Reunion 2017: Going Back to Fort Benning

Click here for audio:    -https://vimeo.com/420777294 

October 2017 Reunion – Fort Benning, Georgia

After OCS, 50th Company classmates dispersed to the four corners and, with few exceptions, lost contact with each. In 2014 a handful of 50th Company classmates reconnected and began using the internet to reach out to other members of the Company. They were able to locate over 130 of the Company’s 160 graduates.  Regrettably, 31 classmates are no longer with us, including two (Tom Edgren and Jim Dupont) who gave their lives in Vietnam. The Company held its first reunion in October 2017 at Fort Benning, Georgia, where we had done our training. Fifty-three classmates, most with spouses, attended. We enjoyed a hugely successful event that was both entertaining and heart-warming. Fort Benning rolled out the red carpet for us. We had a windshield tour of the post with stops at our barracks and other sites where we trained. We spent the morning at the new OCS training center, including a tour of the facilities and a presentation by the OCS Battalion Commander, whom we peppered with questions about the evolution of OCS from the “bad old days” (the Sixties) to what it is today, a rigorous educational program sans the screeching TACs, shock reveilles, and the debasement of candidates. We shared lunch and conversation in the OCS Mess Hall with new candidates; toured the Armor Restoration Facility/Museum; visited the world-class National Infantry Museum, and enjoyed “Rangers in Action,” an exciting demonstration by the cadre of the Ranger School. 

For a tongue-in-cheek after action report, please scroll down.