SSN 680 Plan of the Day
- Brad Williamson
White clouds boil into the sky. A distant freight train of thunder arrives. Evening falls. The sky darkens over Orlando.
Ensconced in my third floor room, I’m finally drawing the breath of a pardoned man. All the work of the last year comes together in 20 hours in a Hospitality Suite at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort as REGROUPEX 17 gets underway.
It was almost a year ago, the 16th of September, 2016, when we had the first inklings that a reunion might be overdue. By the 7th of December, we had enough interest, and REGROUPEX 17 made the transition from imagination to planning.
- Brad Williamson
Scrambling toward the September 1st deadline. Twenty days does not seem like enough time to take care of all that remains to be done, but as Captain Leon J. Uplinger taught me while pursuing my studies in life and leadership on-board the USS William H. Bates, “We’re getting underway on time even if we have to row it away from the pier!”
Two new events added to the schedule for those that are still wondering what to do while you are in Orlando.
Friday, September 1, 1900 - 2100: REGROUPEX 17 Welcome Aboard Mixer - Join us in our comfortable Hospitality Suite for the REGROUPEX 17 Welcome Aboard Mixer. A variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be offered along with light snacks. Cost of this event is included in your paid registration, but we do need to know how many are planning to attend.
- Brad Williamson
Exactly three weeks until REGROUPEX 17, and there’s not a moment to lose!
The challenge coins have been designed and ordered, and are currently in production. We can only hope they actually arrive in time for delivery in Orlando!
Each registered shipmate will receive one as part of their registration, as will each REGROUPEX 17 Sponsor at Chiefs Club level or above.
We will also make them available to those that were not able to attend after the reunion as part of a fund-raising effort to obtain the boat’s Deck Log and Sailing Lists, and other related artifacts, so if you couldn’t make the reunion, you don’t have to miss out.
- Brad Williamson
Can’t make REGROUPEX 17, but want to send a message to those that can that says, “I haven’t forgotten my shipmates...”?
Feeling flush and and in that generous spirit?
Want to help out with a shipmate that can’t afford the registration?
Consider Sponsorship of REGROUPEX 17. Though your contribution is not tax-deductible (yet…we are working on it!) you can help defray the reunion expenses by simply using the REGROUPEX 17 SPONSORSHIP button located in the right column of every page of the www.ssn-680.org website. Every dollar of your contribution goes toward reunion expenses.
Not keen on potentially contributing to the delinquency of aging former sailors, but wanting to see the history and artifacts of the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680) preserved and promoted? Use the SUPPORT SSN-680.ORG button located on the right side of your screen. Ever dollar will go toward maintenance cost of the website and the acquisition of artifacts like the deck log and sailing lists of the Bouncing’ Billy B.
- Brad Williamson
Our countdown clock indicates 30 days and 8 hours until the official start of REGROUPEX 17. Time to get moving, and get registered!
The soft deadline for registration is 21 August 2017, marked by a total eclipse of the sun over much of the United States! Don’t let the skies go dark without completing your registration and making payment for REGROUPEX 17.
This deadline is important. Your registration tells us you’ll be there, which lets us plan for refreshments, make name tags, arrange the REGROUPEX 17 dinner, and pay for all those last minute details that need to be resolved before you can walk into the SSN 680 Hospitality Suite and start reconnecting!