Conference in July at Andrews AFB, Md

Joint-Base Andrews, Maryland

CCHQ has had many requests for information about our 2013 conference. Here’s the “word” as we know it today.

Members and friends should be aware we are no longer doing business as we have done before.  With Department of Defense restrictions and severe defense cutbacks, change has been mandated.  Training for Marines, for example, must be held on military bases.  While we can blame much of this on the GSA for the Las Vegas debacle, we also have to understand the Corps is drawing down and with it, adding some new ways of doing business.

Inasmuch as Division of Public Affairs is hosting a training symposium in July at Joint-Base Andrews, MD (AKA Andrews AFB) your planning committee has recommended we join them in order to have a much larger audience than last year. We anticipate that winners of our annual Merit Awards program will be attending this symposium and will be available to accept their awards.

Accordingly, our 2013 conference will be held aboard Andrews Air Force Base beginning at 0800 Monday, July 22 and concluding Thursday, July 25 at noon.

While events are in the planning stage at present, we are planning a “welcome cookout” Monday evening, the annual Merit Awards Banquet Wednesday evening and the Business Breakfast Thursday morning prior to departure.  We are also working out the details for a Tuesday evening trip to Arlington and the evening ceremony at the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Statue) featuring the Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps and Silent Drill Platoon.

Division of Public Affairs has blocked a number of rooms at a new lodging facility that is located next door to the Andrews AFB Conference Center.  These rooms will be available without restriction to retirees and non-retired members of the Association.  An announcement will be made in the near future as to the reservation process for these rooms.  Members are asked to wait for this announcement and NOT to attempt registering before. The room rate for the conference will be $53.25.  Again, we will list more room information in the near future as well as a registration fee.

As we did in San Diego, there will be a concurrent program schedule for members attending.  We are working out full details and an announcement will be made by mid-January.