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October 2000 Scott W. Kinkele Dear Great '98, It is my sad duty to inform those of you who do not already know that we have lost another Classmate. On 28 July, Scott Walter Kinkele, was shot and killed. He was on his way back to NAS Whidbey Island after climbing Mt. Rainier with a friend. Just a few miles from home, he fell victim to the random and violent actions of a few criminals. There is no explanation for this brutal tragedy. His family and friends are equally shocked at the sudden death of such a strong and determined individual. Scott had just earned his NFO wings, and after his temporary duty in Washington, he was going to Spain for his first duty station. The memory of Scott and the positive influence he had on us all will never be forgotten. His family has created a Web page dedicated to his memory: www.kinkele.com. Also, please go to our Web page at www.usna98.org to see what we are going to do as a Class to remember Scott. Our prayers and thoughts are with Scott's family and all those who were close to him. In the midst of this bereavement, we all recognize that there are other aspects of life that are not so terrible, and here are some letters from the fleet of a more amiable nature. John Chau sent me the following: What's up '98. Got a little news from Cali for you guys. I am going to be leaving on a six-month deployment soon. That's what happens when you are the tip of the spear. Anyway, Jake Harriman and Russ Lascink will be rolling with me on the green side and Bridgette Ruiz (some of you remember her as Bridgette Stamp), Tom Odgen, Andrew Kellog and Kathy McMorrow will provide us with transportation. It should be a pretty fun float, unfortunately we will miss the entire Navy football season. Tommy bought a really tight speedo and completed the California Iron Man. Why he bothers to punish himself in such a manner, I will never know! I went out the other night with Donny Faul, Jake Hariman, Matt Palmisciano and Melissa Dunlap. Matt and Melissa are getting married next April. Matt is currently occupying his time in the jet pipeline. His call sign is the "Italian Stallion." Alright, I made that up, but you could imagine if it was. Greg Summa, Dustin Byrum and Brad Hipp are also going through the jet pipeline. All of those meat-heads should be finished with their training next February. Mark Brophy and his lovely wife, Nicole, are having a baby! He sent me a letter with a sonogram of the little whipper-snapper. It is due 22 November, the same day as Mark's birthday. Mark is in Enid, OK, where he is training to fly the E-6. Congrats, Mark and Nicole. This deserves a mention...Chris Person learned how to cook something besides hard boiled eggs (he recently acquired the George Foreman Grill). Keep up the good work Chris, your efforts are paying off. That is all I have for you guys. Take care! Thanks, John. I bet you will have fun on that deployment. Lots of Classmates to laugh with. From Ron Wisdom: I spoke with Rodney Clagg last night and he will be off to Spain at the end of the month in hopes of getting those dolphins soon. He is out of Kings Bay I believe, but lives not too far from Jacksonville, FL. As for me, just training financial devil dogs here in Kansas City. I have a platoon of 40 Marines if you believe that. Who would have thought in KC a platoon of 40 Marines in a non-combat MOS, but I'll take it! Semper Fi. Thanks, Ron, I like the new term "Financial Devil Dogs." Sounds like a future book title. Brendan D'Anna is at sea on the minesweeper DEFENDER. He just made pilot and will be going to Pensacola in October. Dan Martin is stationed at Camp Lejuene, NC, but right now he is in 29 Palms for an exercise until mid September. And that is all for this month, '98. Have a Happy Halloween and be safe out there. I hate having to spread bad news, and losing Classmates is the worst thing I could possibly write about. Fair Winds, DSF