The seventh annual VA-65 Reunion was held in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania September 11-13 at the Country Inn & Suites Hotel. Thirty members, some with their wives attended. It was the largest reunion to date.The staff provided us with a ready room, where our memorabilia, photos, flags, models were displayed. A free complimentary breakfast each morning was an added treat. Friday's activities included a trip to a winery and dinner at a local restaurant.  A small VA-65 tour group visited the Adams County Winery just west of Gettysburg on Friday. Some of the unique samples on the taste list were: Yankee Blue,  Tears of Gettysburg, Rebel Red, and Rhett Butler. The gift shop also offered a wide variety of cheeses and related items. Dinner that evening was held in the banquet room of the Copper Kettle restaurant just down the street from the hotel. Plenty of great dishes and great stories were passed around. Back at the hotel ready room. more guests arrived and were greeted while others prepared for the long day ahead tomorrow. Saturday, the caravan was organized and we headed out to the Gettysburg Battlefield site. A short cut allowed us to view the many apple orchards of the hilly Pennsylvania countryside. Our guide was a local historian, Dr. Paul Orange who provided us with commentaries on each event and answered a barrage of our questions. The motor tour began at McPherson's Ridge near the site where the opening shots were fired back on July 1, 1863. Many stops were made along Seminary Ridge, perhaps the most memorable of all being the Virginia State Monument which had General Lee mounted on Traveler taking in a commanding view of the western battlefield.Further down our motorcade parked across from Little Round Top. A hike to the southeast put you on the point defended by Col. Chamberlain and the 20th Maine. It wasn't the damp weather that caused goose bumps knowing that this was the exact place where that immortal bayonet originated.Back up to the peak of Little Round Top, the viewer was provided with the astonishing site of the entire battlefield below his feet. The imposing statue of Major Gen Warren overlooks the key clashes at Devil's Den, The Wheatfield and The Peach Orchard.We traveled up the Union lines of Cemetery Ridge and stopped at the trees that marked the site of the Bloody Angle. It was here that Pickett's men met the fiercest resistance in the deciding moment of the July 3rd battle. Silent cannons, cold statues and bronze markers belie the true fire and fury that occurred here.It was now time to go, but some instigator made a point that the "Cyclorama" was a thing not to be missed. So off to the museum/gift shop/Cyclorama we went. Our guide Paul purchased our tickets for us and our undying gratitude. The Cyclorama was overwhelming. A FOUR TON circular painting 377 feet long by 42 feet high. Completed by French painter Paul Philippoteaux and his team in the mid-1880's, it depicts scenes from the final Gettysburg Battle on July 3rd 1863. It was a combination audio-visual presentation and diorama. A site not to be missed for sure. Back to the hotel we raced to prepare for the evening's barbeque/picnic event. It was held at Chambersburg's Memorial Park, which had the pavilion area soon filled. Hot dogs, hamburgers, beans, potatoes and grilled tomatoes had our crew lined up several times. A big thank you to Lew Kauffman, his wife Mimi and Kathy Orange, who cooked up a storm at the delicious barbeque. Salads and pastries rounded out the meal. After the barbeque, the Remembering the Fallen ceremony was held. Afterwards a brief discussion about next year's reunion in South Carolina.  Sunday, for those early risers, was spent at the hotel breakfast table reminiscing about the reunion. Many had planes to catch and appointments to keep and so long good-byes were in order.                                                                                                             Until next year,                                                                                                             Rich Katuzin  VA-65 Reunion Historian Details about the 2010 Reunion in Charleston, South Carolina will be coming out very soon. Walt Flanagan is in the process of hammering out the plans with The Radisson.Al Kennedy will certainly be missed. 

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