HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 

U.S. WWII sub appears to have been found

Women and Young People are the future of Rotary

Rotary Clubs organize Charity Concert for underprivileged children

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U.S. WWII sub appears to have been found

Chief Navy Diver Jon Sommers and Navy Diver 1st Class Kevin Parsons, right, monitor the surface phase of the decompression chamber aboard the rescue and salvage ship USS Salvor, June 12 in the Gulf of Thailand. The ship is over the wreckage site of what the Navy says appears to be the World War II submarine USS Lagarto. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Robert S. Cole)

Audrey McAvoy
Associated Press
Honolulu - For 60 years, Nancy Kenney wondered what happened to her father. The submarine that William T. Mabin was in disappeared while he and his crewmates were on a mission to attack a Japanese convoy in the last months of World War II.
Now, the Navy says a wreck found at the bottom of the Gulf of Thailand appears to be the sub, the USS Lagarto.

A wreath that will be placed on the ocean above the resting site of what is believed to be the World War II submarine USS Lagarto is displayed during a memorial at sea aboard USS Salvor on Saturday, June 17, 2006, off the Gulf of Thailand. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Robert Cole)
“I have never in my life, unequivocally, felt such a high,” said Kenney, who was 2 years old when her father and the submarine did not return from their mission in May 1945.
“We can just feel a sense of relief and a sense of peace in knowing what happened and where they are,” said Kenney, of Lake Leelanau, Mich.
Navy divers on Friday completed a six-day survey of the wreckage site. They took photos and video of the 311-foot, 9-inch submarine for further analysis by naval archeologists.

An American flag now waves proudly from the wreckage of what the U.S. Navy believes to be the sunken World War II submarine, USS Lagarto.
The divers found twin 5-inch gun mounts on the forward and rear parts of the ship - a feature believed to be unique to the Lagarto.
They also saw the word “Manitowoc” displayed on the submarine’s propeller, providing a connection to the Manitowoc, Wis., shipyard that built the Lagarto in the 1940s.
Eighty-six sailors died when the Lagarto sank in May 1945. The Japanese minelayer Hatsutaka reported dropping depth charges and sinking a U.S. sub in the area, though it was never known what ship it destroyed.

The bow of what the U.S. Navy believes to be the sunken World War II submarine, USS Lagarto.
The Navy sent its divers to examine the ship to provide the sailors’ families with some answers after a British professional shipwreck diver last year found what looked like the Lagarto, said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet Submarine Force.
“It was important to bring a sense of closure to these families and it was important to do it in a way that would honor our fellow submariners,” Davis said.
The Navy wouldn’t do anything with the ship even if it conclusively determined it was the Lagarto, considering the sea to be a proper final resting place for “our people who are killed in action,” he said.

USS Salvor Chief Navy Diver Jon Sommers, holding wreckage, searches for an identifying marker on the forward capstan of what is believed to be the submarine USS Lagarto. (AP Photo/ U.S. Navy, Jon Sommers)
The wreckage site over 100 miles off the eastern coast of Thailand is also likely to go undisturbed.
U.S. laws and international agreements already protect sunken U.S. warships from looters or others who would disturb the site, Davis said.
Since Kenney was just a toddler when her father went to war, she has no conscious memories of their life in LaGrange, Ill. But she said news of the Navy’s dive “was the most important piece” of a puzzle about her father that she’s been trying to put together for six decades.
The children of the Lagarto sailors feel closer to their fathers now more than ever, she said.
“We feel like we’ve found our fathers,” Kenney said.

A U.S. Navy diver from the USS Salvor cleans marine growth from a hatch of what is believed to be the submarine USS Lagarto on June 14, 2006, in the Gulf of Thailand. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Jon Sommers)

Divers found twin 5-inch gun mounts on the forward and rear parts of the ship - a feature believed to be unique to the Lagarto.

 

Women and Young People are the future of Rotary

R.I. President touched by Thai passion for benevolence

By Pratheep Malhotra
Past President
Rotary Club
of Jomtien-Pattaya
At the end of a most worthwhile visit to the Pattaya Orphanage, the school for deaf children and the Redemptorist School for the Handicapped (Pattaya Mail Vol. XIV. Iss. No.22) Rotary International President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar highlighted his brief visit to Pattaya by attending the Rotary Inter City meeting. This gathering of more than 300 Rotarians from the east, central and northeast Thailand was held at the Town in Town Hotel on the evening of May 26.

Pattaya Mayor Niran Watthanasartsathorn presents the Key to the City to President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar.
Welcoming the distinguished guests, District (3340) Governor Jin Srikasikorn, spoke of the achievements of the district, mentioning the 10,000 bicycle project for underprivileged school children and the implementation of the Clean Water Projects in his district. “The district also made headway on the Literacy Projects and providing computers to rural schools in the northeast,” he reported.
In his keynote address to the assembly of Rotarians, President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar said, “I decided not to have special executive conferences during my travels because I have to sit so far away from my fellow Rotarians. Holding an Inter City meeting gives me an opportunity to be close to my friends, so that we can meet and talk to each other. Real Rotary fellowship is here, not in the boardroom.”
President Stenhammar said that he was not new to Thailand. Being in the food business he traveled to this ‘beautiful country’ often, but had never been to Pattaya. With a twinkle in his eyes he proudly informed the captivated Rotarians that his daughter-in-law is Thai and that he has a granddaughter who is the most beautiful girl in the world.
During the evening a video presentation of the relief efforts undertaken by Rotary Clubs in Pattaya for the tsunami victims was shown. It depicted how Rotarians from our community went down south to donate relevant equipment and tools and physically helped fishermen rebuild their boats, so they could go out to sea and earn their livelihood again. From the images shown on screen, one could see by the smiles on the faces of people who were severely affected by the natural disaster, that hope and a sense of normalcy and security were returning to their lives.
This naturally touched the emotions of the RI president immensely and he promised to tell the world of what he saw and experienced.
President Stenhammar spoke of the expansion of Rotary around the world. Noticing that there were two Rotarians from Estonia present in the room, he said, “Rotary in Estonia was formed in 1930, but due to the outbreak of the Second World War, the clubs were disbanded in 1939 and all members were killed except for two.” But recently Rotary has once again been revived in that country, with the first club chartered in 1991.
He went on to talk about other areas where Rotary thrived, mentioning that the biggest district in the world is District 5010 which covers 90% of east Russia, Alaska and Canada. “You think you have large districts? Well this one covers 11 time zones!” he exclaimed. The president went on to say that the very first Russian district would be officially formed on July 1 this year.
As for other countries, China is back with clubs in Beijing and Shanghai, Cuba was not ready to allow one at the moment and negotiations are being held with the Laotian authorities with the hope that a provisional club could be formed this year. He said, “Next year we will also go to Vietnam. By opening these countries for expansion we are setting a platform of how Rotary can expand in the future.”
President Carl-Wilhelm says that people look upon Rotary as a mini United Nations, “But we feel that we are actually a full-fledged UN in terms of our coverage of the areas around the world where we operate, but of course not in terms of their money.
“We have cooperated with the UN for the past 20 years in our efforts to eradicate polio, and we are happy and proud to say that by the end of this year - except for one country - we have been able to achieve this goal,” he said.
Carl-Wilhelm reminisced on the profound statement made by Dag Hammarskjöld, former UN Secretary-General, who said, “The UN was created, not to bring mankind to heaven, but to save it from hell.”
Regarding membership in Rotary, the president said that women are playing an important part in Rotary and if the organization had not allowed women to join Rotary in 1989, “we would have been in deep trouble. We were losing members at a rapid pace, but now with more than 84,000 women in Rotary the numbers have stabilized somewhat. We urge you all to look in your community for women to take up leadership positions. Women possess the talent and the skills and Rotary needs them.”
In regards to the younger generation of Rotarians, the president said, “The young people are sick and tired of being told what to do. We must sit with them and talk with them. We must listen to their needs. We must find ways of making Rotary interesting for them. Rotary needs young people to ensure our future.
“Rotary is like a big party … without guests there is no party and without members there is no Rotary. If we go on like this, in 30 years our generation will all be gone, then there won’t be any Rotary … the party will be over.”
In closing of his speech ad insight into the world’s largest service organization, he said, “If we can take care of the women and the younger generation, Rotary has a bright future.”

Photo Ops galore. Rotarians gather around the
RI President for the picture of a lifetime.

Rotary Club of Pattaya

Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya.

Rotary Club Pattaya Marina

Rotary Club of Taksin Pattaya

Rotary Club of Plutaluang

Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard

Rotary Club of Sattahip

A group of Rotarians at an informal breakfast with RI President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar and RI Director Noraseth Pathmanand at the poolside terrace of the Royal Wing in the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.

Rotary Clubs organize Charity Concert for underprivileged children

Young musical prodigies take Pattaya by storm

Suchada Tupchai
To coincide with the visit of Rotary International President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar, the five Rotary clubs in Pattaya organised a musical performance by the APEC 2003, an ensemble of gifted young Thai musicians for the benefit and enjoyment of children from the Redemptorist Home for Street Children and the Pattaya Orphanage.

Pattaya’s very own Pa Prem, a man with a heart of gold.
World-renowned Tiffany’s Cabaret Theatre kindly gave their permission for the organisers to use the theatre for one afternoon so that children of our community could be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the musical extravaganza.
Past District Governor Premprecha Dibbayawan spoke to the children, saying, ‘I am very pleased that you have been given this opportunity to experience the musical talents of the young Thai musicians and that seeing them would encourage you to create opportunities for yourselves in society.’
The APEC 2003 is an extraordinary group of young performers whose ages range from 4 to 13 years. They hail from Khon Kaen and because of their extraordinary talents have performed for the visiting heads of state at APEC Summit in 2003. Their performances greatly impressed the international dignitaries who attended the summit and brought much fame to Thailand.
The “APEC 2003” Band is comprised of Miss Sabaitip Ruenpakpian (Nong Prae), Miss Khwanchanok Liwara (Nong Nokjang), Miss Silsupa Sukko (Nong Baipo), Miss Hataipat Ruenpakpian (Nong Pim) and Master Matpan Tonguthaisri (Nong Big) under the directorship of Mr. Suchart Ruenpakpian, Administrator of Navikitasilp Music Academy in Khon Kaen. Miss Sabaitip Ruenpakpian. Nong Prae a violinist who is still only 13 years old but has outshone many child prodigies in the country, winning the Young Art Musician Award presented to her by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The group played songs from many cultures including Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Malaysian and Indonesian with a mixture of fun, classics, Latino, and even Elvis Presley classics.
The one-hour performance ended with “I will survive” and a song of homage to His Majesty the King.
The young audience left the theatre with their hearts filled with music, thanks to the benevolence of service minded Rotarians.

Nong Prae mingles with the audience to give them a close-up of her talents.

The kids thrilled the audience with their performance.

Children gather outside Tiffany’s in high anticipation of an enjoyable afternoon of music and fun.

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