23 Dec 2006...
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and joyous New Year to all.
I hope this e-mail finds you well. I got back from Iraq a few weeks ago just in time for Army Navy and am enjoying
some leave before I return to the Pentagon desk-driving. This summer will bring the Jasons to ILE (new name for CGSC)
and probably another PCS.
I am attaching a link (below) to our personal website. I have created a page where I intend to post '95 event
photos and Prez news. If you cannot reach it with the link, cut and paste the URL. I am new at the web thing,
so bear with me. As you will see, I am in most of the photos... Again, bear with me, most of these are place-holders.
To submit class news for the Assembly and our Official class web page, please hit the links to Grover Harms,
our '95 Scribe, or to our official class website run by Damon Becknel.
Jason site:
http://web.mac.com/mikeandjulie95/iWeb/Site%202/USMA%20Page.html
You will also see an announcement about next year's Army Navy Game. It will be held in Baltimore, and my intent
is to make this a '95 mini-reunion (this time without the biblical rain).
As you look at the coming 2007, start thinking fund raising. We are looking long-term at our 20th reunion.
We still hold the record for the largest ever 10-year gift, and we intend to knock their socks off again at
the 20th. If we give a major gift to the USMA Endowment (where they really want our help), we need ideas on
things we want named after us (i.e. Class of '95 Branch Night, etc etc). You might also be interested to
know that construction has begun for the new library. As you know, our 10th reunion gift supported the '95 Reading
Room on the Fifth floor. We will have quite a bit to say about how it is decorated. I would like to set up a small
committee to oversee that project. The idea is we would probably want to honor our fallen classmates in some way.
Anyhow, if interested, please let me or Noah Cloud know. I expect we would have a significant role in the dedication
ceremony at the project's completion (an event where we may want to invite the families of our fallen like at the
Reunion-- just a thought).
Bottom line: need someone to take this on...
As a reminder on who to beat up (or offer to help!), here are your class officers:
- VP Noah Cloud, Noah.Cloud@usma.edu
- Treasurer Frank Byrne, Frank.Byrne@nationalcity.com
- Web Guy Damon Becknel, Damon.Becknel@usma.edu
- Reunions and Operations, Steph (Arnold) Ahern, Stephanie.Ahern@usma.edu
- Historian/Scribe, Grover Harms, grover.harms@us.army.mil
- Fund Raiser, JD Duncan, jduncan@alliance-recruiting.com
It's a real pleasure to run into you all in the craziest of places. Please continue to remember and support
our Classmates and troopers forward deployed. The fight is getting tougher.
Your Prez,
Mike J
12 Dec 2006...
Army Navy was fun despite the usual score thing.
Got in Friday night and hit Fado's irish pub. Ran into Jay and
Charlene Miseli, Brian Faulkner, Matt Ketchum, Phil Dacunto, Will
McDonough and a few others.
Attended the AOG tailgate and hung out with Michelle and Gretchen
Meyer as well as JJ and Melena Gitler. Missed the DMI/Sosh
tailgate, but caught it after the game (more to follow). At the
game I sat with the class in the nose bleeds of section 222. After
the everest climb to our windy seats, we enjoyed the game with Milt
Kinslow and his finacee, Phil Dacunto, Joe Degliuomini, Mark Yurko,
Justin Wilcox's parents, Bill and Patty Taylor (first time I saw him
since Baghdad in OCT), Matt Passante, Matt Ketchum, Clay Degiacinto, J
Giordano, Brian Faulkner, and some others but my beer intake at the
time keeps me from remembering...
After the game it was off to the 95 tailgate. There, between shots of
whiskey on the ice luge, I caught up with Brian Baldrate, Neil Kugler,
Sam Hudson, Joe Kuchan, Todd Howard, Grant Marks (who found his inner
huah and was in OEF as a NG SF A-team leader), Derrick Hasty, Pete
Giavarra, Dale Rehkopf, Meighan and Jakie Adamouski, and a host of
others.
It was a riot.
A big decision was made at this game: next year, Army Navy is to be
held in Baltimore. We are looking at setting this up to be a
mini-reunion. The capstone event will be the "95 MOAT," or Mother of
All Tailgates. Ideas include blocking hotel rooms in the DC area,
visit to Arlington Cemetery on Friday, cocktail hour/social Friday
Night, 95 MOAT (RVs, kegs, pig roasting etc etc) and game Saturday
with bus transportation to and from. Like the reunion, we
will have all of this web-based with prepayment by credit card.
Class funds would be made available for deposits etc. I am looking
for volunteers to form a team to put this together. I am volunteering
Derrick Hasty as the first member of the team!
Your Prez,
Mike