SPECIAL NEWS ITEM!!
July, 2000

This month July 2000, a committee of The Rohna Survivors Memorial Association launched a national letter writing campaign designed to draw the attention of the United States Government to the Rohna disaster of fifty seven years ago.

During the business session at the San Antonio reunion of the association in May of this year, the urgency of bringing the Rohna story to the Department of Defense, the Congress, and the American public at large was cited.

Following the reunion, a letter, designed to serve as a model, was drafted and sent to members to be copied and sent to key government officials. This letter called for official recognition and acknowledgement of the Rohna tragedy; the casualties, survivors, and families of both, and crew of the USS Pioneer.

We now ask each member of the association along with any and all visitors to this site to join us in this effort by printing this letter, making copies and sending them to Secretary of Defense, William Cohen, Congressman Floyd Spence, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Senator John Warner, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In addition, if you wish to support this effort, you can:

• Make sufficient copies of the sample letter to send to each of those listed below, and to other members of the Senate and House of Representatives from your area.
• Make and send copies of the letter to your local newspapers.
• Invite friends and relatives to join us by making and sending copies to those listed below.
• Senders should sign their names" and indicate their personal involvement, ie, "Survivor", "Next-of- kin", "Family of Deceased", "Pioneer Crew", "Witness from other Ship", "Friend", etc.

Send to:

Senator John Warner, Chairman, Armed Services Committee,
225 Russell Building, Washington DC 20510

Congressman Floyd Davidson Spence, Chairman
House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services
2120 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515

William S. Cohen, Secretary of Defense
1400 Defense Pentagon, Room 1E757, Washington DC 20301

Other References:
http://www.senate.gov
http://www.house.gov

This letter is intended to serve as a sample. Please feel free to make any changes or add any other comments you feel are necessary or important.

Most important is that we act now, in unison. Many voices will be heard. Let us make a thunderous sound, and let's do it now. If each person sends out twelve letters to key government officials and another twelve letters to friends and relatives, asking them to do the same, and so on, the impact could be overwhelming......

Already, reports have been received of some members sending out up to three hundred copies of this message to government official, friends, and media people. With an effort like that, the Rohna story will soon become widespread. It needs everyone to join in. Editor