West Coast VP Officer Reunion

West Coast?

There seems to be some confusion about who we are. This reunion is for all VP Officers and simply is held on the West Coast. You need not have served on the West Coast or Hawaii, but many have. It is not in competition with the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force (MPRF) Reunion held annually in Washington, DC in April, which includes a professional symposium for uniformed officers. For additional answers to frequently asked questions, please see the FAQ.

For those of you who have been to Tailhook recently, you have experienced the ultimate in naval aviation reunions. Over 1000 men and women in flight suits mixing with 1500 veterans, while seeing the latest developments from the contractors. VP will never have such an association or reunion, but we hope that this database will allow us to keep in touch with folks once they are out of uniform or move to that dream retirement home.

Subscribe

You made it to the web site, so you are half way there. Click here to subscribe. After you fill out the information, you will receive an email at that address and once you reply, you are a member of the VP Officer database. Once we have your email address, you will be in the database and will receive periodic updates regarding the reunion. If you registered online in 2005, and your email address has not changed, just use your email address and password to login.

Lodging and Headquarters -- Santa Clara Marriott Hotel

We encourage people to stay at the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel. It is central to all activities, maximizes your time with friends and minimizes driving after the events, especially the banquet on Saturday evening (locals take note). The Marriott is ideally situated and close to popular attractions such as Great America, Moffett Field, Valley Fair shopping center, Santana Row shopping center, downtown San Jose, and a diverse selection of dining establishments. Swim in the heated pool, relax in their large whirlpool spa, indulge in a massage or one of their other spa services, or work out in the fitness center.

We have reserved 25 rooms at a great rate of $119 plus tax for Friday and Saturday night. However, after the cut off date of September 15th, those rates will no longer be available. Initial interest in the reunion has been very strong, so make your reservations early!

Should you want to arrive a day or two early or stay over for a couple days, unfortunately the hotel cannot honor the reunion rate because of the business traffic around the Silicon Valley during the work week. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-228-9290 and requesting the special group rate for “NVONVOA”. You can book your stay online plus see and read additional details about the hotel by clicking on the link above.

Transportation Airport shuttle service is not available by the hotel. Taxi service from San Jose Municipal Airport is about $20. Hertz is available at the hotel for those who want to rent a car once they are checked in. Call Worldwide Reservations at 1-800-654-3131 and specify the Santa Clara Marriott.

Arrival On Friday afternoon, we will have a welcome table set up in the Hospitality Suite on the top floor. Check with the hotel registration, reception, or notice board in the lobby for directions. You will receive a folder with details of the weekend’s activities and local places of interest. We will move the welcome table to the Moffett Museum prior to the Friday evening reception, for those arriving late or not staying in the HQ hotel.

WeatherUsually mild in mid-October. Possibly cool in the evenings. Average daytime temperature is 70 and the overnight low is around 52. Recommend you bring clothes for a layered look for best flexibility.

Hospitality Suite A large hospitality suite will be provided. It is on the top level of the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel. It will be stocked with beer, wine, sodas, snacks and liquor. It will be available during popular hours for gathering and socializing.

Welcome Reception, Friday Evening, October 17 Will be held at the Moffett Field Museum on Friday early evening from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. The Moffett Field Museum features one of the finest collections of Naval aviation history from “lighter than air to faster than sound.” You will be impressed with all the good work by the dedicated group of volunteers.

The venue is light hors d’oeuvres with a hosted bar and allows you the opportunity to have dinner with your closest friends at one of the many fine restaurants in the area. A list of many of them will be in your registration packet.

Driving instructions from the Hotel to the Museum will be provided in your welcome packet. For those of you in the local area or arriving late in the day, registration packets will be available when you check-in for the reception. Sport Coat/Blazer or sweaters for men and sweaters, jacket, or light wrap for women is suggested. You might also want to remember your camera!

Golf Tournament, Saturday Morning, October 18 To be held on Saturday morning at the Moffett Field Golf Course, which is very convenient to the hotel. A map to the course will be provided in your welcome packet. Prizes will be presented during the banquet on Saturday evening. Please refer to the Golf Registration sheet for details on how to sign up for the scramble and how to list your desired partner(s). Please send in the golf registration with your reunion registration, so we can organize the teams. Those not specifying partners will be assigned to a group, so call your friends and put together a winning foursome.

Unfortunately, all of the golf courses in the area are so busy with local players that they will not allow a shotgun start. We will start at 10 am and team assignments will be posted on Friday at the Hospitality Suite. Golf club rental is available, so don’t miss this opportunity because you don’t want to lug your clubs with you. It is a real bargain; golf with cart, lunch and prizes for $60!

Golf Registration Form (pdf)

Sightseeing and Local Activities We will include a separate document with thumbnail sketches about some of the South Bay’s more popular attractions and information about the availability of military discount rates. Needless to say, there are more things to do than you will have time. Additional brochures and information about the area’s attractions will be provided in your welcome packet.

Banquet, Saturday Evening, October 18 The banquet committee has done its best to provide an outstanding banquet. The Marriott Hotel will be the site of the Saturday night reception and dinner. Dinner will offer three choices of entrée; Grilled Chicken, Roasted Salmon, or New York Steak. Please indicate your preferences on the registration form. The evening starts with a no-host cocktail hour from 6 to 7 PM. Then we will move into the Ballroom for dinner, which includes wine. At this time, we have two possible speakers, either of whom will be most informative. We also are planning a special tribute to VP-31. So all of you who were students and or staff, we plan to highlight your many accomplishments.

Brunch, Sunday Morning, October 19 Some of you may want to have a farewell get-together with your own special group on Sunday morning. There are places available within the HQ Hotel and nearby which can accommodate groups. We will provide a list of recommended places. Groups larger than four should make advance reservations.

Cancellations In past years we have had a frenzy of additions and subtractions within the last few days (and even hours) of the reunion. In almost all cases we have refunded money on late cancellations. We will continue to do our best; but the $15 Administrative Fee is not refundable and we reserve the right to withhold refunds to anyone canceling within two weeks of the event if it is not deemed an emergency and/or will jeopardize the committee meeting our financial obligations.

Registration The committee requests that you return your registration form and check as soon as possible. It is a great help to us in coordinating the events to get an early indication of the numbers of attendees. We also have required deposits to be paid to the hotel and other venders. Remember, the deadline for getting the special room rate is September 15, 2008. However, since we have only reserved 25 rooms, the sooner you reserve them, the earlier we will know if we need to commit for more. Please return to this site regularly for additional information, registration forms and the latest updates.

Reunion Registration Form (pdf)

Pass the WordPlease pass along word about the reunion to everyone on your VP e-mail, mailing and phone lists. We have a large data base; but it isn’t up to date and may not contain all of your friends and contacts. Help us make this the biggest and best reunion ever by encouraging your squadron mates and friends to attend!

Lost Contacts Over the years, many of our contacts have changed their address. This resulted in lots of money spent on mailings needlessly. We are going electronic in an effort to save money and be more efficient in keeping in contact. We encourage all to become subscribe to our contact database. If any subscriber knows of someone who is on the Lost Contact list, please help us restore our link to them. (You must be a subscriber to view the Lost Contact list.)