Drink free beer in the hospitality room!

Don't worry, you will be around a thousand or two Paratrooper brothers and sisters.  You may not know them yet, but you will find a lot of friends you never knew.

Thursday is usually the jump in, although there may not be enough active duty troops to have a jump.  The host chapter will have a list of local attractions that you can go to, and if it is close enough there may be a shuttle to go to them.  There will be a memorial dinner on Friday night and a banquet on Saturday night.  Some of the national chapters(such as the Golden Brigade Chapter) and unit Associations(such as the 325th GIR/AIR) will have hospitality rooms with free food and beer.  There will also be a few vendors there to sale a variety of products, shirts, hats, books, CDs, etc.

See Mark, I didn't even say anything about DISCOM hosting a dry room.

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI.  One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS

"I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman!"  -Homer Simpson

The Association does raise money for the Educational Fund, which is a separate entity for tax purposes, and the Ed Fund provides scholarships to Troopers and immediate family members every year.

Local chapters also have their own projects.  These range from getting Airborne car tags in some states, supporting local junior and/or senior ROTC programs, adopt-a-mile programs on local highways and providing support for the active division when deployed and local veterans groups and homes.

Now, what is the Association not doing, at either the National or the local level, that you think it should be doing?  Guess we should open a new topic for this discussion.

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI.  One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS

For the convention, here's all you need to know.

Wed at noon starts the registration and check in. Get locked and loaded and recieve packets of information etc. 3pm on Wed the hospitality starts and usually runs till midnight. This hospitialty is usually a big banquet room scattered with 10 person tables and has 2 or 3 bars with free alcohol. Various snacks/small meal items are usually thrown in at times. At the same time Vinny (a fixture) will be laying claim to a seat at the hotel bar where he will remain near constantly and remain well lubricated according to his operating manual.

Thursday morning is the live jump, busses board usually at 8am to the DZ. This will all depend upon the active Division's level of participation which due to deployments might be thin. You'll have to stay tuned. After returning, the hospitality room is usually back up and running at noon... fend for yourself on lunch and dinner unless you're part of the 504 association which has its own dinner on Thurs night at the hotel. Thurs afternoon will usually have some local tours or just wander the local sites on your own. Pay close attention and you'll learn that some active units as well as some veteran chapters/groups post locations of thier own smaller suites as hospitality rooms... these can be used to visit and perform a PUB CRAWL

{due to cancellation of All American Week, the association may choose to have official meeting of National Board as well}

Friday... Friday morning typically starts with an 8am call of the chapter delegates where for about an hour they go over concerns and items that they would like to have presented to the National Board. Immediately after the delegates meeting is the National Board meeting and any member can attend and listen in on what the association is up to, its a board meeting so you hear what has been and what will go on, votes are cast on some issues as needed but mainly the reports are good to listen in on. Bid presentations for upcoming conventions are presented as well and a vote is held on the next location (2 years in advance, so we'll be voting on the 2009 location this year)

Following the meetings everyone can go to lunch.. hospitality is open again at noon typically. Go on tours or explore on your own all afternoon. Roll back in and get ready for the Memorial Dinner on Friday night (dressed event) where you'll hear the chorus perform, get some info from National etc... once complete, fall out and fall back in on the hospitality room for Music and Drinking and visit sub suites to continue drinking.

Saturday morning you can relax, take in some more tours and for the ladies, attend the 10a ladies brunch... Im told they have speakers etc. Hook back up and grab lunch with friends and yup.. you guessed it, hospitality is back up and running at noon. 1300 is typical time for the GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING. As a regular member I would urge that if you only choose to participate in the association biz once.. this is the time. Here you will hear a review of the business performed the previous day, hear from National Director hopefuls and cast your ballots to vote for the next years National Directors. Make sure to have your membership card!

Hospitality/Relax/Tours etc in the afternoon until final banquet (formal) on Saturday night. You'll again hear from the chorus, listen to Division AA6 give a state of the division and lately weve been getting a video presentation on things. Awards are presented and of course all over a nice dinner. Upon the conclusion of the dinner fall out and fall in on the hospitality rooms once again until midnight 1am with DJ running music and drinks being served... then if you're still running... hang out in common areas with friends and realize what a great GD time it was.

Sunday.. checkout and head home.

During all of this of course we'll quickly locate all our PNET buddies and form an LGOP which will take over a table in the hospitality room and arrange to sit together at the dinners... trust me, we have more fun than you think.

Hope this helps.

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Mark, is this a change in the format for the Convention?  My recollections from the Conventions I have attended all of this was Saturday morning prior to the general membership meeting.  At Milwaulkee there was a Chapter officers meeting on Friday morning which was just Manny and some of the National officers talking issues and answering questions for Chapter officers.

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI.  One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS