Day Three

The October Holiday

The USS Ranger (CVA-61)

Reunion

Dayton, Ohio

October 9th We Arrived at the Reunion and Checked in and our First Official Event was a Pizza Party and then time to tell and share USS Ranger Stories.  I do not recall this event being discussed, however we had the opportunity to look through pictures of former times.  We were able to keep any pictures we desired.   I chose to keep this picture of Lan Dalat who I met at a Ranger Reunion at Patriots Point, S. C.  back in 2016 when He attended Our Reunion and shared His story of how the Large Ship - The Ranger rescued Him and about 137 other Vietnam People as they drifted in the Sea, almost ready to give up and die as the escaped from Vietnam.  They were rescued on 20 March 1981.  I was not onboard Ranger at that time, but this event lives on.  Here is the Picture of Lan Dalat that I kept.

On the Morning of 10 October we all boarded two school buses to visit the National Museum of the United States Air Force.  The following are the pictures that I took during this Field Trip. The first one is some of us waiting for the bus.

Once we arrived at the Museum we all participated in a Memorial Service where we remembered Shipmates who had died since the last Reunion.  During the course of the day My Bride and I chose to visit the World War II Gallery of Aircraft, then the Missile Section and finally the Gallery that featured the Presidential Aircraft.  

We learned that in 2023 this Museum celebrated the 100 Year of Operation.  It now covers over 19 acres in four Hangers like the one shown above.  There are over 350 aerospace vehicles and missiles inside.