Upcoming Events

News about our 2023 Reunion 

Yes, we are having a reunion this year!  It will be held Wednesday, September 27th, through Sunday, October 1^st, 2023, in Branson, Missouri.

Sandy Loudis has made arrangements for us with the Best Western Branson Inn for our accommodations.  You may call now to make your reservations.  Mention you are with the Charlie Company, 4/23, group.

Best Western Branson Inn & Conference Center

8514 E State Highway 76

Branson West, MO 65737

(417) 338-2141 (hotel direct line)

Best Western Branson Inn & Conference Center - Branson West

Room rates are $85/night for Wednesday, 9/27, and Thursday, 9/28, nights.  The rate increases to $119/night for Friday, 9/29, and Saturday 9/30, nights.  Rates are good three days before and after our dates for anyone who wants to extend their stay.  Also, they have adjoining rooms for those who bring family, so, if you are interested, be sure to mention this when making your reservation.

Please reserve your room by September 1^st!!!

If we do book 20 rooms or more, the meeting room will be comped at no charge, so we really need to get as many as possible to come and enjoy the fun of being together again!

Hotel features include the following:

 ·         100% smoke-free hotel

·         Indoor pool Heated

·         Complimentary full breakfast, choice of breads, cereal, fruit, hot eggs, hot breakfast meat, other hot items, yogurt, juice and coffee. Served from 7 to 9 a.m. daily.

·         Game room, Pool table, air hockey, video arcade games.

·         Children's activities, game room, kiddie pool

·         Elevators

·         Free parking outdoors

·         Meeting facilities Meeting rooms: 100-350 people

·         Business center computer & printer free to all guests

·         Hot tub, large size

·         24-hour front desk.  During winter season, our front desk hours will be changed.

·         Cable satellite television, Cox cable 56 channels

 

The hotel is located only two minutes away from Silver Dollar City and includes a free shuttle there for hotel guests.  (Silver Dollar City is an 1800s theme park with rides, festival entertainment, and offers dinner and a cruise aboard the Showboat Branson Belle.)    

Our reunions are laid back and informal.  We hope to see you there.  Enjoy sightseeing or lounging and visiting in the hotel.

This email was penned, so to speak, by Nancy Compton, but please contact Sandy with any questions you may have:

Sandy Loudis

s_loudis@yahoo.com

(305) 607-6488

News about our 2021 Reunion

August 10, 2021

Greetings to everyone!

After serious reflection, Sandy has decided to cancel our scheduled reunion September 29 – October 3, 2021, in Columbus, Georgia, near Fort Benning.  There are a number of reasons for this.  Only eight veterans, besides himself, have made reservations thus far at the hotel.  Also, the fort is currently closed to visitors, and the Infantry Museum nearby is open only limited hours on weekends.

It is likely that, because of the recent increase in cases of the new Delta variant of Covid around the country, many are deciding not to travel this year.  Even many previously completely vaccinated people, such as my son-in-law, are catching it, though with a lesser degree of serious illness.  Sandy doesn’t want in any way to jeopardize the health of our members.

So there will be no official reunion this year.  However, Sandy did suggest the possibility of still having a small, informal gathering for those undeterred by health concerns who wish to meet together at the same hotel, at the same time.  Everybody can be responsible for their own informed decision about participating.  He does request that anyone who decides to go anyway be already completely vaccinated.  

What about a future reunion?  He suggests that we start from scratch for next year.  Please send your suggestions for a possible new location to Sandy, or just reply to this email, and I will see that Sandy gets them so they can be put up for a vote.

Although Sandy has tried repeatedly to get the hotel to give him a list of those who have made reservations, they have not complied.  If you are interested in meeting up unofficially, please reply to this email so you can be connected to any others.

This would have been the group’s 13^th reunion.  (I’m not at all superstitious, but it’s ironic that we’re having trouble getting this one to happen two years in a row!)  Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.  

Be safe and God bless!

Nancy Compton, wife of George Compton

For:

LeRoy ”Sandy” Loudis

(305) 607-6488 Cell

(423) 369-5227 Landline

S_loudis@yahoo.com

Brief History of Previous Charlie Company Reunions

          2008  Atchison, KS                  5 men 
          2009  Marianna, FL                10 men
          2010  Branson, MO                19 men 

          2011  Seattle, WA                   27 men   
          2012  Nashville, TN                31 men
          2013  Indianapolis, IN            41 men
          2014  San Antonio, TX           31 men 
          2015  Charleston, SC              35 men
          2016  Colorado Springs, CO   31 men
          2017  Columbia, SC                29 men
          2018  Junction City, KS          23 men
          2019  Alexandria, VA              28 men

          2022  Columbus, GA              10 men       

         

Accompanying wives or close family members contribute to making a great group.  The women enjoy the fun and the encouragement of the other spouses.  If you know of any Charlie Company vets (4th of the 23rd Mechanized Infantry, 1966-68), who are not on our latest roster, dated 11/28/18, please invite them and let us make them a part of us and get them on the Roster.  Just contact George Compton [(509) 244-3236 or gcompton67@yahoo.com] with any new veteran contact information.

So you ask, what should I expect? 

We are very laid back.  Although the reunion actually starts on Tuesday, some will start gathering on Monday, or even earlier.  We will have a large meeting room open for us exclusively.  We meet and greet; renew old acquaintances and make new ones; talk one-on-one or in a group; reminisce, or just sit and listen; eat; sight-see, etc.  There is no pressure.  You can come and go as you like.  You can get up early or stay up late.  Feel free to bring photos and memorabilia from your Charlie Company days, or bring photos of your family that you want to share.  Informal opportunities for sightseeing and dining out in small groups gives rise to sharing rides with other vets.  Also, there will be times scheduled to take photos of the group, to hold a business meeting to discuss the when and where of the next year's reunion, and oftentimes, to enjoy a pizza party at the hotel.

 

Lastly, but oh so important:

We know so many of you will be coming from a great distance.  You may ask yourself, why should I go?  We believe every veteran and spouse (or family member or friend) who has come to at least one reunion has asked themselves that same question before their first reunion.  But when each one did go, it was a life-changing experience for all.  We talk about it all year long, and we all can hardly wait until the next year, to do it all over again.  Suzanne, wife of Steve Cagle, says that when they went to their first reunion, they flew from the east coast to the west coast. "Now, if the reunion was in Timbuktu (sorry, you may have to be a Texan to understand that slang, which we are), in other words, Anywhere, we will be there, if at all possible."

  

We are Family!  So, if you have never attended or have not been able to attend as often as you would like, we hope to see you ALL at our next reunion!