August 14th 2025 Update
Final Prereunion Visit
August 11, 2025
Good day, shipmates,
We are set to celebrate the 24th reunion of the VP-16 Reunion Association, share our history, camaraderie, and enjoy all that Mobile has to offer. Are you ready to join us? The second and final trip to Mobile in preparation for the reunion is complete. Jim and Mary Ivey, Linda, and I returned to Florida on Saturday, August 9th, after four days in Mobile. We met with the hotel and food managers to confirm our accommodations and Friday evening banquet menu. I spoke with the vendor for our City Tour, and we spent time at the USS Alabama Memorial Park to familiarize ourselves with logistics, etc. Everything is coordinated with our visit to Alabama Flight Works and the Airbus assembly plant with our host, Cindy. Your reunion team has worked hard to ensure everything is in place for a memorable event.
With much confidence, I am pleased to inform you that we have completed the on-site preparations, and Mobile is eagerly awaiting your arrival in October. The city and our vendors are ready to host us and provide a great experience.
Update refresher:
Contact me now if you plan to attend the reunion and haven't received or returned your sign-up sheet! The last day to reserve your room at the Holiday Inn Historic Downtown Mobile is Friday, September 19th. As mentioned, I recommend making your reservation now since you can cancel at no cost until 6:00 PM the day before your check-in date. As always, last-minute changes to the schedule should be expected, but it remains much as advertised in earlier mailings and on your signup green sheet.
Wednesday, October 22nd. Check in at the hotel in the afternoon. As soon as possible, the Hospitality Room will open on the 17th floor (the same floor as the Sky View Lounge). If you attended the Charleston reunion in 2011, the Holiday Inn Round is the same hotel style.
Thursday, October 23rd. 9:00 AM—Tour of the historic downtown area via trolley. The tour ends at the USS Alabama Memorial Park. All who are signed up for the Memorial Park will be dropped off, and those who are not visiting the park will be returned to the hotel. We provide transportation back to the hotel when anyone is ready to leave the park. The final trip from the Park to the hotel will be at 4:15 PM.
Friday, October 24th. – 9:00 AM – Transported via trolley to Flight Works Alabama. We will check in there and be transported to the Airbus Assembly plant. Time at Airbus should be about an hour. We will be transported back to the Flight Works facility to spend time exploring before returning to the hotel by noon.
Friday, October 24th. The dinner hour is TBD but expected to be either 6:30 or 7:00 PM. Since we have a relatively small group, there is flexibility at this point, so please give me feedback if you have a desired time. Dinner will be served in the Hospitality room, so it will be closed a couple of hours ahead of time for the staff to set up.
Friday afternoon and Saturday, October 24th and 25th. You will have free time to explore on your own. We have assembled what we believe will be helpful information for your packets and checked out several restaurants. The historic district much resembles the French Quarter of New Orleans. Remember, Mardi Gras started in Mobile in 1703. NOLA didn’t pick up the tradition until 1875, although the French explorers did have a single celebration of a landing party in 1699. We believe everyone will enjoy the event we've organized and will have a great time. I recommend you start dieting for a week or two before arriving. The restaurants in Old Downtown are fantastic!
A request for your feedback, send it to: billsherman.vero@me.com
A. Preferred time for Friday evening dinner.
B. Beverage choices for the Hospitality Room: We need to know the brand of beer, the type of wine, and the favorite soda. Water
and coffee will also be available.
C. We need to schedule a brief business meeting to report on the Association's status and elect a new Board of Directors. Please
consider joining the Board.
D. All individuals planning to visit the Airbus facility must provide a copy of their driver's license (front only). A copy of your
passport or a valid DOD ID (front and back), one or the other, is acceptable if you do not have a valid driver's license. No
other forms of ID will be accepted. Please forward it to me as soon as possible, but no later than October 14th.
We look forward to seeing everyone in Mobile, a lively small city full of history. I believe anyone who hasn't visited the area will plan to come back to explore more.
Bill