24TH iNFANTRY DIVISION ASSOCIATION LOGO

The 24th Infantry Division Association

Founded August 1945 on a Philippine Island beach
 

 

24th Infantry Division Association 72nd Annual Reunion
October 9-13, 2019 Corpus Christi, Texas

USS LexingtonThe 72nd Annual 24th Infantry Division Association Reunion be held Wednesday, October 9, 2019 thru Sunday, October 13, 2019 at the beautiful Radisson Corpus Christi Beach Hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas. We will be celebrating the victorious history of our division as well as enjoying the bond of our "First to Fight" family. The highlights of this reunion will be a welcome reception, a tour of the Texas State Aquarium, the USS Lexington Museum, A Wreath Laying Ceremony at Andy Alaniz Memorial Field, the annual association meeting and our annual memorial banquet. 

We invite all 24th Infantry Division Veterans from all eras and their families to join us for this historic reunion. It is going to be a great time of coming together! There is also free time to explore the many attractions that Corpus Christi has to offer with your family and fellow Victory Veterans.

If you are not currently a member of the 24th Infantry Division Association and would like to join we are super excited to welcome you! Please see our membership information page and send in your application today. Please note that membership in the historic 24th ID association is in no way required to attend the reunion but you do receive some awesome benefits if you join such as being a part of the ongoing association since 1945, voting rights at our annual association meeting, ability to give input into association events, policies and happenings, ability to serve as a volunteer in one of our many positions, receiving our quarterly professionally produced 24th ID Association magazine The Taro Leaf straight to your home by mail which includes awesome articles and stories from Victory Veterans from ALL eras of service. The benefits are amazing and yes by joining you keep our association strong!

24th INFANTRY DIVISION ASSOCIATION OCTOBER 2019 REUNION ITINERARY

Wednesday Oct 9, 2019
1600 - Check In Hotel (Radisson Corpus Christi Beach or Quality Inn & Suites on the Beach)
1900 - 2100 Meet & Greet (hospitality room)

Thursday Oct 10, 2019
930 - Meet in lobby to board trolley to Aquarium
1000 - 1200 Tour TX State Aquarium
1200 - Lunch on Wharf Pier (on own)
1300 - Free Time, Shopping, Tours on own, etc.
1630 - Return via trolley to hotel
1800 - Annual Board of Directors Meeting

Friday Oct 11, 2019
0930 - Meet in lobby and board trolley to USS Lexington
1000 -1200 - Tour USS Lexington
1200 - 1300 - Lunch at snack bar onboard ship  (on own)
1300 - 1500 - Resume tours of USS Lexington
1500 - Board trolley to return to hotel
1630 - 1800 - Annual Association Members Meeting

Saturday Oct 12, 2019
0915 - Meet in lobby to board bus to SPC Andy Alaniz gravesite
1000 - Wreath Laying Ceremony at SPC Andy Alaniz gravesite
1200 - 1800 Free Time, Shopping, Tours, Fishing, etc.  (on own)
1800 - 2200 - Annual Association Memorial Banquet

Sunday Oct 13, 2019
1100 - Check out of Hotel

REUNION HOTEL INFORMATION

Corpus ChristiThe 2019 24th IDA Reunion hotels are Radisson Corpus Christi Beach Hotel and Quality Inn & Suites on the Beach. Both hotels are located on the beach directly adjacent to each other and owned by the same company so we are able to offer our members options to fit their budget and preferance. It is a very short walk from one hotel to the other. Our hospitality room and banquet hall are located inside the Radisson. All reunion attendees will need to make their hotel reservations direct with the hotel of their choice by either phone call or sending payment to the hotel. Contact information for each hotel and our special discount rates are listed below in step 2 of the registration process. You will need to mention that you are with the 24th Infantry Division Reunion when reserving your hotel room in order to receive the discounted rate. Please do this as we have a set block of rooms in our reunion contract so it is important that you identify yourself with the 24th IDA Reunion when reserving your room.

 

 

 

REUNION ACTIVITIES

Our Reunion Welcome Reception will be held on Wednesday evening 1900-2100 hrs in our "hospitality room" located inside the Radisson Corpus Christi Beach Hotel. The reception will be informal with no cost so food will not be served so you may want to go to dinner prior to the reception. Name tags will be provided for all registrants attending and it will be a great time to kick off our time together. Make plans on checking into the hotel earlier and enjoy with us! Please note that due to the alchohol beverage laws in Corpus Christi, we are not able to provide beverages containing alcohol ourselves but the hotel lounge is available and guest can bring drinks from the lounge into our hospitality room if desired.

Special Reunion Events and Excursions - We will have several special excursions and events located away from our hotel. We will have either a trolley or bus to transport us all to and from the hotel for both excursions and the Wreath Laying Ceremony. These events are designed to provide fun and educational activities that we can do together. We have negotiated special military reunion group rates which are at a discounted rate from general admisssion and you can select which events or excursions you would like to attend on the Reunion Registration Form. Do NOT purchase tickets for these direct from their sites as we have a lower special group rate which are listed on our Reunion Registration Form

Texas State Aquarium Tour - On Thursday morning October 10th at 0930 we will meet in the hotel lobby and board a trolley for a short ride to the famous Texas State Aquarium. The exhibits contain representatives of the area’s main marine ecosystems including over 460 species from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The Gulf of Mexico opened in 1990 with a commencement from former President Bush. After years in the making, the Caribbean Journey, part of the original vision, opened its doors in 2017. The Caribbean Journey doubles the size of the aquarium and provides homes to an exciting collection of sea and land creatures. It is here that you can break into the mesmerizing secrets of the underwater and jungle world. For those wishing to spend time in an extraordinary place, a promising unforgettable experience awaits.
For more information see https://www.texasstateaquarium.org

USS Lexington and TX State AquariumTX State Aquarium  

 

 

USS Lexington Museum Tour -  Friday, October 11, 2019. Commissioned in 1943, she set more records than any other Essex Class carrier in the history of naval aviation.The ship was the oldest working carrier in the United States Navy when decommissioned in 1991. An Essex-class carrier, LEXINGTON was originally named the USS CABOT. During World War II, final construction was being completed at Massachusetts’ Fore River Shipyard when word was received that the original carrier named USS LEXINGTON, CV-2, had been sunk in the Coral Sea. The new carrier’s name was changed to LEXINGTON. After training maneuvers and a shakedown cruise, LEXINGTON joined the Fifth Fleet at Pearl Harbor. During World War II, the carrier participated in nearly every major operation in the Pacific Theater and spent a total of 21 months in combat. Her planes destroyed 372 enemy aircraft in the air, and 475 more on the ground. She sank or destroyed 300,000 tons of enemy cargo and damaged an additional 600,000 tons. The ship’s guns shot down 15 planes and assisted in downing five more. The Japanese reported LEXINGTON sunk no less than four times! Yet, each time she returned to fight again, leading the propagandist Tokyo Rose to nickname her “The Blue Ghost.” The name is a tribute to the ship and the crew and air groups that served aboard her. https://usslexington.com/

Andy Alaniz Field24th Division Wreath Laying Ceremony - On Saturday morning (October 12) we will board a bus to the SPC Andy Alaniz gravesite in Corpus Christi to pay tribute to one of our 24th Division soldiers who died during Desert Storm as well as ALL Victory Division soldiers who paid the ultimate price on battlefields around the World since WWII. We will be laying a Victory Division Wreath at Andy's gravesite. We are inviting the community including the mayor and other dignitaries and friends and family of Andy to come and join us in honoring our Fallen Heroes. It will be a very special time together that you will not want to miss. Please note that we had originally planned to have this ceremony at the Andy Alaniz Field but changed it to his gravesite as it is better suited. The address for the cemetary is Rose Hill Memorial Park 2731 Comanche St. Corpus Christi, TX 78408 and the ceremony starts at 10:00 hrs.

Our Annual Reunion Memorial Banquet will be held in the ballroom of the Radisson Corpus Christi Beach Hotel on Saturday evening 1800 hrs October 12, 2019. The annual banquet is an honored tradition that dates back to our inception in 1945 and held every year since! If you have a dress uniform that still fits this is the time to break it out. Coat and ties or dresses or even nice casual are perfectly fine as well. We will commence with a pledge of allegience followed by toasting with Champagne, a special memorial service that honors our fallen from our Division's history, a featured speaker, association officers comments and more. The delicious meal will feature a buffet style with your choice of entree, beef tenderloin or chicken cordon bleu, roasted red potatoes, rice pilaf, seasonal vegitables, fresh garden salad, bread, coffee and tea. There will be a cash bar on site for those wishing to purchase wine, beer or spirits on their own during the banquet. Cost is $30 per person and you can sign up for the banquet by mailing your registration form.

HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE REUNION AND MAKE RESERVATIONS FOR HOTEL AND REUNION ACTIVITIES

Since our Reunion this year is in Texas, Registration of course is a "Texas Two Step"

STEP 1 - PRINT AND MAIL IN RESERVATION AND REUNION FORM WITH A CHECK OR CASHIERS CHECK OR MONEY ORDER MADE PAYABLE TO THE 24th INFANTRY DIVISION ASSOCIATION (please do not send cash in the mail). ABSOLUTE DEADLINE is midnight, Saturday, September 29, 2019 as we must let the caterers know how many people will be attending the Memorial Banquet the following Monday.

Download and print the Reunion Registration Form here - (MS Word format) OR (PDF format)

Send reunion registration form and check made out to:
24th Infantry Division Association
and mail to:

Darrell Williams
2813 E Emory Rd
Knoxville, TN 37938

STEP 2 - RESERVE YOUR HOTEL ROOM FROM ONE OF THE FOLLOWING CHOICES AND ENSURE YOU IDENTIFY THAT YOU ARE WITH THE 24TH INFANTRY DIVISION REUNION. OUR REUNION DATES ARE OCT 9 -13, 2019 Arriving on Wednesday and departing on Sunday. You may of course extend your stay if desired to enjoy this beautiful region even more. To reserve your room(s), either call the prefered hotel or send a check or money order to the address listed below. Prices listed INCLUDE all taxes. Cancellation policy for either hotel is 4pm 3 days prior to arrival. Any room cancelled inside of this policy, will be charged 1 night’s room and tax. There will be no charge if cancelled outside of the 3 days. PLEASE NOTE: The deadline for Hotel Reservations to ensure you are in our discounted group block rate is noonTuesday, September 24th. However, you may still make reservations at these hotels and ask for the discount after the deadline and they may honor it as long as they have rooms available. Be sure you mention that you are with the 24th Infantry Division Reunion!

Radisson Corpus Christi Beach
3200 E. Surfside Blvd.
Corpus Christi, TX 78402
Phone 361-883-9700
 
October 9-13, 2019
Street View
($97.75/night - including tax)
Water View
($120.75/night - including tax) 
Quality Inn & Suites on the Beach
3202 E. Surfside Blvd.
Corpus Christi, TX 78402
Phone 361-883-7456

October 9-13, 2019
Street View - King
($77.05/night - including tax)
Water View - 2 Doubles
($88.565/night - including tax) 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why is our reunion held in Corpus Christi this year?

Our annual reunions change locations each year to accomodate our members living in various locations across the Nation. The cities are planned in advance at least one year, sometimes a couple years ahead of time so our reunion planners can make adequate plans and negotiations with the hotels, etc. The Board of Directors traditionally make the recomendations at the Annual Members Meeting held during our reunions. We look for locations that have plenty of hotel space, friendly to military reunions and have at least one item of military interest such as a musuem, National Park with military history, a Fort, Naval or Air Base, etc. If you have an idea for a location please let us know and we would be glad to explore it! Our goal is to make the reunions accessible to the most possible members as well as keep the locations interesting, affordable and attempt to cover all geographic regions over time. You can see our past history of reunion locations here.

What airports are available close to Corpus Christi to fly into?

The closest airport is the Corpus Chrisit International Airport. Major carriers that fly into this area are American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. See https://corpuschristiairport.com/ for more information

Can I opt to not attend the extra activities?

Absolutely! While we would love to have everyone join us for the excussions and events outside the hotel, we understand that some may not be able or desire to do these excursions. You can opt out of these by simply not selecting them on your registration form. Please be aware that due to our negotiations with the attractions that the special discounted rate is only through our registration form.

What else is there to do and see in Corpus Christi?

A good site to explore
http://www.visitcorpuschristitx.org/index.aspx