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Planning for the 2011 San Diego Reunion - Spring Update
by Don and Pam Whisnant
Reunion Registration Form and Fees (Rev 4)
The 2011 MCCA Reunion in San Diego, scheduled for 13-17 September 2011, is going to be great fun for all, and informative to boot. We've got some changes to the planned activities, but before we discuss those, please remember that you must make your own reservations at the Hilton San Diego Airport/Harbor Island. Reservations may be made by calling 619-291-6700 (be sure to mention that you are part of the Marine Corps Cryptologic Association Reunion), or at the special MCCA on-line hotel registration site: http://tinyurl.com/29o6bpm. The room rate is $109.00 plus taxes, per night. This special rate is valid two days before and two days after the reunion period. Reservations must be received by 13 August 2011 otherwise you may not get a room, or pay a higher rate. Parking is free for MCCA. The Hilton has a free shuttle bus to get you to and from the San Diego airport.
Ok, with that reminder made, let's discuss the changes to the planned activities. One of the bigger mistakes I've made lately was not including MCRD on the original reunion activities schedule. My logical reasons aside, and after the reunion article was published in the last Radio Log, several members wrote requesting a tour. To redeem myself, I contacted Lt. Col. Bill Gerst at MCRD (Joe Hundley's son-in-law) and he has kindly agreed to set up a tour and attendance at a graduation parade. The time slot will be Friday morning (16 Sep) and I have arranged transportation between the hotel and MCRD. Further, there will be no charge to members. After some consultation with Jay Adams and Larry Bangs, I decided to not have a DJ at the banquet because of past lack of interest. Instead, I'll have my chic iPad connected to the banquet room sound system for color guard ceremony music, and will have several hundred songs recorded so members can select what they want to hear, or dance to, just like an old jukebox (remember those?) Send me an email if you have some favorite songs and I'll try to have them available for your listening/dancing pleasure. The monies saved will cover the cost of transportation to MCRD, plus some number of Camp Pendleton Marines we will invite to the banquet as our guests.
Speaking of cost, I apologize that the San Diego reunion costs are so high...and it seems to get worse each year, although we are close to what Del had for the Charleston reunion last year. Be assured that Pam and I tried our best to keep the prices low, yet maintain the quality and diversity of past reunions.
Last month I spent a couple of hours at Camp Pendleton with Lt. Col. Keith Parry, the CO of 1st Radio Battalion, and recently spoke with him again about reunion activities. He has graciously offered to host a visit to 1st Radio Battalion by MCCA members during the reunion, where we can see his wonderful facilities, and meet his staff and some of the outstanding young cryptologic Marines in his command. To accommodate the time for this visit, I have deleted the Thursday, 15 September tour of the USS Midway museum from our schedule and replaced it with a bus trip to Camp Pendleton. The cost of the bus travel from the hotel to Camp Pendleton and return is about the same as the museum cost plus transportation, so there will be no change in the registration fees. The USS Midway museum offers a great audio tour (Pam and I have taken it with the grandkids), but I believe that the 1st Radio Battalion visit is an opportunity that we will enjoy so much more.
Further, Lt.Col Parry has offered to have his Marines perform the color guard ceremony at our banquet, and to provide the battalion Chaplain for the invocation. Wonderful!
Here's an update and recap of the reunion activities...some of this was on the MCCA website, but is repeated here for those without access or who didn't see the update:
I met with the Hilton hotel catering and sales manager to select the food and beverages for the President's Reception, Membership Luncheon and Banquet. See the reunion menu here to check out the details when selecting a banquet choice on the registration form.
San Diego Inbound Tours was selected to provide the transportation to and from the hotel for the ladies' fashion seminar, harbor dinner cruise and the trip to Camp Pendleton. Rob Wallace, a Navy veteran, owns the company, and he guarantees we will be pleased with his support. He's off to a good start as he contacted the local Budweiser distributor and will have them donate 10 cases of Bud for our hospitality suite. He also promised to make a donation for the Semper Fi Fund raffle (more on that later).
The Ladies' Fashion Seminar at Nordstrom on Wednesday was confirmed. We'll have a bus to transport the ladies between the hotel and Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego. In addition to a great presentation, Nordstrom will also have light snacks and beverages. But don't eat too much, as we have a great lunch planned at the hotel (see the menu link above).
In addition to an excellent luncheon buffet, we'll have some after-lunch entertainment. The San Diego National Comedy Theatre (http://www.nationalcomedy.com) will present an improv comedy show featuring professional comedians who perform a series of scenes - all based on audience suggestions. Pam and I have attended several shows at their San Diego theatre and always left with a smile on our face.
On Thursday, Rob will have buses at the hotel to transport us to Camp Pendleton for the visit to 1st Radio Battalion. The exact times are still TBD.
Also remember that whenever you have some free time, the Hilton has a bus that will make trips between the hotel and Horton Plaza (http://westfield.com/hortonplaza) in the San Diego Gaslamp district for more shopping and fine restaurants. Horton Plaza is within walking distance (less than a mile) from the USS Midway museum.
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