Reunion 1987

In 1986 I saw a movie about a reunion of the W.W. II Air Force pilots in England. When I saw how much they all meant to each other I asked myself, "Why can't we have a reunion of all the U.S.S. Nassau (CVE-16) shipmates?" This is how the idea of having the U.S.S. Nassau Association began. We have had a yearly reunion, since 1987, and never in the same city twice.

At the time, I was a subscriber to "Naval Proceeding." I placed a notice in the reunion section saying that I was planning a future reunion in 1987. The first shipmate that contacted me was Tom Hennessy and the second was Jim Hartzheim. I knew he was from a place in Wisconsin called Combined Locks. I went to the library and called the Hartzheim listed there, but it was Jim's niece, and she gave me his number in Virginia.

By the time of our First Reunion, August 20, 1987, I had contracted 25 shipmates. Our total attendance was 25, including wives and only 14 shipmates. It was held at the Quality Inn in Anaheim, California. We had our banquet on Friday night, the 20th of August 1987. I had acquired some discount tickets to Disneyland and most everyone went, and then departed for home on the twenty-second. The shipmates in attendance were David Berry, Virgil Butler, D.R. Christensen, James Creedon, James Hartzheim, Tom Hennessy, Charlie Jordan, Will Latimer, Sam Moore, Roy Norris, Jim Rappenecker, Rich Rose, Bob Stovee, and three of my daughters: Kathy, Rachel and Becky.