(September 2008) ASSOCIATION MEMBER
BENEFIT HELD
Vince Bycraft, formerly with VFA-25, has contracted cancer
in his lymph system due to a melanoma and is currently undergoing
treatment in Texas. A spaghetti dinner benefit was held on
Saturday, September 13. The Association donated money and a
raffle item, a model F-18 in VFA-25 livery. Following is an
email received from Vince's father after the event was
held:
From:
rbycraft@wowway.com [mailto:rbycraft@wowway.com]
Sent:
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 10:03 PM
To: Robert
Kison
Subject: RE: VFA 25 Past member has contracted cancer and
needs help.
|
Robert, We received the association
donation and items for raffle.
We sold 191 dinner along with a bunch
of baked goods sponsored by the Michigan Military Moms. The
event was a hit. The dinner was great, the company
good, and the generosity overwhelming. I want to
thank the Fist of
the Fleet Association and you Bob for your support.
When I told Vince of the event and
the support, emotions erupted. I had to wait until
Sunday as Saturdays are sick call days for him. I hope
you understand.
I will be delivering the hat, from
you and some other items, to him next month. I
will be going to Tx. next month. The evening was a
great success.
Thank you and the Association for
everything. |
--
Regards,
Ron Bycraft
(H) 313-563-9666
(C)
313-407-1625
rbycraft@wowway.com
(April 2007) Association Receives Letter From
CO VFA-25
14 April 2007
To the
Association, greetings:
We are
eastbound from a short-notice surge deployment aboard USS RONALD
REAGAN (CVN 76) and welcome the anticipation of returning to our
loved ones, a springtime we only know of through the intermittent
satellite channels, and weekends that mean days off from work.
Little things that we keep reminding ourselves each at-sea period
or deployment that we will not lose appreciation for, yet find
that once removed from, we have indeed been less grateful and
thankful for the culture of work and rest that the U.S.A. has
fostered.
A big thank
you once again to the Association for supporting our sailors that
reach above their normal course of duties and study college
courses on their off-duty time. Four FIST sailors completed their
terms at the end of February and await their grades, and then we
will encourage them to submit grant applications to the
Association! An additional fourteen sailors are enrolled in this
spring term that concludes in June.
Encouraged
no doubt by the support from the Association, among the varied
motivations to take college courses while full-time employed,
these sailors are an example of the fighting spirit that God has
blessed this country with, sailors that serve their country in
many ways. So thank you FIST of the FLEET Association for taking
part in an important contribution to our Navy's, and our
country's, future.
One small
sea story about the Association's gift of flashlight carabineers
sent earlier this year. A certain young petty officer who
regularly puts in fourteen hour shifts up in the forward wardroom
carries his on a belt loop. He uses it to navigate the passageways
of the darkened ship amidst his duties late at night, and also to
minimize the disturbance in the berthing compartment. It is a
small matter to keep to oneself and limit the additional
disruption with the overhead lights, there are plenty of other and
much larger disruptions around this living, breathing ship, but he
takes the time to use a small flashlight, given by an Association
of former FISTies, to make his corner of the ship easier and
quieter to navigate. So on behalf of this one example, "thank you"
FIST of the FLEET Association for the mini-flashlight
gifts.
The
squadron's work will not be complete when we return from this
surge deployment. We have two of the larger maintenance
inspections to undergo in the next several months. In addition,
our scheduled work-up cycle for the 2008 deployment looms this
fall, with the first NAS Fallon detachment and subsequent at-sea
periods with the Air Wing. We have been triumphant in the
preceding months through hard, diligent work across the command,
and count on these God-given experiences to set us up for another
cycle of carrier-based training and
employment.
We wish all of you a prosperous 2007 and
gallant reunion this fall, and trust our bond of service to the
fleet and our nation will remain strong.
Respectfully,
CDR Steve Thompson, USN
FIST ONE
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070403-N-7130B-138 SOUTH CHINA SEA (April
3, 2007) - An F/A-18C Hornet, assigned to the “Fist of the
Fleet” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25, breaks the sound
barrier while performing a supersonic flyby of USS Ronald
Reagan (CVN 76) during an air power demonstration. The air
power demonstration was performed by Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14
and featured participation from each of the eight squadrons
assigned to CVW-14. Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is
underway in support of operations in the western Pacific. U.S.
Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron
Burden (RELEASED)
|
(October
2006) Here's a great photo of the Fists on the WestPac 2006
deployment--thanks to each of them for their
service!
(June 2004) GREAT
NEWS!!! The Association is now incorporated and has received a
501 (c) (19) designation as a non-profit military organization from
the Internal Revenue Service (which allows tax-deductible
donations). The incorporation (in the State of California)
formalized our group as FIST OF THE FLEET ASSOCIATION, INC.
The mission statement is presented as a separate page on this
website.
Informally, the organization began with the first Reunion of
former squadron mates in 1996 in Reno, NV. A second Reunion
was held in Pensacola, FL in 1998 with six active squadron members
present. A third Reunion in San Diego, CA, was held in 2000,
and the most recent Reunion in Virginia Beach, VA, was in October
2003. At that meeting a steering committee was
selected with a unanimous goal of becoming an "official"
organization.
Membership in the Association will consist of individuals
who, during their active military service in the United States Navy,
were members of, or temporarily attached to Squadron(s) VT-17,
VA-6B, VA-65, VA-25, or VFA-25, or members of her/his extended
family. Membership dues are discussed on the
Membership/Donations page.
By clicking on the above image,
you will be directed to the Queensboro Shirt Company where the
Reunion shirts have been purchased. The Association logo is
on file, so you can order shirts, hats, etc., without
paying a setup
fee. Be sure to indicate your order is part of the
Fist of the Fleet Association because the Association will get a
$25 credit anytime someone new orders....wear some great shirts
and help out the Association at the same
time!!! |
