#506 Day Four in Augusta, GA

Here it is the Fourth day of our trip and I haven't had time to post anything.

As a retired Military Police Officer, I have attended our annual reunion faithfully for the last five years. This year is the group's 33rd reunion. I finally learned how to arrange my work schedule to allow for the time to attend. One of the first places to assemble at the reunion is the hospitality/check-in location. You can see there are a few folks there already.

Let me introduce you to Elsie. She is the friendliest lil pooch you are ever likely to meet. She belongs to the hosts of the reunion here in Augusta. I was fortunate to make her acquaintance. Perhaps she will find her way to my weekly fun voting site. It could happen with the appropriate amount of coaxing.

Thursday morning Maryann and I took the time to walk along the river walk along the Savannah River. It is a beautiful place. The city of Augusta has put a lot of time, effort and money into creating this lovely walk way.























Augusta was a mecca for river trade. When cotton was king there were a lot of companies that bought, sold, traded, and processed cotton. The river was a gateway to the sea in Savannah.


Thursday afternoon we visited Fort Gordon which was once the home of the Military Police School. While there we were shown some of the current, up-to-date training. The first thing I witnessed was the electronic, game like weapons firing trainer. It is designed to teach the soldier marksmanship without wasting expensive ammunition. There was training for "heavy" weapons, e.g., machine guns, and light weapons, e.g., rifles, pistols and shotguns.

We were also shown the training device used to teach soldiers how to extricate themselves from HUMMV's that have been hit by IED's. This simulator is turned to simulate a turnover and requires the occupants to get out. Some of out group were allowed to try it, but at a slower speed. In this video the wife of my very first company commander decided to give it a try.
Good going, Jackie.

Friday morning many of us went golfing. The weather was cool and a little rainy. The course was damp and challenging. I played my usual lousy game. (Here are some views of the course, and Augusta. Augusta is across the Savannah River from the golf course.) The most important thing was to be able to spend time with men with whom I had served and hadn't seen in some time. OK, some of them I just saw last year, but for others, this was their first reunion. We had a great time.

Today, Saturday, we had our annual memorial breakfast. We honored our friends and comrades who passed away since the last reunion. It is a solemn affair. The Chaplain who spoke this morning was very inspiring. I do admit to a lump in my throat and tears forming as a result of his comments and prayers.

This evening we will had our farewell banquet and tomorrow we will all go our separate ways until next year. Here is the trophy I earned for my efforts at golf on Friday.








My thanks to the host team here in Augusta. Fort Lauderdale, here we come.

#506