The Best Hat Ever; THE Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) FUND

“Hi, my name is Mister Mac, and I am a hat-oholic.”

“Hi Mister Mac…”

I’ve been a hat-oholic since I was a kid and discovered the power of hats. My very first hat was a blue and gold short, billed cap that I got as a Cub Scout in Pack 99 in my home community.

I was so proud of that hat because it was the first time I was part of something bigger than myself.

The hat was a symbol of an organization that was going to test me and challenge me. We wore it to parades and flag raisings where we learned how to stand at attention and salute. Plus, my big brother had been one before me and I did not want to be left behind.

I learned how to be responsible because of that hat and the rest of the uniform we wore. You certainly didn’t want to lose it, and you made sure it was kept clean in good condition. Plus, it made you part of the community of scouts with awards to win and so much more. We went through the ranks in Cub Scouts from Lions to Tigers to Wolves to Bears and finally to Webelow Scouts. It was fun to advance with through the ranks with your friends. To be fair, I’m also sure our Den Mother, Mrs. Patrick got a few gray hairs from the experience.

Eventually, I would trade that hat for a green one that said Boy Scouts of America on it. I would like to tell you that I advanced to Eagle scout but that was not meant to be. I am very proud of all those who had a decent scouting troop and made the full journey. I have found many submariners that got their start that way.

Over the years, my collection of hats started to grow.

All were associated with a new path or career. At the age of 17, I got my first Dixie Cup. I enlisted at 17 but did not go to boot camp until after high school. This is where my addiction really took off. They provided me with a whole collection of hats besides the white cap. We were “Raisons” for a while in boot camp wearing our sporty black watch caps. During drills, we alternated between white hats and utility hats. But the Company Commander was pretty insistent that you always had a hat. Plus, being seen out of doors without a hat was considered some kind of cardinal sin. SO, you see, it really wasn’t my fault.

I went deeper into the world of hat-oholics when I was assigned to my first boat. There was the command ball cap and then there was the patrol hat. The command ball cap was used for formal events and had the ships name and hull number. The patrol hats were the ones you used to hide the fact that your hair was probably not regulation. I really liked that hat. My division Chief not so much. I remember on one of my evaluations seeing the statement that I was generally a good sailor but often had to be reminded about navy regulations on grooming.

The last time I wore this hat we were off loading our gear from the boat to fly back to Hawaii. I was aft of the sail when they lost shore power, and the diesel kicked in. Between the monsoon rains and the diesel exhaust, the hat did not fare well. I decided to leave it the way it was to remember the day.

I found something though about my habit that was going to someday be a problem.

I just couldn’t get rid of a hat once I was done with it.

This is just a small sampling of the collection of hats I’ve worn over the years

Yep, I have boxes filled with hats. Nearly all five of my submarines, both of my tours as a Chief Warrant Officer, and on and on. After I retired, I thought I could break free of my addiction. But sadly, I was quickly swallowed up with enablers. American Legion, VFW, Sub Vets and more. Then the Navy saw me struggling and started selling hats in the exchange that said Navy Veteran and Submarine Veteran. I was lost.

My Dad passed away before I retired from the Navy and my mom ended up cleaning out his old stuff. She called me to come over to the house and there was a large box with my name on it. Want to guess what was in it? Stop guessing when you get to “hats’. That’s right. My dad was a hat-aholic too. I should have known it. Outside of church and Thanksgiving dinner, I rarely saw him without a hat. And he had been a sailor, a fireman, a fire truck salesman, a Shriner, and belonged to even more veterans’ groups than I belong to. Plus, my brother Tom (also Navy) and I had sent him hats from our various commands that he never threw away.

To be honest, some of the hats have now migrated to my nephews. I feel bad for hooking them into my pernicious habit. Eugene got the flat hat my grandfather wore in the first world war. The uniforms from Grandpa Mac and Dad went with it. He promised to make a shadow box to feature both. That’s pretty cool.

To tell you the truth, my wife will probably have to make the final decision on which landfill the hats will end up in. As a lifelong addict, I can’t bring myself to get rid of them.

But as special as those hats were and important as they were to me, there are very few hats that I can imagine that have more impact than the caps that our submarine family deliver to the kids in hospitals around the country.

I cannot imagine anyone that needs to feel like they belong to something more than a kid facing cancer in a hospital.

They didn’t do anything to deserve to be where they are and suddenly some people wearing vests and submarine caps of their own show up and welcome them into one of the most exclusive clubs in the world.

https://www.ussvcf.org/kapss-4-kidss-fund.html

THE Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) FUND

Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) (AKA Kaps for Kids, K4K) is a charitable program in which submarine veterans visit children who are suffering from challenging medical conditions and illnesses. The purpose of these visits is to bring comfort and joy to sick children, and their families. The veterans leave mementos that will remind the children of the visit after the veterans leave the child’s bedside.

All such visits are local. USSVI Bases coordinate with local caregivers to arrange the visits. The visitation takes place at the Base organizational level, not at the USSVCF.

The only qualification required of the child to be visited is that the child must be able to receive visitors according to the rules of the care-giving institution.

Submarine Veterans belonging to USSVI Bases voluntarily visit children in Cancer Hospitals, Children’s Hospitals, Child Psychiatric Units, Ronald McDonald Houses, Medical Camps for Children, Hospices, and other locations. They give sick children caring attention during the visit, and Honorary Submariner Certificates, embroidered ball caps, challenge coins, temporary tattoos, and other gifts. All gifts are approved in advance by the child health care facility.

Fund Manager: The USSVCF K4K Fund Manager is John Riley whom the Board has delegated authority to act on the Board’s behalf to manage the day-to-day affairs of the K4K Fund. The Fund Manager has authority over, and responsibility for all donations to the K4K Fund, and is responsible to ensure that all expenditures in that category comply with IRS regulations for charitable public benefit.

The USSVI I USSVCF National Office receives and records all donations. The USSVCF Treasurer keeps the Fund Managers informed of Fund status and writes K4K Fund checks as authorized by the K4K Fund Manager.

The USSVCF Fund Manager’s role is to publicize the program, recruit USSVI Bases to support I participate in the program, provide program (organizational and contact) guidance to the Bases, and provide the materials (caps, certificates, etc.) required to get the Base program started. The goal is to get each participating base to the point that its K4K program will be financially and organizationally self-sustaining. There are no deadlines.

USSVI Bases request startup support from the USSVCF K4K Program Fund Manager to begin and run a K4K Program.
The requester must be a USSVI Base.
Requests may be sent to the K4K Fund Manager
There are no request forms.
Requests are evaluated based on the support needed by the USSVI Base to start and run a K4K Program. There are no deadlines. It generally takes less than a month for a USSVI Base to become an active participant and receive the start-up support they need.

The K4k Fund Manager, in conjunction with the Secretary shall maintain records of committee activities, decisions, and grants authorized or denied. K4K Fund General Manager maintains records for policy related actions. The USSVCF Treasurer maintains the financial I book-keeping records for the Fund.

Submarine Veterans have brought comfort and joy to over 25,000 sick Children and their families since the program began in 2007.

The “SS” in Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) is a military specialty designator, signifying that a sailor is “Qualified in Submarines”.

If you are looking for a way to make a difference in a kid’s life, especially a kid that needs something special to look forward to, you can’t beat this Fund.

Even if you can’t make it to the hospital, your donation can.

Ambassador Mac

Post Script:

Apparently, my addiction to hats is not just mine. Shortly after I published the original note, I got a note on my Facebook account from a fellow veteran (John Lutz) about a unique display at the Willow Grove PA VA Clinic that features hats.

These were the pictures he sent me: