Final Message From Leo Farias 2015-17 Association Executive Director

31st Engineer Battalion (CBT) Association

Web address: 31stengineerbattalion.com

November 12, 2017

Fellow Vets and Association Family,

This is my last communication as the Association Director (2015-2017) and is to provide summary closure on our recent reunion, heads-up on our next reunion, and information on new Association Officers.

The fifth reunion of the 31st Engineer Battalion Association was held in Colorado Springs, Colorado on October 5-8, 2017. The consensus of those attending seemed to be that it was, once again, a successful event. Our reunions are the forum for the rekindling of brotherhood, a means for our veterans to stay connected after all these years, sharing stories and photos, and promoting fellowship amongst us and our families. A gauge of success was attendance, i.e., about 60 of our veterans made it and 130 were at our Saturday evening banquet. My thanks to those of you who came and a word to those who didn’t, you missed a good one. Let’s keep it going two years from now, 2019, in Williamsburg, Va.

The attached Minutes provided by newly elected Secretary Charles Bruckerhoff summarize meetings and key events of the reunion. Group activities included three meetings, group of about 50 eating at the Edelweiss German Restaurant on Friday evening, a charter bus tour (capacity 55) to the Center of American Values (highlight of Medal of Honor recipients) in Pueblo, the group photos, and the Grand Banquet on Saturday evening. The Colorado Springs area provided many attractions for individual and small group enjoyment.

Thanks to everybody involved in reunion tasks. Every individual called upon to help did so willingly without hesitation. The main tasks showing the lead person were: Hotel Recon (Johnny Gonzales); Registration (Paul Sharp); Audio Visual (Louis Brown); Banquet (Jay Fulfer); Missing Man Table (Ed Willis & Steve Weakley); Hospitality Suite (Leo Neely); Photography and Name Tags (Charles Bruckerhoff); Bus Tour (Chuck Wilson); Caps and Shirts (Bob Brooks); Treasurer (Warren DuBois); and Webmaster (June Robbins). The Minutes contain my comments on the fantastic contributions by Michele Hopkins, daughter of Rich and Kathy Hopkins, and our own Fred Webb. By letter we thanked keynote speaker LTC Brian Brobeck of the 52nd Bde Engr Bn, his Color Guard people, and the 4th Inf Div Band Singer for their participation in our banquet. Named or not, thanks to all who contributed.

New officers elected for a two-year period starting October 8, 2017 are listed in the Minutes. The new Association Director is Louis Brown who served as our Commo Officer in HHC. He will be imparting information and guidance in the near future. Key contact email addresses for you at this time are: Louis Brown, louis.brown66@gmail.com; June Robbins, Webmaster, junekeywest@yahoo.com; Warren DuBois, Treasurer (membership and payment of dues), duboisw@embarqmail.com; Charles Bruckerhoff, Secretary (roster development), charles@creus.com.

For your information and advance planning, Williamsburg, Virginia was selected as the site for the 2019 reunion. Discussions focused on having the reunion in the early part, usually first week of, October. However, details and specifics will be provided by our Association Director. Harley Brinkley has volunteered to work on the Reunion on behalf of the Association.

Please keep in mind that our website 31stengineerbattalion.com is available for viewing, getting updates on reunion planning, posting articles and photos, etc. As you know, June Robbins, daughter of departed buddy John Frye, is our Webmaster. She is doing a commendable job, continues to improve the website, and we appreciate her.

Also attached is a list of names of our people who passed away between the October 2015 and October 2017 reunions. If you know of anybody else, please notify Charles Bruckerhoff. We will remember our lost brothers and sisters. May they rest in peace.

Thanks for allowing me to serve as your Association Director the past two years. I will now be serving as one of five Board of Directors/Members at Large of the Association and will be available to assist in any way called upon. I simply encourage all to continue to stay connected, to join in if you have not participated in our reunions, and to reach out and help find others to add to our ranks.

With the Holidays coming up, a Happy Thanksgiving and a Christmas Blessing to all. Join me in giving thanks for the gift of family, love, and continued friendship within our 31st Engineer Battalion family. Looking forward to seeing you in Williamsburg.

Sincerely,

Leonel (Leo) Farias
Association Director (2015-2017)

2 Attachments: (will appear in next two posts)
1. Minutes of 2017 Reunion
2. List of Members/Spouses Lost Between Oct. 2015 and Oct. 2017

Author: admin

Army brat and proud daughter of a Vietnam Veteran

Leave a Reply

WordPress spam blocked by CleanTalk.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.