The Old Guard Association
(3d U.S. Infantry Regiment)

June 11, 2020

Members and Friends,

I know you all want to know more about the upcoming reunion. Here’s the latest information. The TOGA Board of Directors met last night and voted unanimously to continue planning for our Reunion in September, but we will reexamine that decision in early August. In the meantime, we’ll constantly monitor COVID restrictions in the hope we can make a final call sooner. We spent a lot of time considering this decision. Here are just some of the discussion points:

• Current restrictions do not allow for the camaraderie of a reunion that we’ve come to enjoy. That interaction is one of the great benefits of our gathering. We want to spend time with each other and today’s Old Guard soldiers. It is particularly important for our teammates who are older or who need our support.
• We must be prudent about any hazard we expose our teammates to. We know that some of our population are particularly susceptible to the COVID virus. We care about you and take that responsibility seriously.
• The leadership at the Sheraton Hotel has been very helpful to us.  They haven’t scheduled any other events during the period of our reunion.  More importantly, they agreed that they will apply our deposits for this year to the 2021 reunion if we have to cancel.  This is a key point—we won’t lose any of the money we’ve given to the hotel if we have to cancel.
• Six weeks out, in early August, is a timeframe that gives a reasonable amount of time for people to make travel plans and for TOGA to concentrate on the detail of producing the reunion.

Like you, we want to make it happen, but we have to wait and hope the restrictions are lifted before we can make the call. Keep up your enthusiasm! Contact your pals and encourage them to attend with you. Remember, there is no penalty. TOGA will refund your fees if we have to cancel. Send your questions to togareunion1998@gmail.com. Thanks for your patience as we work through the issues.

Old Guard,
Flip Godfrey, President