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Charleston, South Carolina Reunion 2009
Reunion 2009 is now history and what a great time we had! On Wednesday night, the
Dinner Cruise was quite a success and John Ebata says the air conditioning was working well on the cruise boat. He and
fiance' Wendy said it felt as cool as the TCH chill box! They had to go topside to warm up! Ron and Anita
Koshko also took advantage of the early bird dinner cruise and all said they had a great time and meal.
Thursday morning had us all mustering in the hospitality suite to enjoy some camaraderie
and plan the day's tour event! Fourteen of us are taking the historic Charleston, guided, tour! I know we're going
to enjoy the event as we learn of Charleston's great history and view the many mansions that make up downtown Charleston.
Shipmate Gary Smith has shared his expertise and knowledge of the Charleston tour and has provided some great liaison work
for our planners, John and Sherry! Gary works for the Charleston Visitors center! Thanks for the help Gary.
 The Thursday afternoon tour of historic
Charleston did not disappoint! Our guide navigated the narrow streets of Charleston, narrating and explaining
the history of many of the finest homes in Charleston. We stopped for 1/2 hour visit of the Joseph Manigault house
located at the corner of John & Meeting Streets. The home, built in 1803 displayed nearly all original trim work
and floors. Pretty impressive! The gang returned to the hotel to rest up for the balance of the day which included
a great seafood dinner featuring the "local catch". The restaurant, R B Seafood, located on Shem Creek proved
to be a great choice! Shrimp, flounder, oysters, scallops in a variety of dishes helped tame the palate of the hungry
TCHVA members. The hospitality suite was there to "help us'" bring this great day to a close. Plenty
of cold beverages on hand to help tame this 90 degree South Carolina summer day! To coin a phrase " A great time
was had by all!". We're looking forward to Fort Sumter and the Patriot Points museum for Friday.
Friday, under
a warm (HOT!!) South Carolina sun 17 members of the reunion crew cruised the harbor to Fort Sumter where the first shot began
the Civil War. We heard the geat history of the Fort and how it changed from Union possession to Confederate capture then
back to the Union.The fortress remains intact over 150 years including 9 feet of flooding from hurricane Hugo. Everyone
found it interesting and the boat ride to and from gave some of us back our sea legs. The group then toured the USS Yorktown, a WWII Carrier,
where we enjoyed a hot lunch in the Chief's Mess. To see all the sections of the ships and all the different aircraft
was fascinating. All commented that there was far more to see than time permitted. Garry Collins gave a personal tour aboard the USS Clamagore, a WWII submarine and recalled his days aboard a
submarine. All regrouped
and had a great meal with "Sticky Fingers" BBQ and "pigged" out while enjoying a slide show of some fond
memories.
The business
meeting was conducted at 0900 Saturday. All reunion attendees were present and elected new officers for the coming two
years. Scott Ruerup is the new President. Ron Koshko was elected as the new Vice President. Randy Groen
was re-elected as Treasurer. Garry Collins was elected as Secretary. Tom Clark remains as Association Chaplain,
and Andy Roberts continues as the Historian. Outgoing President Jerry Leatherwood will be the Chairman of the Board
for the next two years! Norfolk was chosen as the next reunion city! Several shipmates will be heading out to
tour the historic submarine, USS Hunley. All hands will be attending the formal dinner banquet tonight at the hotel.
L-R Gary Smith, Dan Schubert, Garry Collins, Ron Koshko,
Jerry Leatherwood, Jim Maddox, Steve Garcia, Randy Groen, Jim Fender, Tommy Sexton, John Ebata, Dave Neimeyer, Nelson Mertz
L-R Joan Smith, Marilyn Sexton, Dee Garcia, Molly
Schubert, Terry Leatherwood, Judy Maddox, Anita Koshko, Dee Mertz, Marylyn Collins, Wendy Baker Click to see individual pictures of reunion attendees.
Saturday evening's
banquet consisted of Chicken Wellington or Roast Beef, with green beans, rice, dinner rolls, salad, and cheesecake!
The hotel presented outgoing President, Jerry Leatherwood, the framed announcement of the TCHVA reunion. Our planner,
John Peterson, gave a moving tribute to all veterans by telling the story of "earning your chair" that he heard
presented at the Republican convention this past summer. Garry Collins read a poem "Thirty Years Gone" by
Doug Hemming that illustrated the reunion spirit and how great it is to be able to see your old friends, just one more time!
Jerry announced the newly officer staff and we adjourned to the hospitality suite to continue the festivities! We are
all looking forward to a great crowd in Norfolk in 2011!
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