2018 National Congress - San Antonio, Texas
24 - 28 October 2018
"Come and Take It" - Honoring the Persistent, Dedicated, and Defiant Fighting Spirit of the Nation's Sea Services
The Gonzales or "Come and Take It" flag was designed and painted by Cynthia Burns and Evaline DeWitt and was allegedly used at the battle of Gonzales in October 1835. The flag may have been carried by Stephen F. Austin's volunteer army to the siege of Bexar. From "The Handbook of Texas", Texas State Historical Association, https://www.tshaonline.org/home/
Please view our 2018 NOUS Annual Congress Blog for additional information!
Information about our Author presenters - James Hornfischer, Marc Liebman, Don Kehn Jr., and Robert “Pete” Peterson.
Welcome to San Antonio!
The Texas Commandery is pleased to host the 2018 Naval Order of the United States Congress in beautiful San Antonio, Texas. The Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk has been selected for this Congress. It is conveniently located along San Antonio’s spectacular Riverwalk. It is within walking distance of the Alamo, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, The Pearl Brewery Shopping Complex and El Mercado Marketplace. The hotel is a short drive to historic San Antonio Missions, San Marcos Outlet Center and Sea World. It is located just 8 miles from San Antonio International Airport.
Update on Congress Registration Fees and Special Events
The full Congress registration fee is $350 per person, and individual meal prices for non-registered guests are as reflected in the registration form. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept any additional registrations for the optional events (Nimitz Museum, Briscoe Museum, and The Alamo).
The special Congress room rate is unfortunately no longer in effect. Please contact the hotel directly at 1-866-764-8536 to make reservations if you wish to stay at the Congress hotel.
If you require an accessible room, please call the hotel at 1-866-764-8536 to make your reservation for an accessible room.
About San Antonio
The Alamo Mission in San Antonio ("the Alamo") located in Downtown, is Texas' top tourist attraction. Because of the mission, San Antonio is often called the "Alamo City". The River Walk, which meanders through the Downtown area, is the city's second-most-visited attraction, giving it the additional nickname of "River City." Extended an additional 13 miles between 2009–2013, the landscaped walking and bike path line the San Antonio River from the "Museum Reach" beginning in Brackenridge Park through downtown, "Downtown Reach", past the Blue Star's "Eagleland" to the "Mission Reach" ending near Loop 410 South past Mission Espada. Lined with numerous shops, bars, and restaurants, as well as the Arneson River Theater, this attraction is transformed into an impressive festival of lights during the Christmas and New Year holiday period (except for the Mission Reach), and is suffused with the local sounds of folklorico and flamenco music during the summer, particularly during celebrations such as the Fiesta Noche del Rio.
The Downtown Area also features San Fernando Cathedral, The Majestic Theatre, Hemisfair (home of the Tower of the Americas, and UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures), La Villita, Market Square, the Spanish Governor's Palace, and the historic Menger Hotel. The Fairmount Hotel, built in 1906 and San Antonio's second oldest hotel, is in the Guinness World Records as one of the heaviest buildings ever moved intact. It was placed in its new location, three blocks south of the Alamo, over four days in 1985, and cost $650,000 to move.
San Antonio is home to the first museum of modern art in Texas, the McNay Art Museum. Other art institutions and museums include ArtPace, Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, the Briscoe Western Art Museum, Buckhorn Saloon & Museum (where visitors can experience something of the cowboy culture year round), San Antonio Museum of Art, formerly the Lonestar Brewery, Say Si (mentoring San Antonio artistic youth), the Southwest School of Art, Texas Rangers Museum, Texas Transportation Museum, the Witte Museum and the DoSeum. An outdoor display at North Star Mall features 40 foot (12 meters) tall cowboy boots.
The five missions in the city, which are four found in the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park as well the Alamo, were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 5, 2015. The San Antonio Missions became the 23rd U.S. site on the World Heritage List, which includes the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty. It is the first site in the state of Texas. The new Mission Reach of the River Walk was completed in 2013, and created over 15 miles of biking, hiking, and paddling trails that connect the Missions to Downtown and the Broadway Corridor.
Other places of interest include the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Brackenridge Park, the Japanese Tea Gardens, the Sunken Garden Theater, The Woodlawn Theatre and the Majik Theatre, a children's educational theater.
San Antonio is home to one of the largest concentrations of military bases in the United States, and has become known as Military City, USA. The city is home to several active military installations: Lackland Air Force Base, Brooke Army Medical Center, Randolph Air Force Base, and Fort Sam Houston. The defense industry in San Antonio employs over 89,000 and provides a $5.25 billion impact to the city's economy.
2018 National Congress Schedule of Events
TUESDAY 10/23
0730-1800 Optional Excursion National Museum of the Pacific War (Nimitz Museum), Fredericksburg, Texas
WEDNESDAY 10/24
0800-1800 Registration Desk / Welcome
1030-1230 Optional Tour Briscoe Western Art Museum
Lunch (individually arranged)
1300-1345 Communications Committee
1400-1445 Membership and Retention Committee
1500-1545 Commandery Support Committee
1600-1645 Investment Committee
1600-1645 Foundation Board
1700-1745 Finance and Audit Committee
Dinner (individually arranged)
2100-2300 Hospitality Suite
THURSDAY 10/25
0800-1700 Registration Desk
0800-0845 Historian General's Committee
0800-0845 Awards Committee
0900-0945 By-Law Constitution Committee
0900-0945 Site Committee
1000-1145 General Council
Lunch (individually arranged)
1330-1600 Optional Tour The Alamo
1800-2000 Commander General’s Reception
Dinner (individually arranged)
2100-2300 Hospitality Suite
FRIDAY 10/26
0700-0830 Continental Breakfast
0800-1200 Registration Desk
0830-0900 General Session – Opening Ceremonies
Administrative remarks by Congress Host
0900-0905 Credentials Committee Report
0905-0920 Commander General’s Report
0920-0935 Recorder General’s Report
0935-0950 Registrar General’s Report
0950-1000 BREAK
1000-1015 Membership Report
1015-1030 Commandery Support Report
1030-1045 Communications Report
1100-1200 Presentation by CAPT Robert “Pete” Peterson, USN (Ret), Navy SEAL
“A SEAL Plank Owner’s Vietnam Experience, 1964 - 1975”
1230-1400 DSSA-SE/LCDR Lee Douglas Award Luncheon
1415-1420 General Session Reconvenes/Remarks
1420-1520 Presentation by Mr. Don Kehn Jr., Author
"Be of Good Courage: Asiatic Fleet four-pipers at Balikpapan, 1942"
1520-1550 Presentation by CWO3 Anthony Atwood, Miami Military Museum & Memorial
"This Old HQ... returning NAS Richmond to Service"
1550-1600 Administrative Remarks
Dinner individually arranged
2100-2300 Hospitality Suite
SATURDAY 10/27
0700-0830 Continental Breakfast
0830-0840 General Session Reconvenes/ Remarks
0840-0900 Historian General Report
0900-0915 Auditor General Report
0915-0930 National Investment Committee Report
0930-0945 National Finance Committee Report
0945-1000 BREAK
1000-1015 Awards Committee Report
1015-1030 Project Manager Report
1030-1045 Site Committee Report
1045-1100 President Naval Order Foundation Report
1115-1215 Presentation by CAPT Marc Liebman, USN (Ret), Author / Businessman
“Navy Combat SAR in Vietnam - An Untold Story”
1300-1430 ADM George Dewey / CG Medal and Certificate Awards Luncheon
1445-1450 General Session Reconvenes/ Remarks
1450-1550 Presentation by Mr. James Hornfischer, Author
“Endgame in the Pacific: 1944-1945”
1550-1600 General Sessions Ends/Final Remarks
1800-1900 DSSA Cocktail Reception
1900-2200 Distinguished Sea Service Award Banquet
2200 Congress officially concludes
2200-2400 Hospitality Suite
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