I am a Plankowner of the USS Monterey (CG-61). We commissioned her in 1990. Most of my stories should be left at sea...lol. Anyway...I joined Facebook around 2009, and started using it & other online means to track down the other Plankowners. This was not an easy task. Well, I ended up finding over 250 of the original crew. I created a group on Facebook, where we can all hang out & keep in touch. Several of the guys accused me of working for the CIA, because I was able to track down so many people...lol. I organised our first reunion in 2012, in Jacksonville. We had quite a few in attendance, and had a great time. Most of us hadn't seen each other in 20 years. Next year is the 25th anniversary of the commissioning, and we are having another reunion to celebrate. Looking forward to it. Also, a fellow Venturerider was with us at PRECOM, to train our Radiomen. He is an Honorary Plankowner, and was invited to the reunion as well. Many of you know Marshall Gammon.
Here is a pic of the ship, of me & of the first reunion. The 2 older Gentlemen up front are the original CO & XO. Those who know me will recognize me as the guy in the black shirt with the glasses on my head.