The Tenth Reunion of the 6/27^th Artillery Vietnam got off to a great start on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, in the Regency Ballroom B at the Regency Marriott in Omaha, Nebraska, the hometown of John & Marion Wavra who hosted the reunion.  Registration started early and the Reception lasted for the next two days.

It had been announced that this would be the last reunion, after twenty years of hosting,  they would arrange,  since so many of us Cannon Kings have either passed away or due to our advancing age it is much more difficult to attend a reunion.

A total of 28 Veterans and 22 Spouses/Guests were in attendance.  Name badges were distributed and the group that was in attendance began to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones.  Since this date was an unofficial start of the reunion, Veterans came and left at will.

Wednesday started earlier than previous reunions in that almost everyone had arrived the previous day. Many of those attending arranged for lunch in small groups.  In the afternoon some attendees visited the Nebraska Vietnam Memorial and the newly renovated Joslyn Art Museum.    Pizza was on the menu for this date for dinner and this year it all was eaten.  Visiting continued through the evening.

Dinner on Thursday was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. with individual photos taken before dinner.  The Dinner  was held in the Regency Marriott Ballroom on Thursday, September 19, 2024. The Regency Marriott staff provided a great meal with excellent service. By tradition the program was informal with a welcome from John Wavra with an invocation, once again by Cannon King and Navy Chaplin, Tom Atkins.  Many thanks Tom for all the years you have attended and performed this task with great honor and respect.

After dinner the room was called to order and Fallen Comrades and Friends not present were remembered with a moment of silence after their names were read aloud by selected table hosts and a fine toast was offered by Bill Biggs to their memory. The traditional "Fallen Comrade" place was set at a number of tables to remind each of us how fortunate we all were to have made it back from Vietnam and to be attending this reunion. It was again pointed out that all of us have been fortunate to live fifty plus years longer than our comrades who gave their lives in Vietnam.

Les Higa reminded us of three missing comrades – Scott Krueger, Tom Hynes & Ray Nelson who all passed since our last gathering.  Cannon Kings, who attended previous reunions, were helped to recall each of them with humorous stories.  Each of these three Cannon Kings will continue to be missed.

The usual “around-the-room” self-introductions took place with all the fun that goes with it. Again, as with previous reunions, the floor was then opened to anyone who wanted to relate a memory, tell a funny story or whatever, and several Cannon Kings used this time to good advantage. It was fun to listen to new and old stories.

When the last story was told the dinner was over and a group photo was taken.   An enlarged version is available for viewing.  The 2024 Reunion, perhaps the last reunion of the 6/27^th Artillery Vietnam, it was agreed by most attending, had been a great success!  Many thanks to all who attended the 2024 Reunion and to everyone who helped to make it the success that it was.   A special thanks to each of the table hosts. And lastly, an extra special thanks to Les Higa, Roger Mallory and Ralph Porter, who, without their efforts over the last twenty years, none of the reunions would have been possible.

And Lastly, a special thank you from Marion and I for your generous gift cards to two of Omaha’s great steakhouses, the plaque which will soon hang on my office wall and the generous donation to the Nebraska Vietnam Memorial in our name, as well as the flag, donated by Arvin Battersby and to Roger Mallory for rounding up all the Cannon Kings for their signatures.  Your many gifts were unexpected and yes, unnecessary, since watching you reconnect with fellow Cannon Kings over the last twenty years has been so rewarding in itself, and the fact that we have enjoyed over the last twenty years meeting  the best people in the world – The Cannon Kings, spouses and guests who have become our friends through those  20 years of Reunions.

Each Cannon King who attended will be emailed a detailed financial statement regarding the costs of the 2024 Omaha Reunion.