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Information on the 2008 reunion (click here)
USS BROUGH, DE-148 2007 REUNION
By Ron Zarem
Our ship held its 11th consecutive reunion in Conjunction with the DESA Convention in Albany, NY. We had 26 shipmates in attendance which included two of our "lost" shipmates who were represented by family members who also belong to DESA, making us once again the largest "ships company" at the convention. Those in attendance were: John Adriani, T.J. Cournoyer, Joe DeLuca, John Ernes, John Ertz, Mark Evdemon, George Gruntler, Dennis Horning, Harold Kicza, Fred Kirch, Henry Lang, Mike Marko, Frank Myler, Bill Netsch, Jim Parker, Fred Perkins, Ted Picard, Tom Sowell, Jack Trimmer, Wilson Walters, Fred Wiess, Peter White, Bill Wilson, Ron Zarem, Phyllis and Eva (Tom Gruber), and Sue and Sabina (Capt, Kenneth Hartley).
Aside from the tours provided through DESA, we arranged a special Brough get-together by cooking a breakfast aboard the USS Slater, DE-766. Fred Perkins, who was a cook aboard ship, got back in the galley for the first time
since 1955, and assisted in putting together a hearty meal of sausage, eggs, and yes - S.O.S.
It was like old times going through the chow line and filling up that meal tray with hot food from the steam tables, with the only thing different being seated next to attractive ladies on the mess deck who joined us in the meal.
Our Hospitality room was usually full, with intense conversation going on between our four first timers and the shipmates they hadn't seen in decades. Photo albums were brought out with rare pictures being enjoyed by all.
A total of 52 attended our ship's banquet at the hotel on Wednesday, Sept 5th and the evening concluded with eight people leaving with nautical door prizes and the 50/50 raffle winners being Fred Kirch and Mark Evdemon.
At our ships business meeting, it was decided to hold our 2008 reunion along with DESA.
A picture from the 2007 reunion
sent in by Mark Evdemon
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DESA - BROUGH 2006 Convention: The 10th consecutive DE-148 Brough reunion was held on Sept 7, 2006, at the Hyatt Hotel in conjunction with the DESA Convention at Dearborn, MI. A total of 44 were in attendance for the Brough dinner banquet and 20 were in attendance for the national banquet held on Sept 9th. In attendance for the Brough crew were the following persons: John Adriani, Roy Curtis, Joe DeLuca, John Ernes, John Ertz, Mark Evdemon, Frank Gotovich, Steve Hadley, Dennis Horning, Chuck Kellog, Bob Kessler, Garette Lockee, Bill Netch, Stan Pachucki, Fred Perkins, Wilson Walters, Fred Weiss, Peter White, Bill Wilson, and Ron Zarem. The three families in attendance were Phyliis and Eva (Tom Gruber), Sue and Sabina (Kenneth Hartley), and Rena (Paul Monaco). The DESA 31st 2006 convention was attended by over 350 shipmates and friends. Photos and more details will be posted at a later date.
A picture from the 2006 reunion sent in by Mark Evdemon
(Click on the thumbnail for a larger picture)
This was the ninth reunion of the Broughmates. It was in
conjunction with the DESA national convention. We met at the Buena Vista Palace
at Disneyworld. The Hotel and accommodations were quite good but many of the men
found the food to be quite expensive.
The turnout was not as good as it has been in the past. Normally we are in the
height 20's for attendees. This time we had only 16 and of that number 5 were
first timers. They were John Adriani, Tom Sowell, Peter White, Donald Knispel
and Fred Bucheit. The highlight of the meeting was the introduction of our first
captain's 2 daughters. Sabina & Sara Hartley. They both had a few words to say
and how happy they were to finally see a few of the men that had serves with
their dad. Prior to the banquet the Brough men met to discuss what the future
may hold in store as far as future reunions. It was pointed out that it is much
easier to meet with the DESA convention than do it alone. Our next projected
reunion will be in Dearborn , MI. In the afternoon also John Adriani brought us
up to date on the status of the proposed booklet. There were copies of
prepublication ideas passed about. They contained most of the info that will be
in the booklet minus any of the pictures. For the men and women that were at the
banquet in the evening things went very well. It was noticed that all of the
tables were deep in conversation most of the evening. This in itself made one
feel that things went along quite well. The two men that had really worked hard
to put this together were not able to attend( Ron Zarem & John Ertz) and they
were sorely missed. Hopefully they will be in attendance next year. See you all
then.
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The 2004 reunion was held in conjunction with the DESA
convention in Fort Mitchell, KY. It went quite well. If anyone has anything
memorable that they would like to share, please submit it.
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The seventh Brough reunion took place in Albany. The highlight of the weekend was a memorial service aboard the USS Slater, Followed by a tour of it. A tremendous amount of progress has been made in the last three years since the crew of the Brough toured in 2000.
As well as the many cultural events available in Albany the group took a luncheon cruise aboard the Dutch Apple, a tour boat tied right beside the USS Slater.
The usual Banquet was held at the Best Western.
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The 2002 reunion was held in Myrtle Beach, SC in conjunction with the DESA convention. About nine hundred people in all showed up. About thirty members of the Brough crew attended with guests. All enjoyed the scenery and attractions in the area. Despite the rain a few even enjoyed some of the golf courses that Myrtle Beach is famous for.
In a brief meeting that followed a very successful banquet it was decided that next year's reunion will be held in Albany, NY. After seeing a slide show illustrating the progress that has taken place on the USS Slater, (a D.E. being restored to its WWII condition as a museum) many would like to visit. The DESA convention will be in Denver, CO.
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USS BROUGH DE 148 FIFTH REUNION OCT 21-23,2001 ATLANTIC CITY, NJ
Thanks to the efforts of Joe & Bertie DeLuca together with Frank Kirkleski this was a fantastic reunion. Many of the men had been at each one but as always there are some that are there for the first time. With this ship there is a crossover from WW2 right through to ventures to the Antarctic. We were all able to visit the Battleship New Jersey, which is more than impressive. In the enclosed picture the men are identified as follows...
Submitted by Rod Blue
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The third Brough reunion was held at Bay City, Michigan on June 11 through 13, 1999. This reunion was not in conjunction with the annual DESA convention. Ron Zaren volunteered to plan and promote this event, with the help of Rod Blue. The two of them did a great job and everyone present enjoyed the the programs and events they had planned for us. The reunion was well attended with 10 World War II vets, 26 Korea vets, and 2 Vietnam vets, for a total of 38 shipmates, and a total attendance of 63 at the banquet.
Ron selected Bay City because of it's rich history in the lumber business and the fact that 17 Destroyer-Escorts were built in the shipyards there during World War II. The city has maintained many of the old homes occupied by the lumber barons at the turn of the 20th. century. Several events were planned that got us out into the city, such as the Trolley Tour of the old homes mentioned above; a visit to the Veterans Wall on which was listed the names of men and women lost during the many conflicts our country has been involved in. The Bay City Veterans Council supplied us with a Color Guard for this memorial ceremony. A former Brough Captain, Milton A. Stein, was the featured speaker. Following this event the group had lunch at a restaurant located in a building that housed the City Hall at the turn of the century, and was aptly named "Old City Hall". Another enjoyable event was dinner at an Italian Restaurant named "O Sole Mio". where we enjoyed group singing while the food was being prepared. And so it went, one enjoyable event after another.
The banquet was at the Holiday Inn where we were staying. It was well planned, the food was good, and the after dinner speaker gave us some history of the city. Many pictures were made to record this event for posterity. The Hotel provided us with a Hospitality Room for our pictures, papers, and sea stories. As usual it was a sad time when the hour came to depart, but there was the hope of seeing our shipmates again at future reunions. This observation was made, there is no longer men who served on the Brough or the Brow, but we are all shipmates from the Destroyer-Escort 148.
Crew picture by Rod Blue
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We had our second reunion at the Holiday Inn in Springfield, Mass. We had about 20 attendees and their wives or guests. I know that Marvin Hume was there with his son. This was his first time and he seemed to enjoy meeting a lot of the newer men. He was a member of the original crew and was one of the few that had been to sea. One other man of note was Marshall Silva. He was quite interested in the motel as he had been in on the designing of it. We all had a fine bus trip to visit the Slater. Needless to say the comments after the visit were far from complimentary. It was felt that if it were not for the rust the ship would have fallen apart. All participants seemed to be looking forward to the next reunion and it was decided at this point to have it in Bay City, MI. Believe it or not there were 17 DE's built here. A lot of work went into the reunion by Tom & Phyllis Gruber. This is just a short bit on our second reunion. It was hard to believe that some of us had not seen one another since 1945.
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Submitted by Rod Blue
The first Brough reunion was in Hampton, Virginia, and was in conjunction with the DESA National Convention. The DESA reunion was held on September 22 through 26, 1997, and Brough day was September 25. Some 127 ships were represented, and the Brough produced the largest delegation. Counting wives, there were 47 people representing the Brough.
Submitted by Dan Cooley
Submitted by Rod Blue
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Submitted by Rod Blue
