The 9th US Army Security Agency Europe (USASAEUR), Frankfurt, Germany Reunion was held in Columbus, Ohio from September 24 - 27, 2014.  32 ASA members and 29 spouses/guests attended the reunion.  The reunion was coordinated by a committee comprised of John Greene of Georgetown, Kentucky, John Meekins of Columbus, Ohio, John Minken of Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, Larry Paff of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Bob Stegman of Elsmere, Kentucky.

On the Capitol steps

The reunion was held at the Crowne Plaza North Hotel, Columbus, Ohio.  The hotel and its staff did an excellent job in assisting the Reunion Committee.  A Hospitality Suite was provided on the first floor of the hotel.  The Committee provided a variety of German and American beers, wines, soft drinks, water, tea, ice, and assorted snacks throughout the reunion.  There was ample room for tables to display our scrapbooks and photo albums, tables for our refreshments, and tables and seating for socializing.

 Wednesday, September 24:   After checking in, all registrants received a bag filled with small gifts, brochures, daily schedules, and an ASA Frankfurt coffee mug and baseball hat.  A no-host dinner was held at Christino’s in the Crowne Plaza.  After dinner, the Hospitality Suite was open for visiting, showing photos, sharing war stories, lives, and careers since Frankfurt.

 Thursday, September 25:   Everyone met at 8:30 Am to board a bus for a day excursion to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH where we toured the National Museum of the Air Force.  Our guided tour focused on the Cold War, Southeast Asia War, and Presidential Aircraft Galleries.  The tour was very enjoyable and informative.  The guides were excellent and were able to convey stories of the combat actions and personnel relating to the aircraft on display.  A special thanks to John Meekins for coordinating our visit and arranging for the tour guides.  A group photo was taken on the ramp leading to the Space Shuttle Exhibit which features the Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT) located in the Cold War Gallery.

Men on Space Shuttle ramp

 We experienced an unplanned departure from our agenda on the way back to the hotel from the Air Force Museum.  Several of our members seated at the rear of the bus noticed a burning odor so we asked the driver to pull over to the side of the interstate and halt the bus.  There was smoke visible at the rear of the bus so we evacuated the bus.  Everyone got off in good order and without panic.  We moved away to a safe distance and watched as the entire rear third of the bus was consumed by fire.  It all went rather quickly and we were on a relief bus continuing our trip back to the hotel about an hour after we had stopped.   Click here to view the video

 We held our Reunion Banquet Dinner that same evening in the Buckeye Room at the Crowne Plaza.  Before dinner, John Greene, asked those in attendance to observe a moment of silent prayer and remembrance for our deceased ASA-E members.  An excellent dinner was served to all followed by a raffle of a large assortment of items donated by our members.  After dinner, the Hospitality Suite was reopened for drinks, snacks, sharing, and reminiscing.

 Friday, Sep 26:   Everyone met at 9:00 AM to board a bus for a guided city tour of Columbus.  Our guide pointed out various historic sites and buildings while providing a narrative of the history and development of Columbus.  We stopped at the German Village Society Meeting Haus where we received a short presentation and watched a video about the history of the German Village district.  Following the video, we continued our tour of the city.  We then stopped at the Ohio State Capitol building where we had our group lunch in the State House Museum Gallery.  After lunch, we were given a guided tour of the historic Capitol building.  Following the tour of the State House, we continued our city tour through the Ohio State University complex and then returned to our hotel.

That same evening, we went to the Columbus Oktoberfest at the Ohio Expo Center on the Ohio State Fairgrounds.  Here we ate authentic German food such as potato pancakes, apple strudel, cream puffs, pretzels, bratwurst, sauerkraut, and schnitzel.  We listened to German music, watched German folk dancers, and, of course, tasted the German beers.  It was a fun and enjoyable evening for all!  After the Oktoberfest, our group returned to the hotel and once again gathered in our hospitality suite for more socializing.

 Saturday, September 27:  The Hospitality Suite was again open for more visiting and saying good-byes.  It was a great reunion for sharing memories and experiences of our time in Germany and reacquainting with old friends and meeting new friends.

 Thank you John for all your efforts that made this Reunion a success. A great time was had by All.

Our thanks to Larry and Bob too.

Until Next Time:  ASA LIVES