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USS KING
REUNION 2006
Guest
Speaker: William Natter
Jr., USN |
Guest Speaker: Richard L. Penn,
USAF (Ret.) |
During
the King’s West Pac Deployment of 1966, we were performing the duties
of PIRAZ/ North SAR. During the deployment, we made 8 or 9 rescues
of pilots that had to leave their planes for one reason or another,
usually combat damage. One of those rescues was of William (Bill)
Natter Jr. Bill never forgot the treatment he received aboard King
(see “Sea
Stories” "OMYASSIS DRAGON" for
relevant article), In The News page "SAR
'copter saves flier" and Statement of U.S. Naval Pilot by Bill Natter.
When
Bill was asked if he would be our guest at the reunion, he stated
that we (All the Kingsmen) should be his guest so that he can say “Thank
you”.
Bill
will tell us about the events leading up to and after his rescue Thursday night, June 15th 2006. |
I was a visitor on your ship August 13, 1966. The North Vietnamese gunners had a good day (or rather, night) which eventually resulted in my visit with you. Throughout all these years, I've never said "thank you" for what you did for me. I remember especially that the helo pilot had difficulty coming aboard (third try), your medic who sewed me up, and quite a few crewmen who spoke to me the next morning. (What a beautiful, calm, sea that day!) Your ship was air traffic control in the Gulf of Tonkin that night and arranged the rendevouz with a tanker plane. (I ran out of gas four feet short). The OOD, or someone, plugged the radio into the loudspeakers (woke everybody up, I guess) so that all could hear the drama. Several shipmates said that they had bet on me, won ten bucks, etc. There must have been an equal number who had bet against my longevity - but none of them mentioned it.
(See Richard Penn's Story "Debrief of Hurricane Lead" online)
Richard will tell us about the events leading up to and after his rescue Saturday night, June 17th 2006.
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REUNION ITENERARY
Thursday 15 June 2006
12:00 - 5:45 – Check-In and Registration Begins
(Harbor 1A - Hospitality Room)
5:00 – 6:00
PM Orientation and Getting Reacquainted (Harbor 1A Hospitality Room)
6:00 – 10:00 PM Informal Reception
(Camden Room) Casual Dress
Attire
Guest
Speaker: Bill Natter Jr.
Friday 16 June 2006
8:30-4:00 PM Free Time/Tour (Annapolis/US Naval Academy Tour)
6:00 – 7:00 PM Cocktail Hour (Cash Bar)
7:00 – 10:00 PM Free Time/Explore the Town/Hospitality Room Open
Saturday 17 June 2006
9:00 – 11:00 AM Annual Membership Meeting
(Harbor llA Room)
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM Free Time
BANQUET (McHenry Room) Business Dress Attire*
5:00 – 6:30 PM Pictures & No
Host Cocktails
(from Hotel Bar)
6:50 – 7:00 PM President’s Remarks & Invocation
7:00 – 8:00
PM Banquet Dinner
Guest Speaker: Richard L. Penn, USAF
8:00 – 11:00 PM Musical Entertainment & Dancing
* Business Dress Attire is a minimum of Dress Slacks and collared
Shirt for the men and Dress or Pant Suits for the ladies
Sunday 18 June 2006
Check-Out – by 12:00 Noon
Send
your reservation in TODAY! Don't hesitate to drop me a line and/or
call if you have questions. Contact Dave Nesbitt
reunion@uss-king.com
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If you do not receive your 2006 Registration Form and Agenda, either via email or the US Postal Service by 14 January, then we either do not have the correct information on you in the database, or you’re just not in the database. If you need a Registration Form, it is now available on the website. We would like you to sign up as soon as possible, especially for this reunion as the hotel requires significant deposits, the first deposit of $1500 has already been sent in, but in April we need to send in another deposit of over $4000. We do not have that much money in our Treasury to cover the total of these deposits, so we need your money and or at least notice that you will be attending.
The Holiday Inn is located in the heart of downtown Baltimore. Within a few block radius is: Civic Center Arena, Convention Center, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Federal Courthouse, Harbor Place, University of Maryland, and Morris Mechanic Theatre. Within a 2 mile radius is: John Hopkins Hospital, golf, and indoor tennis. Baltimore is strategically located in close proximity to Annapolis and Washington, DC, a short train ride in either destination. To take full advantage of the area, Holiday Inn has extended our group rates of $119 + for two days prior to and two days after our Reunion dates. Make your reservations now before all the rooms have been taken up, you can always cancel later if something happens that you are not able to make it. The phone numbers are: 800- HOLIDAY or call direct 410-685-3500, make sure you mention USS King Association Reunion.
The Reunion Committee has selected the tour that we will be offering; On Friday, 16 June we will be taking a bus tour of Annapolis, MD and a one and a half hour walking tour of the US Naval Academy (a picture ID is required to get onto Academy Grounds). If is anyone that may have a problem being on their feet for one and a half hours, we can make special arrangements to allow the bus onto the property of the Naval Academy. A luncheon is included in the tour package at a very good restaurant on the City Docks of Annapolis, were you will have a choice of either a Crab Cake Sandwich (which the restaurant is famous for) or Fish & Chips. For those that cannot eat seafood, special arrangements can be made ahead of time for an alternate menu item. After lunch we will be taking a 40 minute Harbor Cruise of Annapolis and the Naval Academy. The cost for this tour will be $55 per person. As this tour is not an offered package, everything is contracted separately, i.e. bus charter, Annapolis Tour, luncheon, etc., we must have a minimum of 40 attendees.
If you have any questions or suggestions, you can contact me at reunion@uss-king.com or (321)259-7560.
Best Regards,
Dave Nesbitt
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What to do in Baltimore? - click on the link Baltimore Inner Harbor or select the King Website online Visitor's Bureau pamphlet below
Baltimore Visitor's Bureau Pamplet |
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Driving Directions
I95, EX 53 (395). FOLLOW UNTIL EXPWY BECOMES HOWARD ST. GO STRAIGHT THRU 3 LIGHTS & TURN LEFT AT 4TH LIGHT, LOMBARD ST. HTL ON LEFT. EAST FR I70, FOLLOW I695 TOWARD GLEN BURNIE, GO TO 295N, TURN RIGHT ON W PRATT ST, LEFT ON HOWARD ST, LEFT ON LOMBARD. |
Holiday
Inn Inner Harbor
301 W. Lombard Street • Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 685-3500 • Fax:(410) 727-5238 |
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