Reunions 1999-2016

  1. 1999 Branson
    1. Plan of the Week
    2. Pictures
  2. 2000 San Antonio
    1. Plan for the Week
    2. Pictures
  3. 2002 Pensacola
    1. Plan for the Week
    2. Pictures
      1. Naval Aviation Museum
      2. Meeting Room
      3. Rosie O’Gradys
      4. USS Alabama
      5. Landry’s Seafood Restaurant

1999 Branson

Photo’s courtesy of Ed Metzer. Unless noted otherwise.

  • First member joined in December of 1998
  • First reunion (Branson) in Oct. of 1999.
  • A reunion specialist was hired for the Branson reunion.
  • The first “Tracker” was Published in December 1999, the first few were little four page efforts.
  • We definitely decided we needed four nights instead of three after that experience.  No one was ready to have it end.

Plan of the Week

TimeMonday October 24th
1300 – 1800Registration
TimeTuesday October 25th
0700 – 1800Free day.
1900Jim Stafford Show..
TimeWednesday October 26th
1000 – 1200Business meeting.
1200 – 1300Luncheon buffet
1730 –Dinner at the Wooden Nickle Restaurant
1900 –Free time to see show of your choice
TimeThursday October 27th
0900 – 1100Breakfast show … “Red, White and Blue”
1100 –Good byes

Pictures

Group Photo from Al Madsen
The first VW-1 Association dinner was at the Wooden Nickle Restaurant in Branson MO
Leo Wynn
Carol and Les Dodge, they were our first Chaplins
L – R, Cruz Martinez, Lee Thompson, Leo Wynn, Dan Cruz
Lee Thompson, Bob Frazier, Charlie Rice
1st Group Photo

2000 San Antonio

Plan for the Week

Tuesday April 30 

  • 1300 to 1800 Registration

Wednesday May 1st 

  • 1000 – 1600 Wednesday we had a tour of San Antonio, including the Japanese Gardens, the Old Mission, the Alamo and Riverwalk (bussed).
  • 1700 – The evening was free.

Thursday May 2nd 

  • 0900 – 1100 Business meeting
  • 1100 – 1200 Buffet lunch
  • 1200 -1300 Auction
  • 1900 – Free time to see show of your choice

Friday May 3rd.

  • 0730 – 1400 Lackland AFB for the parade and graduation.
  • 1800 – 2000 Ranch Bar-B-Q and show with a trained bull
  • 1100 – Good byes
  • 2000 – 2100 Ice cream social

Saturday May 4th.

  • 1100 – Good byes

Pictures

Unique Floor Show
Judy and Marilyn
Japanese Gardens
Continental Breakfast; Pictured Left to Right Gwen and Dick Lee, Jack Gergal, Jim and Ruth Tandy
Robert Webber and John Sill
Group Visiting the Alamo
Group Photo Left to Right Front row
Jack Gergal, Gary Oulman, Ed Metzger, Lee Thompson, Jesse Garcia, Cruz Martinez, Ken Cotton, Pete Armstrong, Robert Zarich.

Back Row Left to right
Al Madsen, John Chitwood, John Sill, Frank Doty (behind Nose wheel), George Dean, Larry Markowitz, Jim Tandy, Robert Frazier, Richard Lee, Darold Borrowman, Larry Morris, Charlie Rice, Lowell Buswell, Ray Keighley, Mike Baldwin. Bending over behind Cruz Martinez is Claude (Moon) Mullen.

2002 Pensacola

Plan for the Week

TimeTuesday April 30
1400 – 1800Registration in meeting room.
1400 – 2200Food and Beverage in meeting room.
1830Brief Orientation Meeting in meeting room..
TimeWednesday, May 1
0600 – 0900Continental breakfast in hotel lobby.
0815Board buses for transportation to Naval Aviation Museum.
0900Proceed to Museum Atrium area for group photo.
0915 – 1145Tour Naval Aviation Museum.
1145 – 1245IMAX theater for showing of “Magic of Flight”.
1245 – 1400Lunch at Cubi Bar on inside patio.
1400 – 1700Men board buses for tour of Aircraft Flight Line and Aircraft Restoration area. Ladies board buses for tour of Historic downtown Pensacola.
1730Arrive back at Inn evening free of organized events.
1730 – 2200Reunion Meeting Room open. (cribbage, pinocle, sea stories).
TimeThursday, May 2
0600 – 0900Continental breakfast in hotel lobby.
0900 – 0930Business meeting in meeting room.
0930 – 1200“Kitchen Sink Auction” in meeting room.
1200 – 1745Sonny’s BBQ lunch and free time in meeting room.
1745Board Beach Boy Trolley’s for “Mystery Night Out”. (Visited Vietnam memorial and Dueling Piano show at Rosie O’Grady’s).
2200 – 2300Return to hotel for “Pie and Ice Cream” in meeting room.
TimeFriday, May 3
0600 – 0900Continental breakfast in hotel lobby.
0700 – 1730Meeting room open.
0745 – 1400Board busses for “USS Alabama” trip.
1800 – 1830Arrive and be seated at Landry’s Seafood restaurant.
2100 – 2300Meeting room open.
TimeSaturday, May 4
0600 – 0900Continental breakfast in hotel lobby.
0800 – 1000Meeting room open for “Good Byes”.
1200Check out time

Pictures

Front Row L-R:
Jim Reddy, Bill Fellers, Charles Rice, Pete “Taco” Hernandez, Gary Oulman, Carl Sorem, William Rea, Ed Metzger, Cary Williams, John Houdek, Jesse Garcia, Charles Lange, Larry Morris,
Row 2:
Bob Kral, LeRoy White, Carl Bryant, Ray Keighley, Jim Stinson, Bob Ricksecker, Dick Bleakney, Jim Tandy, Jack Waterworth, Phil Toops, Dick Lee,
Row 3:
Don Ray, Jim Rice, Victor Zarich, Alan Landon, Ralph Link, John Chitwood, Bill Jones,
Back Row:
Pete Wasmund, Lowell Buswell, Howard Hamilton, Bob Frazier, Don Johnson, John Sill, Howard Kemp, Claude “Moon” Mullen, Al Madsen, Roy “Mack” Stotts, Jack Gergal,
Not Pictured:
Pete Armstrong, Dave Brundage, Rex Dunn, Roy Hermecz, David Laney, Frank Mackey, Ron Paul, Mike Quigley, Ken Rowley
Restoration Hanger and Flight Line Tour 143221 in Background
Restoration Hanger and Flight Line Tour
Rays and Oulmans
Lunch at Cubi Bar, Naval Aviation Museum, L-R Lee’s, Mullins and Jones.
Lunch at Cubi Bar, Naval Aviation Museum Jack Waterworth, Phil Toops, and LeRoy White
Lunch at Cubi Bar, Naval Aviation Museum Sally Metzger visits table of Morris’s, Rice’s, Sorem’s and Buswell’s
Lunch at Cubi Bar, Naval Aviation Museum Bob Kral, Jim Reddy and -??-
Lunch at Cubi Bar, Naval Aviation Museum, L-R Velma Bryant and the Fellers
Sandra and Charles Lange
Naval Aviation Museum F4U Corsair
Naval Aviation Museum F3F and John Jackson
Naval Aviation Museum, view of display area from balcony
Carl and Velma Bryant
Beginning of guided tour of Naval Aviation Museum
ack Waterworth at entrance of Naval Aviation Museum

Meeting Room

Sally Metzger with auction results
Al and Joanne Madsen with guest Sheila Buswell
Gary Oulman, successful auction bidder
Jack and Sydney Gergal high bidders for clock.
Ray Rae and -??-
Visiting in meeting room, panoramic R-L #5
Visiting in meeting room, panoramic R-L #4
Visiting in meeting room, panoramic R-L #3
Visiting in meeting room, panoramic R-L #2
Visiting in meeting room, panoramic R-L #1
Jean Hamilton and Betty Garcia
Jerie and John Chitwood
Al Madsen taking photos during business meeting
Dick Bleakney (Carroll), John Houdak and Jim Rice looking at squadron cruise book. (John Houdak is standing behind Jim Rice and blocked from view)
Phil Toops and Al Madsen
Betty Garcia, Kaneko and John Houdek
ack Gergal and Joanne Madsen playing cribbage, kabitzers are Sydnie Gergal and Howard Kemp
Howard Kemp
David Laney with Lou Jones
Thomas and Joyce Dunn
Bob Ricksecker
Bob Frazier
Bob Kral and George Weeks
Ken Rowley
James and Nancy Stinson
Colleen and Carl Sorem
2002 Meeting room
Phil Toops, Jack Waterworth, Dick Bleakney, and Jim Tandy look over old flight orders.
TE-5 and TE-6 Crew Members:
Back row L-R: Gary Oulman, Dick Lee, Jim Tandy, Cary Williams, Lowell Busswell, Alan Landon, Dick Bleakney
Seated L-R: Ed Metzger, Al Madsen, Jack Gergal, Jim Rice
On floor: Pete Wasmund
2002 business meeting
2002 business meeting
Wasmund’s and Rice’s
Dave Brundage and George Weeks
-??-, Bob Ricksecker, Angelita Hernandez, Ray Rae
Howard Kemp, Pete Wasmund, Jim (Gohan) Rice
Visiting during 2002 reunion in Pensacola FL
In Memory of Dora Reddy
May 15, 1934 – February 10, 2004:
Dora Reddy’s picture from 2002 reunion. Dora enlisted in the Navy in 1953, served in Brooklyn and then was transferred to Patuxent River where she served as Secretary to the Ops Officer. It was there she met and married Jim in 1956.
We reunion attendees will remember Dora dancing with the entertainers in Branson and shouting for attention from inside the locked historic home in Pensacola.
Dora was an ardent supporter of the VW-1 Association and a vital part of the Guam experience

Rosie O’Gradys

ay Rae, Dick Bleakney (Carroll), Howard Kemp at back table
Bob Frazier, Pete Armstrong, Jim Tandy
Singing waitresses leading the audience in song
Ed and Sally Metzge

USS Alabama

Chuck and Sandra Lange occupy the front seats on the left side of the picture. Larry and Sheila Morris are seated across the isle from the Langes
View from bridge towards the bow
View from bow towards the aft, showing the many gun positions
View from stern forward
Vietnam Memorial
Vietnam Memorial
Pete (Taco) and Angelita Hernandez getting ready to leave Pensacola reunion for trip back to California

Landry’s Seafood Restaurant

Roy (Mack) and Judy Stotts
Larry and Sheila Morris
Jim and Dora Reddy
Tandys and Mackeys
Judy Stotts presents appreciation plaque to Ed and Sally Metzger
Appreciation Plaque Presentation to Ed and Sally Metzger
Appreciation Plaque Presentation to Ed and Sally Metzger
Appreciation Plaque Presentation to Ed and Sally Metzger
Jim (Gohan) and Maize Rice
Sue Keighley, Pat and Cary Williams
Victor and Charlotte Zarich
Bill and Kathryn Fellers
Alan and Joann Landon
Claude (Moon) and Nadine Mullen
John and Jeri Chitwood
Ralph and Jane Link
Sydnie and Jack Gergal
Dottie and Pete Wasmund

More Pictures To Come

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