Florida Chapter NCVA

Things are finally beginning to look a little better as related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccinations are coming along albeit slowly and with its share of confusion and frustration. I was finally able to win the Pasco county website free-for-all and get appointments for both the first and second shots. My wife however, not yet 65 years of age, has not been so lucky. Some of our members have had luck or heard about other having better luck using the VA.

Our treasurer John Koval has had both his vaccinations at the VA and Jack Maher was able to get shots for his son at the Tampa VA with no wait. The VA website at this link has some good information. Jack just drove in to the Tampa facility and was able to get the vaccination. They are located at 13000 Bruce B Downs Blvd, Tampa, FL 33612 and their phone number is (813) 972-2000. The Tampa VA facility has a very good website at this link. Check the VA in your area if you are having difficulty getting the vaccinations.

Jack and I will start working on our FLNCVA 2021 reunion in June. We will probably schedule it for an early October time-frame. I’ll publish more information as we start nailing down the details. The national NCVA reunion will be in Ft. Worth, TX this year. Details are on the NCVA website at this link.

The Winter 2021 Cryptolog listed a number of Floridians who have passed away in their “In Memoriam” section. Four of them were members of our FLNCVA:

Everyone stay safe and get your vaccinations when you are able. Hope to see you all this fall.

Joe Martfeld, President

The 2020 FLNCVA Reunion was canceled by a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors via e-mail on June 12, 2020. COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Florida as are the number of deaths from it. This plus the fact that the vast majority of our members are over 65 and therefore in the vulnerable category led to the board’s decision. The current directors will hold their offices until the 2021 reunion. In the mean time, everyone please be safe and follow the Federal and State guidelines for COVID-19 containment. We want to see everyone at the 2021 reunion!

Joe Martfeld
2020 FLNCVA President

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The 2019 Reunion in Altamonte Springs is in the history books but those who attended had a great time. Master Chief Penny Tardona gave an talk that was inspirational to all of us, but especially to our 2019 Sailor of the Year, CTN3 Jasoda Sukhram.

There are some big changes that were approved during the meeting and more will be coming out about this a little later. The short version is that we decided to downsize our Board of Directors to three positions and elect all of them for 3 year terms. These changes will take effect next year. Stay tuned for more info on these happenings!