Fleet Plan of the Day
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- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
Just a quick update. I've rearranged the Reunions menu to reflect the fact that REGROUPEX 09 is now in the past. I've added a Special Thanks article for all the thank yous involved, and listed the attendance with a Muster List. Sponsor listings and an exclusive photo section will be added as I get some time.
You will also notice that the REGROUPEX 09 newsletter signup has disappeared from the Familygram, and the REGROUPEX 09 registration and contribution pushbutton are also no longer necessary.
I also finally posted photos to the Crews Gallery from REGROUPEX 09 taken by Jim Meyers, Steve Perry and myself, adding about 100 new photos to the REGROUPEX 09 collection. Steve Shaw's photos will hopefully be added tomorrow.
If you have any trouble posting photos or comments, please let me know.
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- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
It's Monday AM - one week post REGROUPEX 09 - I'm back in my office after a week on the road. Still trying to get my arms around the reunion. I'll write more as I sort it out, but for now know that I'm back home, sorting through hundreds of reunion pics, trying to organize my life and my thoughts so I can get some of this posted. I'll let you know as the articles go up.
Special thanks to all those that helped, both with hands and feet, or money to make the reunion go. You deserve more than this and I'll write something up especially for you. Al Frankel's wife Heather, and Michael Wickstrom's wife, Vicky, and my wife Margaret, are more than we deserve for the work they did setting up, hosting, and cleaning up. We are in your debt.
Keep those emails and photos coming - if you have trouble posting to the Crew's Gallery, let me know - know that I'm back in the office, I can help you sort those bugs out, and hopefully reply to all your emails.
Again, my thanks to each of you for being part of REGROUPEX 09.
For those of you that missed it, you really missed something special.
See you next time.
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- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
We left too soon - or you did. For those of you who went home Sunday or Monday and didn't stay for the start of the USSVI/ISA convention, you are missing quite a bit.
For example, yesterday morning Steve Perry caught my attention while I was walking past the pool, and told me there were two guys speaking Russian sitting at the table by him with submarine ballcaps on. We introduced ourselves, and after a few minutes of broken Russian/English conversation, we discovered that we were speaking with Igor Kurdin (2nd from right), former CO of the K-84, a Delta IV boomer, and author of the book 'Hostile Waters', which both of us had read.
His friend, Pavlov (left), was the Port Engineer for the K-84, the Ektarinaburg, in a shipyard, but we couldn't figure out much more than that, our Russian being somewhat worse than their English!
We had a great time convincing him that we were enlisted sailors on the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680), and he did get the 'Sturgeon class' part, I think, but we made some new friends and managed to not interfere with international relations!
Brad Williamson - glavnyy starshini (senior petty officer, I think)
Pavlov, friend of Igor, Steve Perry, Igor Kurdin, Brad Williamson
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- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
REGROUPEX 09 photos are being uploaded as I type. You can find them here in the Crew's Gallery.
- Details
- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
Just a quick update for those unfortunate few that weren't able to attend REGROUPEX 09 this weekend in San Diego.
It is Sunday morning - the reception suite is empty and clean - just a few minutes to post before the crowd starts showing up. Wait, MS Chief Mike Rodriguez and his wife Margaret just walked through the door.
OK - still quiet, just the four of us sitting here and chatting. Dennis Carroll and his friend Sandy stopped by earlier. Dennis commented that it was hard to believe that there had been 40 of us in the suite last night, and the place still looked livable. Some things have definitely changed since back in the days.
It has been a really incredible weekend. I have been operating in a strange mode since I walked into the suite Friday evening. We have had between 40 and 50 people here each of the last two evenings, and most of the time I've been in a daze, (not just due to the alcohol!) because I can't really believe this is happening. Absolutely full house both Friday and Saturday. Most come early and stay for 6 or 8 hours. I got here at 10 AM yesterday, and left at 2 this morning. It has been an incredible adventure.
Bill Byers and Dave Shoemaker just walked in - we are trying to figure out what to do for dinner.
Hard to describe - dozens of guys and their sweethearts sitting in the suite, hanging out on the patio, lounging around tables on the lawn, everyone of them having a great time sharing sea stories and reconnecting with old friends. Plenty of food and drink attracted some to the suite to stock up. Six or eight gathered around the big flat screen looking through photos of the old days, trying to put names to faces. Raucous laughter as various events are recalled. A handful huddle over a photo album, so more look through stacks of memorabilia, including ships qual cards. "Did I really sign you off on AMR2? I must have be a real sleaze!" That kind of thing.
You should be here. Most of us wish you were. Sorry we missed you.
More later - got to go - Steve Perry just walked in.
Catch up with you soon.
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- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
It's Tuesday night - 72 hours from now about 30 of us shipmates will be trying to figure out who's who, after 25 years. Seems hard to believe that we are down to the wire on this one. It was only the first week of last December when I heard from Bill Byers, who said, "are you the Brad Williamson that used to be in RC division on the William H. Bates?"
We felt that we were way too optimistic thinking we could pull off a get-together this year. Next year seemed like a much more conservative guess, but after a few phone calls, and a dozen emails, we had a core group from E and RC divisions in the early eighties, and the next thing you know, we were talking about a reunion - nothing major, mind you, just a 'let's all get together in the same place for a day or two and catch up' kind of reunion.
I volunteered to put together a little web page to help us coordinate, and the next thing you know, www.ssn-680.org is taking over the planet - at least the SSN-680 planet, anyway. Last week we had 47,000 page views from 2400 unique visits.
Bill kept pushing on the reunion thread, and Friday night we kick off REGROUPEX 09. Still hard to believe.
Bill is already checked into the Town and Country in San Diego, and other shipmates start arriving tomorrow night. I'll arrive Friday afternoon, and be there through Wednesday morning.
So, it's not too late. If you haven't registered, you're dink. Get hot, sign up, and show up. There is no trophy for second place.
I'll post here periodically when I get a few minutes so all you non-quals that couldn't make it can see what you're missing.
But don't take it too hard - I do hope to see you there.
And there is always next year.
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- Brad Williamson
- POD - SSN 680
Only nine days until REGROUPEX 09!
That's right - nine days left. September 4th, sometime in the evening, we will start convening in the rented suite at the Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center in San Diego, California, for a weekend of sun, surf, suds, sea-stories, and the occasional 'sea'-gar. (Sorry, I was working on the 's' words and just ran out.)
We currently have 28 former shipmates registered which is liable to make it a standing room only crowd, but we'll have to wait and see when we get there. There is still time to register using the REGROUPEX 09 button on most pages, and, quite frankly, it's not too late until the weekend is over, so if you are willing, we'd be glad to see you, even if you can't spend the whole weekend there.
In keeping with the finest traditions of the USS William H. Bates, and in deference to the principles by which this reunion was organized (using the word loosely) we have absolutely nothing planned. Seriously. We may arrange a group meal or two out, we may just send out for pizza. Who knows! We may take a cruise on the bay, we may just sit by the pool and swap sea-stories. The USSVI meeting starts Monday and they have more than enough organized for anybody who can stay and take some of it in, so we are just going with the traditional laid-back, Battlin' Billy Bates attitude, and see what happens.
