Our annual “Salute The Troops” edition, brought to you by KICKER, originally started with our July 2016 issue and it’s something we look forward to as a staff every year. We got the idea to do the special feature when we started noticing a trend or pattern in some of the emails and messages we were receiving. A number of the messages coming in were from soldiers who were pontoon and deck boat enthusiasts looking forward to getting out on the water when they returned home to the states. However or whenever you served, this issue is dedicated to you. We want to honor those who put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms.
We Salute You!
Like many high school students, Gregg was unsure of his plans after graduation. That was until his neighbor told him about his first trip to the South Pole aboard the USCG Glacier. Listening to his neighbor’s adventure solidified Gregg’s path, and he signed up on the delayed enlistment program the next day. As soon as he graduated, he’d join his friend aboard the icebreaker.
Gregg loved every second aboard the vessel. He shared stories about being caught in hurricanes with 60-foot seas. Prior to enlisting, he had no experience boating. Seeing the strength of the sea scared him, but also filled him with excitement.
“During the storm, I was on the bridge where a pendulum is mounted on the bulkhead. Supposedly the ship could roll 65 degrees safely. That night we took two 64-degree rolls in a row,” Gregg said while describing seeing the bridge wings submerged under water.
His day-to-day included piloting the ship, watches and various maintenance outside the ship, but by far the funniest task he was assigned was to keep penguins from walking up the gangway while anchored.
“The little 3-foot penguins had no fear of humans and would crowd the stairs, so I had a broom to shoo them away,” he chuckled.
After two years aboard the USCG, and a trip to both the south and north poles, Gregg became a recruiter stationed in Phoenix, Ariz. His time in the Coast Guard established a love for the water.
He now enjoys camping with friends and family aboard his Bennington pontoon boat.
“We go out for five to seven days at a time. The boat has solar panels, an electric ice chest, water filtration system, extra fuel cans and three batteries,” he said.
He prefers the boat’s ease of handling compared to the larger houseboats he’s owned in the past. That combined with the quality and customer support Bennington offers is why he bought Tri-Fun.
Gregg looks forward to taking a trip up to Sandpoint, Idaho, this summer and driving his boat around Lake Pend Oreille.
Now 77 years old, Neal is still an avid boater, a hobby and passion he gained in his youth and has carried on throughout his life except for the time he spent in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader in Company A, 1st Battalion (Ambl.) 327th Infantry 1st Brigade 101st Airborne (Airmobile) I CORPS. He has long since traded in his platoon leadership role to take over as captain of his latest pontoon, a 24-foot Starcraft. Prior to his years in the service, Neal’s love of boating included plenty of adventurous escapades.
“Back in my younger days my cousin and I were very competitive and if one of us would try something new during our skiing days, the other one was not going to be out done,” recalls Neal. Not being “out done” included skiing on his head on a board behind his uncle’s boat.
“This was during our college days before I went into the Army,” Neal explained. “My uncle, my cousin’s Dad, was an avid boater and he was a cabinet maker by trade. He built some unique skiing equipment that my cousin and I would test.”
One was a round 3/4-inch exterior board, 35 to 40 inches in diameter where he would ski on his head behind his uncle’s 16-foot Lone Star boat with a 90hp Johnson motor.
Neal said there were other skiing adventures as well, “We would sit on a wooden chair on the board and do 360-degree circles while being pulled. We also would ski on a slalom ski that my uncle made that had a swivel foot piece so we could turn around and ski backwards. We liked to barefoot and ride trick skis called banana peelers at that time. They were shorter than regular skis with no rudders. Again, if one of us would do it the other person would wear it out until they could too.”
Neal was in college as the Vietnam War raged on and, as he pointed out, the draft was in effect. “During my junior year of college in 1967 our entire class went to Louisville, Ky., to take our physicals for the draft. I passed with flying colors and had a 1A classification with a draft number. I forget the number, but I figured Uncle Sam would be knocking on my door. Planning for my future, I took the test for Officer Candidate School (OCS), passed, and entered the ‘delayed entry program’ to enter the military after college.”
His basic and AIT training was at Fort Dix in New Jersey. He then went on to Fort Benning, Ga., for his OCS training as well as jump school training and instructor training school. After OCS he was an instructor at Fort Benning on breaching minefields until his orders came down for Vietnam. It was while in Vietnam he served as an infantry platoon leader.
“I had a 35-40 person platoon that conducted search and destroy missions in the jungles and lowlands around Camp Eagle, which was our base camp,” Neal said. “Our main combat encounters were with mines and booby traps along trails and helicopter landing zones. Snipers were also encountered. We would conduct ambushes away from our main platoon perimeter at night in the jungle and the lowlands. We were lucky not to get hit by the NVA Regular Army.”
When asked about that experience, he said, “What I remember most about the men I served with was how young and brave they were. Most were 18 or 19 years old compared to me at 23. I never had a problem getting volunteers to walk point or complaints about pulling night ambushes. When they were called on, they moved quick and were ready for anything.”
Neal spent a year in Vietnam before returning to the United States where he was assigned as a company commander of a basic training company at Fort Campbell, Ky. “As a first lieutenant and captain, I enjoyed my time at Fort Campbell,” he said. When he got out of the service at Fort Campbell he returned home and then it was back to his passion – boating.
He estimates he has owned seven or eight boats, including PWCs, speed boats and, of course, pontoons. Previous to his current 2018 triple pontoon Starcraft with a 300hp Yamaha outboard that he bought new, he owned a 2006 Aqua Patio with a 150hp Honda, which he sold to his cousin.
“I love my Starcraft boat for several reasons,” Neal said. “I have a heavy foot and the main reason I traded boats was to increase my speed and ‘out of the hole’ power. It will run 45 to 46 mph with my wife and I in the boat. My kids and grandkids are fairly good size kids and I need the power for skiing and tubing. Our main activities on the lake are swimming, tubing and some skiing.”
The home for his Starcraft pontoon is Rough River Lake in Grayson County, Ky. “We have been boating at Rough River Lake going back to the 1960s,” he said. “During the week, the water is smooth, clean, there is no current and it’s great for boating. It gets a little more crowded on the weekends.”
Neal loves his Starcraft and has not made any changes to it since he bought it and he says he get compliments on it all the time.
“My wife and I especially like the Bimini top, seat layout, extended rear deck with a removable ski pole, KICKER stereo system and the sea-weave flooring. The triple pontoon hull makes for a great ride and adds stability when walking in the boat. Also, out of the hole power and planing off is great.”
Lieutenant Colonel Corey Lamirande (at the time of the attack 1st Lieutenant) found himself right in the middle of this horrendous battle that sounds more like a script for a Hollywood movie than an actual event. While there are no known plans for a movie, there is an amazing book that details the battle that was published in 2009 titled Morghab Canyon by James F. Christ. The must-read book retells the harrowing true story of the ambush in Morghab Canyon in Afghanistan, which at the time was one of the largest battles of the war.
“My grandfather was in the Navy and I enjoyed the stories,” recalls Corey. “As a kid, I played GI Joe into my teenage years and watched many movies such as Rambo that fed my thirst for anything that involved war. Little did I know I would get all I bargained for and more while on deployment!”
“My son is a wonderful father who is teaching his three boys to fish and enjoy the water and has them involved in all sports,” said Corey’s father Don Lamirande, who currently owns a pontoon as well. “Obviously I am very proud of my son. He’s the real deal.”
Corey bought his Sun Tracker pontoon and likes that he can fit his family and all the “things” that come with having three energetic boys.
Each time the family goes out it’s an experience as different as they want it to be.
“I enjoy hiking all our gear to the boat and then just letting the day develop into what it will be,” says Corey. “We have made a lot of improvised calls to friends who just showed up and we created our own lakeside party. Most days, I enjoy pausing for a minute, grabbing a cold beer, and just watching my kids do what they do. It’s my internal azimuth reminding me I’m doing okay as a dad.”
“Living in austere environments for a long period of time during deployment can help encourage your appreciation for other people,” says Corey. “We lived in make-shift shelters, showered in rivers with our fellow soldiers providing security and we ate some horrible meals…but we did it together and it’s tough to break those bonds.”
Corey also loved his time at the Regional Training Institute, working with some amazing soldiers.
“I still talk to many of these gentlemen today and we get together with a handful of them routinely,” says Corey. “Like me, they have boats and we share some time hopping from one person’s vessel to the next during the summer months.”
“I was charged with acting as a commander mentor and US trainer for the foreign fighters I worked with,” recalls Corey. “Besides assisting with training the unit on US Army doctrine, we also provided presence patrols in different portions of the country. Many of my combat tasks hovered around disrupting Taliban and foreign fighter main supply chains from the transportation of illegal goods being used to fund their cause. My task force was also charged with disarming specific warlords from positions of power in an attempt to slow down the conflict over terrain in different parts of the country.
“Prior to my honorable discharge I worked as the brigade operations officer of our Airborne Troop Command that supervised airborne exercises and provided command and control to over 800 soldiers,” says Corey. “I ended my career as a state training officer and lead resource integration officer for the state where I managed millions of dollars to support large scale collective exercises.”
Following an impressive military career – complete with an epic war battle detailed in a published book and worthy to be made into a Hollywood movie, Corey stays busy as a financial planner but considers raising his three sons with his wife his preferred full-time gig.
While it’s great to see this pontoon manufacturer supporting those who served our country, the main motivation behind it is actually the quality of workers.
“We know they have the backbone to do it,” explains Inman, who is a production supervisor at Barletta and is over a couple of different departments. “No matter what you throw at a veteran, it’s mission accomplished and they’ll get the job done.”
We recently sat down with three Barletta employees who served in our Armed Forces to learn more about their time in the service and how it led them to this manufacturer.
Despite being from a solid military family, Inman was the only one to make a full career in the Armed Forces in his family, but he knew that’s what he wanted to do going in. In the 22 years he was in the Marines he served in 25 different countries, including three tours in Iraq.
“The experiences you gain and the places you get to go when you’re in the military, you just never get to experience anything like it,” adds Inman. “I loved every bit of what I did in the Marines and I carried that same passion, pride and commitment when I came to work here at Barletta. If you’re a professional football player, when it’s game time you don’t want to be sitting on the bench, you want to be in the game. That’s how service members feel. When it’s war you go there and fulfill your duty to our country and we carry that throughout our lives. No matter what we do we want to do it to the best of our capabilities with that same drive and commitment.”
“Originally I wanted to join the Air Force but they were closed so I went to the Navy recruiter,” said Tousignant with a smile. “I wanted to travel and see the world while serving my country. Both my parents were Army Vietnam veterans so it was the thing to do.”
During his 20 years, Tousignant was able to travel and he loved going to different countries, especially to those third world countries where lots of humanitarian help was needed.
“We helped build schools and get their water running–things we take for granted,” said Tousignant.
His time serving meant being away from his family so he understands his children choosing not to follow in his footsteps.
“I was gone a lot. In the 20 years I served in the Navy I probably spent 11 years at sea,” stated Tousignant. “But the experiences I gained as an E-6 Hull Technician have benefited me my entire life and as a production manager at Barletta. My time in the Navy taught me to lead from the front.
“I wanted to serve in the military and I really didn’t care which branch,” recalls Williams. “I was in for 12 years and I got to travel all over the world.”
Williams served as an E-5 Postal Clerk and sees a similarity between his time in the service and his time working at Barletta.
“In the Navy with the Marine Corps we were like brothers,” explains Williams, who is currently a box truck driver at the Barletta plant. “I loved the military and when I came to Barletta I felt the same kind of family because everyone is together. People come here to work and to do their jobs. This place is almost better than my natural family; they really take care of me here.”
Added Inman, “Not just veterans. At Barletta all employees are valued. It’s a true family atmosphere.”
Rumney attended Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Cape Cod and graduated with a degree in marine engineering. After graduation, he worked as a merchant marine for American Export Lines as a junior third assistant engineer and was commissioned in the Navy in September 1958.
“I spent my first three years in the Navy on the Great Lakes USS Daniel A Joy and then was transferred to Hawaii where I was executive officer on an ocean-going Tug USS Ute.
During the Vietnam War, Rumney served as the executive officer on a destroyer USS Mahan while his family lived in Japan where the ship was homeported. The ship was stationed, at sea, on the border of North Vietnam and China.
“When I was a commander, I was commanding officer of a destroyer USS Sellers (DDG-11) and had the honor of circumnavigating the globe,” recalls Rumney. “This was a very active command which had me at sea most of this tour; however, I must admit my command of this ship was the highlight of my career in the Navy.”
In July 1973, the USS Sellers represented the United States at the Bahamian Independence Day Celebration. To this day Rumney is still active in the USS Sellers Association and remains good friends with many of the officers who were on the ship during his command. He also had command of a Guided Missile Cruiser USS Joseph Daniels.
“One of the highlights of this command was when the ship was directed to intercept a Russian cruiser crossing the Atlantic, heading toward the United States,” says Rumney. “I was a captain when I had this command.”
“We are fortunate to have our pontoon at the dock in our backyard,” says Rumney. “We enjoy the spur of the moment escapades on beautiful Lake Smith and the sunsets are amazing! We have many fun times entertaining our friends and family. The pontoon boat is not just a vessel, but a symbol of relaxation, family bonding, and joyous memories. It has given us much pleasure.”
Robert and his wife Deanna will be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary this year and together they raised three children including their daughter Karen Rumney Minson who is extremely proud of her father.
“With 30 years of dedicated service in the US Navy, my dad exemplifies the commitment, honor, and bravery that define our nation’s military personnel,” said Minson, “His experiences in the Navy, combined with his enthusiasm for pontoon boating, embody the resilience, camaraderie, and sense of adventure that are integral to the military community.”
The couple also has five grandchildren and recently Robert and Deanna welcomed their first great grandchildren, twin girls.
“My father commissioned my son Tyler Minson as an ensign into the US Navy in 2019 from Virginia Tech,” added Minson. “Tyler is now a lieutenant serving as a helicopter pilot in Norfolk, Va.
Active duty awards for Rumney during his 30-year career in the Navy include three Legions of Merit, Vietnam Service ribbon with Silver Star for five campaigns and Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” highlight his decorated career.
Serving in the U.S. Navy and moving up the ranks provided Rumney a lot of unique experiences and a rewarding career, but it’s his current position of husband, father, grandfather and now great-grandfather that he’s truly embracing as he continues to make memories with his family.