I want to also add my thanks to all submariners as I consider them friends and shipmates who have given much to keep our way of life.  Many thanks.  Frank Richard, YNCM(SS), USN Retired.

Thanks to all SS personnel....Vern

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Dear Shipmates,

 Thanksgiving is for giving thanks.  Being a submariner could often be 

thankless.  I've heard less than 1% of Americans have any military 

experience - and if that is true, I would venture a guess to say less than 

0.1% of Americans have any submarine experience.  So your average American 

wouldn't understand your sacrifice and contribution.  Your average veteran 

wouldn't either.  No cameras or TV coverage for our work as Cold Warriors on 

alert patrol.  So it isn't surprising that we didn't get many thanks.  I 

mean we are the submarine service - and as such we didn't talk much about 

it.  So let me say to all of you,

 Thank you with all my heart.

 Thank you for devoting years of your life to the defense of our nation.

 Thank you for enduring separation, long hours, hard work, and little privacy to keep the Carver ready.

 Thank you for racking out on Saturday mornings for all those field days.

 Thank you for busting your humps to get qualified and shoulder some of the load for the rest of us.

 Thank you for those miserably quiet Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays on watch.

 Thank you for all your work getting us through the RSE, ORSE, NWAI, NTPI and TREs.

 Thank you for donning the EABs and mustering on the mess decks for those never-ending drills.

 Thank you for putting up with demanding leaders who drove you, and seemed to dole out more criticism than praise.

 Thank you got sacrificing your relationships with your families to serve your nation.

 Thank you for your camaraderie which helped your shipmates through those long days on patrol and in the yards.

 Thank you for taking the time, trouble and expense to support the Carver reunions.

 Thank you for being so careful and safe with nuclear weapons, torpedoes, and nuclear power.

 Thank you for defending America 

 May God Bless you and your families.  I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

 Your Shipmate

 Frank Koye

 Commander, USN (Retired)