About Joining - a message from our President, Bill Cook

s one of the founding members of the AD31 Association, I'd like to invite you to join our AD31 Association. In January 2003, we officially opened our membership roles as a new organization with the special mission of preserving the memories of years long since past, but not forgotten. In 2004, we incorporated as a 501(C3) not-for-profit corporation as USS Tidewater AD31 Association, Inc.

In preparation, during the Fall of 2003 we formed what we called the AD31 Steering Committee and met for a planning session in Charleston, SC aboard the restored USS Yorktown in the CPO Mess. All members in good standing were invited to attend. Twenty-two of us did that. At this meeting we elected Board Members, drew up by-laws and planned for a first ever Ship's Reunion to be held in October 2004 in Charleston SC.

Our steering committee picked Charleston for our first reunion because that city was the birthplace of the Tidewater, and there are many wonderful historical naval sites and places of Maritime interest located there. In total with spouses and guests, we had nearly 100 in attendance.

In September 2006, we held our 2nd Ship's reunion. This time it was in St. Augustine FL. We do these every two years now. We had a very good turnout in St. Augustine. Our 2008 reunion will be held in Branson, MO and promises to be choice liberty for our sailors and their guests.

I need to make you aware that it is the AD31 Association that is making all this possible. Our members' dues are taking care of our website, regular mailings to members and planning, organizing and carrying off reunions and making our Ship's Store merchandise available. We are a registered not-for-profit corporation composed of volunteers who want to keep AD31's memories afloat. The Tide is long gone, but thanks to our membership our memories are very much intact.

AD31 is just some letters and numbers now, but it was my home and workplace during many of my Navy years. I met a lot of wonderful people aboard the Tidewater and have many special memories that I cherish yet today of being a sailor in the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet. If the Tide has the same significance for you, then I hope you'll agree that it's time you did this.

You can fill out the form below and we'll mail you the necessary forms, etc. Or you can simply print the form here online by going to this link. In any case, I hope we'll see your name, rank and serial number on our roster soon with a promise of reliving some of your favorite Tidewater memories.

Bill Cook, President
USS Tidewater 10/62 - 9/65
ad31@UssTidewater.org