Just A Little Walk In The Woods


Dear Delta Raiders, families and friends,

   As the weather starts to warm up we begin thinking seriously about summer activities.  For Delta Raiders, the choice is clear: attend the Reunion in Washington D.C. July 15 – 18, 2010.

  This Reunion will be an unforgettable gathering of those you served with and their families. We will honor our fallen, we will visit with each other, we will make new friends and greet old ones, and we will do it all in Our Nation’s Capital, in the shadow of the monuments  which symbolize freedom and honor those who served.  I can’t think of a better way to show your grandchildren what you did and what you are all about. 

   As always, the heart of the Reunion will be our headquarters room just off the lobby of our hotel, the Comfort Inn Gunston Corner in Lorton, VA.  Refreshments and snacks will be available,  Raider memorabilia and photo albums will be there for your perusal (and please bring yours), videos of the Raiders will be playing, and you will be deep in conversation with an old friend, or with someone else who DEROSd a month before you got to Delta, whom you had just met.  If you spend any time visiting, you will learn something new about the Raiders, and maybe about something that happened to you.  The headquarters room is also where Raider wives will put the finishing touches on the beautiful wreathes we will present during the Reunion.

   Besides visiting, there will be activities that should have great meaning for any combat veteran.  On Friday afternoon July 16, we will travel by air-conditioned tour bus to the Pentagon, where we will have a tour of the building itself and then visit the nearby Pentagon Memorial honoring those who died there on 9-11-01 (still the only memorial at any of the 9-11 attack sites that is complete).   Our tour guides will be sharp and knowledgeable first-term soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines – you’ll be impressed.  On our tour of this fascinating building we will touch history – including when we visit the chapel and small memorial room that were created at the exact spot where the Pentagon was struck on 9-11.  You will also see what a good job the Defense Department has done in updating this historic building.

   After the Pentagon tour we will mount the buses and head across the Potomac to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, also known as The Wall.  There, on a piece of ground about 200 yards east of the Wall and in full view of it, we will conduct our Memorial Service, honoring the memory of Fallen Raiders.   At the close of the Service, we will place a wreath at the foot of the Wall.  An Army bugler will sound “Taps.”

   After some time for individual visits to the Wall, we will board the buses to return to the hotel.  But just a few hours later, many of us will return to the vicinity of the Wall for an after-dark visit to the monuments, including the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam and Korean War Memorials, and the World War II Memorial.  Many people think the monuments in Washington are even more beautiful at night.

    On Saturday morning it’s back on the buses, headed for Arlington National Cemetery.  First, we will visit the grave of Joe Hooper and honor the memory of one of Delta Company’s two winners of the Medal of Honor.  Then we will walk to the Tomb of the Unknowns and observe a solemn ceremony by soldiers of the 3d Infantry, the Changing of the Guard.   We’ll remount the buses and drive a short distance to the 101st Airborne Division Memorial, just outside the Cemetery, where we will place a wreath.  Not many Army divisions have monuments in Washington, and our division’s position on the Arlington Memorial Drive is a honor to all who served in the 101st.

   From the 101st Memorial we will temporarily break into two groups, based on your choice.  One bus will depart for Mount Vernon, home of George Washington, for lunch and a tour of this historic and beautiful estate.  The tour and lunch will cost about $28 per person (and we will need to know in advance how many will be going to Mount Vernon).  The other bus will return to the hotel, leaving Saturday afternoon free.  The Mount Vernon bus returns to the hotel at 3:00 PM

    At 6:00 PM the buses will depart the hotel for Fort Belvoir, an Army post just a few miles away.  We’ll have our banquet and auction at the Fort Belvoir Club, located in a spectacular setting overlooking the Potomac River.  After a delicious dinner, we will have the auction that has become a tradition at Raider Reunions.  Please start planning now about what items you will bring to be auctioned this year.   We’ll return to the hotel by bus, arriving at 10:30 PM.

   On Sunday morning there’ll be some final visiting, maybe over breakfast in one of the nearby restaurants, and then we say good-bye for another two years. 

   Raiders, this year’s Reunion has the makings of an unforgettable event.  So please come!

Sincerely,


Chris Straub


Location:  Washington DC and environs.

Dates:  Thursday July 15 through Sunday July 18.

Hotel:  Comfort Inn Gunston Station,  8180 Silverbrook Road, Lorton VA  22079  -  phone 703 643-3100
              Contracted rate: $89.50 per night plus tax.  We have contracted 30 rooms at this rate (good value for Metro Washington).

Transportation: as in the 1998 Washington reunion, we will have tour  buses to move us to the major events.

Schedule as of 17 Sep 09:

Thurs 15 Jul 10          1200       Registration open, Comfort Inn  meeting room.

Fri       16 Jul 10          0800      Registration open, Comfort Inn  meeting room.

                                       1200      Depart for tour of  Pentagon and Pentagon 9-11 Memorial.

                                       1600      Memorial Service near  Vietnam Veterans Memorial ("the Wall").

                                       2000      Depart for tour of  monuments at night (Vietnam, Lincoln, Korea, WWII).


Sat      17 Jul 10         1000      Depart for Arlington National  Cemetery.

                                       1040     Remembrance at  gravesite of Joe Hooper.

                                        1100    View Changing of the  Guard, Tomb of the Unknowns.

                                        1130     Wreath-laying at 101st Airborne Division Memorial

                                        1230    Depart for Mount  Vernon luncheon and tour of George Washington's home.

                                        1800    Banquet and Auction, Fort Belvoir Club


Sun     18 Jul 10          ----        Breakfast on our own and  farewells.


Delta Raider Reunion – Washington, D.C.

July 15-18, 2010


Name:_______________________________ Vietnam Service Dates:_____________________

Address:______________________________________________________________________

Phone Number:_________________________email:__________________________________

Guests’ Names/Relationship

1._______________________________________2.____________________________________

3._______________________________________4.____________________________________

5._______________________________________6.____________________________________

Fees:                                                                                            Number Attending                                                 Total

Registration ($10.00/Family)                                                  ________________                                      $_____________ 

Saturday Night Banquet ($16.95/Person)                          ________________                                       $_____________

Total Amount Due:                                                                                                                                             $_____________

Amount of Check Enclosed with Registration:                                                                                          $_____________

Please do not send cash, make Checks payable to DROVA

Number attending Mount Vernon tour and lunch              ____________

Please return your completed registration form to:

Chuck Leshikar

1794 Old Lytton Springs Road

Lockhart, Texas 78644


If you are planning to mail an item for the auction, please send it to:

Chris Straub

6028 Greeley Blvd

Springfield, VA 22152


Site Index

Home

Delta Raiders

DROVA

Memorial

Reunions

Firebases

Hue

Hill 805

Nam Hoa

Eagle Dustoff

Raider Writings

Photos

Drawings

Forgotten Heroes

Poems

Hooper/Sims CMH

CIB

Our Flag

Students

Books

Favorite Links

Awards

Webrings

View Guestbook

Sign Guestbook

 

email me at: RHBlackie@aol.com Site Meter