We decided at the Winter meeting in Cleveland, Tennessee to join forces with the Airborne Awards Festival in Atlanta, Georgia for our Spring Meeting. Although the official meeting dates were 12-14 April, 2002, some of the chapter members wanted to attend the week of fun, festivities and hospitality rooms.

Ken and I arrived at the Airport Marriott somewhere around noon on 12 April. It was bad timing on our part. The registration section was closed for a few hours so the Awards Ceremony could be completed. This also meant the hospitality room would not be open for the duration. What's that old saying about the five "P's"? Really bad timing...

We retired to the local bar to partake of the spirits of the day (no German beer, but some good Sam Adams on draft). We had barely found a seat when who to our wondering eyes should appear but Art and Lee. Soon to be joined by O.C and a newly-joined member of the Chapter, Tom W. Broyles. This was Tom's first encounter with the better side of the Chapter 33 membership and it took no time to initiate him into the finer things associated with Chapter 33---Art, moaning and groaning about not getting enough to eat, ordered Authentic Italian Pizzas. What he didn't know was the in-house chef had to fly off to Rome to get this Authentic Italian Pizza. He should have called Pizza Hut for on-site delivery. It would have been faster, cheaper and bigger. We couldn't understand how Art could really be all that hungry. He had conned his way to the 17th floor suites and free, all you could eat, breakfast and a special key to use in the elevator.

And while Rome burnt grilling Art's pizza, the war stories flowed freely as everyone remembered ancient individuals from the old 77th, the 7th and 5th Groups. I mean some of these tales went back more than forty years. Finally, tired of paying for the beer and Art finishing his Authentic Italian Pizza (fresh from Rome), we wondered out of the bar and made our way to the now-open Hospitality room.

Loner Westmoreland and the fair damsel, Ginger Westmoreland, were gathered around a table with a few other hardy souls, including Shela, Bob and Judy Hines. Bobby Burke wondered between the hospitality room and the souvenir room (where he had a table of wares). Most members present switched from beer to the hard stuff. They only had Bud Light and Bud Regular. However, as the night wore on, the only things flowing more freely than the liquor and beer were the war stories and Bobby hawking his wares.

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, the gatherings dispersed to their individual rooms (Art and Burke to the Pent House Suite) and Ken and I to our forth floor flat.

13 April 2002 - Saturday:

What can I tell you? The day started out badly. The large double doors to the Hospitality room didn't open until somewhere around noon (what a downer that was for a guy that had gotten up at Oh Dark Thirty). Once open, however, the gathering masses stormed through searching for some of "the dog that bit you" medicine.

Our Chapter Meeting was now semi-official: Our leaders were there en masse. Hash, Bull Durham, Greene and, last but not least, our Treasurer, Boatwright. This wasn't the official calling of the Chapter Meeting only the gathering to tip a few to our brethren. Loner gave me some copies of photos and instructions from the Horse Calvary and the Constabulary after WWII. Sometime in the not to distant future, I'll place these on the web site for your viewing and reading pleasure.

At 1400 hours on the dot, Chapter 33 retired to the Florida Room for our quarterly meeting. We almost didn't have the meeting, If it hadn't been for our newly found members, Tom W. Broyles and James C. Sheehan, we wouldn't have had enough gathering to have a meeting. For some reason or other, Chapter 33 has been having real problems lately getting enough members together to hold an official meeting.

And now back to the airy and happy gentile guy that I am. We did barely make the quota (21 members). Our President breezed through the agenda like he knew what he was doing. Bull Durham, Greene and Boatwright gave their reports and Bobby Burke presented Colonel Jones, the last commanding officer of the 10th SFG in Germany and a guest to our meeting, with a photo of the entrance to the 10th Group compound. We also thank our other guests from Chapter 38 and Joe Martin (an old friend of mine and guest with Lee Myers) for attending the meeting. By the way, Chapter 38 is hosting the 5th Group Reunion on 18-22 September 2002. Questions on this reunion can be directed to Chapter 38.

The President closed the meeting with the announcement that the Summer Meeting will be in association with the 50th anniversary of Special Forces at Fort Bragg, NC in June. And, since there were no objections to closing the meeting, we adjourned to the Hospitality Room for some more liquid refreshments.

Our semi-official photographer wasn't present at this meeting, but he did delegate the responsibility of taking the photos to his very apt apprentice, Bob Hines. Bob and Judy spent the week at the Awards Festival and has graciously given me copies of, not only the chapter meeting, but events that took place during the week. So sit back, relax and look at the photos of Chapter 33's Spring Meeting art gallery courtesy of Bob.

Bob not only snapped the official chapter meeting photos, but he also spent the week taking some fantastic shots from Fort Benning and surrounding areas. Sit back, relax and enjoy the photos from the week of Airborne Festivities .