We thought it might be helpful to newly located shipmates and those who have never attended a reunion to touch on some of the things about the reunions that you might have questions about.
Dates . . .
When we list dates for the reunion, it will be from a Thursday to a Sunday. There will be some shipmates that arrive on a Wednesday but most shipmates arrive on the Thursday. You are more than welcome to come at anytime that your schedule will allow.Hotel Arrival . . .
When you arrive at the hotel and get checked into your room, you will want to come to the hospitality room. The hotel desk can direct you. Once there, we will have a check-in table set up with our friendly staff of shipmate wives and relatives waiting to welcome you with a check-in package and some goodies. Everyone will get a name badge with their years of service on it. There will be name badges for wives and friends, also.Activities . . .
Our activities and tours take place on Friday and Saturday. If a tour takes place starting at 9 a.m. (for instance), we ask all to meet in the hotel lobby at 8:30 a.m. where buses will line up outside to take us to our destination. These same buses will also take us back to the hotel. There will be a form in the newsletter or on the website long before the reunion to sign up for the activities in which you would like to participate. By signing up early, the association has ample time to arrange the proper number of buses. On Saturday, an association business meeting with shipmates only (no wives or guests) will be held to discuss old and new business. This meeting generally is short and informative. Sometime during the weekend, a memorial service is held for all deceased members of the JWT. Names are read aloud and a moment of silence is observed.Hospitality Room . . .
We ALWAYS have a hospitality room in the hotel where all can gather together. That is the highlight of the reunion for many of us. It’s where we meet old friends and make many new friends. It’s where all “sea stories” are once again told, and we realize many are fabricated or embellished by now. That’s perfectly acceptable. In our hospitality room will be displayed all the raffle prizes and silent auction items that have been donated by many of our shipmates and their families. It is also where raffle tickets will be sold to anyone wishing to purchase them. We also have refreshments served at all times during the reunion in the hospitality room. Also in our hospitality room, you will want to visit the tables where we have displayed a great deal of history, pictures, write-ups, etc. about the JWT. Many shipmates bring their memories, cruise books, pictures, and history with them for us to display or review.Banquet Dinner . . .
Our banquet is always held on Saturday night and is a tremendous way to windup our reunion. It’s a great time with everyone looking super and pictures are taken constantly. We ask all retired Navy to dress up in their uniforms (last rank achieved). It is a sit down dinner which you pay for and order long before the banquet when the newsletter comes out with the form in it. We will also draw our raffle prizes and announce the winners of the silent auction.Dress Code . . .
We have absolutely no dress code and most everything we do is casual. The only activity we do dress up for is our banquet and that too is optional. At the banquet, some guys will wear a suit or slacks and a jacket. The girls can wear dresses or dressy pantsuits. Once again, that is not a dress code or dress rule--- only an option. You can wear whatever you are comfortable in. Most men buy a JWT hat and wear it to all activities. JWT blue shirts are sold and will be worn anytime during the week. Both the hat and shirt can be purchased from the ship’s store.We hope this will give anyone with questions an insight to our reunions. The USS John W. Thomason gave us all a common bond and we share that bond at our reunions. Many old friendships are renewed and new friendships are made. Everyone leaves for their homes on Sunday to await the next reunion that brings us back together.
If we have omitted something you would like to know, please ask us or email us with your questions so we can make your visit more relaxing. It is our goal to reunite as many members who served aboard the USS John W. Thomason as possible and share with each other our experiences.
