The precipitating event that started this whole road trip was the 50th Anniversary reunion of the Geodetic Survey Squadron. Garry was in this squadron, then called the 1381st Geodetic Survey Squadron (GSS), in the mid to late1960s and early 70s. At that time, they were headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
This squad, no longer operational, first reunited in summer 2003. That was a wonderful coming-together of former colleagues and old friends, and was so successful that the group decided that they needed to get together again in three years….and then again, three years later. With each successive reunion, more old comrades are found – but, sadly, with each three years more of the aging group is lost to illness and passing.
For this reunion, Garry had volunteered to be the reunion coordinator. It proved to be an even bigger job than he had anticipated, rounding up people from all over the map, and taking care of a daunting number of details. But he carried the task out with aplomb, and it turned out (as I knew it would) to be a fabulous event. For me, it provided an opportunity to reunite with good friends from the honeymoon chapter of our lives. But it also offered more insight into the lives and experiences of this terrific band of veterans.
What was particularly interesting in this 50th anniversary reunion, was observing veterans of different eras meeting up with those elders who came before them – and those younguns who came after them – and who thereby developed an understanding of the vertical history of their craft and of their political and personal relationships.
It was fun, educational, heartwarming, and inspiring. I was proud to be a part of it!
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