After Action Report – San Diego 2026

Attention All Hotel Company Marines and Corpsmen:

The reunion in San Diego has concluded and, by now, almost everyone has returned home—although a few are on extended tours. It was reported that a good time was had by all. The Crowne Plaza Hotel treated us to a good location, a good breakfast, and a good banquet dinner.

This reunion was marked by the attendance of one 1st timer, Carle Abernathy. Although not his first time attending, Rick Bowling, along with Carle, was awarded a Hotel Company Coin.

Two highlights of the reunion were the tours of Camp Pendleton and MCRD.

At Camp Pendleton we held our Memorial Service for our fallen brothers. We were joined by Marines and Corpsmen who shared their experiences with us, and we in turn shared our experiences with them. We were granted access to the MCX, where many T-shirts and sweatshirts were purchased.

Our attendance at the MCRD San Diego recruit graduation resulted in what many were affectionately calling a Death March. Our group is limited in the distance that can be expected as a reasonable distance to travel on foot. Future reunions should take into consideration mobility issues of the attendees. While at MCRD my daughter was able to find a long sought after souvenir. She found a “Proud Daughter of a Marine” shirt that she has now worn to court.

Larry Tyler announced the launching of the Hotel website improvement. The Hotel Company Rosters are now searchable online. They can be found at https://hotel25vv.com/hotel-company-roster. Check out the site and send Larry your info, your photos, your writings, your memories and anything else you want to share. It is a work in progress. The best thing you can do is contribute.

It is OUR site, which is maintained by Larry with considerable effort on his part.

At the planning meeting, the status and logistics of the 2027 reunion were discussed. The 1st Marine Division Association was put forward as a possible affiliate with whom we might want to align our reunions, along with the possibility of joining with the other companies of 2/5. At this time, it is merely a concept to be explored.

I sincerely hope the reunion was enjoyed by all.

Semper Fi and start planning for next year.

Jay Peterson
October 2026