97th Engineer Battalion (Construction)
Reunion 2011 Report
Page One
Checking In and Setting Up:
Men who served in or worked with the 97th Engineers and their ladies met for a reunion at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, from May 19—21, 2011. Headquarters for reunion attendees was Super 8 Motel, St. Robert, Missouri, just a few miles from the post. Members of their advance party began to arrive on 18 May, and on 19 May all attendees were present. Each unit member received a folder containing a reunion schedule, an itinerary provided by the Protocol Office at Fort Wood, a detailed Saturday banquet schedule and menu, and a CD containing the entire unit web site.
The Advanced Party set up the Hospitality Room with a screen and projector, a refrigerator, and ample tables and chairs. Melissa Woodruff and her staff provided coffee, napkins, and cups, and their IT man helped set up the projector for use. We could not have asked for a better and more helpful motel staff. They were exceptional! Their new pillow-top beds were also exceptional and ensured a good night's sleep for all.
Our reunion committee members were Ron Stilley, Philip Strother, Chris Orndorff, Terry Wilkes, Donna Colwell, and Don Ricks. We completed the majority of our preparation work at Decatur, Alabama. Each attendee received their order of hats and t-shirts, and we were ready to get started. You will see the t-shirts worn proudly on our Friday and Saturday tours:
Thursday, Meet and Greet Day:
Thursday was a get-acquainted day, with all gathering in the Hospitality Room for refreshments and to view a slide show arranged by Natalia Farris, daughter of Lloyd Mullins. She also provided a table full of snacks, a large (and beautiful) reunion cake, some delicious punch, and tableware. There was sufficient bottled water for the duration of our reunion, and we had snacks throughout our free time.
Tables provided by the motel manager were excellent aides for displaying photographs, unit orders, scrap books, and local information. We took many photos on Wednesday and Thursday. Here are some of the first ones:
At Noon, Lunch at Seoul Garden Korean Restaurant (Excellent!!):
In between time, as we took the above photos, we convoyed to a highly recommended local restaurant. These photos were of our first organized meal together, everyone being hungry for as good meal. We were certainly satisfied upon leaving this clean and well-managed restaurant. We finally received a nice photo from the camera of Lee Burdette:
In the early part of the afternoon, Natalia Farris brought a truckload of snacks, a beautifully-created cake none of us could believe, and a tankard of punch. Blessings are special things, and this one was welcomed by all:
Thursday Evening, Dinner at The Hub German Restaurant:
After getting acquainted all day, we all decided we were hungry, again, and departed for this restaurant, based on numerous recommendations. The food was very good, and nobody left hungry:
Friday, Tour Day One:
Our itinerary called for a pick-up at 8:00 am, so we were up early having breakfast and getting our water and cameras ready. Super 8 Motel's Super-breakfast satisfied most, but some headed for a more heartier breakfast at Cracker Barrel. As we finished our planned activities for the morning, a young lieutenant walked up and introduced himself as our escort, 2LT Will Massey. He was shy and soft spoken, polite and confident, and knew a little more about me than I knew of him. He had our itinerary in his hand and said the bus was outside. Most everyone had gathered in the lobby, so we went outside to take a group photo alongside the military's tour bus, at 8:00 am:
