What a great day this was meeting and greeting all the former USS Rangers and their families. The actual count of men goes down every year as they get older and become ill or disabled. Some widows come in honor of their husbands. Some children come in honor of their dads. Even grandchildren show up to honor their granddads. It's really nice seeing the love and warmth between everyone.
And they come from all over...
One man, Don, joins his brother, Roy, who served on the Ranger, and this man is a world class harmonica player - he and his brother live in the Minneapolis area. Last year Don performed at the banquet to the cheers of the crowd. He told me he has a new harmonica this year and will be performing again. What a treat! He's such a sweet man. (That's Don and Roy at the New Hampshire Beach the day we drove up to Maine)
Another couple is from New York City and were NYC cops when the towers came down on 9/11. They lost a lot of friends in that horror. I just love Delia and Richard. Delia's dad served on the Ranger and she comes to the reunions every year to honor him. (That's Delia at our Boston Ducks Tour)
Cliff and Judy are from Oregon. Julie and Bob live in South Carolina. Tom and Jane and their daughters Laura and Lisa live in Pennsylvania, about an hour north of me. It's so nice seeing them again and catching up on what they've been doing this past year. Cliff, Bob and Tom all served on the Ranger.
Lou and his girlfriend Amanda join Lou's mom Roberta, Roberta's sister Linda, and Lou's grandmother Helen - they are from the Pittsburgh area. Lou and Amanda were the youngsters on the trip and such fun to hang out with. (That's Lou and Amanda on the USS Constitution in Boston)
So the hospitality room was open today and tonight we had an ice cream social. Yummy! Over 45 of us made our own sundaes and then sat about and swapped stories and caught up on each other's lives. Tomorrow we head for Boston for the day. That promises to be a great trip!
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