2011 Reunion                                  First Armored Amphibian Battalion                                   35th Reunion This year's reunion was held at the Sheraton-Uptown, Albuquerque, New Mexico. October 12th - 16th 2011.   There were 26 Marine in attendance. They were:      A Company (5) Fred Addison, Don Frenchie Ferchau, Frank Gericke, Bob Pierce, Bob Schwaninger.     B Company (7) Marlin Blayden, Jim Chandler, Earl Hill, George Legino, Steve Marusky, George Tremblay, Alvin Wallace   C Company (8) Roger Behling, Arnold Degner, Max Harris, Vic Rainey, Jerry Thompson, Elton Turley, Bill Walker, Edward Whatley    D Company (4) Joe Baumbach, Mike McGann, Bob Wilson, Dick Zenger   H & S Company (2)     Gus Iacozili, Smilie Watkins   Mary and bob Pierce was accompanied to Albuquerque from California by their son and daughter-in-law (Robert C. and Elaine Pierce). The drive covered 2,400 miles; we had a beautiful weather and scenery the entire trip. The following is a write-up of the happenings for your consumption: We arrived Wednesday night to a beautiful reception where the Marines and their families had a chance to meet and rekindle old friendships. There were books and pictures available that allowed the Marines to show family members bygone friends, location photos, and equipment they actually used during the war. The room was wonderfully stocked and operated by Marsha & Maxine, daughters of "C" Company's Roger and Kay Behling.  Thursday morning we boarded "the Follow the Sun" express for Santa Fe, New Mexico. The 1 ½ hour drive through the New Mexico countryside was beautiful and gave us a very visual look at what the western settlers had to tackle as they moved west. The first bus stop was a full-scale accurate artist's rendition of a covered wagon being pulled by a team of horses with a cowboy jumping on the back of one horse in an attempt to control the team  We pulled into colorful and historic town of Santa Fe ("City of Holy Faith") nestled in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is a city founded 400 years ago by the Spaniards and inhabited by the Pueblo Indians for over 1000 years creating a unique destination, so culturally diverse and interesting that travelers from all over the world come to visit. Santa Fe, which is well known as an artisan community, they are very proud of the fact that it has no industry. The town lives off of the work created by the New Mexico Capitol, government, artisans and tourist trade. Plaza square offers a look at Santa Fe's everyday life as well as many types of architecture, ranging from the Pueblo-style Palace of the Governors to the Territorial-style row of shops and restaurants on its west side. Points of interest were;  Loreto Chapel Completed in 1878; the chapel had no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded access to the loft would have to be via ladder as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small Chapel. Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers. The stairway's carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today. The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. Also, it is said that the staircase was built without nails-only wooden pegs. Questions also surround the number of stair risers relative to the height of the choir loft and about the types of wood and other materials used in the stairway's construction. Palace of the Governors Today the flagship of the New Mexico State Museum system, the Palace of the Governors has functioned continually as a public building since it was erected in 1610 as the capitol of Nuevo Mexico. Every day, Native American artisans spread out their crafts for sale beneath its portal. St. Francis Cathedral Built in Romanesque style between 1869 and 1886 by Archbishop Lamy, this is Santa Fe's grandest religious edifice. It has a famous 17th-century wooden Madonna known as Our Lady of Peace. After the tour we had time to walk the old town artisan, and shop area, browsing through shops with locally made hats, blankets, pottery, and jewelry. Some of us purchased and enjoyed locally grown pistachios. Than it was time to get back to the bus and the hotel. Many returned to the hospitality room and continued to visit. Dinner was a free for all with folks venturing out to enjoy some of the local flavor. Whether you visited in the hospitality room or enjoying a drink and watched the baseball play-offs at the hotel bar. It was a memorable day full of great things to do and great friends to do them with. Friday morning We loaded the bus for a tour of The National Museum of Nuclear (don't call it atomic) Science and History. It was a short ride to the museum and we all unloaded and went straight into the museum's theater for a history channel presentation of the birth of the atomic bomb, the aftermath of its destruction and how it changed the world. There was discussion amongst a number of Marines as to what they were doing and how much they knew about the bombing of Saipan. The general consensus was that they knew something big had happened. But they didn't know what. Another New Mexico invention that changed the world was the famous "Owl Burger". It was/is a cheeseburger with New Mexico chili's on it. The only question is we learned "red or green?' (Chili that is). Evidently when Frank Chavez came home to San Antonio New Mexico in 1945 after serving in the navy during WWII, he and his wife Dee, opened a little bar in the grocery that his family had operated since the 1930's. At the request of a number of traveling patrons, most who were thought to be to be local prospectors, talked frank into adding food, which was the birth of this "hot" burger. The prospectors as it turned out were actually scientist heading to Los Alamos, under the guise of gold and silver searchers. The Owl bar is still opened and located just down the street from the museum. The burgers were good...the history even better. With a free afternoon, a number of people headed for the Sandia Peak Tramway. The Tram "car" transports you above deep canyons and breathtaking terrain a distance of almost 3 miles. At sunset, the desert skies produce a spectacular array of color. The vantage point from the observation deck atop 10,378 foot Sandia Peak in the Cibola National Forest, affords an 11, 00 square miles panoramic view of the Rio Grade Valley and the Land of Enchantment. Other toured Old Town Albuquerque... a different version of Santa Fe, but very Southwestern!! Through out the day and evening many of the group re-assembled in the hospitality room to visit. As the evening winded down one Marine, on departing from the room smiled and said, "Well...it looks like we've won the war again!!" Everyone laughed, but all knew it had been a great day. Saturday morning brought another day of beautiful New Mexico weather. The Marine color guard arrived on site a bit early and got a chance to meet many of the 1st Amphib Marines. Mutual of the Marines for the old, and vice a versa, was very evident and very moving to see. Memorial Service The group filed into the meeting room and the color guard presented the colors. The Pledge of Allegiance was said and the color guard moved to presentation status the names of each fallen soldiers from each of the company's were read by a fellow member. After the last name was remembered taps was played and the colors were retired. A brief recess was called before the business meeting was called to order. First Armored Amphibian Battalion Meeting Old Business Finance A presentation was made by "A" Company's Don "Frenchie" Ferchau regarding the status of our financial shape. The end result is that financial strength continues to grow and be healthy.  Our Website A presentation was made by Kathleen Dale where upon she informed us of updates and changes that have been made over the past year. She also made a request for photo's of past reunions, for photo's of our handsome mugs during our service time and especially our tank that were used in our theater of operation, along with info on the workings of these tanks. New Business Next years Reunion "A" Company's Don "Frenchie" Ferchau nominated and it was accepted to look at Chicago for the next Reunion. There were discussions of potential cost with Chicago itself and the possibility of a suburb such as Joliet to be a more cost-effective lo-cal. But having it centered in the middle of the country would be beneficial for all. Dedicated seat and plague "D" Company's Bob Wilson made a presentation that detailed the need for a seat at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredricksburg, Texas. www.pacificwarmuseum.org He suggested that due to our financial strength, we should purchase a bench to be installed at the museum with a dedication plague from the 1st Armored Amphibian Battalion. There was discussion of what should be inscribed on the plague, but a motion to purchase and donate the bench was brought to vote, seconded and passed. The meeting was dismissed and the Marines gathered for a group photo. Banquet The evening gala assembled in the beautiful hall and looked to be at capacity. There were 105 participants at the banquet. It was good to see so many Marines sitting with their family and friends. The dinner was served and with everybody fed the evening's festivities began. The night was highlighted by a moving speech by 1st Sergeant William Fulgham USMC, Albuquerque, New Mexico. He respectfully detailed our Battalion's history and took us through a historical trail that left very few dry eyes in the hall. You could see Marines nodding their heads and voicing agreement as he described the tribulations of daily life as a young Marine on a faraway island, fighting a sizable foe to a successful and heroic ending. (A copy of this speech can be read on a connecting page labeled speech)   The night ended with much hand shaking, back slapping, watering eyes and hugs with promises of another "successful landing" on Chicago in 2012. We hope that those that were unable to attend this year, will be able to join the festivities next year.  We the Battalion would like to extend our thanks, to the children, grandchildren, family members and friends, who attended and supported this auspicious event. It meant a lot to us all to see that this important time in our lives, remain important to each of you as well. God Bless...and Semper Fideles Bob Pierce Marine 1st Amphib Company A..