Reunion 2006
in San Antonio ................
Two Years of Planning ------- Massive Success
Submitted by Mark Rocco
Marines
reunite, remember and reminisce in the mighty State of Texas. I’ve always liked
Texas for a very “BIG” reason. Like Marines, like bikers, union members and
yes, even like some frat boys……. Texas has pride. In my travels, seeing much of
all but seven of these United States, Texans have more pride in being Texans
than any other state in this great country. It may be annoying, it may get on
your nerves and some may joke about it but the truth is that Texas is a damn
fine state. I’ve lived in West Texas. Those are some real folks, remind me of
Marines. Thank you Bill Collopy for inviting us to Texas, it was an excellent
place for Marines to assemble.
I emailed Bill Collopy a handful of times over the two year period of July 2004 to July 2006. My emails were asking him, “Do you need any help?” and “What can I do.” I always added Terry O’Connell to my emails and although Bill was a little “challenged” with email communication…… he had the entire situation under control. I’ve never worked with Bill Collopy as an active Marine but…… OHHHHHHHHHHHH what an experience it must have been. He’s absolutely NOT going to want to hear this (getting past tattoos and east coast accent/attitude) but what he created in San Antonio can be best described in one word…………. CLASS. Thank you Bill Collopy for teaching me a few things about class, reunions and those fringe things that elevate a “gathering” to a reunion of Marines, we will build on it.
Well now…….. now that the proper and earned respects have been given you know I’m going to start talking about Cornhole.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornhole_(game)
Briefly, I headed to Lowe’s with a Marine buddy and we spent an entire Saturday in June building four Cornhole sets. I gave one to my Marine helper, sold one set and then boxed up the other two sets and had them shipped to San Antonio. More on Cornhole later as I’ll be talking about our Cornhole Champions………………… you KNOW who you are.
So the Cornhole sets have been built and shipped. Custom boxes were made for me, free of charge by a local place with many veterans working in it. They were excited about making these shipping boxes for us. I have thanked them properly. Now it’s time to get the family ready. My lady and monsters decided to leave Dayton early and fly into Austin. This decision was based on them using Austin so that they could visit family in Waco for a few days before the reunion. They left Monday morning and I followed on Wednesday. Michelle picked me up in Austin and we headed for The Menger on Wednesday morning.
Shortly after getting on the road from Austin to San Antonio, my cell phone
rings and it’s BamBam. They’ve touched down and are heading to The Menger.
Smeg has also checked in with me…….. his position, another hotel around the
corner. I have been informed by BamBam that he is with his Father (former
Marine) and they have made liaison with the Braun party and are well dug in at
The Menger Bar. With this information, our highway speed was increased to
just below ludicrous and we made time for bar. From route to approach
march……… we arrive at The Menger and were informed that our room would not be
ready for a few hours. This is perfect as it allows us to get to the bar
to increase our blood alcohol levels which by now have become dangerously low.
I walked into The Menger Bar and felt something strange. I cannot describe
it except it was like I had been in there before but it was much more than deja
vous. It would be later that I learned the history of the bar and it was
then I realized that what I felt was a soft, not quite quiet calling. It’s
as if ALL warriors had been in this bar before. As Tun Tavern no longer
physically exists, perhaps there are places on this planet where warrior essence
assembles? This bar had a spirit like Tun Tavern. This bar’s spirit
called men to ride with Teddy Roosevelt. I’m not what you would call
religious, I’m not into the supernatural and I don’t smoke mushrooms……. but this
bar certainly has a history and I’m also claiming a spirit/soul in the sense
that I felt something there. A regret of mine is that we all didn’t walk
into that bar and have a massive toast to Company I, Third Battalion, Ninth
Marines. A toast to India Company, a toast to Marines……….. a toast to
Teddy Roosevelt and a toast to all rough men willing to throw themselves into
something larger than themselves. I am asking any/all who read this that
if they ever get back to the bar, please toast to what I have listed above as I
was too shortsighted to have made it happen back in July. OOH RAH to The
Menger Bar.
OOH RAH to The Menger Bar and as I get all the way into the dimly lit pub, I find the BamBams (more than one) and the Braun party (Doc and Daughter). We hug, we laugh, we drink and we plan and plot. This reunion was about to begin. Drinks were ordered and we set off to find the Company Hospitality Room.
I believe that BamBam and I walked into the hospitality room to find the Seals working very hard at setting up. I think Bill Collopy was there as well with the newly dubbed “Hospitality Nazi” John Langer. For those that are not Jerry Seinfield fans…………….. I respectfully and lovingly have given John Langer the call sign, “Hospitality Nazi”…………. as in, “NO HOSPITALITY FOR YOU.” If you don’t understand and need a laugh, check out:
http://www.seinfeld-fan.net/videos/seinfeld2.mov
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLHVv2ULpSg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNwbjcuQUv8
Just picture John Langer saying “HOSPITALITY” instead of soup. Folks, he runs a TIGHT ship. Do NOT mess with his hospitality room. We had plenty of everything. The place stayed clean, the room was configured and reconfigured several times to accommodate numerous gatherings, slide shows and meetings and it was just managed professionally. Semper Fi John Langer……………….. you made the reunion a world class event and your running of the hospitality room was outstanding.
I believe it was pretty much day one of my arrival, Wednesday that Bill Collopy approached me and asked me to MC the banquet. SHEESH, I was floored. I certainly did not expect this honor and it thrills me to this day. The coach had “put me in” and I was giddy as a school girl (a tatted up, hairy school girl). We had a few little talks on how Bill wanted the events to flow and what tone and order he expected. He wanted it classic, respectful and snappy……………….. minimum frills, no lulls and the whole time I’m thinking about garrison and field Marines. In my 86-94 era, fellow Marines would label each other. You were either a field Marine or a garrison Marine. Garrison Marines were into the flash, the polish and parade of it all. Sure, field Marines polished their boots and could flash when required but the difference was that during down time field Marines were reading manuals or editing mortar range charts while garrison Marines were sitting around spit shining together or performing rifle movements. Don’t get me wrong……………… all this is certainly 100% Marine, it’s just that most Marines swayed to a side and were labeled accordingly. This field Marine immediately picked up on what Bill Collopy wanted this reunion to be…………. the banquet. I absolutely loved what he was laying down and now even more wanted to be a part of it.
Have I mentioned The Menger Bar yet? Michelle and I needed Bloody Marys and soon found out that we were having the best. You know I’ve been all over the states and 15 countries (Michelle has been to more states and countries than me) and without a doubt we both agree that the Bloody Marys at The Menger Bar are hands down the best we’ve experienced. With a polite inquiry, the lovely bartender showed us the secret. She actually poured the juice from a can of imported olives into the Bloody Mary. Quite a bit of the olive juice was used and created a unique Bloody Mary that we have been enjoying ever since. Did you all know that The Menger Bar was built into the hotel in 1887 and is an exact replica of the House of Lords Pub in London, England? It was in this bar that Teddy Roosevelt recruited many of his Rough Riders, volunteers for the American volunteer Cavalry in the Spanish-American war. Again, OOH RAH!
It may have been our first morning in San Antonio, doesn’t matter
but Michelle and I (with monsters) walked down to
the hotel restaurant for
breakfast. It was an incredible buffet for breakfast. Let’s just say that I’d
have humped 5 miles for their waffles………… DAMN!!! We had just gotten started
(me on my first of 4 waffles) when The Skipper, Bill Conger “Captain Crunch”
came in. There was no way in hell he was going to eat alone so he was promptly
invited to join us. Join us, he did. Our conversation included cornhole,
Cincinnati, The Pine Club in Dayton, OH and trivial tidbits about our Marine
Corps. The whole family enjoyed the company of Bill Conger that morning, thank
you sir.
On
another morning, after obtaining credible intel about a breakfast place across
the street from The Menger………… the Rocco’s headed out. In five minutes we were
across the street eating breakfast at roughly ¼ the cost of The Menger
breakfast
buffet. An excellent value but all I could think about were the waffles at The
Menger. While in line we had another bestowed honor….. George Navadel entered
and joined us. He was alone and as the morning before, the Rocco’s would have
none of Marines eating by themselves. George was faster than immediate when
invited to join us. George accepted. Our conversation included talk about
Vista, CA and SoCal in general. He and Michelle talked some pilot stuff and
then a small political and educational system conversation took place. National
politics and CA politics were talked about and Michelle and I are now richer due
to our devoted 60 minutes with George Navadel. Mr George Navadel, thank you
sir.
During the days of reunion week, my girls shopped as serious as an FPF. They explored San Antonio…… specifically the River Walk area of operation and took a river boat tour one morning as well. I heard about a snake, birds and other details of their adventures as only seen through the eyes of excited children. The four of us also attended the Ripley’s Believe it or Not across the street and again…………. more excited children were observed.
Because of living in Lubbock, TX 13 years earlier………….. Michelle and I still
dating, eventually married in Lubbock, TX courthouse and the massive Air Force
presence in TX (at the time, three AF Bases in San Antonio alone……… Michelle and
I had experienced a favorite restaurant in San Antonio that still existed. It’s
called Pappasito’s (http://www.pappasitos.com/)
and we absolutely wanted The BamBam party and the Symensma (Smeg) party to
experience it. We piled into two cars and headed north along the beltway to
Pappasito’s. I cannot remember a more enjoyable time with old friends. Sadly,
they were out of Negra Modelo beer but we survived. Many in our party were also
introduced to Tacos Pescado (fish tacos) for the first time. Again, an
excellent time was had.
Who all saw the horse and carriage rides outside the hotel? Jenna and Hallie certainly did and a promised ride is what they got. We cruised around the area for about 30 minutes and had a little fun. We rode at night, it was clear, it was warm, you could not ask for better weather or a better view of the stars on any night.
Jerry Behrens?
Jerry Behrens brought and ran one VERY outstanding slide show. The most
interesting part of the
2-3 shows that Jerry put on was the presentation. Sure,
he could email the show to anyone at any time but what kept folks in their seats
for hours was Jerry. The human side brought to the slide show by Doc Behrens
cannot be explained here or shown justice in print. If you haven’t seen his
show with HIM presenting, then you are missing out. Drama, humor and tears……
it’s all here in Doc’s show. Thank you Doc Behrens for your time, I personally
saw your show twice and will hopefully see it again in 2008. Semper Fi, Surgeon
of Marines.
So there’s this
“Burgie” cat somewhere in Oregon that has been emailing me for years. He’s been
out with Troll, I’ve seen his pictures and agree with nearly 100% of anything he
sends to me in email. Well, I finally got to meet him…………… I met Jim “Burgie” Burghardt. Sir, you are an interesting Marine, I’m glad we finally met.
Anyone see the Seals adopt my two daughters? Actually, I think Jenna and Hallie attached themselves to Mary Ann Seals. It appeared that she didn’t have much of a choice. They just wanted to sell tickets and help everyone get organized. Thank you Seals for taking Jenna and Hallie in so freely and in only a way that Marine families would be familiar with and capable of. Mary Ann and the ladies just did such a great job in the hospitality room (NO HOSPITALITY FOR YOU) and come banquet time the girls decorated and worked their magic again. Thank you Mary Ann Seals.
It’s only fitting that when the Seals are mentioned cornhole be
brought back up again. Everyone knows that Al “Flipper” Seals was the cornhole
king of 2004 and he never lost a step with his prowess in 2006. Teaming up with
BamBam again proved to be nearly deadly………. devastating, punishing and painful
to all that stepped into the cornhole ring with these two Marines. The barrage
of laser guided bags, reminded most of a New Jersey Class broadside. When the
smoke cleared, Marines were down but Flipper and BamBam were always standing.
We played inside, we played outside and we got kicked out of garden while
playing till past midnight. It seems some slackers, civilian type slime
complained that we were noisy. If they thought THAT was noisy, they should have
heard all of us in our prime………… whether that be 1967 or 1989, we are all MUCH
quieter now. Yes, props and kudos to Flipper and BamBam this year as they truly
reign as cornhole kings and I’m quite sure I never saw them lose a match all
week. We are waiting for a prophesy to be fulfilled in the future where it is
said that a Marine coming from the south, loco and crunchy……….. a man of honor,
decorated and loud will arrive to beat Flipper and BamBam in cornhole. Wise men
conclude that this prophesy shall be fulfilled in our nation’s capital in 2008.
Come to us, oh cornhole prophet.
For those not present, the actual banquet was quite the event.
Our host Bill Collopy introduced myself as the Master of Ceremonies (a secret
kept all week, for effect). Marines of 4th Recon Battalion marched
on our National Emblem and saluted our National Anthem. I found the Marines of
this Color Guard to be superb and striking. More on these young Marines later
as my little Hallie created a tiny stir with one.
Jack Riley gave the
Invocation……………….. a fine and fitting reflection that had
our heads bowed and
hearts healed. Directly following Jack’s Invocation, he conducted a special
presentation in memory of Jim “Slick” Etheridge. WOW………. It’s been awhile
since I’ve witnessed something so moving, so powerful. I cannot and will not
describe it here but Jack loved Slick and showed us exactly how he felt. Many
things were done in preparation for this reunion, hard work and planning but the
truth is that Jack Riley had the hardest job of anyone present for an extremely
special 10 minutes. Jack Riley, we are ALL standing to give you the sharpest,
most respectful salute possible. Thank you sir.
Still standing,
Jack Riley then talked about Doc Ken Braun’s Navy Cross presentation in
Washington DC. Citations were read and personal commentary was issued
pertaining. Jack painted a solemn and respectful picture of the event for those
not in attendance. Doc Braun stood near, unassuming and humbled as always. I
was not there and would not ever even attempt to understand the situation, but
many at the banquet were with Doc Braun that battle, that day and as they were
present at the banquet, their body language, the look in their eyes and
handshakes said it all. “In the Finest Traditions…………………… “ Semper Fi Doc Ken
Braun.
Jack Riley finally
gets to sit down (only the Marines from 4th Recon Battalion stood
longer than Jack Riley).
Our Corpsman and
America’s Naval Services were then honored. These fine Corpsman came forward
and were recognized dully. It’s always a fitting and special moment when
Corpsman gather to be recognized by Marines……….. NO ONE appreciates them more.
Docs, we love you. Semper Fi, from your Marines.
At this time
Marines from 4th Recon Battalion were ordered to Retire the Colors by
Bill Collopy. Dinner music commenced, dinner was served and I had a little fun
with what tables got to head through the chow line. The chow was above and
beyond what any Marine from any era would come to expect. The Menger Hotel does
not mess around, hold back when the subject is food. Well done Menger Hotel,
superior reconnaissance skills Bill Collopy. Of course a cake was presented for
dessert. A perfect selection of music was orchestrated by Larry “DGunny”
Williams who also DJ’d the banquet.
I had the honor of
introducing Terry O’Connell as our guest speaker for the Company I, 3rd
Battalion, Ninth Marines
2006, San Antonio Reunion. Terry led everyone on a
personal ride through his time in Vietnam. He spoke softly, deliberately and
meticulously covering how he felt in many situations encountered. This was
certainly nothing you would/could read in any book or even see on the History
Channel. What Terry led us through was a real as it gets without having to get
your boots muddy. As the Master of Ceremonies, I was charged with presenting
Terry O’Connell with an award of appreciation. I did not feel comfortable with
this tasking and asked for assistance. Vietnam Marines were summoned to the
podium to actually present Terry with the award so deserving. Thank you Terry
O’Connell for your service, then and now. Thank you for keeping India Company
alive by sharing your experiences to an audience that will remember them and
pass them on.
How about that music? Larry “DGunny” Williams has pulled DJ duty in two time zones in the past two years. Outstanding work and it was exciting to see that he had gone completely digital since Gettysburg (I helped carry CDs and records into banquet hall in Gettysburg). Thank you sir (and your lovely assistant), absolutely we all appreciate your time and effort as our Company I DJ. OOH RAH !
Back to Hallie (six year old daughter)………… earlier in the evening
Hallie announced to Michelle and I that she “wanted to dance with a Marine
wearing one of those army uniforms.” Well, we were at the dinner table and
while I was cleaning up the food that had just came out my nose, Michelle
explained to Hallie that Marines do not wear army uniforms. What we finally
figured out was that she just wanted to dance
with a Color Guard Marine on
banquet night. So, after dinner but before Terry O’Connell spoke I approached
the Color Guard with beers in hand and asked the youngest Marine, a Corporal to
invite Hallie to dance. He told me that the current song was not his style but
that he’d ask her shortly (he took the beer I offered). Perhaps it was 10
minutes later, maybe 2-3 songs had passed and I saw this Corporal approach
Hallie and bend down to ask her to dance. Hallie put her hands on her little
hips, cocked her head and I read her lips (could not actually hear) as she told
this Corporal of Marines……………… NO and then turned and literally skipped off.
The Corporal had a look on his face that I’ll never forget as not only was he in
disbelief that he had been turned down but he had been royally dissed by a 6
year old. His Color Guard buds were almost on the floor laughing at him and as
I approached with ANOTHER beer for him…….his buds informed me that they could
not wait to get back to 4th Recon to tell everyone how the Corporal
got dissed by a 6 year old (he took the second beer I offered as well). The
Color Guard informed me that this Corporal had a reputation as a “Player” and
that my 6 year old had effectively knocked the wind right out of his very
confident self. I will cherish this story for the next 10-12 years and will
then use it very effectively at the perfect time and perfect place to get a
giggle from my little Hallie.
Now………………. for you football fans, every Monday night Hank
Williams, Jr announces….”Are you ready for some football!” Well, I’m here to
ask you all, “Are you ready for the Washington DC Reunion in 2008!” Jim
Lockwood has taken the reigns for 2008 and has started the recruiting already.
Building on all past reunions, we are wanting to present the biggest, baddest
and most hard core reunion to date. Join us, recruit, pass the word……….
and consider this your official
warning order. Marines, Corpsman and family………………… summer of 2008,
Washington DC is where you will be.
In closing……………… another thanks to Bill Collopy is absolutely in order, deserved and issued with the highest respect. Bill, Marine………………….. Thank you, sir !
OOH RAH………… see you all in Washington DC ------------------ Rock
(Very well done, Rock ............ Joe)