187th Reunion History
published May 11, 2023
187th Reunion History
In 1996 the VHPA reunion was in Kansas City and Sheila, and I went. It was our first VHPA reunion. One of the first people I met was Asa Vest, one of my esteemed mentors. We hadn’t seen each other since 1968. John Quisenberry had organized a breakout room for the 187th and everyone that had pictures brought their slides or hard prints. But the VHPA reunions didn’t allow EM or non-pilots to participate (still don’t.) The following year was in San Jose with a similar breakout setup. I became interested in getting everyone in the 187th and support functions together. During the following year, I set out to gather up as many unit member addresses etc. as possible.
There were various partial lists. Quiz and Frenchie had accumulated the most. But there were many more smaller lists available. My objective was to find as many as I could to attend the following VHPA reunion in Ft. Worth. Attached is the original letter. Jim Gaffney also had a lot of names and provided the Crusader artwork for the announcement letter.
It was a formidable undertaking with a lot of back-channel emails and snail-mails coordinating the events. But it happened with a significant turnout.
Left side of the group … the right-side picture wasn’t clear enough to print.
On the day of the first reunion event, Jim Gaffney brought 187th caps for everyone and I brought Crusader embroidered Outer Banks Polo shirts. Additionally, I had a few hundred Crusader patches made that could be sewn or use the iron-on backing for other apparel. I still have about 40 patches left that can be used at this year’s auction.
There were certain and unexpected consternation’s because some of the “original boat people” 😊 were upset. There was nothing reflecting the Blackhawks. I was never a Blackhawk (remember, I was the first Crusader RLO)… I wasn’t thinking … my bad.
Mostly former members of the 1st Platoon from 1968
Others were upset because I thought you all were still 160 lbs. The shirts (which I paid for) didn’t/couldn’t fit over some of the more efficiently developed metabolisms.😊
I called my shirt guy and ordered an overnight run of XXLs and a few XXXLs. Fortunately, because of who we are and what we did, he did not add a surcharge for the expedited order.
Sheila made the one-hundred-and-twenty-mile round trip to pick up the special production. All this to accommodate the few who looked like they swallowed the beer kegs rather than sipped the brew out of a mug. 😊
Friendships were reestablished. At one of the breakouts, it was suggested that we ought to have reunions on our own rather than tie it to the reluctant VHPA. Frank Drinkwine offered his mini-ranch near Tampa for the following November and the first (or second --depending on who is writing the 187th history) was established.
Has anyone heard from Frank since? That is one of my points. Putting a reunion together is a pain in the ass which no one seems to appreciate. I know I won’t be on the next volunteer list.
The reunion that Jimmy Strait and Lisa Wilson are coordinating for this year marks the 25th anniversary of our original get together in Ft Worth. I am happy that it will be here and only a few miles from my house, but I am concerned about our reunion’s future.
We aren’t getting any younger, and the board and unit needs to set a solid foundation of where we go from here. Why are we continuing to raise money when the coffers are full? What will be the eventual disbursement? Etc. Etc. Etc.
Costs for hotels and eating etc. are getting out of hand. I reread the original letter and the costs for a room at the 4-Star rated Worthington in 1998 was a hundred bucks. The same hotel now is ~$250/night. The initial quotes in the entertainment districts of DFW area in 2023 were approaching $200/night +++ Only a select few might be willing to shell out that kind of money plus the time and expense of getting to a reunion site.
I don’t subscribe to the philosophy that our reunions should be at various locations around the country, but that is one man’s opinion.
The board needs to address this issue now instead of dumping the problem on the next person dumb enough to volunteer or be browbeat into hosting next years and future gatherings. There are too many loose ends and accountability issues that need more oversight. Perhaps this will be discussed at the reunion business meeting.
My history and advisory are over. 😊 I’ve been to the reunion hotel and the accommodations are quite comfortable. There are many eating establishments adjoining the property (walking or rolling a chair,) and there are plenty of sights to see within a short drive.
There are quite a few in the pictures that I posted who are no longer here or haven’t been heard from in years … Art! Where are you? 😊 Age, infirmities, and fixed incomes are preventing comrades from attending. Travel is becoming a medical impossibility for many.
We hope you don’t fall into any of these categories and hope to see as many of you as possible this November.
Pat Dougan
Sounds like a job well done. Congratulations.