5th
REDFIN Reunion
The 5th reunion was held at
the Ramada Inn, Norwich Connecticut on Monday, September 30 to Wednesday,
October 2, 2002.
Our Pizza Party was held on Monday
evening with a lot of “getting to know you’s”.
We had 6 World War II crewmen to attend; Forrest Mitchell, Everett
Butler, Harry Glover, Ray Neal, Robert Burr and Ted Breisch.
The Submarine Force Museum and the
National Submarine Memorial were visited on Tuesday.
They had even put up a display for REDFIN in the museum.
The Wall Of Honor is a very moving
experience with the names of the 3505 Submariners lost on Submarines during
World War II.
Did anyone notice the Japanese 2-man
submarine outside the museum? It
was in front of Sub School in 1956.
After the Tuesday evening buffet dinner
we had guest the speaker, Master Chief Dow Rogers, to give a very
interesting speech.
On Wednesday we toured Submarine School.
Our guide, MM1 Bailey, was very informative.
Most of us, that dared, got to experience the simulators.
So that’s how it feels to make an emergency surface…WOW.
We even got to eat lunch in the mess hall.
You sit there looking at all the sub school students and
wonder…”did I ever look that young”.
We had our pictures taken for the Memory
Album and then had our buffet dinner. After
dinner our guest speaker, Master Chief Joe Salcedo spoke to us.
At the drawing for the prizes, Dick Buscher won the “Intarsia” of
the 1956 REDFIN Logo.
Life
aboard a submarine has really changed.
But after speaking to the students, the men are the same.
The young students were very interested in how life was and we
were very interested in how life is.
On Thursday everyone had their coffee and
donuts and said their good bye’s.
The 2003 reunion will be held in Reno, Nevada.
