Final NMA Reunion in Review: 2019

Carl Gerhard leads concert band in rehearsal
of "Americ, the Beautiful," featuring vocalist
MUC Audra Radliff.

We'll finish our week of NMA reunions with last year's bash in Milwaukee.

Carl Gerhard, our reunion coordinator, put this one together in style. Our hotel rooms were comfortable and spacious, our working spaces convenient, and the staff more than accomodating.

And, speaking of style, our Saturday-night dinner/dance featured a visit from Navy Band Great Oakes. The ceremonial band thrilled us and Chief Radliff sent a few jolts of electricity through the ballroom with her rendition of "America, the Beautiful."

We thanked Wilbur Smith for his years of dedicated service as conductor of the concert band and cheered as he announced that Ray Ascione had agreed to take the helm of that vital ensemble.

To enjoy day-by-day NavyLyres coverage of the 2017 reunion chronologically:

• Click here, then 
• Scroll down and read posts from bottom to top.

NMA Reunion in Review: 2015

The 2015 reunion stands out in our minds for a few reasons.

Our 20th anniversary reunion drew a record number of MUs. Attendance at our first concert band rehearsal is often terrifyingly small. But this year, the first rehearsal was overflowing, and the band got bigger every day. Naturally, the full attendance carried over to a full sound at our Friday-night concert.

We visited our alma mater, now called the Naval School of Music. The newly-renovated facility may not feature ivy-covered walls, but the building still echoes with the haunting memories of buffers, Brillo pads and vacuum cleaners.

To enjoy day-by-day NavyLyres coverage of the 2015 reunion chronologically:

• click here, then 
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NMA Reunion in Review: 2008

Today is a visit back to my first NMA Reunion Live-Blog: Memphis in 2008.

I'd like to say that it's crude coverage, my first dive into something that got better with time and experience. I'd also like to say that J-Lo just dropped by and handed me a check for $600 million dollars.

My arch-enemy Lee Hudson, was in attendance. The back-stabbing bum and I hadn't seen each other since 1985, and time had not improved the relationship between that back-stabbing, high-pitched-whining, tuba-mauling buffoon and me. Like typical Navy shipmates, we picked up right where we'd left off.

To enjoy day-by-day NavyLyres coverage of the 2017 reunion chronologically, click here, then scroll down and read posts from bottom to top.

NMA Reunion in Review: 2017

I learned much about leadership
from MUCM Jim Thumpston.

The 2017 NMA reunion brought us home again to Virginia Beach.

Ray Ascione assisted Wilbur Smith in conducting the NMA Concert Band. He did so well that many of us thought, "Gee, if Wilbur ever retires as conductor, Ray would be a great choice to succeed him."

(In fact, Ray has since taken over as conductor of the concert band. Were it not for the pandemic, he'd be at the NMA podium today, whipping us into shape for Friday's concert. Well, not really whipping. Those of us who played under Ray's baton at the Naval Academy or School of Music know he leads not by terror, but by inspiration.)

You'll notice a photo of Jim Thumpston I stumbled across at the reunion. It reminded me that if I hadn't waited so long to come to an NMA reunion, I could have met up with "Thumper," my old teacher,  shipmate and mentor.

To enjoy day-by-day NavyLyres coverage of the 2017 reunion chronologically:

• click here, then 
• scroll down and read posts from bottom to top.

NMA Reunion in Review: 2010

San Antonio will stay forever in my mind as the hottest place on Planet Earth. "But it's a dry heat," you may say, "and there's a nice breeze." I can only respond, "There's also a nice breeze inside a Maytag dryer when it's spinning on the permanent press cycle, but you wouldn't want to spend a week in there."

The hotel, of course, was comfortable; not for nothing is Texas called The Air Conditioning State.

I hadn't seen my old friend John Derby attended in thirty-something years, and we picked up right where we'd left off in 1977. That's how reunions work.

To enjoy day-by-day NavyLyres coverage of the 2010 reunion chronologically:

Click here, then scroll down and read posts from bottom to top.

NMA Reunion in Review: 2013

Let's begin revisiting our NMA reunions with a review of our 2013 get-together in Virginia Beach.

This was a big one. Our "homeport" reunions are always well attended--this year, we had to add an extra page to the sign-in roster.


The week of camaraderie and music was marred only by fears that Terry Chesson might play the clarinet. Fortunately, the NMA Threat-Response Team was able to prevent disturbance.

To enjoy--or endure--day-by-day NavyLyres coverage of the 2013 reunion chronologically:

Click here, then scroll down and read posts from bottom to top.

NMA Reunions in Review

Today is the day I planned to be unpacking my suitcase in Virginia Beach, hugging old friends and proudly scrawling my name on the sign-in sheet for tomorrow's start of the 2020 NMA Reunion.


This, we know, is not to be. When the severity of the pandemic became clear, NMA President Whitham solicited the views of the board of directors and made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 NMA reunion.

I hated it but knew it was the right thing to do. Many of our members could not participate in close-quarters work and socializing and make up an NMA reunion, five days of sitting together on the bandstand and in the lounge to play, laugh, lie, and remember.


Every year since 2008, I've posted online reunion coverage with shipmates around the world,  a "Live-Blog" of daily photos, videos, commentary and slander. It's an exciting project that spreads reunion joy with the MUs who cannot attend the reunion in person.

Well, I can't control world events, but I can control my computer. So, tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16, and every day through Saturday, I'll post the Live-Blog coverage of a past reunion. Recent reunions, long-gone reunions--the good, the bad and the ugly will be on display. In a sense, every day will be an NMA reunion. Kinda, sorta.

Of course, we all understand that nothing can take the place of a real thing. But we're all doing the best we can right now, with our families, our jobs, our careers and communities. As veterans and active-duty sailors, we are not strangers to enduring rough seas and looking forward to brighter horizons.

Boy, I'm missing you guys already.