SAILING FORWARD WITH NAVY REUNIONS
AFR was founded in 1988 in Norfolk, VA. Much of our early history dealt with planning Navy reunions, quickly reaching 85 reunions in 1991 alone. Cities with Naval Bases and Naval Air Stations such as Norfolk, Charleston, Jacksonville, Pensacola, San Diego, Groton, and Everett are obviously top reunion destinations – as well as Naval Training Centers like Great Lakes in North Chicago.
In 1989 we planned the first reunion for the USS Canberra and the second reunion for the Patrol Craft Sailors Assn. Twenty-seven years later we’re still planning reunions for them both. In 1991 we planned the first USS Little Rock reunion in Buffalo, where the cruiser is a museum ship, and still plan their annual reunions today. In 1989 and 1991 we organized the first reunions for what became the National LSM/LSM(R) Assn. and the USS LCI National Assn. Both still meet today. Wherever your Navy reunion would like to meet know that AFR has planned multiple reunions in every city that has ties to the U.S. Navy. And more…we will book your group in a reunion-friendly hotel and provide you with popular tour programs to make your reunion both interesting and affordable.
Our relationship with the Navy deepened further when we were awarded a U.S. Navy Reserve contract in 2008, planning nationwide Returning Warrior Workshops for returning reservists. The conferences served to address post-combat stress and help Individual Augmentees transition back to civilian life. We are proud of our long service to the Navy and to Navy reunion groups.
Some of the more popular Navy reunion destinations are:
- Norfolk/Va. Beach: home to NS Norfolk, NAB Little Creek, NAS Oceana, and the USS Wisconsin BB-64 museum ship
- Charleston: home to former NB Charleston and Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum (USS Yorktown & USS Clamagore)
- Providence: nearby is Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA where on exhibit are the USS Massachusetts BB-59, Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., the submarine Lionfish, PT 617 and PT 796.
- San Diego: home to NB San Diego, NAS Halsey Field, NTC San Diego, and the USS Midway CV-41 Museum
Mobile: home to the USS Alabama Memorial Park and a short daytrip to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola - Pensacola: home to NAS Pensacola and the National Naval Aviation Museum
- Baton Rouge: home to USS Kidd DD-661 and Veteran’s Memorial
- Buffalo: home to Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, with the USS Little Rock CL-92, USS The Sullivans DD-537, and USS Croaker SS-246
- Jacksonville: home to NS Mayport and NAS Jacksonville, and a short drive to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay
- Washington DC: a top destination for any military reunion, and home to the Washington Navy Yard and the National Museum of the U.S. Navy.