviewing stand, there will be a sign to the marina. Take this access road. At the marina go left for ½ mile. The picnic area will be on the right side.

I wanted to pass on some other information to you in this newsletter, some of this is repeat information.

I got this from Roger Shorr and the Naval Reserve Assn. Magazine. In Nov. 1998, Hanger One was placed on the National Registrar of Historic Places. It was built in 1929 by Curtis Flying Service. In that same year the Graf Zeppelin landed there during its around the world trip. In 1937 the Navy moved in. During the War, it was the largest primary flight-training base. Two lake steamers were converted into training carriers. A total of 17,000 students were qualified including LTJG. George Bush. In 1950 2 Glenview Reserve Fighter Squadrons were activated for the Korean War. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and James Lowell were reservists there. In the 1970's, NAS Glenview was an arrival point for POW's from Vietnam. On Sept 9, 1995 NAS Glenview was decommissioned ending 66 years of aviation history. There are now 450 members of the Glenview Hanger One Foundation.Also from the Chicago Tribune paper this winter. The former base is now called the "Glen". When completed in 10 years there will be additional 3400-4000 residents and 1500 homes. Homes will range from $300,000 to $1 million. Also there will be senior housing. There is now a man made lake at the intersection of Runway 17/35 and the Southeast taxiway. There will be an entertainment complex someday. Hanger One will stay. The old chapel was moved and now sits on the site. It was built by German POW's during WW II. There will be 2 golf courses. If you plan to come to the reunion you might want to drive there and see the progress.

We are waiting to hear from the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. We are offering to donate a copy of the VP-90 print "Sorry Charlie" to the Museum.

I received a message from Steve Solkshintz concerning the future of the P-3's. Here are the highlights. There are presently 200 P-3's with 12 active and 7 reserve squadrons. The Navy is considering having a new airframe to do the C-130, E-6 and P-3's mission. It would be called the Multi Mission Maritime aircraft, but the cost of development would have been 6-9 billion dollars. Each plane would have been 100-150 million dollars. The plan now is to upgrade the current P-3's to update III and AIP package (anti-surface warfare improvement). P-3's fired 14 standoff land attack missiles in Kosovo. They are the AIP P-3's. I am going to try and borrow some videotapes from Lockheed concerning the AIP upgrade and bring them to the reunion. The hope is to extend the life of the P-3's for 29-38 years with SRP (sustained readiness program, start in 2002) and SLEP (service life extension program, start in 2007). There is also talk of re-manufacturing the P-3's. It will replace the engines, the wings, tail and the avionics. That would cost 55-70 million dollars per plane. That might occur around 2014.

It should be fun getting back together. I was talking to Ron Leis and he said that there is a great Corpsman Museum at Great Lakes, it covers the Civil War to the present. It should be fun time; this should be our biggest reunion.

We will be discussing the next reunion, which might be in 2004. That will be the 10th anniversary since the squadron was decommissioned.

Please send your $10.00 per person payment for the reunion to my address below. Send the bottom portion to me with your money. Let me know if you are coming, so we can have a fairly accurate count of how many people will be at each function. Pass the word to other squadron mates. I need a response by 15 July

John Larson oriondriver1975@yahoo.com 651-456-9617
1496 Auburn Court
Eagan, MN 55122-1858

______________________________________________________________________________

Please detach this portion and return with you money.

Name________________________________ Spouse______________________________

Address_______________________________

City__________________________________ State_____________ Zip_____________

What Years You were in the Squadron_________________

Coming to: Friday at Duffers Den ________Yes _________No How Many_______

Saturday Picnic ________Yes _________No How Many_______

Sunday Brunch _________Yes ________ No How Many______

Interest in a Ship Cruise on Lake Mich on Sat or Sun night ________Yes _______No

Return
"VP-90 Association Reunion Summary Page"