MESSAGE FROM THE QUARTER DECK:

Welcome Aboard Shipmates to our 44th reunion. We are looking forward to seeing you again and we especially want to welcome first time members. We have chosen the Armed Forces Reunion Inc. again to assist our Skipper Art Tazio with the reunion arrangements which will be held in San Diego, California. This is the West Coast reunion which many shipmates have been waiting for, so come on board and help our Skipper with a great reunion that he has planned for us. You don't want to miss this reunion. AFRI will again assist us as they did last year in Nashville, Tenn. which was a great success. They will handle most of the aspects for the reunion, from the coordination of our hotel which is the Holiday Inn Hotel Bay Side that has been selected to meet our requirements. AFRI will take care of registration, tours, banquet, etc. There will be an AFRI representative on site to take care of our needs. The past few years we have found that it has been become more difficult for a Skipper to carry out these duties and to enjoy the shipmates. Their help will allow us to spend more time enjoying ourselves together for a few short days. Let us just relax and enjoy our reunion to the fullest and the friendships we have made and will continue to make in the future. We have a large hospitality room with a great harbor view, hugs, fun, and great truthful sea stories???

Our hotel is located minutes away from the airport and shuttle service is available to the hotel 24/7. We will be located within close proximity of the San Diego popular attractions and a easy reach to everything you need during your stay. Come early and stay over and visit Sea World, the San Diego Zoo and others. Enjoy bay views tropically landscaped recreation area and visit the scenic San Diego Bay, located near the marinas and walkways. An excellent location puts us right in the middle of the best San Diego attractions including great restaurants and shopping destinations. Guests can dine at our onsite restaurant, Point Loma Café, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

The Skipper has arranged two tours for our reunion. A Harbor Cruise and Old Town Tour has been planned for Thursday from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM and lunch will be on your own.

The USS Midway and Seaport Village Tour will be on Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM again lunch on your own.

Saturday evening will be our Reunion Banquet with full buffet and cash bar. Yes there will be a raffle table for prizes. It is customary to bring a $10 gift or cash in an envelope for the banquet on Saturday night. Tickets for the raffle will be sold on an ongoing basis throughout the reunion. As always, we will need volunteers for the recovery room and selling raffle tickets. If you haven't been to a reunion of the Valley or haven't been for a long time this is the year to come and see your shipmates.

IMPORTANT REGISTRATION INFO: Invitations/information mailings for the 44th HVRC Reunion will be sent out in early May. Checks for the tours and banquet will be made out directly to (AFRI). You can use the Armed Forces Reunion Inc link above for early registration now. If you haven't received an invitation as of yet, then use the AFRI link above to register.

Hotel reservations can be made using the link on AFRI's web page or directly to the Holiday Inn using hotel link above. Rooms are $124 per night. Free breakfast buffet is not included this year but you can receive 20% discount when ordering directly from menu in hotel restaurants.

Cut off day for blocked rooms is September 9th so book early. Check to make sure they book you in for HVRC Reunion.

ITINERARY:

Wednesday Sept.30th Arrival/Check In and Registration:
1400 - 1900 Reunion Registration Opens - Armed Forces Reunion representative will be available; come by, register, pick up your badges and information packets.
1200 - 2300 The Hospitality / Recovery Room will be open. Enjoy the conversation, meet your shipmates and enjoy the refreshments. BUY RAFFLE TICKETS FOR BANQUET DRAWING, it supports our reunion.

Thursday Oct 1st Busy Tour Day: Bus Tour Down to the Bay for Harbor Cruise followed by Old Town. See description below.

0700 - 2300 The Hospitality Room will be open.

Friday Oct 2nd Another Busy Tour Day:
USS Midway and Sea Port Village. See description bellow. 0700 - 2300 The Hospitality / Recovery Room, will be open.

Saturdays Events:

0700 - 1000 The Hospitality / Recovery Room will be open.
0900 hours Steering Committee short meeting
1000 hours Business meeting for HVRC members. Recovery room opens after meeting.
1630 hours Recovery room closes in preparation for Banquet.
1800-1900 hours Cocktail hour (cash bar) and last chance to buy raffle tickets.
1900-2300 hours Presidential Banquet Buffet - eat drink and have fun.
It is customary to bring a gift for the raffle table. The value of the gift should be approx.$10 or cash in lieu of a gift in an envelope is acceptable.

Sunday Oct 4th Farewell Day:
0700 The Recovery room will be open
1100 Recovery room closes with farewells until next year.

BUS TOUR DESCRIPTIONS:

HARBOR CRUISE AND OLD TOWN TOUR – THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
Start the day with a one-hour narrated harbor cruise of San Diego Bay. Take in the Star of India, the oldest iron-hull merchant ship still afloat, the U.S. Navy surface fleet, San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge, and busy shipyards. After disembarking you will continue in to the Old Town, the birthplace of California as the American flag was first raised here in 1846. Five original adobe buildings are part of this historic park, which includes museums, retail shops, and restaurants. 10:30am board bus, 3:30pm back to hotel. Lunch on your own.

USS MIDWAY AND SEAPORT VILLAGE TOUR – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
No other carrier has the history or the crew to match the USS Midway. Its 47-year career spanned from the end of WWII to Desert Storm and on which more than 225,000 Americans have served. “Midway Magic” is now a premier attraction in downtown San Diego that opened in 2004. Its self-guided audio tour allows you to explore the 60 exhibits and 24 restored aircraft at your own leisure. Lunch on your own at nearby Seaport Village, home to many shops, eateries, and restaurants.