Updated 8/14/08
In 1986, Jeff Jeffers put an ad in the American Legion Magazine in an attempt to locate his shipmates who served with him on the LCS(L) 102. The ad resulted in one reply from another former LCS(L) sailor who served on LCS(L) 100. Discouraged by this singular response, he ran the ad again in 1987 and asked for all ex-LCS(L) men to contact him. In a short time, he was contacted by many who had served on the Mighty Midgets, and thus was born the National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130.
The first convention was held in Libertyville, Illinois, during August 13-15, 1987, and was attended by 150 people. Elected to office at this first reunion were: Skipper - Jeff Jeffers, Executive Officer - Ben Kaberline, First Lieutenant - Bill Reid, Supply Officer - Bruno Campagnari, and Newsletter Editor - L. Richard Rhame. The Association was incorporated in the State of Illinois. Each year since then, the Association has held a reunion at one of the country's major cities. Attendance at the reunions has been excellent, with many members bringing not only their wives, but also their children and grandchildren and spending extra days sightseeing.
The purposes for which the National Association of USS LCS(L) 1-130 is organized are: (1) to locate every shipmate living, or the widows of those departed, (2) to educate the general public on our WWII contributions, (3) to establish a permanent archive and repository for memorabilia, souvenirs, and personal written or recorded accounts of events, (4) to attempt to locate one of our ships for preservation, (5) to publish a quarterly newsletter, (6) to establish an appropriate memorial dedicated to the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives for our country, (7) to encourage and promote the activities of individual LCSers, and (8) to keep and preserve the friendships made at the annual reunions.
Executive Committee 2008 - 2009
Skipper - Bob Cowell - LCS 128
Executive Officer - Bob Augustad - LCS 50
Secretary - Dennis Steenbergen - LCS 49
Treasurer - Olin Hammer - LCS 15
Board of Directors
Immediate Past Skipper - Ed Desmond - LCSs 128
Director-At-Large - Gil Nadeau - LCS 45
Director-At-Large - Regina Wage - LCS 38
Director-At-Large - John Rooney - LCS 82
Legal Officer - David Edstrom - LCS 47 & 28
Chaplain - Walter Longhurst - LCS 61
Historian/Archivist - Rob Rielly - LCS 61
Newsletter Editor - Regina Wage - LCS 38
MightyMidgets.org Webmaster - John Wisner - LCS 37
Board Members in Attendance at the 2007 Reunion
From Left to Right (Top) - Olin Hammer, Treasurer, Robert Rielly, Archivist/Historian, Regina Wage Newsletter Editor, Mark V. Sellis, Past Skipper, John Rooney, Secretary, Gordon Meeker, Skipper, 2007, Robert Wisner, Director at Large
(Bottom) - John Wisner, Webmaster, Ed Desmond, Skipper, 2008 Bob Cowell, Executive Officer, 2008, Gil Nadeau (Shorty), Director at Large