Since 6/15/00

2000 Reunion Summary

Scrapbook

The 24th reunion of the First Armored Amphibian Battalion was held at Best Western Midway Hotel, Milwaukee Airport, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 4-8, 2000. The reunion was hosted by Ruth Barthuli assisted by Blumbach, Dhom, Dick and Betty Warp and other D Company members. Joe Baumbach acted as chairman at the business meeting and banquet. Fifty-eight Marines with wives, guests, and friends registered for the reunion.

Wednesday October 4 was registering in the hotel lobby and the hospitality room was open.

Thursday, October 5 was a tour of the 128 Refueling Group, with tour of the downtown area of Milwaukee. Notably was the tour of the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center, Inc where Ed Dooley in the honor court said a few words casting a wreath into the Reflection Pool. Celia Ferran, tour guide, singing Green Fields of France entertained us. Lunch was at Mader's German Restaurant.

Friday, October 6 was a tour of historical Cedarburg, Wisconsin. There were many shops to visit with a wine tasting at Cedar Creek Winery. Lunch at Barth's at the Bridge.

Saturday, October 7 The business meeting was held in the Symposium room at the Midway Hotel.

Treasury report given by Donald Ferchau was discussed and accepted.

Sale of our book, Hitting The Beaches, was reported by Dale Barker. Future book sales will be restricted to battalion members and their families.

A resolution motion was made by Al Scerbo and seconded by George Tremblay to set up a trust fund for the continuation of the First Armored Amphibian Battalion web site and Grady Coker to be appointed to continue as editor. This resolution passed with complete support of the battalion. Grady Coker supplied the particulars of the web site with a notebook of that information for battalion viewing.

There was a discussion of next year's reunion site. The death of host John Adams made hosting of Sacramento, California doubtful but Bill Walker, C Company, and others stepped forward and Sacramento will be our 2001 reunion site with the particulars to be forthcoming. Site of 2002 reunion is still pending.

Saturday night, October 7 was the annual banquet. We had a Masonic twosome dressed in American Revolution uniforms give a presentation of the meaning of the American Flag, which was well received. The pledge to our flag was standard as well as singing the Marine Corp hymn. Routine dance bands and late night dancing has been out for several years at 1st Armored banquets.

Sunday morning, October 8 was our Memorial Service. Conduct of 1st Armored Memorial Services has followed a set pattern over the years. We had a nice Marine Color Guard and our service was outdoors even though the weather was cool and windy. Ed Dooley gave a short talk and then Company representatives read the names of the deceased. It was sadden this year by the ten report deceased since the last reunion. After reading the names of the deceased TAPS was played. There was not a dry eye.

A poem read and the prayer said by Ed Dooley are worth repeating.

The Poem

I sometimes imagine I am standing upon the seashore.

A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty, and I stand and watch her until at length she is only a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky meet and mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side exclaims, " There, she's gone!" Gone Where?

Gone from my sight, that is all.

She is just as large in hull and mast and spar as she was when she left my side, and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of her destination.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment someone at my side says, "she's gone," there are other eyes watching for her coming and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "There, she comes!"

And that is dying"

The Prayer for the family members of the deceased

"May their souls and the souls of all the departed members of this Battalion, through the Mercy of God, Rest in Peace"

So say we all.

View our reunion 2000 scrapbook