Destroyer Escort Sailors Association (DESA)

01/19/2019

This weekend (Jan.18th-21st), Royal Caribbean is having a "Super Splash Sale". If you thought about joining us on the cruise at the end of August, this may be an incentive: Buy one full rate and get the second at 60% off. You will also be eligible for 2 different shipboard credits. Message me for fiurther info or preferably, email me at [email protected].

10/08/2018

I’m happy to announce that the Destroyer Es**rt Sailors Association (DESA) has decided to move forward with this and we will be having a Membership Cruise departing Cape Liberty, New Jersey on Aug. 31, 2019 and spending six nights on Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas, with port calls in Bar Harbor, ME, Saint John, New Brunswick in the Bay of Fundy and Halifax, Nova Scotia before heading back to New Jersey and arriving on Sept. 6, 2019.
We have a block of staterooms reserved for this cruise with the following group rate: $499 per person for Interior, $669 per person for an Oceanview, and $919 per person for a Balcony. These rates are based on double occupancy. In addition, there is a charge of $153.89 per person for taxes, fees, and port expenses.
In order to qualify for this group rate, you must be a member of DESA. The cost of a one-year membership is $30. Longer memberships at a discounted rate are available. Please use the link to find the membership form and to expedite matters, you may call our office manager, Dori Glaser, and register over the phone. Credit cards will be accepted. Once I receive your name and contact information from Dori, I will email you and call you with the group reference number.
There will only be a couple of activities that are group related that we would like you to attend. The first is a welcome meeting on the first full day at sea (Sunday, Sept. 1st). At this meeting we will give you a brief overview of DESA in which several members will pass on information of our organization. We will also answer questions if time allows. Otherwise, those questions can be answered by one of our members during the cruise. The second meeting will be a Memorial Service which we hope to hold on the last full day of cruising (Thursday, September 5th).) This service should also take less than an hour and it would give you an insight of what DESA stands for. We have this service every year at our conventions.
We are also arranging to have a section of the dining room reserved for us for group dining. This is optional, of course, but we hope you would join us. The rest of the time is yours to enjoy.
The block of rooms is reserved for us until October 27th, 2018. A deposit of $500 per stateroom with the final payment due by June 2, 2019.
This is a great opportunity to arrange for a ship’s reunion, a chance to get out to sea again with no watches or working parties, smelling the salt air and looking out at an endless horizon of ocean blue. Plus, unlike a Navy cruise, your significant other can accompany you. Constant food and entertainment and a chance to meet sailors from many generations.
Click on this link to be brought to the DESA Membership page: http://www.desausa.org/memapply.htm
I look forward to talking to you soon and seeing aboard the ship next year.

04/14/2018

Have you thought about joining DESA but were waiting for the right time or reason? Well, the reason has arrived. We are happy to announce a special deal for our facebook friends (and whoever they want to tell). Until the end of 2018, you can join DESA and receive 10% off of a one year membership or even better - a 25% discount on a 3 year membership. This is for new members only. You must call our office manager, Dori Glaser at 1-800-603-3332 and give her the coupon code: Facebook 10-25, to receive this rate. Need a copy of the DESA News? Email me at [email protected] with your name and postal mailing address and I will get a copy out to you. It is not available to be sent by email. It is a paper copy only.

04/14/2018

I belong to many Navy and ships group pages. It seems that not a day goes by that word of a ship's crew member crossing the bar is reported. As veterans of the greatest branch of the military, we know the feeling of brotherhood and sisterhood when it comes to those we served alongside for months and even years. One thing that brings those great feelings together for us is ships reunions. At these times, we get to once again share those humerous stories, catch up on our a=post-service lives and also to meet shipmates who served at other times that our ship was in service.
But we don't always have enough members to hold a ships reunion. Hotel costs are high, and if we don't have enough members to make an impact , there is really no way to get those costs down. Then you have the other planning. Do we have a banquet? Do we have tours? Who is going to do all this planning? Some ships do very well with a few members stepping up to do all that legwork to get a reunion successfully planned. But what if all that legwork was done for you? What if, all you had to do, was to make your reservations, send in a couple of forms and go there to enjoy your time with your shipmates?
DESA does all that for you. Every year we have a convention at a different location. This year, that location is Harrisburg, PA, from September 9th-14th. Room rates are set with breakfast included, tours are set, a banquet and other activities are set. You just go there and enjoy! Want to do your own things? Our office manager can help you with arranging your own meeting rooms, group meals, etc., but you are sure to find that we will have enough for you to enjoy yourselves.
As the President of DESA, I will ensure that you are heartily welcomed and will have no problem fitting in. Also, and I find this such a wonderful perk, you get to meet people from differnt ships and different generations. The history you can garner from listening to these stories is beyond compare. Those from WWII and the Korean War won't always be with us. In fact, we are rapidly losing our WWII vets. Wouldn;t it be great to hear stories from their mouths and not from books?
We always have several ships that hold their reunions in conjunction with our convention, so we are familiar with it. We are always looking for more ships to join us. We are looking for you. Won't you consider joining us this September? I will gladly send out a copy of the DESA News to you so you can see what we are all about. Simply email me your name and postal mailing address (not email) to [email protected] and I will get a copy out to you.
We hope to see you this September.
Timothy Slisky
President, DESA

10/13/2017

2018 DESA Convention - Harrisburg, PA - Sunday, Sept. 9 - Friday Sept. 14. Details to follow as arrangements are made.

09/11/2017

The 2017 DESA Convention was a resounding success. I was named President for the 2017-2018 year and I uploaded a video that I posted on YouTube out of the request of some of those in attendence. This was given during the Memorial Service we held on board the USS Slater (DE-766).

This speech was given on board the USS Slater during the Memorial Service for the Destroyer Es**rt Sailors Association on board the museum ship by Timothy Da...

03/10/2017

If you live in New Jersey, we have our own website! Navigate to www.desanj.com to see what our chpter is all about. We are one of the largest in the country!

DESTROYER ES**RT SAILORS ASSOCIATION GARDEN STATE CHAPTER NEW JERSEY

03/10/2017

The DESA 2017 convention will be held from Sunday, September 3rd through Thursday, September 7th in Albany, NY, home of the USS Slater (DE-766) ship. This is the only floating, fully restored Destroyer Es**rt in the U.S. Hotel rooms will be about $100 per night. This will truly be a great week. Come join us!

10/09/2015

2016 DESA Convention will be in South Portland, Maine. Dates are Thursday, Sept. 22 through Monday, Sept. 26.

02/27/2015

DESA Convention is going to be in Lexington, KY. from Sept. 20-24, 2015. Further details to follow. Clear your calendars now for this fantastic week of fun and comradery.

01/02/2015

Happy New Year to each and every one of you on this great FB site. It seems like it was just yesterday when this page kick-off. But just like that, we are closing in on 2300 active members. To Tim Slisky, thank you for all your dedication as the lead administrator of the page to make it a huge success. Now, our goal for 2015 is to motivate as many of you to join the Destroyer Es**rt Sailor’s Assn. national organization. You can join several ways; General Membership, Associate Membership or Sustaining Membership. In September 2015, our National Convention will be held in Lexington, KY and has always been a great 5 day event. The time has come that the 1000 class DE sailors and 1000 class FF sailors to take hold and get involved to carry on the tradition that our WWII DE sailors established in the early 70’s. We can do this. I look forward to speaking to as many of you as possible in this brand new year. Once again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Steven Hoback- President
Destroyer Es**rt Sailor’s Assn. (DESA)
859-227-8467