Rededicated by the Board of Directors on 9/11/2001 in recognition of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The common element of the rededication of the 9/11 attack with a relationship to all the other “skirmishes” (from Korea up to and including both Iraqi military undertakings) is the fact that our country was attacked and suffered a great loss of lives and property.
Original Dedication - 23 December 1999
On Behalf of the Board of Directors of the USS Block Island Association, this website, developed by its first webmaster, Jack Greer, who served on CVE-21 as a Machinist Mate and on CVE-106 as the Intelligence Department Yeoman, has hereby been established as a monument perpetuating the history of CVE-21 and CVE-106 and all the shipmates on the ships or squadrons who served on or with the two ships.
Originally on-line and dedicated on December 23, 1999.
Rededication - 11 September 2001
The Importance of Carriers
On September 12, 2001 the US State Department spent weeks trying to obtain airfield use from many Middle East Nations.
Before the first nation agreed to even limited use of their land, our President had four aircraft carrier groups on station in the Middle East seas. In less than seven days there were over 350 aircraft and five guided missile ships ready for action. On September 21st, another aircraft carrier group was anchored in the ports of Japan. On September 27th, this group was on station in the Middle East, providing a total of well over 450 combat-ready aircraft. Even more important is the fact that the carriers had the pilots, aircrews, the aircraft service personnel and all the fuel and aviation ordnance needed to support the early operations. To undertake this task on any foreign nation’s soil would take months of planning and involve hundreds of ships and transport aircraft which would overwhelm the facilities of any foreign country. The carriers of today can move from “sea to shining sea” in less than seven days.
History has repeated itself in the words of President Roosevelt, “Thank God for the carriers”.
Special Recognition - The Greer Family
Sep 12, 1927 – Oct 1, 2000
The original development and maintenance of this website was the direct result of the passion the Greer family has had for the Block Island Association. Doris Marie Greer, the wife of Jack Greer who served on both CVE 21 and CVE 106 got the Greer family involved in setting up the Website back in 1998. She had saved all the pictures, books, papers and stories that Jack had sent her before they were married in 1946 and had them placed away in storage.
She got her “boys” ( in the photo at left, Gary, Tim, Bill, David, and Randy are in the back row with Jack and Doris out front ) to show Jack how to build the start of the website and when they all felt that the idea was lost she continued her insistence to build the website. On December 24, 1999 the website went into cyberspace with only three pages. While Doris was the push, Jack and their 5 sons had to undertake the work of actually building the website. She felt that it would be a good Xmas for all our shipmates. That was just the start, she kept up the pressure and by May 1, 2000 the website contained the equivalent of over 50 printed pages of pictures and stories. Jack with the assistance of his whole family developed the website and kept in running. It soon became the “face” of the association to the public. Many lost shipmates and their families discovered the association and it’s activities as a result of the new website. She continued “pushing” until her death on October 1, 2000. Her last effort was to see that digital pictures were taken of those attending the year 2000 reunion and published on the Website. One of her last wishes was that her family continue their efforts toward the site.
Doris knew many of the original crew of CVE 21 dating back to 1942 when she went to the roller skating rinks with many of the then 17 year old “boots”. They were in Seattle awaiting completion of the construction of CVE 21.
Jack did not meet her until 1944 when he was in Seattle awaiting completion of CVE 106. They were introduced to each other by several of the old crew members of CVE 21. They both were younger than the majority of the crew and were still in the roller skating age era. Hector Vernetti, a parachute rigger on both CVE 21 and CVE 106, who was one of the mates that introduced Jack to Doris, and attended their 53rd wedding anniversary in Phoenix Arizona in 1998.
For this major contribution by Jack, Doris, and the entire Greer family, the members of the USS Block Island Association give special recognition and will always be grateful.