Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That
banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar; --
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.
Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er
the flood,
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor's tread,
Or know the conquered knee; --
The
harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
Oh, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to
the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!
Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That
banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar; --
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.
Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er
the flood,
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor's tread,
Or know the conquered knee; --
The
harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!
Oh, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to
the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!
Like the Gentleman from Georgia
President Jimmy Carter,
USS Constellation
will be replaced by Ronald
Reagan
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We met in Las Vegas, NV, in June 2002, after 30 years, Dave Naylor, Steve Pepus, Rick Meischer, Dave Stewart,
DJ Stewart, Kevin Moore and Mike Friedberg held our first reunion for OI Division, USS Constellation.
There were more of us in July 2005, as we held our second reunion in San Diego, CA. Dave Naylor, Steve
Pepus, Rick Meischer, Dave Stewart, Kevin Moore, Mike Friedberg, Cam Dexter, Vic Tolle, Neil Fortner, Paul Nichols,
Bill Stronk, Bill Roberts and Miquel Razo.
In July 2008, we had a great time The Alamo City, San Antonio, TX. Again Dave Naylor, Rick Meischer, Dave
Stewart, Paul Nichols, Mike Friedberg, Vic Tolle and Bill Stronk, met up with reunion first-timers Rick Dietz, Mike Martyn,
and Steve Newman for a trip to the Alamo and the Riverwalk, and Seaworld.
We all had a Philippine-style BBQ at Mike & Elly Friedbergs house where we tossed back just a few beers
and listened to the tales of Boudreaux and Thibodeaux. Did I mention Kareoke?
Those who arrived on Thursday were able to partake in a BBQ setup by Mike Friedberg and his co-workers at SecureInfo
Corporation, at Brooke Army Medical Center for about 150 wounded servicemembers being treated for the injuries they received
in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families. (Read more about the Warrior and Family Support
Center and see what you can do to support our troops).
I also wish to salute all the wives, family and friends who attended as well.
Our deepest sympathy to our brother and friend Steve Pepus, as the sudden passing of his beloved wife Nadine
was hard for us all. Our prayers and wishes go to Steve and his sons Justin and Damon. We hope to see you in 2011.
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Mark your calendars for July 2011! OI Division, USS Constellation
will hold it's fourth reunion in the Nations Capital, Washington, DC.
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