The parties over...the parties over my friends... Man, it's really hard to get back into the real world again. I'll admit it, I'm damn lonesome! I didn t realize how much I missed all you guys. But maybe I'm no different than most of you, I took things for granted. I put words like "shipmate" and "brotherhood" somewhere in the back of my brain, nearly forgotten. It wasn't until Nellie (thank God for Nellie) got us together for the '99 reunion that the old feelings started to spout to the surface.. I think that reunion opened my eyes to the fact that yes indeed, the Spinax did have a life before I came aboard and continued to have a life after I left, and these men were as fiercely proud of their Spinax as I was of mine... What a concept! But I digress...I was going to talk about the 2001 reunion. I m still high over the whole affair. The happiness and pleasure at seeing my shipmates and brothers after all these years is and was, overwhelming! Sam, still the cigar smoking torpedoman who was my leader and hero, Doug, my traveling buddy who led me into the small, less explored nooks and crannies of Japan and Hong Kong, and kept me out of bars (well, some of the time), Cliff "Magilla Gorilla" one of my favorite roommates in San Diego, Fred "the Hawk", still taking on the world, Frank "the Goat" one of my favorite snipes, Chief Hand, my partner in newspaper crime, Larry, one of my earliest mates and friends (who went on to become an officer, but I won t hold that against him), Long Jack Hunter, one of my favorite officers and gentlemen, Big Bud Wiarda, "Baby Huk" Solanoy, small in size but big in heart, Bubba Smith who used to come up to the forward room and teach me tricks of strength (I wish I would have had more time to talk to him and give him a pat on the back for his hurts), Nellie, who still looks like an old sea dog, and last but definitely not least....Jay K. Davis, my favorite Captain, my Father figure, my mentor, and now my friend. Forgive me for not mentioning more of my brother's names for they are so numerous, and I love them all (even the snipes...hehe). I was also thrilled to be able to put faces to names that I have known so well through the web site and emails. Jack DeWitt, who I discovered was living a couple of miles from me and who I visited often to hash over old times, Dick Phillips who was on the reunion committee and who I had talked so often through email, Glenn Duncan, Darrell Clapp, Joe Averi, Clyde "Tex" Reed, who was so instrumental in letting us know that yes, there were indeed two crews to the Spinax (kidding, Tex), the Cleland brothers and all the rest of the wonderful, fun loving "oldtimers." I loved the slide show. We had slides of the old and new Spinax, and looking at them made us realize even more that we were all the same and we were having swim calls, bar-b-q's and getting into trouble the same way no matter what year it was or what the boat looked like. I would also like to mention the wives and lady friends that accompanied their men to this reunion. I can still see the amazed expressions as they saw the faces of the men they thought they knew so well, crack open with wide grins, loud guffaws, back slapping and hugs. A lot of them were also aghast as the sea stories started flowing and tales of daring-do, drunken debauchery, initiation rites, stuck stern planes, green bologna and nostalgia for a bunk that a homeless person wouldn t sleep on, came from the men they thought they knew so well. The talks from the Captains was special, especially memorable was the one from Captain "Call me Bud" Hankins, who told of the sad, final days of Spinax. Following the Captains was the ringing of the bell for our brothers on Final patrol. I couldn't resist glancing around a little during this time. I saw a lot of eye-wiping. Captain Davis, bless his large heart, was weeping openly. Man, what other boat could inspire that kind of loyalty and love. I mean, my God, what other kind of reunion could you go to and leave all your precious memorabilia laying out on a table and not worry about sticky fingers. I was never on another Submarine. The Spinax was all I knew so I really can't judge other subs, but everyone I ve talked to said that yes, there was something special about the old gal. An esprit de corps that no other submarine had and never will. She's gone, but, by God, not from our hearts. Peace brothers, Pecos (Boot Chief) MCWM(SS)