Monday, May 27, 2013

Cheers To Chester Crew !!

Cheers to the Hosting Crew for an OUTSTANDING JOB in making this one of the best Friends of Distinction Reunions in recent memories.  We were blown away from the Registration to the 'Closers Party' as every phase of the reunion was well planned and carried out to near perfection.  The FREE T-Shirts included in the registration bags were a nice extra, especially since they highlighted our 25th Anniversary and list all of our past reunion locations.  Special unique FOD Reunion Buttons with our names displayed was also a nice touch.  We were well taken care of with plenty of food, more than enough to drink, and almost non-stop fun in the Hospitality Suite where we whooped and hollered til the wee hours each night.  Special Thanks to Jack Ware Jr, who volunteered to come down early and assist the Virginia hosts.  Jack hustled, grilled, cleaned up, hauled gear and really worked hard to make it all come together.  We salute the hosts and recognize the long hours, dedication and special effort it takes to pull together a reunion like this.  Thanks again to Clara for the tremendous job she did on the baking and sweets, Brenda and the group for all the delicious 'Home Cooking', and of course the superb job done by Griff on the grilling and Fish Fry !!

The Dinner Dance was very nicely laid out at the Officers Club of Fort Lee and the great music, OPEN BAR social hour, good food, and upscale surroundings made this one special.  The many members in attendance made it hard to get the group photo completed.  We also welcomed two new members to the organization as we continue to grow.  We salute Ronald White, US Air Force (Retired), of Cleveland, Ohio and Dennis Murray, US Army (Retired), of Woodbridge, Virginia.

A special presentation thrilled us all as LtCol Carliss Towns read an official Army citation and presented the group with a US flag that was flown over the 256th Combat Support Hospital at Al Asad Airbase in Iraq.  This citation and others will soon be available on our webpage.

The Reunion Banner, along with our military flags and Welcome Banner were officially passed over to William ('Billy T') Bailey for the 2014 Reunion to be held in Warner-Robbins, Georgia.  Brother Bailey promises to really wow us in Georgia and says he will put the FOD on the MAP!!!  You don't want to miss this one he tells us - he has rooms already blocked out for only $39 per day, the Officer's Club is reserved, and has reserved a huge lodge for our cookout .....  See you in Warner-Robbins next year.