Our purpose is to be an organization that will unite shipmates of two of three great sister ships and all the squadrons that served aboard these two ships. When this organization was formed there was no reunion association for U.S.S. Midway for the entire ship, only a few divisions. These two ships were the first aircraft carriers commissioned after World War II, within 7 weeks of each other, thus, enjoining them for the future. U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first ship ever named after a President of the United States although it was not planned that way in the beginning. She was originally named U.S.S. Coral Sea, the same as many other carriers were named for famous battles.
The plan for this organization is to give a home to the squadron members who served in squadrons that were assigned to these two ships. Presently, reunion associations of aircraft carriers require their members had served aboard the ship of the association, thus, splitting up squadron members who do not qualify. We believe this thinking is backwards; after all, the aircraft carriers were servicing the squadrons. Squadrons were then forced to have their own reunions but for some, the membership was too small to make it feasible. Sadly, some squadrons do not know what their future will hold. Members of squadrons could always attend the Tailhook Association but that has become very expensive. Presently, the annual dues for the Tailhook Association are $45.00. The registration fee for the annual convention is now $65.00 and for non-members it is $85.00. Lifetime membership in the Tailhook Association is now $795.00. That is over 17 times the annual dues. The location of the annual convention is always the same, Reno, Nevada and the time is always the same, the Wednesday after Labor Day. How many different squadrons do you need to enjoy yourself? We have 124 presently known qualifying squadrons, do you need more?
We plan to offer a different reunion location each year and will not return to the same location unless the membership votes to return. We will also encourage spouses, family members and friends to attend. We encourage direct descendants, as well as widows or widowers, of qualified members to become auxiliary members. If you have been searching The Internet for associations of these two ships to join based on your military service or based on your parents service to our country, you need not look any further. If you or your parents were ever associated with these two ships or with squadrons that were ever assigned to these two ships, we invite you to explore this web site further and would welcome your membership in Squadrons & Shipmates of the FDR/Midway, Inc.
Presently, most reunions are only thinking of the present and not looking into the future. As mentioned before, this is going to be a unique organization and one with a vision far into the future. The best way to explain our vision is to suppose we were all descendants of civil war veterans. Can you imagine the camaraderie there would be even though we were not veterans? This may also encourage children and grandchildren to join the Navy or Marines so they, too, will have something to look forward to.
Descendants of deceased qualified personnel will have one vote per generation. That would normally be the eldest living son or daughter but family members may agree on another family member who may not be the eldest. In all fairness each member only has one vote and this should not change in the case where the member is represented by another family member. It is our hope to preserve the voting membership to carry the organization into the future.
So our purpose is different from most reunion associations and we hope you will join our organization if you are eligible.
OUR COMMITMENTS
This
organization will change the usual ways aircraft carrier associations
or reunion associations are organized. We will provide another option
and thus, give squadron members and shipmates a choice of organizations
to join. It has been the norm that aircraft carrier reunion groups
require all members to have served on the ship. This left many of the
squadron personnel to form their own reunions because all members did
not serve on the same ship. Our commitment is to rectify that problem
and to give all squadron members a place where they can attend. Many
squadrons are doing quite well with their membership association and
will probably not join at this time. Members can belong to both
associations. That is one of our commitments, you will always be welcome
here.
Our most important
commitment will be that policies will be determined using the democratic
model of "Robert's Rules of Order" whereby the entire membership will
make decisions that affect the organization. The president will be able
to exercise certain powers as we cannot have more than one captain of
the ship. He or she will be operating within certain guidelines that
have long been established by associations. However, by following the
guidelines provided in Robert's Rules of Order, we will be able to
fulfill our vision of a democratic organization where everyone has a
voice.
Another
commitment is that all regular members, regardless of their length of
membership, will be eligible to run for office. Other associations have
required members to belong to the organization for a certain amount of
time before they are eligible to become an officer. This creates an
inequality in the rights of the membership and violates Robert's Rules
of Order. We anticipate there will be a number of
talented members who would provide very capable and fair leadership for
the association. Therefore, we do not want to impede the election of
any member because he or she does not qualify as a candidate based on
length of membership in the organization. All members will have equal
rights at all times.
Candidates for office will be able to conduct an election campaign if
they choose. They may use posters, campaign buttons or other means of
promoting their candidacy. Also, they may contact members via e-mail, if
the member has disclosed their e-mail address on the roster.
We
must maintain checks and balances so officers will not hold more than
one position or retain more than one title at any time after the initial
positions are filled. We will remain committed to maintaining a
democratic organization. With that in mind, when an unexpected vacancy
arises within the organization leadership, it will be expected that
members will be willing to help fill vacancies if asked. Our commitment
to maintain a democratically run organization is only supported by the
involvement of the entire membership. If the work is left to only a few
members, the organization then becomes authoritarian as defined by
Robert's Rules of Order. This is not the vision of Squadrons and
Shipmates of the FDR/Midway, Inc.
Our final commitment at this time will be our guarantee, as stated on
the application page, that you will not have to pay any annual dues if
we do not find at least two buddies in your division or squadron and
they become members of the association. The exceptions to this would be
if either, or both, of your buddies do not remain members of the
association or if there are no living members of your squadron or
division to find. We intend to work on the divisions or squadrons with
the fewest number of members first.
As we take this journey into
the future and the organization evolves, we will be able to make more
commitments to the membership. Future commitments will come from you. If
you are not happy with the way things are done, please tell us via
e-mail or the suggestion box page on this web site. Our pledge is that
no one will admonish you for speaking your mind. Issues that arise will
be decided by the executive board of nine members. Everyone will be
heard and a decision made and no consequences should ever be imposed
upon the speaker. Once a fair and impartial decision is made, it has to
be accepted or anarchy will raise its ugly head.
Our purpose is to be an organization that will unite shipmates of two of three great sister ships and all the squadrons that served aboard these two ships. When this organization was formed there was no reunion association for U.S.S. Midway for the entire ship, only a few divisions. These two ships were the first aircraft carriers commissioned after World War II, within 7 weeks of each other, thus, enjoining them for the future. U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first ship ever named after a President of the United States although it was not planned that way in the beginning. She was originally named U.S.S. Coral Sea, the same as many other carriers were named for famous battles.
