2017 DC Area Submarine Association Fall Social

In conjunction with NSL Corporate, the Capitol Chapter sponsored the refreshments at the annual DC Area Submarine Association Fall Social at Fort Myers Patton Hall on Friday evening, 3 November.  The event was attended by over 200 current, past and future submariners and their spouses and guests.   The event has roots dating back seven decades when RADM Roy Benson, a highly decorated WWII veteran and former commander of DEVRON 12 and COMSUBPAC, started the 1120 Fall Social in 1946.  He was assigned to the Pentagon after the war ended, and he took it upon himself to organize a gathering of submarine veterans inside the building. This year’s social marked the 71st anniversary of this event.  Attendees included admirals John Richardson (CNO), Frank Caldwell (NR), Joe Tofalo (CSF), Dave Johnson (Senior MA to ASN/RDA), Bill Merz (OPNAV N9), Daryl Caudle (CSP), and Dave Kriete (NSC).  The event followed the NSL History Seminar (“The Hunt for Red October – Fact and Fiction”) and the Annual Symposium (“U.S. Submarine Force – Getting Faster”) held earlier in the week and provided a fantastic ending to several days immersed in interaction, education and comradery focused around undersea warfare.”