Navy Ship Reunion

Back in September 2023, I went to my Navy ship's reunion in Miamisburg, OH which was incorporated in 1832 as a village and achieved city status in the 1920's. I arrived a couple of days before my reunion started so I could visit Miamisburg because of its history and historical buildings. I spent over 6 hours walking around taking images of all the interesting old architectural buildings and other interesting items such as Alley Art, Window Art, and many other interesting things. On Wednesday, September 20th, which was our first day of the reunion, we did not do too much on Wednesday, the registration began for attending shipmates. Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau (DVCB) handled the registration of the member attendees. Wednesday was a rest day for those driving and/or flying into the reunion. The hospitality room was open, and many took advantage of it to talk with old friends and shipmates. We had a Welcome Social with light refreshments in the hospitality room till 2000 hrs. On Thursday, we had our Bausell Association Meetings with all hands on deck. After our morning meeting, we boarded the buses for a trip to the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF). The trip took about an hour and a half one way. Once we arrived at the Museum, lunch was on our own. There were two Cafes onsite, one was the Valkyrie Cafe and the other was the Refueling Cafe. I ate at the Refueling Cafe and the food was good, nothing to really griped about. After lunch, the Museum Docents led tours in the Vietnam/Korea Gallery, again it was up to the attendees if they wanted to go on the tour or start looking themselves. After the tours, we had Dinner under the Wings. This was held in the Presidential Gallery in front of the airplane that returned President John F. Kennedy's remains from Texas to Washington, DC. Before running for President, he had been an LTjg in the Navy and we showed our respect for him. It is very sad that some idiot had to assassinate such a great president. We were allowed to roam the Museum Galleries until 2200 hrs (10:00 pm). Most of us took advantage of this and I tried to take pictures of all the interesting airplanes that were on display. On Friday at 0900 (9:00 a.m.), we boarded the buses for the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base tour. There were many great aircraft to view and take images of and I was glad I had three 256 GB cards for my camera. Wright-Paterson Air Force Base is currently the largest military base operated by the Air Force in the United States territory. Wright-Patterson is the home to the SAC (Strategic Air Command) serves as the bombardment arm of the U.S. Air Force and is a major part of the nuclear deterrent against the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Lunch was again on your own at the Pitsenbarger Dining Facility. Again, the lunch was fairly good and I did not hear anyone complaining about it. On Saturday, September 23rd, we again boarded the buses for the trip to the Nationa Veterans Memorial and Museum (NVMM) in Columbus, Ohio. We had our Memorial Service on the Rooftop Terrace, where various shipmates read the names of the departed shipmates. Each time a name was called out, Warren Doyle rang the bell for each member who had passed away. After the memorial service, we went on our tour of the museum with lots of memorabilia on display. At 1430 hrs (2:30 pm) we again boarded the buses for the return trip to the hotel. After we arrived at 1600 hrs (4:00 pm), the hospitality room opened at 1615 hrs. On Sunday, September 24th, the Hospitality Room opened and all attendees were on their own for the day. At 1700 hrs. (5:00 pm) the cash bar was opened, and I began taking images of the shipmates and their spouses as well as their guests. The Farewell Banquet was held in the Hotel Ball Room. The Hotel staff prepared an Italian Buffet and tables were called to come up and get their meal. I enjoyed my meal and the hotel did not let us down and had plenty of good food to go around and no one left hungry. On Monday, September 25th, everyone started checking out after breakfast since the optional tour had been canceled for lack of interest. As for me, I bailed out at 0200 hrs. (2:00 AM) and headed home. The upside to leaving at that time meant there would be a lot less traffic on I-75 and managed to get across the Kentucky state line by sunrise. I got through the traffic in Knoxville, TN without any problems. Traffic was heavy at times and I did have to come to a complete stop because people couldn't figure out what lane they were supposed to be in. It was a long journey from Dayton and I was glad to get home. On Monday evening I went to bed early and did not wake up during the night. It did take a couple of nights before I was able to do much since I had been so tired. So, this is my story about the 2023 Bausell Reunion, what is yours?