Reunion Transportation

Reunion Transportation

We will be using BEACH BUM TROLLIES for our group tours in Pensacola in October. You can see their tours here -- some of which we will choose. Also notice they are OLD HANDS at military reunions and a LOT of other Navy and sister military organizations are represented in their reunion schedules. Tours usually include the transportation, meals, and any fees for entry to venues. I hope to SHANGHAI one or two of my history professors who liven up the area knowledge to join us.

REUNION LODGING and MORE

Ron Harper says COME ON DOWN !

Twin Queens with mini kitchen

Here is a link to the information about REUNION Lodging.  Go ahead and reserve a room in our OCT 5-10 time frame. IF you want to stay a few more days to catch the annual big home (AN EARLIER NOTICE HAD THE WRONG ROOM PRICE- correct price is $75 and includes the continental breakfast) coming practice and show with the Blue Angels - just add some days.  The HOTEL DOES NOT require a credit card reserve and they are very flexible on late changes or cancellations. THIS IS A BIG PLUS. So go ahead and reserve ... it will help us plan all other reunion activities as we build numbers. -- ALSO - encourage our affiliated ships that we may share some history with to join in (Just let us know). AND all the HSL detachments are very welcome and encouraged to come along as we were shipmates through and through. Affiliated guests and friends of our ship and its history are all welcome to join in.
HERE IS THE LINK.

The hotel is within a mile of NAS Pensacola and within two miles of downtown Pensacola. Beach bum trollies will be our key transport for all the group touring and they have a stellar reputation with veteran groups.

JANUARY UPDATES on the OCT. Reunion

Ahoy USS O'Callahan shipmates, affiliated units and camp followers -

Our 2016 reunion is scheduled for October 5-10 in PENSACOLA , FL. (All updates will be posted  HERE - linked by "News" from our main website  www.ussocallahan.org)

- Also welcomed are the HSL detachments we sailed with and sailors from other ships related by our heritage or our operating histories. Just let us know and sign in for the ride.  

- YOUR CONTACT: 

vic@buzzcreek.com (Served '71-73 - OC Div. Officer)

Vic Campbell  6933 Martin Road , Milton , FL   32570  850 994 6120 (text or call)

Everyone is welcome to attend all or part of the reunion. Registration forms will be in a later email. (probably by March)

Visit our FaceBook Page -  https://www.facebook.com/groups/irishsong/

It is a closed group so you will have to ask permission to join, lots of discussions and sea stories.

The local international airport is PENSACOLA INTERNATIONAL.

In a few weeks, we will have a more definitive plan for the hotel accommodations. I will include some contacts for other lodging options as well - such as the excellent camping facilities including one on NAS Pensacola that retirees can use.  

Our original dates were OCT 6-10.  I have moved up to OCT 5-10 in order to try to fit in a better tour trip to Mobile .   Pensacola and Mobile are very close to each other.   Mobile hosts Austell shipbuilding where they make the new LCS trimarans.  I hope to get us some kind of tour or a speaker on the topic at Mobile . 

That is in the works.  If not a few other items make a day in Mobile a good day.  Otherwise, the activities will be in Pensacola and therefore a Pensacola hotel will be our base of operations.

Activities Planned  (Links are underlined)

MOBILE - Austell Talk/Tour.   Bellingrath Gardens.  History and technology and dinner at Wentzell's Oyster House in historic downtown.

PENSACOLA   BEACH TOUR including Fort Pickens overlooking the bay, a possible Dolphin tour, dining overlooking the Gulf.  

PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR MUSEUM at NAS PENSACOLA - A premier affiliate of the Smithsonian. It is an amazing museum that can fill a whole day. IMAX films. Blue Angels may be home from tours.  If the plan works out, we may have a cookout on the beach at the waters edge right on the base (at cottages for military and retirees).

PENSACOLA DOWTOWN -- Many small museums and crafty shops and eating establishments will fill the day - Probably Saturday - all within walking distance of the hotel (as planned). Some excellent historical tours will give you insight to the eras of the Spanish colonization, the British and American all overlaid on the Native American experience. The Jackson tour is quite an eye opener about the war of 1812 and post war exnpansion to eventually bring in Florida to the USA .  

A Relative of Fr. O'Callahan

This was posted in our guestbook... If anyone can suggest ways to invite Richard and other connections to Fr. O'Callahan and Veterans of USS Franklin to our reunion this year (Oct 5-10 2016) let us know. ---

Date:   12/14/2015, 7:34 pm, GMT +5 Name:   Richard Yoshida Number:   150 Just found this site. Joe O'Callahan was my uncle through marriage. His brother John was married to my father's sister Anne. I remember meeting Joe when I was quite young. He came to Montreal to visit our side of the family. It's a bit ironic that Joe's sister in law was half Japanese. My grandfather was born in Japan somewhere around 1880 and emigrated to Canada in 1896 then moved east and married an Irish girl in New Jersey. Their daughter Anne was an American and lived in Boston after marrying John. My dad was born in Toronto as was the 3rd child Rosemary. 2 years ago I visited the USS Yorktown in Charleston where I found the terrific memorial to the USS Franklin. I also remember that my aunt Rosemary attended the christening of the O'Callahan at the invitation of the USN. Best wishes to all who served aboard.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar



CALENDAR for 2016 reunion.   October 6-10. Pensacola.

Details will develop in the next few months of 2015. Hotel, tours, activities.  Pensacola is known as the Cradle of Naval Aviation and Pensacola Naval Air Station ...and the AMAZING, Naval Air Museum. In addition the beaches and deep sea fishing and seafood are FIRST CLASS treasures.  History in Pensacola encompasses Native Americans, Spanish, French, British, American, and Confederate history. It is known as the city of FIVE FLAGS. Transportation will be planned in a way to allow some tours within 70 miles of Pensacola, including Mobile, Alabama.  Mobile is home of AUSTEL that is building some of the new stealthy tri-hull destroyers! Depending on attendance, we may select to stay in beach cabins on Pensacola NAS - within a few hundred yards of the Blue Angel's Hangar.  Or we may base a few people there with RV's and the Cabins to maintain an ON BASE cookout/dinner location on the bay a couple of nights. Or - we may use a hotel in town or a selection of condos near or on the beach -- all depending on the deal ew arrange.  We may also invite some other "TIN CAN" sailor's ships to join us for tours or hotels to get better rates on tours and transportation. At this point, suggestions are welcomed.  IT IS NOW NOVEMBER 2015. Vic is about to light the afterburner.
For questions and suggestions please use comments below or email  me - vic@buzzcreek.com .

Agent Orange Links

Gary D. Moore's Web Site

This veteran has done a lot of research and has links for Agent Orange.

NAVY BLUE - the song

From friend, Larry Cutrone - this message: Friends, Back in 1964 my dear friend Diane Renay had this huge monster hit " Navy Blue "! You can see Diane performing that song and others as she performs at the Veterans of Foreign Wars 2003 National Convention. She was gracious enough to send this rare video performance for the whole word to enjoy! I think you'll agree this song is just as relevant today as it was back then!

Murmansk Run - A Sailor

Learning about the "old days" of escort duty with the convoys in the North Atlantic. The Anti Aircraft protection noted near the end of this video is a classic. And the "rain" from the crows nest on a clear day is so ... believable. Maybe becuase it is all true. Ivo Duvall has written several books. Some are available on Amazon.com. ALL are very entertaining and instructive. His boyhood experiences growing up in Alaska are a treasure every Alaska lover will want to share. A BOY IN ALASKA click to find on Amazon.com TALL TALES - Alaska Style

AO Exposure - Shipmate finds results

NOV 2014 Recent AO Status approved for one shipmate.This is a critical event. John Hunter of Missouri invites you to contact him for some of the information that helped him get this VA status. John was on the THIRD deployment to Vietnam in '72-3. John Hunter opie1954@centurylink.ne

Tin Can Sailors - The National Association of Destroyer Veterans

Tin Can Sailors - The National Association of Destroyer Veterans

Here are some events you can attend in 2015 with other destroyer vets.  Our next ship reunion will be in Pensacola in 2016.