History of the Kyushu Military Retiree Association

I have been asked to tell some of the unique history regarding the Kyushu Military Retiree Association. The Association was formed in 1993.

While several of us retirees were sitting at the bar located in the Chief Petty Officers Club on a Saturday afternoon the conversation turned to something like this; “Does anyone sitting here at the bar think we should be more visible to the Command” said Lee Brogden (retired OSC). All of us sitting at the bar nodded our heads yes. So, Lee set up a formal meeting in the upper Sakata Room of the Harbor View Club to kick this idea around.

On the next Saturday we held our meeting with approximately sixty retirees present. Light snacks were provided by the club with coffee etc. Of course, the bar remained open for us as well. Believe this or not, we all refrained from alcohol during the meeting. A vote of sorts was taken as to whether we really wanted to make this an official organization, with the results being in the affirmative a discussion began.

Questions/points were brought up by several present: 1. What would be call ourselves 2. What was our goal 3. What would our structure be. These were the main points brought up.

Our main goal was to ensure that widows in the area were taken care of as far as receiving their rightful benefits from the Navy. Some of our other goals were to ensure that we kept in touch with one another and that our camaraderie was kept alive and well. In addition, we wanted to be recognized by the community and present that positive attitude that all retired US Navy personnel epitomize and strive to maintain.

We learned that to be a recognized Private Organization on the base we had to have a set of By-Laws. We fashioned our By-Laws after the VFW Constitution and By-Laws. We then proceeded to hold our first official meeting about four to six months later electing our first set of Officers. By a unanimous vote Lee Brogden (OSC, Ret) was elected as our first President, Chuck Gustin (STCM, Ret) Vice President, Mac McKnight (Military Sealift Command, retired Purser) as our Secretary, and AJ Drum (SHC, Ret) Treasurer. Our membership has consisted of Retirees of all branches and grades of Military Service and often members of the local Japanese MLC Community who have contributed to the Association in one form or another over the years.

Many of us were in our late forties and early fifties during the early years of the organization. We participated in several base fund-raising events throughout the years. We traditionally held many large events to celebrate various occasions during the year. Many of the wives were great supporters of the organization. The Harbor View Club/CPO Club often saw an abundance of business during our meetings.

Christmas time saw us delivering gifts to the children’s ward at Kyosai Hospital for several years in our beginning. Our favorite Santa Clause was Earle Epperson who would often have his daughter, Brenda Epperson, dress as one of his elves. Due to staff changes in the hospital this event has gone by the wayside. The Kyushu Military Retiree Association is recognized as the only Private Organization who began the yearly trek to the Soto Dam Memorial to recognize the POW’s who gave their time/sacrifices in building of the Soto Dam in Yunoki-cho.Upon completion of the Ceremony we would all gather at Nimitz Park to enjoy fellowship and a picnic.

Many of our deceased members and current members have held various positions on the Executive Board over the years. Lee Brogden, Scotty Branyan, Dave Sobieck, Randy Miller, Mo Wear, Steve Marion, Gordon Dziewit, Bill Cloonan, David Mizukami, and Larry Nesby to name a few have served in various capacities throughout the years of our existence. At times our numbers shrank to a handful of personnel and then our members would seem to grow exponentially.

We have recently seen a resurgence in growth. This is a good thing and is looked upon quite favorably by some of our older members in the area who have been here from the beginning.

As the organizations’ Historian I won’t bore you with any of the minutes from our meetings held over the years. I have compiled this short historical document to the best of my memory. We have all had a wonderful ride since 1993 and it is hoped that the Kyushu Military Retiree Association will continue to flourish and thrive at Commander Fleet Activities Sasebo for many years to come.