The USS Lapon Association was formed October 21, 2000, to perpetuate the memory of two fine submarines, SS 260 and SSN 661. The crew of the 260 served gallantly in WWII. The 661 made a mark for itself during the Cold War years.
I personally extend my welcome to all Lapon sailors. One of the prime missions of the association is to identify all Lapon officers and crew. To date Association members have put a great deal of effort into locating shipmates. Our ultimate goal is to have all former shipmates become members of the association
Lapon sailors enjoyed a fantastic reunion in 2000, at Virginia Beach, followed by a Cruise aboard the MS Sensation in 2003 and our latest reunion, July 2005 in Springfield, MO. Check out the smiles on all of the faces on our reunion page. Our reunions are also a big hit with Lapon family members. We have had wives, children, grandchildren, in-laws, outlaws, and girl friends in attendance and all of them have enjoyed our parties.
In July of 2005 we were honored by the Ozark-Runner Base of USSVI in Springfield, Missouri by the placement of the 661 sail on the property of American Legion Post 639. This was a tremendous undertaking on the part of the SubVets and a generous donation of the land by the Legionaries. Although the sail is in place and the dedication complete, there is still a "boatload" of work remaining, and all of this work will need financing.
Men, The Sub Vets have heaped a great honor on us. We can thank them for this honor by helping with the costs. The Sub Vets are selling Memorial bricks to establish need funds for improvements and maintenance. I urge you to buy a "Lapon" brick for $100. $50 of this purchase price goes into a fund that WE control and will be used for future improvements. To date we have spent $300 for the USS Lapon sign board along with another $900 for lighting up the sail. We want to fund a granite marker outlining the history of the 661. It would also be nice to fund a similar marker for the 260.
For more information and to order a brick, visit:
www.angelfire.com/mo3/ozarkrunner/BrickInfo.html
Chuck Petterson
Former MM1(SS)
Plankowner, SSN 661
President, USS Lapon Association |
