Tim was invited by Colonel Chris Patton (AMP Fellow) to be the Guest of Honor speaker at the 242nd Marine Corps Birthday Ball on November 9, 2017, for the Marine Aircraft Group 24 in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. Tim accepted the invitation and as a result, we decided to organize a “Fellows Tribe” event in Hawaii. There were about 17 people in attendance which included, Tim and Sandy Day, Leslie Pellillo, several AMP and MBA Fellows and their spouses/significant others, and some close personal friends. In fact, we were thrilled that our two newest MBA Fellows, Michael LeBlanc and Lauren Bosco, were able to make the trip from Boston.
We all stayed on the base, and Tim and Sandy were honored to stay in the prestigious “President’s Cottage” which has been visited by many famous people, and boasts some of the most beautiful views of the ocean. Chris Patton and his wife Tami put together a wonderful program for us. Most of us arrived Wednesday evening on November 8, and met at the Officer’s Club for cocktails and dinner – a befitting venue while staying on base.
Thursday kicked off with a tour of the Admirals Barge in Pearl Harbor where we saw a documentary on the Pearl Harbor attack, which was followed by a visit to a photo gallery that displayed many historical photos of the attack. The group then boarded one of the boats and we visited several of the memorials in the harbor that pay tribute to the ships that were lost to the attack. The boat docked at the USS Arizona Memorial, where we were able to get off the boat and spend about 15 minutes touring the site. Later that evening we headed to a hotel in Waikiki Beach to attend the 242nd Marine Corps Birthday Ball. It was a memorable evening – it’s always a treat to see Marines in their dress blues and Tim delivered an inspiring speech that was well received by the audience.
Friday morning, the group headed to the Ulupa’U Crater for a hike. During the hike, we met with some conservationists who told us about the area and a special bird that breeds on that part of the island called the red-footed booby. We then took another shorter hike to see a hilltop artillery gun (left over from WW II) which we did very carefully since we had to walk by and walk under hundreds of red-footed booby birds that were perched in nearby trees. Later in the day, Chris gave us a historic tour of the MAG base and some aircraft, which included seeing Ospreys, Cobras, and Drones. During the tour, we were surprised to learn that many of the hangars and runways still exist from the Pearl Harbor attack. We even saw the area (a bullet hole in a stairwell), where the first soldier was killed in WW II. In the evening, the group enjoyed a traditional Hawaiian event – a luau.
When we woke up Saturday morning – it was pouring heavy rain – so many of us bailed on taking the scheduled hike at 5:00am to see the sunrise. However, several brave people rallied and hiked the trail which turned out to be a very wet and muddy ordeal. Later in the day, we had a meeting with all the Fellows and everyone gave an update on what was going on their life. The group departed that night to head back to their respective homes.
Many thanks to Chris and Tami for organizing a memorable visit, and to the Fellows and friends that made the trip. It was such a treat to spend time together while enjoying the beautiful Hawaiian scenery.