United States Submarine Veterans

Mid-Atlantic Base

Subvettes

Mid-Atlantic Base does not have a Ladies Auxiliary or "Subvettes" chapter. When asked if they would be interested in forming their own chapter, the ladies of Mid-Atlantic Base have uniformly declined each time they are approached with the idea. The reason for this can be found in the history of Mid-Atlantic Base.

In the initial year after receiving its charter, Mid-Atlantic Base monthly meetings were rotated among locations in the three counties of Delaware. The Base eventually decided that a central location would be beneficial and decided to hold its monthly meetings at the Landings Club on Dover Air Force Base. Few of the members brought their wifes or guests to these meetings.

The events of September 11, 2001 resulted in the closure of Dover Air Force Base to non-essential personnel, leaving the base without a home. After some searching, the membership settled upon the Dover Sheraton Hotel as its new home. This turned out to be a blessing for the base, as the Hotel offered amenities not available at other facilities. One of these was the ability to support guest speakers at meetings.

During the time the base was meeting on Dover Air Force Base, ladies and guests customarily left the meeting area until after the meetings were complete. The new location made it difficult to continue this practice, so the ladies and guests simply stayed through the meetings. Inviting guests to address the membership soon became a common practice. The quality of these speakers, along with the excellent service provided by the Sheraton, helped to increase membership and boost attendance.

Meetings soon became less businesslike and more social with members and guests seated together in groups of eight. When the subject of forming a Subvettes chapter was brought up, few members (and none of the ladies) could see any value in forming a chapter. The subject was tabled, where it remains to this day.