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Old Salt
Posts: 431
| Subject: A sad casualty of the economy
Those of us that run the USS Carp SS338 reunions have decided to cancell our October 2009 in Portland Oregon.
Too many of us realized we could not afford it this year.
The real sadness will come when one of our shipmates goes on Eternal Patrol before we have another one.
Missing that one last chance to spend time with some of the finest men in the world. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 2191
Location: Port Ludlow, WA (the Olympic Penninsula) | Subject: RE: A sad casualty of the economy
Mike, sorry to hear of your reunion cancellation. I've found that reunions timed to be in conjunction with our national USSVI conventions tend to give more bang for the buck... We will have a large group for this upcoming Sealion reunion in San Diego come September... Of the 222 shipmates, about 130 are USSVI members already and some more will join just to keep up with these events. PLUS, the conventions tend to have multiple reunions to attend in case you've got more than one boat to catch up with... Also it must be like real estate: location, location, location! |
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Old Salt
Posts: 431
| Subject: RE: A sad casualty of the economy
At every year we vote on where and when to have our next reunion.
The idea of having it at the convention is always voted down. Mostly be the guys that served on multiple boats |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 602
Location: Visalia, Ca. | Subject: RE: A sad casualty of the economy
The downside to having a boat reunion at the National Convention is the strong possibility for having more than one reunion on the same night. That's what happened to me at the Super Convention in Reno.
I had to choose between the USS Seadragon, my qual boat, and USS Plunger, my last operational boat, on the same night at different hotels.
I went to Seadragon's reunion, saw some guys I hadn't seen since I left that boat (and two who departed on Final Patrol within a year after). I hooked up with several Plunger shipmates the next day, but it wasn't the same.
So I guess it's six of one, half-dozen of the other.
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 618
Location: Issaquah WA, USA | Subject: RE: A sad casualty of the economy
Boat reunions scheduled in synch with the US Submarine Veterans Conventions, if properly coordinated, can work out really well. The convention this year set aside the Friday night for reunion gatherings. Now, if you have two boat reunions happening at the same time, you are S.O.L, but truth be told, you probably would not attend two different boat reunions in the same year anyway unless your pockets are pretty deep, and attending the national subvet convention gives you the opportunity to meet many other shipmates as well. I think the way to go is to have a hospitality room, maybe a dinner or lunch gathering, and piggyback onto the USSVI events for group outings. If you overschedule at these kinds of events, you'll make yourself crazy. |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2672
Location: New Jersey | Subject: RE: A sad casualty of the economy
Mike, sorry to hear this.
It gives me pause to think about Sirago's reunion coming up this October in Va. Beach. Since we are about to send out the registration forms we are not certain if this economy will adversely affect the turnout. I truly hope not. |
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Old Salt
Posts: 431
| Subject: RE: A sad casualty of the economy
PatH
I hate to quibble but I have made 2 reunions in a year. So have others, but in any case Carp is a tight crew and this is the way we want it. To spend as much time as possible with 3 decades of shipmates. Not just the guys you actually sailed with but men you wish you had sailed with. I never knew I had so many potential shipmates until I started out reunions. Thats what makes this happening so doubly sad. |
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Old Salt
Posts: 431
| Subject: RE: A sad casualty of the economy
Joe I wish you well on yours. I have always wanted to sneak into your reunion after all I am an associate member. I need to learn your sea stories to take back to Carp and Requin reunions |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2672
Location: New Jersey | Subject: RE: A sad casualty of the economy
Hang on Mike. We are hosting in VA beach, in 2011 a reunion for all the boats that were attached to SubRon6. It's gonna be called the SSSBS. Go to this web site to get the info, http://www.sssbs.org/ We have a pretty active group of guys from Sea Leopard who has attended our reunions. Our first one was in 2007 in Mobile. Only the Cutlass and Sea Leopard attended and it was a very well attended reunion, we had a ball.
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 6180
Location: Summerville, SC | Subject: RE: A sad casualty of the economy
Mike, Us Sennet vets are much the same. Our reunion is going to be im Myrtle Beach this October. Our numbers are dropping off due to health and Eternal Patrol. A couple other boat coordinators and I have been kicking around the tincan about joining forces for reunions. I've been trying to sell the National Convention idea, but, for some reason they prefer to go it alone. You know and I know that going at it alone can get expensive. Then they complain about the cost. Well, I remember that, "A bitching sailoris a happy sailor. If he quits bitching he's up to something."
I would like to go to San Diego in Sept. The only way possible, right now, is for me to strap my lawnchair on to the top of someone's motorhome headed that way or bum a ride with one of my old 18 wheeler buds, but, hell they are all too old now too. Life's a beach.  |
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Old Salt
Posts: 431
| Subject: RE: A sad casualty of the economy
Ralph we have discussed in the future joining forces to have a Subron 6 reunion as our numbers thin.
As time passes this will be the way to go, I would imagine. |
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A sad casualty of the economy
