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PRESIDENTS LETTER
December 21, 2025
Fellow Marines, Happy Holidays
I hope you and your families are doing well. The Reunion in D.C. this past July was a great success. We all enjoyed the company of 135 Marines and family members. This year we had a multitude of family members attend the Reunion. They were impressed with the comradery and the many aspects of our time in Vietnam. I feel the families learned much of what we experienced and the importance of carrying our legacy into the future. Many new friendships were established and old ones reinforced. On a sad note, this was Jesse Tipton’s last reunion. Jesse passed away in September after a long battle with cancer. He was experiencing much pain at the reunion but being the Marine that he was he fought through it to be with his Brothers one last time.
Our 2026 Houston Reunion is now in the planning stages. We are close to signing our hotel contract with the Hilton Houston at Post Oak by the Galleria. Phil Odom, our point man in Houston, has assembled an itinerary that is something we will thoroughly enjoy. The Reunion dates are November 9th. -- November 13th with getaway day on Saturday, November 14th. The activities will include a Texas BBQ, a tour of the NASA complex, attendance at the Veterans Day parade as the Guest of Honor plus lunch and we will be seated in the VIP section with the Mayor of Houston, the Ladies Luncheon, Quits of Valor presentations, and of course the Marine Corps Birthday celebration with another rousing rendition of the Marines’ Hymn. We are planning to provide all the transportation for the events at little or no cost.
The price of the hotel room will be $160+tax. The room rate includes reduced rates for parking, two breakfast vouchers per room per day, and a 10% discount in the hotel restaurants. We will continue to be having a buffet dinner at the banquet. We have not determined the menu yet and we are trying to keep the price in the $60 range, however, with food price increases it may be higher. We always have your back on making the best deals to keep expenses reasonable for the Reunion.
We continue to make plans for the reunion and finalize the logistics. We will keep you updated through the website which may be accessed at 1stMarines.com and then go to the Reunion Info & Pics tab. You will be able to make selection of the activities you wish to attend, make your hotel reservation, and participate in polling data after we complete the hotel contract. We will send out a postcard containing Reunion information after our mid-year meeting in May for all the Marines that don’t access the website. Looking forward to seeing all of you in November 2026.
The Board and Trustees of the Vietnam Veterans of the 2d Battalion 1st Marines wish you and your family a very Happy and safe Holiday Season.
Tony Kilroy
President
314-477-8800
