07/21/2025
Well Shipmates, Greetings,
I hope you and your CEOs are well and rested from the Holidays.
Since October 2025 Kevin Osgood (BM2 Yodjas 84-88), who is our Sponsor for the Green Bay Area Reunion 2026 has been working hard to find a hotel to host our reunion. Dozens of hotels in Green Bay were contacted to provide a quote that would not up the rates due to the Green Bay Packers playing at home while we are having our reunion. None of the Hotels would commit at this time to a contract for September since they did not know Green Bay Packer’s home schedule.
Our shipmate Kevin Osgood came through and found that the Inn on Maritime Bay, Manitowoc, WI would not charge a Packers fee to host our 2026 reunion. Thank you, Kevin, for your support and hard work. Attached is the PowerPoint presentation that Kevin has put together for the ‘News on the 9’ and it will be on our Facebook Page. It will have the link to make your reservations, important information about the area and things to do in Manitowoc, WI. Further updates will be made a published as a .pdf attachment which will be continuously updated by Kevin Osgood.
MAKE YOUR RESEVATIONS NOW!!!!!
News on the 2026 Manitowoc, WI Reunion
The USS Towers DDG-9 Association Inc, signed a contract with the Inn on Maritime Bay in Manitowoc, WI to host the 2026 USS Towers DDG-9 Association Inc reunion from 22 September to 27 September 2026. The link below is for reservations online for the period between 22-27 September. We can reserve rooms as early as the 19th of September and as late as 27 September to get our group price. You will have to call the hotel directly to make your reservations for extended stays.
The Address: 101 Maritime Drive, Manitowoc, WI 54220
Link for Reservations: https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/EV01N2
The Hotel: (920) 682-7000 Call if you are coming in earlier then 22 September or later than the 27th of September.
The Rate: $129
Below is the tentative itinerary for the 2026 Manitowoc, WI Reunion in summary. I will cover each day below this summary so that we can publish this summary for the Hotel to display for us in their lobby.
USS Towers DDG-9 Association Inc
2026 Reunion Manitowoc, WI Summary
9/22 Day 1-Tuesday Evening
1700-Hospitality Room #XXX will be opened. Association will provide Pizza.
9/23 Day 2-Wednesday
0600-0900-Breakfast
Event TBD
The Hospitality Room will be available 24/7.
9/24 Day 3-Thursday
0600-0900-Breakfast
Event TBD
The Hospitality Room will be open.
9/25 Day 4-Friday
0600-0900-Breakfast
Event TBD
1630 – Everyone brings their auction items to the Hospitality/Banquet Room it will be open.
1700 – 2200/2300 – Cash Bar Open in the Hospitality/Banquet Room
1730 – Start the festivities with our Banquet and Auction at the Hospitality/Banquet Room.
9/26 Day 5-Saturday
0600-0900-Breakfast
0900 – Association Business Meeting in the Hospitality Room
Afternoon Free Time
The Hospitality Room will Be opened after the Business meeting has concluded.
9/27 Day 6-Sunday
Bon Voyage.
Wednesday Information
Event Title – Description and Information
Thursday Information
Event Title – Description and Information
Friday’s Information
Event Title – Description and Information
Event Title – Description and Information
HOT TOPICS With Important Information
– Shipmates, we have the information needed to reserve your room for the USS Towers DDG-9, 2026 Reunion in Manitowoc, Wisconsin start to reserve your rooms. I do ask that everyone reserve their rooms as early as you can. We want to be able to not only fill up the Block of rooms that we have reserved but, to also be able to know that early enough so that we can negotiate another block of rooms at that discounted group rate we have currently negotiated if needed. Anyone that waits until the last minute to reserve a room could potentially not be eligible for the discounted group rate if the reservation is not made by August 22, 2026. It is early…. I realize this but, want to be able to setup event tours as early as we can so that we can lock in prices at the cheapest rate we can. We will do our very best to keep any prices that our Shipmates must incur to a minimum. I have attached the booking link for Shipmates to start booking. The Inn on Maritime Bay Hotel Link: https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/EV01N2 or by Phone: (920) 682-7000 if you need to stay as early as 19 September or as late as 30 September. Let them know that you are with the USS Towers Group.
Roster Update:
Names on the Roster: 593
Names Verified: 180
I am continuing to contact everyone by Telephone, Email, Facebook, or Messenger so that I can confirm the information that I have on all our active members. We will use this information to print out our name tags used during the reunion.
If you do not get the ‘News on the 9’ please send us your Email address, First and last name, what years you served and your home City/State to usstowersddgnine@gmail.com
Please visit our Facebook page: USS Towers (DDG-9) https://www.facebook.com/groups/65196440936/
Reunion Information is in the ‘Events’ section of the USS Towers (DDG-9) Facebook page
Please visit our Associations website at usstowers.com
I am still very excited about the things we are doing and the direction the Association is going in. We will work to get our website updated with the latest news on our 2026 Manitowoc, WI Reunion, new merchandise in our Ships Store and other ‘News on the 9’. It is awesome to work with our Green Bay Area Sponsor, Kevin Osgood in keeping the tradition of the USS Towers DDG-9 Reunions going forward. I will report further on the venues we have on the schedule and what updates have been made to the USS Towers DDG-9 Association Inc. website, when I pen the next ‘News on the 9’!!!
Very Respectfully
Bob Whapeles, President
USS Towers DDG-9 Association Inc.
usstowersddgnine@gmail.com