| email me at: RHBlackie@aol.com |
Just A Little Walk In The Woods
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Raider Reunion July 16-18, 2010 - Washington, D.C.
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,
Lodging: Comfort Inn Gunston Corner 8180 Silverbrook Road Lorton, VA 22079 Phone: 703-643-3100 (Mention DROVA when reserving your room to get this rate) Hotel Website - www.cigunston.com (well worth a visit) There is a block of rooms under the name “DROVA” for $89.50 plus tax per night. Most people are expected to arrive Friday, but the rooms are available Thursday through Saturday night. Make your reservations by phone. Cost: Registration is $10.00 per family Saturday night banquet at Fort Belvoir is $16.95 per person. All bus transportation to events is paid for by DROVA. Free snacks will be provided in the hospitality room. All other costs will depend upon what you do and where you eat, etc. There are several nearby restaurants of all types and prices (many within walking distance). DROVA Reunion Schedule
1200 - Early DROVA Registration desk opens at the Comfort Inn - Hospitality Room opens (men start telling war stories; ladies are invited to help decorate wreaths) (Thursday is for early registration; DROVA activities begin Friday at noon)
0800 - DROVA Registration desk opens TBA - Tour of Pentagon and Pentagon Memorial 1600 - Memorial Service at the “Wall” 1730 - Return to Comfort Inn 2000 - One tour bus departs for evening DC monument tour under the lights
2200 - Return to Comfort Inn 1000 - Tour buses depart for Arlington National Cemetery 1040 - Remembrance at the gravesite of Joe Hooper, one of Delta Company's two Medal of Honor recipients 1100 - View the changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown
1130 -
Wreath laying at 101st
Airborne Division Memorial 1230 - One tour bus departs for Comfort Inn 1500 - Mount Vernon tour bus returns to Comfort Inn 1800 - Tour buses depart for Ft Belvoir Club 1800/2200 - Banquet and auction at Fort Belvoir Club, Belvoir Room
2230 - Tour buses return to Comfort Inn Final farewells – depart for home 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
Chris Straub 6028 Greeley Blvd Springfield, VA 22152 |
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