307th Bombardment Group Reunion - 2024
June 30th, 2024 through July 4th, 2024
June 30th and July 4th, 2024 are Travel Days
Welcome to Jacksonville
HOST HOTEL:
Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott
IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO BE AWARE OF!!!
CUT-OFF DATE:
Reservations by attendees must be received on or before 6/7/2024 (the "CUT-OFF-DATE"). On the Cut-Off_Date, the hotel will review the reservation pick-up for the event, release the unreserved rooms for general sale, and determine whether it can accept reservations based on a space and rate-available basis at the Client Group Rate after the Cut-Off-Date
GUEST ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE:
Guest check-in time is after 3:00pm and checkout time is 12:00pm (NOON).
Room assignments prior to that time are on an availability basis. During peak periods of high occupancy, rooms may not be available upon arrival. Rooms will be made available for check-in as soon as possible.
COMMENTS AND SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:
Rates include:
-Full Hot Breakfast
-Internet Access
-Fitness Center
-Business Center
- Outdoor Pool
- Heated Jacuzzi
-Market Shop
-Complementary Parking
All of our guest rooms and suites are equipped with microwaves and refrigerators. The Hotel is walking distance to over 15 restaurants. There will be a compiled list of those restaurants in your welcome packet.
REUNION AGENDA
&
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Monday - 1 July 2024
The memorabilia Room will open at 1000 hrs.
This will allow folk the time to place their memorabilia items on their chosen tables.
We will use this day to reconnecting/reminiscing & rest from the travel and share our loved ones history and stories. Jim McCabe will be on hand with videos from WWII, displaying and explaining what happened.
The Silent Auction will be (Presented by Debbie Drake)
The Auction will start Monday July 1st at 1000 hrs. and end July 3rd at 2200 hrs
For those unable to make it to the reunion, I will live stream it to our Facebook page.
To bid, send a private message to Debbie Drake on the Facebook page with the item # and your bid price.
I will update the live stream bids twice a day (times TBD) until 8 pm July 3rd. Then I will update as bids change till end of auction. Shipping costs apply and the item will be sent once payment is completed.
TUESDAY - 2 July 2024
We will be traveling this day with the help of Jacksonville's own Annett Bus Lines.
1-800-282-3655
Join us for a visit to the
National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum / Camp Blanding Museum
Jacksonville, Florida
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Camp Blanding Joint Training Center is the primary military reservation and training base for the Florida National Guard, both the Florida Army National Guard and certain nonflying activities of the Florida Air National Guard. The installation is located in Clay County, Florida, near the city of Starke in adjacent Bradford County. However, while Camp Blanding utilizes a Starke address, it is located totally within the confines of Clay County. The site measures about 73,000 acres (30,000 ha) and includes Kingsley Lake. It also hosts other Reserve, Army National Guard, Air National Guard, and some Active Component training for the U.S. Armed Forces.
Early History
Timucuan speaking Indians were the earliest natives known by European settlers to inhabit east and central Florida. The first military post in this area was Fort Heileman, established on Black Creek near present-day Middleburg in 1836 during the Second Seminole War. During the American Civil War, Federal troops occupied While Sulfur Springs (now known as Green Cove Springs), and patrols of Federal troops were sent to scout Starke in early 1864.
Company B, Fourth Separate Battalion, Florida State Troops was raised in Starke following the Civil War, and was one of the first to volunteer for service in the Spanish-American War. Prior to World War II, land on the west side of Kingsley Lake was marketed by Comer L. Peek, a real estate developer from Starke, for summer cottages.
World War II
In August 1940 Camp Blanding was federalized by US Government to be used by Army as training base for NG & Active Army Infantry Divisions. At that time the US Government acquired around 40,000 additional acres through eminent domain to go with the Florida’s 30,000. Over the next few months they acquired leases on another 80,000 acres east of the owned land to use as maneuver area. This brings Camp Blanding to around 150,000 acres
Following mobilization of the National Guard of the United States in November 1940, the 31st and 43rd Infantry Divisions were sent to Camp Blanding for their initial organization and training.
As the number of troops billeted at Camp Blanding rapidly increased, responsibility for construction was shifted from the Quartermaster Corps to the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District.
Divisions serving time at Camp Blanding during the war included the 1st, 29th, 30th, 31st 36th, 43rd 63rd, 66th and 79th. Other units that trained there included the 508th parachute infantry regiment (separate) and the 6th cavalry regiment, 3 tank destroyer battalions, field artillery regiments and combat engineer organizations.
Beginning in June 1943 Camp Blanding started to prepare for a change in its mission. In August 1943, the last divisions departed Camp Blanding, which was immediately converted into an Infantry Replacement Training Center. Nearly 175,000 men were trained at the IRTC.
Because of Camp Blanding’s size, isolation and moderate climate, it served as a German Prisoner of War camp from September 1942 to April 1946. More than 4,000 men – soldiers, U-Boat sailors, and civilian “enemy aliens” – were detained at Camp Blanding.
During the war, Camp Blanding was Florida’s fourth largest city. It is estimated that more than 745,000 personnel served at Camp Blanding during World War
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Tuesday's Itinerary
- (8:30 hrs) - Board bus and leave Fairfield Inns and Suite - 4888 Lenoir Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32216-6022
- (arrive 9:00-9:15 hrs.) The National POW/MIA Museum - 6112 POW-MIA Memorial Parkway Jacksonville Florida 32216-6022
- (11:30am) - leave POW/MIA Museum for Camp Blanding Museum.
- Lunch will be a BOX LUNCH of your choosing from the selection on the registration form.
- (arrive 1230 hrs (with traffic)) - Camp Blanding Museum - Building 3040 Tallahassee St, Building 3040, Starke, FL 32091
- (1500 hrs) Back to Fairfield Inns and Suite - 4888 Lenoir Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32216-6022.
WEDNESDAY - 3 July 2024
Get out of bed, go and get a bite to eat, and then get ready to join us for the
Official 307th Business Meeting (1000-1200 hrs.)
(In the memorabilia room)
(Everyone is invited to attend, but for voting rights, you MUST be a member so come and join the organization and follow us on Facebook as well as our website.)
After the business meeting, you are own your own until the group picture:
Free to go back to the memorabilia room, your room and get your best 4th of July red, white, and blue, then come back down for our:
REUNION GROUP PICTURE at 1730 hrs.
(picture location TBD)
Bar will open at 1800 hrs.
REUNION BANQUET at 1830 hrs.
After the group picture, return to the memorabilia room or to your hotel room and get ready for a fantastic reunion banquet. This year we will feature another of Jacksonville's best small businesses owned by
Chef Alexis Wentley
Chef Alexis will be serving a wonderful buffet meal of:
Curry, chicken thighs
Coconut rum, shrimp
Caribbean style Jasmine rice
Smoked ham, hock, collard greens
House salad
Conch salad
Mini rum-cakes
Coffee, water, lemonade, Sweet and Unsweetened tea
Of course, we will be having a very nice cake from Publix decorated accordingly and enough to fill all of the sweet tooth that you may have.