Kalispell Reunion 2021

January 2022
A Grand Reunion in Kalispell, Montana!

Association members once again joined in reunion, our 18th biennial, and this time in the fine city of Kalispell, Montana. We numbered just under 200 attendees and enjoyed a fine selection of activities. Our Immediate Past President, Barry Fitzgerald negotiated a terrific room rate with the very comfortable Hilton Garden Inn. Members enjoyed a bountiful and hospitality suite.

The main event was a Red Bus tour through Glacier National Park. We organized some 18 of these iconic buses, the grandest way to see the wonders of this North Western National Treasure. Enjoyed as well was an afternoon boat ride on Flathead Lake. Wine flowed freely as we toured on a beautiful afternoon.

Despite the immediacy of Covid, and relative remoteness of Kalispell, the reunion was fully booked. Shipmates once again reconnected in good fellowship with sea stories being brushed off and represented in astounding numbers.

We enjoyed a Grand Banquet at the Hilton ballroom and a keynote address that outlined the Saint’s first two tours in Vietnam. Originally written and presented by the late Captain Harry Fischer, it was successfully recreated by our own John Franz. The Kalispell Elk’s Club honored our shipmates with an all hands dinner…a wonder gesture!

Our 2023 reunion will take place in Savannah, Georgia and the buzz is palatable. Plans are underway to ensure the very best of accommodations at an affordable rate. If Savannah is on your to do list this excursion is a must!

For those Saint Paul shipmates who have not yet joined the Association you are invited to do so today. Enjoy the unbeatable quarterly “The Roving Saint” and plan to make Savannah with friends a reality!

In memory of the Saint and those who served,
Roger Brown
President