In the grand scheme of great events all across the purple mountains and fruited plains. The 10th U.S.S. Macon Reunion probably didn't mean all that much. BUT to the valiant ex-sailors of the U.S.S. Macon (CA-132), it was one of the most enjoyable and important occasions of the year. Paul and Sandy, too have been instrumental in making arrangements for this annual event now for over a decade witht he aid of the other officers and board of directors. Paul has done an excellent job as leader of this organization and made a lot of friends, I'm sure. And while we're applauding, we need a round for Ted Parker who arranged the most entertaining show I've seen in years. That good ole' pair of comics of "Who's On First?" fame. Bud Abbott & Lou Costello, were there for a personal appearance. Of course, the original A & C are long gone for these many years. But these guys looked and talked like them with the vintage hats and suits. And the band sounded hauntingly like Glenn Miller & Orchestra with the most danceable music in the world. What a fantastic show plus trio of ladies dressed in Woman's Army Corps uniforms belting out songs of the Andrew Sisters. Talk about nostalgic. It was deja vu all over again! It was an outstanding production, for sure.

This reunion was different from the other five meetings that I have attended since I first heard of the Macon Veterans' organization. In the first place, Annapolis is only 40 miles away from my house in Bethesda, MD. This is going to be a breeze. I thought. But the first ten miles of the Washington Beltway was bumper-to-bumper at 4 mph. Slow going with construction of two additional lanes and a lot of traffic holding up the parade. But, after the I95 exit, it was clear sailing. Since retiring, I don't drive on the main arterial highway all that often. The tempo has quickened. Where it used to be 60s and 70s has evolved to 70s and 80s. While I was driving along in the upper 70s, a big SUV whizzed around me like I was backing up. I pulled into the Sheraton Barcelo parking lot earlier in the afternoon than I'd thought.

A crowd of the Macon men and their ladies were socializing in the hospitality room which included the Ship's Store and refreshments, appetizers and soft drinks. Just around the corner, in case one needed a stronger drink there was a friendly bar and tables. It was about 4 o'clock before I checked into my room because the maids hadn't cleaned the place up yet. The hotel now runs on a later schedule, it seems. Anyway, I was catching up on the scuttlebutt with Shoemaker, Freeman, Sfreddo, etal. Thursday night, we had a pizza buffet for all tastes and iced cold beer. It was a great party! These folks can still drink a lot of beer.

The tour to Baltimore on Friday was quite interesting. Four buses took off at 9 a.m. for the drive to Fort McHenry which guarded the Port of Baltimore in the early 1880s. Park Rangers described the uses of the various living quarters, bunk beds with straw mattresses and fireplaces which were both for warmth and preparing meals. The British troops succeeded in fighting their way to Washington D.C. where they burned several buildings including the White House and made the occupants flee for their lives.

But the troops at McHenry put up a battle and the Brits gave up on tackling Baltimore. As the British sailed away, the American soldiers fired the morning gun and hoisted the large flag that would be known as the "Star Spangled Banner" while musicians played "Yankee Doodle". The original old flag is now being refurbished at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

After touring Fort McHenry, the buses rolled on to visit the Project Liberty Ship U.S.S. John W. Brown now the one and only operating Liberty Ship, tied up in the Port of Baltimore. Most of us had not been aboard a Liberty Ship, I'd guess, and it was fun to explore the ship on deck and down below. Volunteers were working here and there on the ship. And we enjoyed a buffet sandwich and soft drink prepared by the gracious volunteers Upkeep of the John W. Brown is on going and "she has visited 16 ports in the east coast ranging from Halifax Nova Scotia to Jacksonville, FL. In the summer of 2000 the ship made her longest trip to the Great Lakes where she visited eight U.S. and Canadian ports on a voyage covering more than 5,000 nautical miles".

On Friday evening I drove the Spoons and Shoemakers to one of the best seafood restaurants in town. Mike's Restaurant & Crab House was just off Riva Road across the river from the hotel. The crab-cakes were white meat and as good as it gets. We had a good time and lingered around the table and talked.

Saturday morning is alway the day for meetings of the officers and board of directors followed closely by the assembly of the membership present and accounted for. A new line-up of officers was installed in the offices with the former officers agreeing to act in an advisory capacity for an unspecified time as needed. After the meetings, we had our pictures taken in whichever groups we belonged to. The individual pictures were taken before the formal dinner and dance that night. During the time before the evening festivities, the Spoons drove us over to the nearby mall for lunch, shopping and people watching. As mentioned above the dinner that night and the entertainment were a royal treat. Sunday morning was time for the religious rites to wind up another meeting of the U.S.S. Macon (CA - 132) ship's company. The ritual of taking a flower and naming a loved one who has passed on was as usual a heart-felt part of our ceremony. Rev. Bruce Dodd was back with us this year as conducting chaplain. The color guard consisted of cadets from the U.S. Naval Academy which adds a great deal to our services. The cadets looked too young to be in the military academy. Come to think of it many of us on the Macon looked pretty young too.

Happy Sailing, Shipmates, until we meet again! Ralph "Gene" Vincent