Thanks for many great notes!
Matthew Bucherati writes:
My son Adam just returned from Iraq two weeks ago safe and sound after being gone 416 days. We met him at the airport with his wife, Shannon, this two year old son, Matthew, and his six month old daughter, Madison. It was a wonderful homecoming. He is now settled in back at his home in Winston-Salem and is assimilating back into civilian life again. We are all thankful for his safe return.
A.J. Murphy writes:
Found out a fellow classmate Kurt Larsen was here in Houston since AUG of 2009. Got together this past weekend to visit with my wife and daughter along with his wife and daughter. Had a really nice outing on the boat on Lake Conroe. It was good to catch up with him. Kurt works for ABS nearby and we only live about 20 minutes from each other.
John Prien writes:
Cindy and I are keeping very busy with our 4 “tax deductions” – Maddie (almost 10), Ben (8), Zach (4) and Grayson (2) – and our newest addition to the family – a 23′ deck boat with a 350 HP inboard / outboard we keep out on Lake Allatoona. Between the family, Clorox and the Navy I’ve been keeping quite busy – in fact I was called up by the Navy to support the Deepwater Horizon spill as US Fleet Forces Command Liaison Officer to Unified Area Command for the spill . On the morning of April 30th the headline on the front page of the Wall Street Journal was “Navy Joins the Fight” – and by 6 PM that evening I was on my way down to the Gulf (needless to say it was a very interesting deployment).
Brian Foy writes:
Ray…I don’t think I have “sounded off” since our 25th so I am due. The past year has been quite hectic but the Foy’s have finally settled down in Pawling, NY. I am working again for the Westchester County Medical Society in White Plains (since 9-09) and we spent the last year living with my mother-in-law (no comment) in Port Chester until we sold our Oklahoma home. My two oldest (Melissa, 26 and Vincent, 23) remain in Oklahoma building their lives and my two youngest (James, 17 and Connor, 13) are with Karen and I here in NY. We really like Pawling but I have a feeling I will be in dire need of a snowblower in the near future!
I am enjoying a quiet summer thus far. The Foy siblings and their families are all gathering in Destin, FL later this month (July) to celebrate my parents’ 50th Wedding Anniversary. Turns out we are getting a huge refund from the owners of the house we are renting due to the oil spill. BP at work, I suspect. I am planning to get to a KP football game or two this Fall and I am about 30 minutes from West Point and may try to get to an Army game. Speaking of KP, my son (gasp) has expressed some interest so we are going to an orientation session in August for the would-be Class of 2015.
I haven’t had much contact lately with fellow ’83ers. My cell remains 405-850-8367 and email is . I have contacted the Mid-Hudson Chapter of USMMAAA and plan to join soon. I would welcome contact from classmates and especially those passing through the Hudson Valley area.
How’s the Marathon Man these days? I’ll let you know when I am next in the DC area so we can celebrate one more year since we stepped off the brow of the navy’s most infamous Tuna Boat!
Fair winds…
Thanks Brian. Marathon Man is fine (although my car recently got totaled in a 4 car collision). No big injuries and even getting some “medical massage” from a cute young lady. I’m now president of my running club (www.pcvrc.com) and race director of www.NunRun5K.org. I’ll run Rock’n’Roll half marathon in VA Beach, with concerts the nights before and after on the beach. Then in early October I’ll run my 18th marathon in Corning, NY, with www.RebelRunners.com buddies. That just leaves enough time to build websites for actual paying customers here and there.
See previous columns & photos at our website. Drive safely – land, sea, and air!
—– Ray Christensen
Ray Christensen after marathon with Chris Cioni in Sacramento Dec’09
Matthew Bucherati’s son home from Iraq tour – – Grandson