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NEW PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
 I would like to introduce myself
as your acting President and CEO of the RANGER Foundation. I am new to the Board of Directors having
joined on April 25, 2009. I was
appointed as Acting President upon the resignation of Ray Kutch, who has
led us for the past several years. I
wish Ray all the best in the expansion of his business and look forward to his
continued service as a member of the Board and to his assistance in the
transition to President.
Although new to the Foundation I
am not new to RANGER. I made two WESPAC
deployments on her during 1974-1976.
The second deployment included a rapid response to a crisis in Uganda
requiring RANGER to make a high speed run from Singapore across the Indian
Ocean to the West Coast of Africa. I
served in the airwing as Commanding Officer of VA-25 "Fist of the Fleet" flying
the A7-E Corsair II.
I have two equal priorities to
bring RANGER to Portland. (1) We must
obtain a mooring site that is located as close as possible to the city center;
and (2) We must raise the funds for the NAVSEA Application plus the major
funding to prepare the ship and shore facilities for museum operations plus
reserves for financial stability during the first five years of operations.
The time is short for us to
acquire RANGER. A new NAVSEA
Instruction dated June 2, 2009, changes the application process. Under the new process there was a notice
published in the Federal Register concerning the availability of
ex-RANGER for donation under the new rules.
We have 60 days from publication date to submit a Phase One
application. We are prepared to meet
the deadline, but we need financial support to prepare the application. To make your tax deductible donation please
go to our web site at www.ussranger.org
or mail your check to USS RANGER Foundation, 1505 SE Gideon Street, Suite 650,
Portland, OR 97202.
"Each of you can help Save
RANGER and bring her to Portland as a Museum Ship and Memorial."
Peter W. Ogle,
Captain, U. S.
Navy, ret.
Acting President and CEO
Peter.Ogle@USSRanger.org
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WHY WE EXIST
Our Foundation exists to save the
RANGER from the fate suffered by many proud Navy ships and to turn our
super-size aircraft carrier into successful museum ship in the Pacific
Northwest. We need your financial help
at this time.
Please remember, The USS RANGER
Foundation is a Non-Profit, IRC 501(c)(3) WA State Corporation. Your TAX FREE contribution in any
amount is welcome. Your donation goes
straight to cover the expenses directly related to the Foundation. We sincerely thank those shipmates who
have already made donations to save our ship.
To complete Phase 1 of the application process, we need to raise an additional $25,000 right now. Your support is imperative.
It is important for you to know
that all Museum Foundation board members serve without compensation
or reimbursement. Every Board
member is a volunteer and pays all their own expenses (e.g., travel, lodging,
meals, etc.).
For Secure online CREDIT CARD
or PAYROLL DONATIONS, please Click Here
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PORTLAND LUNCHEON
The Foundation-sponsored luncheon featuring former
Governor Vic Atiyeh and radio personality and former state legislator Jeff
Kropf was a huge success.
Wednesday, May 20th the Grand Ballroom at the Governor
Hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon, came alive with veterans, celebrities and
many enthusiastic people interested in learning about the USS RANGER Foundation
and the search for the perfect "home" for the "big boat."
Over 150 people gathered to hear former Oregon Governor
Vic Atiyeh and Jeff Kropf reminisce over times past, the USS OREGON's time in
Portland and what they see as a strong future for the RANGER as a museum,
educational facility and as a cultural center for the state. Guests were very
generous, making strong donations to the
Foundation.
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MIDWAY IS A SUCCESS
The MIDWAY Museum has been tied
up at the Navy pier in downtown in San Diego for five years. In May, the very popular MIDWAY welcomed her
four millionth visitors -- more than two years ahead of projections.
 MIDWAY visitors enjoy a
self-guided audio tour that guides them to 60 easy-to-find locations throughout
the ship -- many staffed with docents eager to answer questions. In addition, there are twenty-five freshly
restored aircraft on the flight deck and hanger bay, a well-stocked gift shop
and a sandwich bar on the fantail. One
of MIDWAY's prized exhibits is a beautifully restored SBD Dauntless dive bomber
which became famous during the battle for Midway Island in June 1942.
The success of the MIDWAY didn't
occur overnight! It's taken years of
hard work and numerous donations for the MIDWAY Foundation to reach this lofty
plateau
Our RANGER Foundation can be just
as successful but it is important for us to come forth with funds to keep us
going and to show potential large donors that her crew and friends really want
to save her! Large donors want to put
their money when they think they have a sure deal. To hire the experts, put a  four-inch thick proposal together, do
pier, traffic, impact, environmental, etc., studies costs money,. Without all of these studies there is no
place to tie up our ship. The Navy will
not donate her to us until we have a pier.
 
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GIFTS AT THE SHIP'S STORE
Our Foundation's storekeeper,
Gary Geverink, has as great selection of RANGER items in our ship's store. Contrary to popular belief, the new 12 oz
coffee mug does not come equipped with a diving board - it is not quite big
enough to swim in but it sure holds a Navy/Marine Corps-size cup of "Joe." Click Here to browse around - you will be glad
you did!
Your purchases help to support
our efforts to turn our ship into a museum.
It's a "win-win" situation. The
Foundation "wins" because it receives a portion of the sales price and you
"win" because of the great values you will find in the store.
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UNITED STATES NAVY PATHOS-
- Author Unknown
"We are the United States Navy,
our Nation's sea power - ready guardians of peace, victorious in war. We are professional Sailors and Civilians -
a diverse and agile force exemplifying the highest standards of service to our
Nation, at home and abroad, at sea and ashore.
"Integrity is the foundation of
our conduct; respect for others is fundamental to our character; decisive
leadership is crucial to our success.
We are a team, disciplined and well prepared, committed to mission
accomplishment. We do not waver in our
dedication and accountability to our Shipmates and families.
"We are patriots, forged by the
Navy's core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. In times of war and peace, our actions reflect our proud heritage
and tradition.
"We defend our Nation and prevail
in the face of adversity with strength determination and dignity. WE ARE THE UNITED STATES NAVY"
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A CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL
HONORS VETERANS
In May I was one of approximately
two hundred veterans representing all of our nation's armed forces who were
invited to attend the Rancho Cucamonga High School's annual "Veterans Oral
History Program." Veterans from World
War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan were in attendance.
The colors were presented by the
school's Air Force Junior ROTC and the Chamber Singers presented the National
Anthem. After the principal welcomed
the veterans, several students sat at tables with individual veterans and enthusiastically
interviewed them about the experiences we had while serving our country. An intermission was followed by a second
round of interviews by different students.
After the interviews the students
served lunch to the veterans and many continued speaking and asking questions
while the school's band played songs from each service.
This high school chose this day
not only to honor veterans for the service they provided our country but also
to help their students have a better understanding of the cost of
freedom. A student at my table asked
me, "Freedom is very expensive, isn't it?"
It was hard to determined who
enjoyed the program more - the students or the veterans.
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REMEMBER, DON'T GIVE UP OUR SHIP!
If you can read this
newsletter thank a teacher.
If you can read it in
English thank a veteran!
THE FANTAIL IS CLOSED
Stew Hunter
Rancho Cucamonga,
California
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