We finally have closure on which home games are being played in September. We play Boise State on the weekend of the 20th (Wed 9/17-Sun 9/20). This game and only two others at home, Hawaii on 9/27, and Army, on11/1, will be given full support of the Academy. For any of the other three home games: Bucknell 8/30 (Parents’ Weekend), Wyoming 10/25, and New Mexico,11/22, we would be strictly on our own. Parents’ Weekend is obviously out, and the other two are too cold, leaving Boise as the best choice compared to Hawaii, and it provides a chance for a stunning upset early in the season (great weather) when Air Force traditionally outperforms their opponents. If the team gels, Hawaii will be a pushover. If not, it doesn’t matter!

So what does Academy “full support” add? Virtually identical to our 60th experience, buses will shuttle from the Field House to the “Bring Me Men” ramp to the internal Cadet compound, with all buildings (except the Chapel) being fully open. Also scheduled are repetitive briefings by senior leadership from numerous disciplines, and an optional (paid) lunch at Mitch’s with the cadets. This all begins at 0830 and lasts until 1630, during which time no memorial ceremonies will be supported. The remainder of the day is free.

Saturday's game time is still unannounced, but it should include a paid tailgate two to three hours beforehand with paid seating as a group. The rest of the day is open.

Sunday is departure as desired.

Alternatively, we could hold our get-together over the Navy away-game weekend, Oct. 1-4. We could provide our own tailgate and watch the game on TV. We did this once previously, using the Blue and Silver Club above the stadium, with everyone satisfied with the results (except for Navy's beating us). The rest of the weekend would remain open for whatever we devise; e.g., a memorial ceremony, banquet, Hotel Polaris tour, etc.

In either case, lodging and transportation have top priority, especially for Boise, with so many reunion classes competing for limited resources. Despite an expectation that we could enjoy our new Hotel Polaris, their pricing policy is much higher than anticipated. There are five levels of rooms available at the hotel. The lowest three are priced, respectively—after fees and taxes are added: no-mountain-view, $300/night; partial-mountain-view, $313/night; and mountain-view, $360/night. The two higher rooms go up to $300/night more, and these prices are after a negotiated special reduction for reunions!

Dining and drinking at the hotel suffer the same inflated pricing. This is comparable to The Broadmoor Hotel with half the luxury. Alternatively, we have available some 16+ hotels between Academy Blvd. and North Gate that are highly ranked and significantly less expensive. We cannot, however, negotiate a better rate until we have a head count for room nights required. Inspection and negotiation are time-consuming tasks; each day delayed reduces availability.

Whatever our eventual choice, time is of the essence in cementing hotel reservations; so, we are asking you to respond to the questionnaire below only if you plan to attend. Once we have a reliable head count, we will provide you with an abundance of detail and instructions on how to proceed.

We appreciate the reality of our health limitations and our increasing inability to join these five-year reunions. Balance that against the sheer pleasure of congregating with those of your classmates who are still capable of attending as you make your decision. We continue on the wrong side of the life expectancy curve. Just a gentle reminder that time is, indeed, of the essence! We hope you can attend. IF YOU WILL NOT BE ATTENDING, DISREGARD THE QUESTIONNAIRE.