By Bobbie Clinton
The Reunion was a great success!!! As always, the best part is renewing old friendships. The ease of reconnecting is amazing. It’s a clear reflection of the deep bonds formed with our Navy family.
The reunion was a challenge for MSNNCA; however, this fledgling chapter is happy to report that the feedback has been very positive. “Fun” is the most frequently used adjective. The Saturday night banquet program highlighting nurses’ sea stories was a favorite. We have received numerous requests to make the sea stories a tradition for future reunions. The morning schedule for our official meetings was also quite popular as it allowed for more time to tour and visit for the rest of the day.
Because of our Chapter’s small size, we hired a military reunion planner. We could not have managed the tours and registration without them. However, we learned a local reunion planner would have been a better choice. Military experience is not necessary and to have a local planner would be a great asset.
There were some problems encountered by a few of our members related to transportation difficulties to/from local events. We have already shared this lesson with the NENNCA Chapter to help them plan the 2016 reunion. There were problems with the Saturday breakfast. We are negotiating with the hotel and are hoping to reimburse those who paid $37 for a $19 breakfast. We extend our heartfelt apologies.
Planning a reunion is a big project and many contribute to the success. To the chapters who sent donations to us, thank you. To those who supported us with lessons learned from involvement with the planning of previous reunions, thank you. To those who shared their sea stories and those who compiled them and prepared them, thank you. Laughter reigned as Jack Caffrey‘s comedic delivery of the stories resounded with the audience. Thank you to Sue Roper, Cindy Coyle and Chester Goggin. They were everywhere with their cameras. Thank you to the NNCA Board of Directors for providing the glue and the vision that keeps our organization viable. To the members of MSNNCA chapter, your TEAMWORK was solid. The endless hours you gave to planning and bringing the reunion to reality go beyond description. Your dedication and creativity were amazing. Finally, thank you to all who made the journey to Nashville and here’s hoping we will see you in Newport in 2016.
