Shipmates, spouses, and friends! Welcome to your first communication concerning our “I survived Vietnam and Covid Reunion” to be held in Nashville, TN, beginning September 22, 2021, and ending on September 26. The reunion will begin on Wednesday versus our usual Thursday due to the many interesting things to see and participate in, as well as the excellent dining opportunities offered in this fun city.
Our host hotel is the Quality Suites Nashville Airport, located at 2615 Elm Hill Pike. Room rate is $94.00 per day plus tax. The room comes with a couch, microwave, mini fridge, free parking, wi-fi, and complimentary breakfast. A Mexican restaurant is located within the motel with indoor/outdoor dining. This is a small, well-maintained, property in a nice area of the city. It is one of my favorite places to stay in Nashville. The reservation code is TK35P2. Your room choice is one King or two Queen beds. We have 20 of each type room available. Rooms are guaranteed at our rate until sold out or September 1st, whichever comes first.
For those that travel by RV, there are several nice parks nearby. A Camping World is also close by.
The Nashville Airport is minutes away. Shuttle service information to and from the airport can be obtained from the hotel front desk. Their phone number is 615 883 0114.
The plan is to have the duty office open from noon on Wednesday. For those that need to wash the trail dust out of their throats, the restaurant is located a few steps away and you may bring your libation into the duty office. If your arrival is early enough, the home of President Andrew Jackson is located minutes away and is well worth a few hours to visit. Maps, etc. will be available as part of your welcome packet. Dinner will be on your own and we will provide many options for you to explore.
Our Friday night event will be a sit-down dinner (Aloha attire) with cash bar and two fine entertainers. More to come on this.
We will spend Saturday at Centennial Park in Nashville. We have a covered pavilion with picnic tables. Our business meeting will begin at 10 am. We have access to a rest room building, for our use only, next to our pavilion. After our business meeting there will be a lunch of burgers and beef dogs with proper fixings. Following lunch, we will have a remembrance ceremony to honor those shipmates and spouses that have departed this life. There should be time to explore the park (a reproduction of the Parthenon sits inside the park) before our 6 pm Memphis BBQ. I know it is hard for most of us to enjoy BBQ without a cold beer, but Nashville does not allow alcohol in their parks.
Saturday night has been left open for those that want to attend the Grand Old Opry or visit downtown Nashville, where some of the streets will be closed down as music of all genres are presented and drinks flow until the wee hours of the morning. Shuttles are available and recommended.
If there are any takers, we will have a no host, no reservation, brunch at the Opryland Hotel on Sunday morning. The hotel is nearby and is a beautiful place to visit, dine in, and stroll through. I have stayed there, enjoyed the food and can vouch for its elegance. Caution, the prices may make your eyes water. Parking is free for diners.
A registration form will be posted as soon as we have locked down a few more details. This is sent to enable you to start planning to be with us in Nashville. I do invite those that attended our last reunion to join us, even though they are not of the POPS era. It would be nice to see members from the present squadron and that unruly bunch from in-between eras as well. We always welcome folks that enjoy themselves.
Just a warning, places to stay in Nashville are expensive but our motel is, in my opinion, very reasonable as I have stayed with them in the past. DO NOT wait until the last minute to make reservations. When the rooms are gone you will be on your own and Nashville has many events all year long. For example, the week before us the park has a five-thousand-person event and on the day of our event there are three thousand attending an event in this same park.
Nashville is a beautiful city and has earned a reputation as a great place to dine, with every price offering and food choice. The same can be said of entertainment. No longer just the home of county music, what ever your musical taste, it can be satisfied in Nashville.
Aloha/Ya’ll Come/Mahalo,
Mike
Please text, email, or call to let me know if you might attend the reunion and stay at our host motel. It will aid in planning the event.
nasamike531@gmail.com
901 848 5559
Brother Mike, thank you for all the hard work that you do in making this reunion materialized. I just made my reservation tonight. I guess we’ll see you all in Nashville.
Also, I have located two shipmates and they are going to join us in the reunion. Their names are MSSN Alfredo Tolentino and his wife Nida, AMS2 Leopoldo Gutierrez and wife Nenita. I will be sending their membership forms and payment including mine to our Secretary. Mahalo. Eddie D.
Mike, my partner Sandy and I have already made reservations to attend I am a member of the rowdy in between group of 1976 to 1978. thank you for all that you do. Wid House
Thank you for the information!
Hi Mike, Thanks for your hard work planning this. My wife, Barbara and I will be attending and have already booked a room at Quality Suites using your provided discount code. We are members of the rowdy in between crowd.
Looking forward to adding to the unruly ranks! Happy New Year!
All of our best – Bull and Tee
Thanks Mike. It’s a little too soon to say for sure but Maggie and I would like to attend. Here’s hoping.
Gene Bryson AO2(AC) Crew 4, “Hanson’s Hackers”
Mike, thanks for your work on the reunion. Melanie and I have made reservations at the hotel. We look forward to seeing you and others at the reunion. We look forward to the activities too.
Thanks Mike for all the hard work during this covid times. God willing Lori and I will be there. Counting the days down to see you all again
Outstanding! Thanks for all of your work on this Mike. Denise and I hope to see all of you in Nashville.
My extreme thanks to you, Mike, for your accomplishment of what will hopefully be another great success to add to the POPS reunion list!
The Good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise, Rosemary and I will be happy to see all you attendees in Nashville come next September!
Mike C.